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Most people don’t give a second’s thought to their skin – unless they’re scowling at the wrinkles or wobbly bits in the mirror. It’s already doing a fabulous job keeping your insides in, protecting you from infection and radiation, and keeping you warm. There’s also a huge amount you can do to keep your skin looking healthy and fresh and – I’m happy to tell you – stave off the wrinkles without buying that expensive anti-ageing cream. Read on to find out how.

Your Hormone Balancing Action Plan

If you’re suffering with PMS, menopausal symptoms, or hormonal conditions such as PCOS and endometriosis, then take a look at this plan. These simple changes aren’t going to solve everything, but if made consistently over time, they can have a positive effect on your mood and how you feel.

Which Fat?

Park that notion that fat is bad. It is not. In fact, most of us aren’t eating enough of it.
Fat can help you lose weight, protect against heart disease, absorb vitamins and boost your immune system. Do you know which fats to eat and which to avoid?

Eat to improve your heart health

Many people fear a heart attack. Think of it as the last straw. Heart disease is, in many cases, a lifestyle disease that is avoidable and, with the right focus, you can avoid it, too.
There are some pretty big risk factors (outside of smoking and drinking in excess), and these include being diabetic, having high cholesterol, and being overweight.
What I want to talk to you about today is which dietary changes you might start to make from today

Why am I always hungry in Winter?

When winter hunger strikes, here’s how to stay satisfied and energised.

Ever feel like your appetite goes into overdrive the moment the temperature drops? Winter has this sneaky way of making you ravenous, and with the grey, drizzly weather and post-holiday slump, it’s tempting to hibernate with a blanket and a tray of biscuits.

What is Functional Testing?

Today I want to talk to you about something I am very passionate about - functional testing – because it may hold the key to solving your health problems and to staying healthier for longer. So, if your New Year’s resolution is to look after your health, read on!

Remember how detectives use clues to solve mysteries? Well, as your nutritional therapist, I'm like a health detective, and functional testing is my secret weapon for uncovering the root causes of your health concerns. No more wondering "why". These tests can help us unlock the "what" and build a personalised plan to help you feel better. There’s something very empowering, too, about having answers in black and white. And the tests I use are evidence-based and are performed by world-leading laboratories.

WHAT DOES A NUTRITIONIST DO EXACTLY?

Most people get – on a conceptual level at least – that they should probably eat a bit better than they do, they should probably move more and take the time for more ‘me time’ to live a long and happy life.

‘Life’ seems to get in the way of achieving that. Many of us are juggling jobs and the complexities of modern relationships, leaving little time to dedicate to the business of ‘being healthy’. Convenience often wins. It’s not that that’s wrong per se, but here’s the thing: all the time we are not eating or moving or living as well as we know to do, we are silently getting sicker. That may actually be going-to-hospital sick or it may just mean having health niggles that bother us greatly but that we have learned to cope with. I’m talking here about things like IBS or other tummy troubles, PCOS, perimenopause, PMT, arthritis, stress or anxiety, haywire hormones, or possibly weight that has crept on over the years and you can’t seem to shift it, no matter what you try.

8 Foods Nutritionists Never Eat

There is an argument that all foods are OK in moderation, and this is largely based on not having ‘being healthy’ become something that feels a chore or that has you missing out on some of the things you really enjoy.
But as a nutrition professional, there are a few things that I NEVER eat.

Fancy a cuppa?

As though we need any excuse for a cuppa, this week is Afternoon Tea Week so a perfect time to you all about the beautiful health benefits of tea, and how to make sure your cuppa is doing the very best for your health.

How to keep your skin looking at its best

For some, one of the most bothersome things about the ageing process are wrinkles and the dullness your skin can take on. Although it’s not possible to turn back the clock, there are a number of things you can do to bring back that feeling of radiance.

Summer Drinks

Summer parties are often filled with sweet, alcoholic drinks that can lead to rollercoaster blood sugar levels.
It’s not always easy to know what to drink instead without feeling deprived. But I’ve got a few delicious and refreshing alternatives for you to try.

Eating the Seasons

A restaurant menu focused on seasonal produce is often a go-to sensation, but do you know why it’s important to eat seasonally?
Quite simply, when you eat locally and seasonally you know you are eating the freshest, most abundantly available produce. It is better for everyone – you get the tastiest veg, the local farmer benefits, and food miles (the distance our food has to travel from the farm to your fork) decreases so you get to save the environment, too.

Good Mood Food

How we nourish our bodies has a profound effect on our mood. Here are my top foods to include… and what to avoid.

