Team Blog > Lisa Simon

Dietitian PBHO

Lisa studied Clinical Nutrition and Dietetics at Cardiff Metropolitan University for four years, before graduating with first class honours in 2014. Her clinical experience in the NHS includes providing care to patients in both the inpatient and outpatient setting.

Lisa began her career working in Morriston Hospital in Swansea. After a year of working with patients with a wide range of clinical conditions, she took up a rotational post at the University Hospital of Wales, where she worked in neurology, cardiology and respiratory. She then took up a specialist post in critical care in the Royal Gwent Hospital in Newport, before specialising in gastroenterology in 2016. Lisa continues to run weekly gastroenterology clinics virtually for the NHS.

In 2019, Lisa completed the UK’s first plant based nutrition and sustainable diets course (Winchester University) and has since gained extensive experience in the field of plant based nutrition. Her special area of interest is male and female fertility and she has developed a strong passion for providing evidence-based, patient centred care in her areas of expertise. She takes a professional but non judgemental approach to offer her patients a truly individualised and holistic treatment plan.

Lisa is registered with WPA.

I had suffered mainly absent periods for well over a decade and this had resulted in my husband and I struggling to conceive our second child. As I was going through treatment I stumbled across plant-based nutrition and realised how strong the evidence-base was, not just for optimising health but also fertility. I immediately cut out meat, fish and eggs but struggled for a while to eliminate dairy. It was inadvertently my son who helped me take this final step as he was diagnosed with cow’s milk protein allergy at six weeks old and as I was feeding him, I stopped overnight. My husband and I made the decision to raise him plant-based and he is thriving, with a deep compassion for animals (his ‘friends’).

Within three months of transitioning to a predominantly whole food plant-based diet my menstrual cycle regulated and it has continued ever since. I also have a history of endometriosis and used to suffer excruciating pains. This has also resolved. My conviction, based on scientific evidence, that a plant-based diet can help to optimise both male and female fertility and help manage hormones-driven conditions is why I specialised in this area. I have supported many patients over the past few years on their fertility journey and hearing about their successes makes me incredibly happy. To share the science with as many individuals and couples as possible is my ultimate goal and is why I decided to write a book, The Plant-Based Dietitian’s Guide to Fertility, which this is due for publication next year.

I am a huge advocate for an active lifestyle and this includes strength training. I find it empowering to feel myself growing stronger, and it also really helps me to stay positive and reduces stress. I am also a huge foodie and need to eat a lot to fuel my high activity levels. My favourite breakfast is overnight oats with as many different toppings as I can fit on top. I am also a tofu addict and love to experiment with recipes for myself and my family (although sometimes my children refuse to eat them!)

Working for PBHO is so fulfilling because it enables me to work with those struggling to conceive, but also to give support to anyone wanting to transition to a plant-based diet who may be confused by all the nutrition myths out there. As my NHS background is in gastro, I also support those with any conditions affecting the gastrointestinal tract, liver and pancreas. I really love my job as a dietitian and watching people realise the power of food and positive lifestyle changes makes it even better.