About
Us

Our vision inspires the future we’re working towards. Our mission, philosophy and values guide how we get there, shaping our education, our approach to nutritional therapy practice and the contribution we aspire to make.

Why ION

• Undergraduate and postgraduate study
  Qualifications to support different stages of your learning journey.
• Flexible online learning
  Full-time and part-time study options designed to fit around your life.
• Evidence-informed education
  Scientific understanding combined with a person-centred approach.
• Flexible progression routes
  Credit bearing courses that may contribute towards a named award, subject to relevant requirements.

Learning with ION

Whether you’re curious about nutrition, considering a career in nutritional therapy or looking to develop your professional practice, ION offers learning opportunities to suit your interests and goals.

From undergraduate and postgraduate qualifications to shorter, credit-bearing courses, our online learning combines an evidence-informed approach to personalised nutrition with academic expertise and practical application.

Undergraduate courses 
Build your knowledge of nutrition and nutritional therapy, with opportunities to progress towards professional practice.

Postgraduate study 
Deepen your knowledge of personalised nutrition and lifestyle medicine, building on your existing education and experience.

Short courses
Explore nutrition and health for personal interest or professional development, with opportunities to accumulate credits towards a named award.

Flexible learning, designed around you 
With flexible full-time and part-time study options, you can fit your learning around your personal and professional commitments. Credit stacking offers additional opportunities to build qualifications progressively, subject to the requirements of individual courses and awards.

On selected courses, supervised clinical training helps you develop practical skills and clinical confidence. Our experienced faculty of academics and clinical and research supervisors bring scientific rigour and practical insight to the learning experience.

Explore our courses and discover where your journey with ION could take you:

ION offers a range of online courses to support different interests and stages of learning, including:

• Undergraduate study:
  BSc (Hons) Nutritional Therapy / Cert HE Personalised Diet and Health
• Postgraduate study:
  Postgraduate Diploma in Personalised Nutrition and Lifestyle Medicine (subject to validation) / Top-up Master’s in Personalised Nutrition and Lifestyle Medicine (coming soon)
• Professional development:
  Advanced Professional Practice courses (coming soon)
• Short courses:
  Credit bearing courses, including Diet and Health, which may contribute towards a named award, subject to relevant requirements

 

Over 40 years of pioneering nutritional education

Since 1984, ION has championed nutritional education and helped shape the development of nutritional therapy in the UK. For more than 40 years, our work has influenced the lives of our students, the people they support and the wider community.

Our story began in 1984, when our founder, Patrick Holford, drew inspiration from the work of Professor Linus Pauling, a two-time Nobel Prize winner, and Canadian psychiatrist Dr Abram Hoffer. Recognising the potential role of nutrition in supporting health, he established formal training for nutritional therapists at ION.

That pioneering spirit continues to shape our work today. As nutritional science evolves, we continue to develop our education, bringing evidence-informed learning together with a person-centred approach to nutritional therapy.

Our ambition extends beyond education alone. We want to help develop a skilled workforce of practitioners who can contribute to a more integrated approach to healthcare, working alongside other healthcare professionals and conventional medicine to support the best possible outcomes for patients.

Today, ION’s community extends around the world, with more than 2,000 graduates putting their knowledge and skills into practice. Together, they contribute to the growing conversation about the links between food, lifestyle and health.

Our history is an important part of our story, and so is what comes next. We remain committed to advancing nutritional education, empowering practitioners and contributing to the future of personalised nutrition and lifestyle medicine.