This blows the calorie deficit theory out of the water!

Part of the work I do with my clients is to teach and support them in eating to regulate their blood sugar (glucose) levels. This helps to optimise energy, improve sleep, regulate fat storage and reduce cravings. However, the crucial work alongside this, consists of the mindset work; coaching to shift the feelings of guilt and shame, when they do eat the foods that are less helpful for blood sugar control.

Harmful thoughts about ourselves and the food we are eating triggers the stress response. The stress hormone cortisol is released from the adrenal glands and raises our blood glucose as a way to prime the body to deal with the perceived threat. But if we don’t need to use this energy supply, (as the perceived threat is in fact a harmful thought), much of this glucose will be stored in our fat cells.

(Check out my latest Facebook live in the Food Freedom Collective which explains more about insulin and why the narrative about calories is misleading.)

A recent study illustrated just how our thoughts can have a physical impact on our physiology. In this study two groups of people were observed, drinking the same drink with the same amount of sugar. One group knew they were consuming a drink containing 15 grams of sugar, and the other group believed they were consuming a sugar free drink.

The outcome was fascinating. The group who knew they were drinking a sugary drink had a greater increase in blood sugar levels than the group who believed they were drinking a sugar free drink, illustrating how our perception alone is enough to impact our body’s physiological responses.

So, where the diet and fitness industry would have you believe that it’s all about counting calories and restriction, I beg to differ. Focusing on the where, why and how we eat within a framework of coaching, cognitive work and solid evidence-based nutritional science is where it’s at.

I’d love to guide you on that journey

If you are struggling with your eating, you’re constantly on and off diets, or find yourself craving sugar, emotional eating or bingeing, please reach out for support.

Book in a complimentary call to see how I can help you begin your journey to food freedom and transform your life

I am offering a 15% discount on my one to one programmes if you book the programme in by the 29th January.

Forget resolutions – try this instead

As 2022 draws to a close, my focus is on beginning this new year with a positive sense of purpose.

Here are a few things to reflect on that I hope you might find useful:

• Enjoy quality time with your loved ones – spend time with the people that bring positive energy rather than those who zap you.

   Avoid making new year’s resolutions –(around 80% of these fail leaving you feeling like a failure! They are often unrealistic and create unnecessary pressure. Instead reflect back on the year – what has worked well for you this year? (and even if you don’t feel that anything has, look for any small wins you have had).  What has been challenging? What is your vision for the coming year -what would you like to achieve / work towards? Then decide where you want to focus your energy and time this coming year.

• This brings me to my final thought – if shrinking your body has been your focus last year – and it has kept you feeling anxious, miserable and trapped in a cycle of restriction, what is your true purpose for the year ahead and beyond? Will a smaller body really solve all your problems? What will REALLY make you happy?

If you are you struggling with your eating and your relationship with food + your body, head over to The Food Freedom Collective free group, for daily support and weekly live videos to tackle your challenges

If any of these resonate then this community is for you :

💠You are on and off diets all the time

💠You find yourself binge eating

💠You are an ‘emotional eater’

💠You restrict food in order to lose weight

💠 You can’t stop thinking about your weight, appearance or food

💠 You feel overwhelmed and confused no longer knowing what you ‘should’ eat

Wishing you a happy and healthy New year

 Marcelle x

What to do about diet messaging over Christmas & beyond

The ambush has already started – diet, weight-loss and ‘wellness’ companies are all gearing up to sell you their solution for losing weight in January.

The likelihood is that you’ve tried diets before. Chances are they worked initially but two, three, four years down the line you feel like you’ve failed when the weight piled back on. But we know that dieting is not sustainable. Diets mess with our appetite hormones and metabolism and so much more. Consequently, only around 5% of diets actually work in the long term - so who is really to blame?

Dieting and restriction may have led you to a spiralling decent into disordered eating, which has likely taken over your head and your life. Sadly, this is the case for so many women that I work with. 

However dieting and weight loss messaging has been affecting you,

I would love to help.

I thought I’d share a short video that I recorded in my free Facebook group The Food Freedom Collective to help you get through the Christmas period without feeling triggered by diet culture narrative.

I record videos weekly in the group to help support women to beat binge eating and ditch dieting and heal their relationship with food and their body

There is another way. I’d love to guide you on that journey

If you are struggling with your eating, you’re constantly on and off diets, or find yourself craving sugar, emotional eating or bingeing, please reach out for support.

Book in a complimentary call to see how I can help you begin your journey to food freedom and transform your life

Everything you need to know about air fryers!

As an air fryer owner, nutritionist and someone who spends quite a lot of time talking about food to others, I am invariably asked about air fryers all the time!

What on earth are they, how do they work and what do they cook! So, I thought I’d give you the low down on everything you need to know. And now could be the perfect time to ask for one in your Christmas stocking!

If you are someone who finds it challenging on a practical front to prepare regular meals, are time poor and generally overwhelmed, an air fryer may provide some assistance.

They are a versatile kitchen gadget and not just for people who want to make healthier chips! In fact, you can create a myriad of tasty dishes, quickly and make energy savings too.

Air fryers are compact – small in size compared to a conventional oven, meaning that they heat up quicker, so you waste less energy and food is cooked quicker.

