MSc Nutr Med

Toral Shah is a Nutritional Scientist, Functional Medicine Practitioner, Food and Health writer and Consultant, as well as the Founder of The Urban Kitchen. She originally went to medical school with a view to becoming an oncologist, but when her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer, she realised that this was not the career for her. After completing her BSc in Cell Biology, specialising in cancer, she worked in research, winning a presitigious Royal Society internship where she worked on SRC oncogenes. Toral then went on to do an MSc in Nutritional Medicine at University of Surrey and became a Functional Medicine Practitioner working with nutrigenomics. She is currently putting together a PhD proposal looking at the impact of stress, diet and lifestyle on oestrogen-dependent breast cancer.

Toral specialises in optimising health and disease prevention through improving food, diet and lifestyle. She uses evidence-based science knowledge along with Lifestyle Medicine and cooking skills to help support others to lead a healthier life, by eating delicious and nutritious food. Toral was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 29. It was just six years after she supported her mum through the disease. In 2018, she was diagnosed with breast cancer again. She is particularly passionate about cancer prevention and prevention of recurrence and completed her MSc thesis researching the foods that prevent recurrence of breast cancer. As a breast cancer patient and survivor, she understand how patients might want to change their diet and lifestyle post diagnosis.

“We are all people first and foremost, and then patients and/or healthcare professionals. Using an Integrative Medicine approach means that we treat the person as a whole, taking into account their lifestyle, diet, personal and cultural preferences, genetics and more, to personalise their treatment. Finding reputable and qualified professionals to help through the cancer journey is so important, especially in this day and age where anyone can share their opinion on the internet, so resources such as Yes to Life become a huge support and first port of call for anyone wanting to know more about how to help themselves with the best combination of conventional and more holistic treatment, safely and with an evidence-based approach. I have found the information and resources useful for both patients and anyone who wants to know more, including myself!”