Meet Emma
Emma Little
Functional Medicine Dietitian
Qualifications : BSc Dietetics, AFMCP
About Me
I’m a functional dietitian who believes that healing is a whole‑person journey—one that unfolds gradually, compassionately, and sustainably. My work is shaped not only by clinical training but by my own lived experiences with mold illness, chronic gut challenges, burnout, and unresolved injuries. These chapters taught me that healing is rarely linear, and that people need support that honours both the physical and emotional layers of their wellbeing. I’m committed to helping clients build a lifestyle that feels nourishing, doable, and aligned with how they want to feel in their bodies and minds.
How I Work
I guide clients through a slow, steady, and sustainable healing journey—one that prioritises long‑term lifestyle transformation over quick fixes. My approach blends evidence‑based nutrition with a deep understanding of the emotional and physical realities of healing. I help clients move beyond symptom‑management and into feeling genuinely well, in a way that feels achievable and grounded.
My work centres on building a lifestyle through small, meaningful habits across key pillars such as sleep hygiene, breathwork, emotional regulation, mindfulness, mood‑supportive movement, restorative practices, low‑toxin living, and low‑inflammatory nutrition.
Areas of Expertise
- Functional nutrition and lifestyle medicine
- Gut health and chronic digestive issues
- Brain health and cognitive wellbeing
- Oral microbiome support
- Low‑inflammatory and low‑toxin living
- Stress, burnout, and emotional regulation
- Metabolic health and root‑cause approaches to weight‑related concerns
- Integrative approaches to chronic, complex, or multi‑system health challenges
My passion for brain health, oral microbiome care, and gut health comes from recognising how deeply interconnected these systems are—healing one often requires supporting them all.
Personalised Nutrition & Therapeutic Diets
- Individualised healthy eating plans
- Healthy ageing & longevity nutrition
- Elimination and specialised protocols:
- Low FODMAP for IBS
- Gluten‑free and dairy‑free approaches
- Ketogenic / low‑carbohydrate strategies
- Mitochondrial‑supportive nutrition
- Low‑histamine diets
- Elemental diet (SIBO)
Weight Management
- Pre‑ and post‑bariatric nutrition guidance
- Non-surgical weight management including very low-calorie diets (close-monitoring pathway)
- Lifestyle and dietary support alongside weight‑loss medications (non‑prescribing role)
- Food relationship & eating behaviour support
Clinical Protocols & Functional Interventions
- 5R gut restoration programmes - gut health optimisation using fibre, prebiotics, and probiotics
- Mould detoxification support
- Immune & inflammatory conditions (food‑based strategies for immune modulation)
- Skin‑focused nutrition protocols
- Oral microbiome optimisation
- Bone health support, including the GROWS_B osteoporosis treatment framework
- Cardiometabolic support:
- Cholesterol‑lowering strategies
- Insulin resistance, Diabetes, Hypoglycaemia and general blood‑glucose regulation
- Low‑GI and Cardiometabolic Food Plans
- Fatty Liver
Targeted Dietary Plans
- Microbiome‑friendly dietary planning
- Anti‑inflammatory eating plans
- Anti‑yeast / anti‑fungal protocols
- Detox‑focused food plans
- Cardiometabolic plans
- Vegan and vegetarian diets
- Food‑intolerance‑friendly meal planning
Lifestyle, Mood & Behavioural Support
- Holistic wellbeing strategies
- Lifestyle strategies for stress resilience
- Behavioural tools for nervous system regulation
- Goal setting and habit formation for sustainable lifestyle shifts
- Nutrition approaches that support mood and focus
- Energy support strategies (chronic fatigue)
Training and Qualifications
I graduated from Stellenbosch University in 2006 and began my career at Johannesburg’s largest teaching hospital, where I led maternal and infant nutrition initiatives and helped launch the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative. Early on, I felt called not only to support recovery from illness but to empower people before symptoms arise—particularly through pre‑conception and maternal nutrition.
In 2008, I moved to London and worked across nearly every NHS clinical area, gaining broad clinical experience before joining London Dietitians in private practice.
After returning from several years abroad, I worked in research and clinical roles focused on metabolic obesity and bariatric surgery. While the outcomes were often significant, witnessing the limitations of weight‑loss procedures strengthened my belief in addressing root causes and preventing “dis‑ease” upstream.
This ultimately led me back to private practice at Functional Medicine Wimbledon, where I now focus fully on holistic, lifestyle‑based healing.
My Interests and Hobbies
Nature is my grounding place. Growing up in a sporty, outdoors‑loving South African family, I’ve always found joy in movement, sunshine, and music. I studied yoga in my early twenties and remain spiritually curious, drawn to practices that cultivate calm and connection. You’ll often find me gardening, meditating near water, or cycling to a park with a good book—simple rituals that keep me centred and inspired.
