Food and nutrition are an engaging topic to many people of today as it’s relevant to everyone. Since there is so many of us, of course there are also vast differences of opinion on what type of food tastes the best or what is that we should eat to feel well. Everyone has their own story and experiences with food. It is this one of the reasons for why you can constantly see new fad diets rise in popularity.
Nowadays, the number of self-appointed experts within nutrition and health in the world is quite high, and many of them don’t even have a proper nutrition education. That’s why it’s even more important for Wellness by Oriflame to provide educated expertise in the area of nutrition to steer away from myths and base everything on science – from new products that we develop to educational materials that we give out.
Wellness by Oriflame Nutrition Council consists of our experienced nutritionists and dietitians that are highly competent experts in the fields of nutrition and health. With their combined knowledge, they help us define the nutritional philosophy across the business, help develop products and provide guidance on relevant nutrition hot topics as well as support to markets. Together, this group of experts work to represent and unite three important global functions within Oriflame – Research & Development, Product Marketing and Sales Support.
Let’s meet our three experts in nutrition and health!
First, there’s Caroline Cummins.
Caroline Cummins
Caroline works as the Scientific Communications Manager at our Research & Development facility in Dublin, Ireland. Caroline joined Oriflame in February 2019.
She is a registered Nutritionist and has a:
• MSc in Nutrition from Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh, Scotland, UK
• BSc in Food Science from University College Dublin, Ireland
• Dip. in Digital Marketing from the Fitzwilliam Institute, Dublin, Ireland
Caroline has extensive experience in nutritional research, the food and supplement industry, and public health. She has worked in various roles throughout her career which has enabled her to develop a deep knowledge of ingredients and the development of best in class products. She began her career in research where she worked in a university laboratory investigating the effect of ingredients that provide health benefits beyond their nutritional value i.e. functional foods. She later worked in a sports nutrition start-up company targeting elite athletes. Here, she saw firsthand how optimal nutrition can mean the difference between success and failure. She has also developed and led healthy eating campaigns targeting different life stages including children, teenagers, and healthy agers.
Caroline went on to work in a marketing role for nutritional ingredients within one of the largest food ingredient manufacturers in the world. Here, she communicated the science behind ingredients such as proteins, fibres, immune enhancing ingredients amongst others. She has also worked in innovation, helping to develop healthier products to make the healthy choice the easy choice for consumers.
Her main areas of expertise include nutrition research, sports nutrition, and functional foods.
Caroline’s passion for Wellness
Caroline was born and raised in Dublin, Ireland, where she now lives with her husband and dog (a very cute labradoodle) at the foot of the Dublin mountains.
Caroline was always a keen scientist at school, with a passion for nutrition. After graduation, she decided to follow in her mother’s footsteps and pursue a career in nutrition. As a young adult, Caroline grasped how health is one of the most important elements in our lives. She understands how many factors in life can impact our health, and yet be out of our control. She has always found it empowering to realise how good nutrition can impact your own health and wellbeing so much, even preventing disease in the long term. She views food as something to be enjoyed and savoured, but it is also the nourishment to enable her to be her best self. She also sees food as the everyday means to energise, promote healthy skin, reduce inflammation, boost immunity and support longevity.
She has always been fascinated by different diets around the world and how they support health. She is now delighted to work for a Swedish company, where she can broadcast the principles of the renowned Nordic Diet to so many diverse cultures around the world.
Caroline enjoys yoga, jogging, swimming, and hiking to keep fit and get some headspace after a busy day! She is most inspired when she is outdoors in nature, and travelling, experiencing the contrasting landscapes around the world. Caroline loves to share her passion for health and nutrition with others. She enjoys translating hard science into easy to understand and actionable facts, in order to empower people to make positive dietary changes in their own lives and reap the benefits of good nutrition.
Now, let’s continue with saying hello to Isabella Lee.
Isabella Lee
Isabella works as the Global Senior Nutritional Scientist at the Global Product Marketing department at our Global Support Office in Stockholm, Sweden. Isabella joined Oriflame in September 2019.
She is a Nutritionist and has a:
• PhL in Food Science & Nutrition from Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala,Sweden
o Dissertation “Whole-grain Rye Foods: Effects on Appetite and Metabolism”, 2016
• MSc in Human Nutrition from Stockholm University and Karolinska Institute, Sweden
• BSc in Human Nutrition from Stockholm University and Karolinska Institute, Sweden
She is an author and co-author of five peer reviewed scientific research articles in the area of appetite and metabolism.
During her doctorate, she conducted clinical trials evaluating the effects of wholegrain rye and dietary fibre, including prebiotic fibre and plant protein, on appetite (hunger and fullness), hormones, metabolism and gut responses in healthy adults. The research is part of laying the foundation for health claims on wholegrain rye foods and sustained fullness (satiety).
Apart from clinical research, she has experience in working with sensory innovation and consumer research in the food and beverage industry. By combining different sciences: sensory, neuro and marketing, with different methods: quantitative and qualitative, she gained in-depth consumer insights on concepts, products and packaging.
