Blood test on the side
personal health. The food will consist of a seasonal starter, plenty of protein and a healthy dessert.
Rather than retiring to the drawing room for a digestif, guests will then be treated to a question and answer session about anything relating to their meal, health, fitness or lifestyle.
When the blood results are ready, they will be sent directly to both the participant and Ms Shah, who will then offer individual 30-minute telephone consultations to offer tailored advice.
The concept of such a party emerged from the growing trend of personalised fitness plans. Ms Shah, 41, said people were becoming more educated about what they should be doing to improve their long-term health.
But while there are plenty of apps, fitness plans and diet regimes to change body shape, it is not easy to have a great awareness about internal health.
She said people also found it harder to make lifestyle changes on their own, pointing to the success of Weight Watchers as proof of how group support can influence results.
“Consultants and GPs just don’t have the time to provide personalised nutritional and health advice,” she said.
“You can be incredibly healthconscious but not really know much about your actual health. And there is so much information out there that it’s hard to separate the dross.” Ms Shah said that so far, the parties had generated most interest amongst those aged 35 to 50, who are realising they need to start looking after their health and have perhaps known friends or relatives who have fallen ill.
Ms Shah, who is also a trained doctor, had a change of heart when it came to her career after her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. She chose instead to focus on nutrition, completing a Masters in nutritional medicine at the University of Surrey.
She was later diagnosed with breast cancer herself, at the age of 29, but puts her recovery down to a healthy diet and knowledge of certain foods’ power in the fight against cancer and disease.
She has several links with cancer charities and is a firm advocate for the link between breast cancer and lifestyle.
‘You can be incredibly health-conscious but not really know much about your actual health’