Eat Well and Spend Less

Eating food you have cooked or prepared at home is healthier for you. It is also considerably cheaper. The key to this is planning. You’ve probably heard the saying ‘failing to plan is planning to fail’. Without a weekly food plan, it will be pure luck if you end up with the right foods in the fridge or cupboard. And, without planning your time, you won’t always make the time to enjoy breakfast or make that lunch. You could be saving a LOT of money each and every week by following these tips.

If food isn't the problem, is it the booze?

What I hear from clients is, it’s not always the food that’s the problem – it’s the booze.
Often partygoers who are cautious about their alcohol consumption are viewed with suspicion.
If you want to have a few glasses of wine, have a few glasses of wine. But make that decision inside of what you know to be your social schedule over the entire Christmas period.

Spice Up Your Immunity

Spicing up your meals isn't just about making them tastier—it's also a clever way to sneak in some immune-boosting goodness onto your plate.

My Top 5 Tips for Managing the Menopause

I work with women with menopause and perimenopause in clinic every week. Here are my top 5 Tips.

Top 10 Ingredients to Watch Out For

I'd need a lot more space to list out all the names on the naughty list but this list, while not exhaustive, is a good starting point if you want to know you are eating as well as you can for your health.

Bottom line: if you can't pronounce the ingredient, it's probably not something you want to put into your body! And if you don't recognise something as 'food', chances are your body won't either.

Making sense of food labels

Labels provide us with useful information about what packaged food contains they can be confusing (not to mention misleading). Remember the labels are also there to help sell the product - so you need to look more closely if you really want to understand what you are eating.

Should you avoid gluten?

Should you avoid gluten? Looking at the pros and cons and the science

Eat to Improve Heart Health

Many people fear a heart attack. Think of it as the last straw. Heart disease is, in many cases, a lifestyle disease that is avoidable and, with the right focus, you can avoid it, too.

What are antioxidants and why are they important?

Want to bulletproof your immunity? You need to stockpile those natural antioxidants (and not just the packets and tins of pulses!).

How useful is the BMI?

If you read magazines, watch TV, see a doctor occasionally or have ever been on a diet, you’ll have heard of the BMI or body mass index. But how useful is it?

Food and Mood

The link between physical health and what you eat is well understood, but did you know that what you eat has a huge impact on your mood and how you feel?

Plan for the life you want to create

How often have you started following a healthy eating plan only to be forced to make unhealthy choices because you didn’t have the right foods in the fridge, you didn’t have time to eat a ‘proper’ breakfast or make the lunch you wanted to take to work?

How do you reward yourself?

How do you reward yourself? How do you comfort yourself when you are stressed? Think about that for a moment. Rewarding yourself for your successes, both large and small, is a key part of staying motivated.

My top tips for a health Veganuary

It’s the perfect opportunity to try out something different. And over the last few years, one of the most popular January dietary changes has been Veganuary, where people try out an exclusively plant-based diet for the month.

My Six Tips for Mindful Eating this Christmas

The lowdown on Vitamin D

Everyone knows that we need to get vitamin D... but why?

What's the score with vitamin C?

If there’s one vitamin most people have heard of, it’s vitamin C. Whose mum didn’t urge them to eat fruit – preferably oranges – to keep up their vitamin C levels?

What does a Nutritionist do exactly?

What I want to share with you today is that the food you eat matters more than you can possibly imagine!

Get SMARTER about your goals

How often do you reach your own goals? If the answer is ‘not very often’, you may need to revisit your goal-setting strategy.

My Super Six Favourite Foods for Healthy Fats

Contrary to popular belief, many of us are not eating enough healthy fats in our diets. We should be aiming to see some fats with each meal that we have.

The Mediterranean Diet – Why it Might be Good For Us?

he Mediterranean Diet has been lauded as ‘the’ healthy diet, but is it any good for us?

Expert Tips - Eat the Rainbow

Most people know that they should be trying to eat fruits and vegetables, but why is it so important, what do the colours even mean, and does it truly benefit your health?

Willpower vs Habits - Which Will Win in the Battle for Change?

It's January. Lots of us are thinking about things we'd like to improve in our diets, lifestyle, and the way we live. But what's going to make these changes stick?

Expert tips - Mindful Eating

How do you get started with mindful eating? Well, here are my six top tips for incorporating mindful eating into your daily life.

What is Nutritional Therapy?

Having spent five years knee-deep in textbooks studying for my BSc and Diploma in Nutritional Therapy, it is easy for me to forget that not everyone is familiar with the term. What does Nutritional Therapy actually entail? And how can it help you?

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