Isabella’s areas of expertise lay in nutrition, appetite regulation and consumer insight.
Isabella’s passion for Wellness
Isabella was born and raised in Sweden. She lives together with her Australian husband and two children at the gate of the archipelago, just outside Stockholm, in the community where she also grew up.
Isabella comes from a family of medical doctors, so she initially wanted to become a medical doctor in gastroenterology. However, she realised that she didn’t want to treat sick people, instead she wanted to prevent people from getting sick. So, instead, she studied Human Nutrition at university level, gaining extensive knowledge in everything from molecular nutrition to public health nutrition.
Isabella’s fascination with what happens in the gut grew during her studies, and early on she focused on dietary fibre. Conducting her master thesis on the biggest cereal company in Sweden, looking at the effects of wholegrain rye and dietary fibre on appetite, paved the way for her pursuing a doctorate building on the same research.
Isabella fully enjoyed working with academic research but felt that she wanted to get closer to the actual end user – the consumer. Therefore, she started working with consumer insights at the third largest market research company in the world. Isabella gained valuable insights into consumer behaviour and understood that there are so many reasons for why we eat; need for nutrients, hunger, emotions, pleasure, preferences, habits, environment, etc.
Isabella takes a holistic approach to nutrition, health and wellness that is backed by science. She is passionate about striking a balance in all aspects of life; from eating, exercising, sleeping to socialising. Regularly getting a little bit of everything is what brings joy to life and keeps us well-balanced and sane – aspects very much in line with what Wellness by Oriflame stands for and communicates.
And lastly, let’s meet Marlene Nordlander.
Marlene Nordlander
Marlene works as the Senior Global Wellness Trainer at The Global Sales Support department at our Global Support Office in Stockholm, Sweden. Marlene joined Oriflame in June 2019.
She is a registered Dietician and has a:
• BSc & MSc in Human Nutrition & Dietetics from Uppsala University and Umeå University, Sweden
o Specialised in sports nutrition
• Cert. as a massage therapist
• Dip. as a workout instructor
Marlene has a wide experience and knowledge of the restaurant and wellness industry where she has had the opportunity to explore many areas concerning nutrition and health. Her career started at one of the world’s biggest food service companies, where she worked developing healthy, varied, and balanced recipes with seasonal produce and combined them into complete meals in well-balanced menus.
Coming from Sweden, nature holds a special place in her heart. That’s why she wanted to take her experience with healthy menus and turn them into environmentally friendly menus as well. So, she developed a healthy and sustainable concept that is now used all over the world. Although she’s explored many areas within health and nutrition since she graduated as a Dietitian in 2009, her core strength has always been to communicate and educate within the area of nutrition and health.
She has been a sports nutrition educator for the biggest Personal trainer & Nutrition coach school in Sweden. Her areas of expertise lay within sports nutrition, food sustainability and trainings.
Marlene’s passion for Wellness
Marlene was born and raised in Stockholm, Sweden, where she still lives with her husband and two boys. She is a passionate advocate for activity in everyday life and the impact it can make for any ability level.
Her interest in health and wellness started in her teens when she was active in different sports and wanted a healthy body that would never limit her in her pursuits. Through sports, she discovered a deep drive to create further impact beyond her own personal achievements. So, in her late teens she became a Workout instructor in different disciplines and fell in love with the feeling and results that teaching had given her and others. It became her incentive to discover more about how the body works and recovers which led to a Massage Therapist education after high school.
For a few years, she worked as a self-employed massage therapist, but Marlene felt that something was missing. She wanted to know more about how the body works from within. Since she has always loved food of all sorts, she felt the urge to learn more about how food can make you healthy and how it can help treat or prevent different diseases. That’s why she decided to pursue her dreams of becoming a Dietitian.
Marlene has always had a goal driven persona. She loves to set high goals and achieve them. That’s why she, among other things, started competing in ‘Body Fitness’ to see how she could sculpt her body with the right nutrition and optimal workout. For a few years she was among the leading athletes in the sport, but as the years have passed, she’s gained more experience and knowledge about health and wellbeing which have made her have a more ‘lagom’ approach to a healthy lifestyle.
As a full-time working mum, every minute counts. Being an early riser means Marlene can carve out some much needed ‘me-time’ which she uses for exercise to start her day right. You will often find that Marlene will join a ‘walking meeting’ to bring clarity and fresh thinking to her work. She believes in a holistic approach and seizing any opportunity to bring a little wellness into every day.
Marlene has a passion of teaching others about health and helping them to incorporate different aspects of health into their lives in a simple way that lasts for long. For Marlene, it’s about a personal journey of wellness, driven by passion and understanding. She feels happiest when she knows that her training has made an impact on individuals in their personal life and their business!
Wellness by Oriflame wants to bring you science-based knowledge in nutrition. By having our Nutrition Council, we make sure to always be up to date with the latest established nutrition research, laying a good foundation for product development and education.
Remember! We are inspired by our beautiful nature and powered by science!
Yours sincerely,
Caroline Cummins
Isabella Lee
Marlene Nordlander
