Dr Said Shahtahmasebi’s interests are in nutrition, health and overall wellbeing. He firmly believes in a holistic approach which means nutrition and health are not simply what we eat but also the whole process of food production. In other words, our health and wellbeing outcomes are dependent on our individual, agricultural, economic, environmental and political processes.

He is a holistic researcher with specialities in research methodology, longitudinal modelling, and statistical modelling as applied to adolescent health, old age, public health, and so on.

Said obtained his qualifications in statistics and operational research in the UK, and has a background in academia and the health industry both in the UK and New Zealand.

In 2004 he founded the Good Life Research Centre Trust to pursue and promote holistic research of relevance to the community.

The Good Life Dressings are the result of research exploring the differences between olive oil and extra virgin olive oil (EVOO). The research has been published as two papers in the international journal: TheScientificWorldJournal in 2003 and 2004.

The research raised a number of points. First, both olive oil and EVOO are low in saturated fats, but, EVOO contains anti-oxidants and provides health benefits. However, regular consumption of EVOO over a long period is necessary to enjoy its health benefits. Second, changes in blood cholesterol are subject to personal and environmental changes such as stress levels and seasonal changes, e.g. during autumn and winter blood cholesterol may rise in some people which may be due to dietary changes.

Based on his research, Said then developed a natural product that accelerates the health benefits of EVOO. The idea behind the dressings is their versatility; they can be used on meat, chicken, fish, pizza, vegetables … as a dip, as a marinade or on practically anything in order to enjoy the health benefits, especially during the autumn and winter seasons.