The Institute for Optimum Nutrition (ION) is an independent higher education provider and registered charity, founded in 1984. Today the Institute is the leading educational establishment in the United Kingdom for training and supporting nutritional therapists, and one of respected and accredited bodies of its kind in Europe.

Our mission is to educate and enthuse, instilling optimum nutrition as the foundation of health for all. We do this by graduating qualified and highly competent professionals and registered practitioners into a growing industry; though our free-to-access publications, mini-series, podcasts, and blogs; with our free and low-cost nutritional therapy clinic; and by supporting the nutrition and wider wellbeing and healthcare profession with our accredited CPD short courses.

At ION we aim to create a stimulating, challenging, and rewarding learning experience, through sharing a unique fusion of education, research and professional practice and inspiring our students and staff to enrich our communities. Our skilled and creative workforce is comprised of individuals drawn from across the globe, and who reflect a variety of backgrounds, talents, perspectives and experiences to build our global learning community.

In 2020 we entered into a collaboration agreement with the University of Portsmouth Faculty of Science and Health for the validation of higher awards. Launched in September 2020 the BSc (Hons) Nutritional Therapy became the new flagship ION course; part-time over 4.5-years it offers intakes in September and February. Previously qualified nutritional therapists have the option to join in year 4 and top-up to a degree by completing the final three semesters of the course.

February 2021 saw us welcome our first students to the Graduate Diploma in Integrative Functional Nutrition, available full- and part-time (1- and 2-years respectively). Also validated by the University of Portsmouth, the course is designed for allied health and medical professionals looking to add the principles of personalised and functional nutrition to their existing skills set and practice. It is the first course of its kind and the only one to provide a fast-track route to practicing nutritional therapy.