Connect with Maria Cross

Registered Nutritionist

Hi! I’m Maria Cross, a nutritionist and health writer, in equal measure.

I’ve been in this business for over 30 years, and in that time I’ve seen a lot of diet trends come and go. But the truth remains immutable, and that’s where my interest lies.

The starting point for me was the early 1990s, when I gained a diploma in nutritional therapy. I later went on to obtain an MSc in Public Health Food & Nutrition from the University of Westminster, where I also became a lecturer and tutor on the first nutritional therapy degree course in the UK.

Today I divide my time between consultations and writing. I am the author of several books, the latest being How to Feed Your Brain: Seven Evolutionary Steps to Transform Your Mental Health.

I specialise in mental health and cognitive function and find myself writing increasingly for an older demographic.

Everything is connected, and that is evident in the human body. To understand brain function is to understand the gut, and the role that the gut microbiome plays in regulating mood and mental clarity, as well as hormonal health, immunity and the musculoskeletal system.

Once we get past the age of 55, the goal of staying fit and healthy becomes ever more challenging, but not impossible. With the right information, you can ensure optimum nutrition for every stage of life.

Nutrition is a big subject, and a controversial one. It shouldn’t be, but commercial interests confuse and mislead us. One fact that never changes is that, like all animals, humans have a natural diet. Researching How to Feed Your Brain meant understanding how we evolved and what foods nature designed us to eat and thrive on.

For that reason, you won’t find me eulogising the latest ‘superfood’ that until recently you’d never heard of, let alone seen.

When I’m not writing about food, I’m enjoying it. Food is not meant be punitive, like a bitter medicine, which is why I won’t attempt to persuade you that a sprouted mung bean is a thing of joy. But a juicy steak – that’s another matter, being also one of the most nutritious and healthy foods you can eat.

Research is important to me. Everything I write is science-based but written with the layperson in mind.

Writing enables me to reach a much wider audience than I would in clinic alone. I draw from experience as well as research and make recommendations for my readers that work well for my clients.

I have a newsletter on Substack called Your Nutritionist Recommends.