Alicia McCarthy a nutritionist, health and wellness coach based in Christchurch, New Zealand, specialising in autoimmune disease, gut health and reducing symptoms of chronic health challenges with a holisitic dietary and lifestyle approach.

Personalised nutrition and wellness coaching to manage gut health, reduce inflammation, and alleviate autoimmune symptoms.

Gone are the days of accepting life as is.

The Grounded Health mission is to help you feel better in your body day to day.

Hey, I’m Alicia, founder and nutritionist, and I’ve been through it.

From dealing with autoimmune disease since a young age, I understand the challenges involved in finding answers and the feelings of desperation when things just don’t seem to be working.

I know how hard it can be to change habits and behaviours and understand the mental challenges involved, especially when dealing with chronic disease, ongoing gut issues, fatigue, and other symptoms, that can make everyday tasks and activities really challenging.

At the heart of my practice is a commitment to providing evidence-based health information and services that empower you to make informed decisions. You’ll get support along your journey to help save you time going through a lot of trials and errors. I give ongoing support as you are changing habits and moving to a more healthful lifestyle so you’re not going through it alone.

About Grounded Health

Learn more about me

autoimmune disease and gut health nutritionist and wellness coach health coach christchurch new zealand

Areas of expertise

Whether you’re living with a chronic illness, navigating autoimmune disease, managing gut symptoms, or trying to build healthier habits, I’m here to support you with personalised, evidence-informed care.

I specialise in:

Autoimmune conditions – including rheumatoid arthritis, coeliac disease, and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)
Fatigue, low energy, brain fog, and inflammation
Digestive health – including irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), constipation, diarrhoea, bloating, discomfort after meals, and leaky gut (increased intestinal permeability)

Your symptoms are not random — they’re messages from your body.

Together, we’ll uncover what those messages are trying to tell you. My role is to help you understand your body’s signals and the causes for your symptoms, helping you reduce discomfort, restore balance, and quality of life through personalised nutrition and lifestyle strategies.

With the right tools, you’ll feel more in tune with your body — and more empowered to support your long-term health and wellbeing.

Services

Testimonials

“I found working with you was delightful, I felt at ease and that you were very knowledgeable about gut health and particularly IBS. You also offered on-going support if needed and had suggestions and recommendations for me for going forward. It changed my life, I felt normal again. definitely recommend.”
Brenda.
My experience of working with Grounded Health, to improve my gut health, has been fantastic.
Before I started working with Grounded Health, I had put up with poor gut health for 2 years. I had thought that because I turned 30, that this was just the way things would be.
It was affecting both my social and work life.
Since working with Grounded Health, things have dramatically improved and I haven't felt this good in years. I really enjoyed working with Alicia, and I found her coaching style was the right fit for me. She has great practical knowledge and a wealth of theoretical knowledge on gut health. I liked the way she would review the data and bring it together in an easy to understand way. I also liked how she would start by focusing on the basics of food nutrition, as my knowledge in nutrition wasn’t as good as I had thought. One thing that surprised me was that many of the foods I thought were very good for gut health actually weren’t as good as I had thought and with a few changes suggested by Alicia, my gut health improved dramatically.
I, like most people I feel, didn’t exactly know how to get my gut health back on track and thanks to Alicia, I feel like myself again.
To anyone who is struggling with gut issues, I would say to get in touch with Grounded Health and start your journey to improving your quality of life!
Tim.