Dyt. Merve Denizli Aras

Why did I become a dietitian?

I realised early on that nutrition determines not only weight but energy, sleep, mood and long-term health. What drew me to this profession was the idea of turning people's relationship with their bodies from a “battle” into a “collaboration”.

I graduated from the Department of Nutrition and Dietetics at Istanbul Medipol University in 2016. Since then I have worked in clinical counselling with 10,000+ clients of different ages, diagnoses and lifestyles. That experience taught me the most important lesson: the same plan never gives the same result in two people.

How did the metabolism-focused approach come about?

The sentence I heard most often over the years was “I eat little but can't lose weight”. For most of these clients the problem was not willpower but low muscle mass, insulin resistance, thyroid issues, poor sleep and a metabolism slowed by years of restriction. The solution was not eating less, but understanding the metabolism and eating in line with it. Today every programme I write is built on basal metabolic rate, body composition and blood work.

“My aim is not short-term diets, but an eating pattern in harmony with your metabolism that you can keep for life.”

Education and professional development

• Istanbul Medipol University — Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, BSc (2016)
• Clinical nutrition counselling — In person and online since 2016, 10,000+ clients
• Continuing education — Following current guidelines and congresses in metabolic health, insulin resistance, women's health and the gut microbiota