Please tell us a little about yourself. Hi, my name's Ben Warren. I'm a clinical nutritionist, founder of the scientific, holistic health company BePure and Clinical Director of the two BePure Clinics in Havelock North and the flagship clinic here in Auckland. We opened back in February and are based on the corner of Crummer Road and Vinegar Lane in Grey Lynn.
How did I come to be a clinical nutritionist?
By chance really, I kind of feel like it chose me. I was a professional golf coach and I had a very bad, very persistent back injury. After seeing multiple specialists, it was a nutritionist who told me my bad back was driven by a food intolerance, likely dairy. I was skeptical, but being motivated by science I asked if there was a test I could do. There was... and long story short she was right. I cut out dairy and not only did my back heal, but my life-long asthma disappeared and my abdominal wall flattened as the bloating stopped. It was incredible.
From that moment on I knew I wanted to spend my life learning about the human body. For me it became far more important to me to teach people about their health and how to eat, rather than how to hit a golf ball. I've been in clinical practice now for 14 years. It's been pretty fun.
What do I love about my job?
The number one thing I love about my job is helping others. Making people feel good and finding solutions to their health through my work is amazingly rewarding.
One of my most memorable clients was an 11-year-old girl with a severe autoimmune joint condition. They expected her to be in a wheelchair by the time she was a teenager. Through working with us at the BePure Clinic we were able to test where the inflammation was stemming from. We found she had coeliac disease, meaning she had a severe autoimmune reaction to eating gluten. Through removing this from her diet, spending time healing her gut and increasing her nutrition intake we were able to put her condition into remission. She’s now able to enjoy life to the full, run and even play netball, which was incredibly satisfying.
What do you find challenging about it?
At BePure we’re really the only people in New Zealand, or even the world, approaching health from a scientific, holistic health standpoint. We employ the latest research and gold standard testing from a scientific approach and then utilise nutrition and holistic solutions to support people on their health journey. It can be quite complex to communicate, but the more people we work with and help, the more we’re able to spread the word.
How does this differ from other professions?
This really is the number one thing I want to do with my time. I think that's very different from other professions. Some may like doing what they do, but they wouldn't necessarily choose to do it all the time. Whereas for me, I'd choose to do this every day. It's my passion, it just happens to be my job.
This is the same for all at BePure. We have an incredible team of over 30 people (and that number’s rapidly growing) that all love what they do. We are all very passionate about our mission and helping others on their health journeys.
Can you share an anecdote about a case or cases?
There was one woman that we worked with whose health goal was to lose weight. She wanted to lose 20kg. At end of the programme she’d lost 18.1kg.
Asking her what her top three outcomes of working with us were, weight loss didn’t even make the top three. First was her energy levels. She could finally do the things she wanted to because she had all of this new-found energy. Secondly, she had gone through menopause while on the programme and hadn’t experienced any adverse symptoms. She actually used the words ‘breezed through’. Third was her mood, she was feeling happy and joy was part of her every day. Weight loss came in fourth.
What do I do to care for myself?
First and foremost I eat really well. This means a clean, whole foods diet free of gluten, refined or processed foods. I also take daily nutritional supporting products to give my body all of the nutrients it needs on a daily level. I get good sleep, try to exercise every day, enjoy the sunshine and stay as relaxed as possible. I also work very much on gratitude in my day.
What's your advice to people seeking our specialty treatment?
Drop into the clinic or give us a call and chat to our team of clinical consultants. It’s
a great way to share a bit of your health story and learn how we can support you. Once you start utilising the testing to take the guess work out of your health, it’s amazingly empowering. We also have a very supportive, private Facebook community group where people share their experiences, questions and support one another. I would encourage all to join www.facebook.com/groups/bepurecommunity
BEPURE, 5 Crummer Road, T: 0800 873 787, www.bepure.co.nz