To be clear, an air fryer is not an actual fryer; more a small convection oven. However, you can cook many of the foods you would in a deep fat fryer using significantly less - oil and the food comes out just as crispy.  The circulating air also means than your food will get evenly browned.

Here are my top 5 reasons you should invest:

1 You’ll save money using an air fryer compared a regular oven -[source: Citizens Advice Bureau] If you use the air fryer for 30 minutes a day, it will cost £1.86 a week compared to £2.06 for your oven.

But don’t forget, you’ll speed up cooking times so the real cost of cooking (as an example) chicken nuggets will be less since it takes half the time [10 mins compared to 20 mins]. So your chicken nuggets will cost you 9p to cook in the air fryer compared to 20p in the oven.

2. Less mess -If you’re a fan of grilling more oily foods you’ll know what a mess it makes on the inside window of your oven. By using the air fryer, the splatter is contained and is easily wiped away and cleaning your air fryer is significantly easier than the grill pan too.

3.  Air fryers are healthier than deep frying/frying but you can achieve a similar crispy, crunchy finish. If you’re cooking with oil, you’ll need less of it. And the air fryer basket allows excess fat to drain into the tray below.

4. If you are eating chips or wedges, ( this can include potato , sweet potato, parsnips etc )air fryers make them so much crispier than your regular oven as they circulate the air around the food so that everything cooks more evenly.

5. Air fryers are practical for family cooking but especially if just cooking for yourself. It’s quick and easy to whip up a meal with some basic ingredients in no time at all. Especially good for pimping up your veg!

What can you cook in an air fryer?

In short, pretty much anything if you’ve the space to fit it in! I’ve been known to cook……

Granola

Toasted nuts and seeds

Kale crisps

Crispy chickpeas

Stuffed chicken

Crispy cauliflower

Stuffed mushrooms/ peppers

Crispy tofu

Speedy chicken tikka

Parsnip, sweet potato and potato chips

Veggie patties

Lamb kebabs

Chicken fajita filling

Chicken drumsticks

Baked aubergine with miso

Mixed Roasted veggies

Baked apples

Crumbles

Soft boiled eggs and sourdough

Heating up leftovers!

 Any time is a great time to buy but you’re likely to find some fantastic deals in the sales so, if you’ve been thinking of taking the plunge, now might be your best excuse yet.

Here are my top picks:

Instant Brands Vortex 6-in-1 Air Fryer

Tefal EasyFry Classic 2-in-1 Air Fryer and Grill

Philips Airfryer Essential XL Connected – this even connects to your Alexa

Ninja AF150AMZ Air Fryer XL

P.S.

Do you struggle to get balance in to your eating? 

Are you constantly on and off diets? 

Perhaps you find yourself craving sugar all the time or emotional eating or bingeing has taken over your life? 

If you need some support please do book in a complimentary call to see how I can help you transform your life

Bored or reward- what triggers your emotional eating?

Emotional eating triggers are often complex. Perhaps you’re bored, stressed, sad, lonely or anxious. Commonly having a hard day at work can lead to that need to reward yourself for getting through it.

For many, emotional eating has become a coping mechanism – a relief, distraction or escape. Yet it seldom brings comfort- the benefit is mostly short lived. And commonly feelings of shame guilt and self-loathing follow – not the reward you were looking for.

Eating a packet of biscuits is often the automatic response rather than working out what you really need. This might be to de-stress, find stimulation or get some rest. Mostly this survival mechanism has become a habit. Chances are, you have been conditioned to reward yourself with food, often from early childhood. And many of us are almost completely out of touch with our own bodies –which is what makes it so challenging.

When working with clients, the aim is to build in more appropriate ways of making yourself feel better by prioritising self-care and turning to non-food related rewards instead. We all deserve and need time to do positive things for ourselves - without feelings of guilt. 

It can be a really empowering exercise to take a look at what you might normally do to reward yourself and think, are these helpful or do I need to replace them. And then spend some time to identify some activities that you can build into your daily life.

What would you like to spend more time doing? 

What would make you feel good?

What would help you relax or de-stress?

Here are a few examples:

·         Listening to calming music

·         A few minutes of yoga/ pilates

·         A gentle walk in peaceful surroundings

·         Reading a favourite magazine

·         Sitting quietly in the garden

·         A soak in the bath

·         Phoning a good friend

·         10 minutes of quiet relaxation

Use this as an opportunity to improve the quality of your life and build in new ways of feeling joy and enriching your experience of life. 

The simple steps to take:

1.    Identify when you are using food as a reward or to make yourself feel better.

2.    Choose a few alternative things you can do instead to make yourself feel good (that do not involve food).

3.    Try out the new choices - see what works well for you.

4.    If something doesn’t work, change it or add to it until you find the right solution.

5.    Keep practising it until it becomes automatic. You might find you don’t always manage - this isn’t about berating yourself. Instead observe without judgment what might have happened and try again next time.

FREE DAILY SUPPORT 

If you are you struggling with your eating and your relationship with food + your body, head over to The Food Freedom Collective free group, for daily support and weekly live videos to tackle your challenges

If any of these resonate then this community is for you :

💠You are on and off diets all the time

💠You find yourself binge eating

💠You are an ‘emotional eater’

💠You restrict food in order to lose weight

💠 You can’t stop thinking about your weight, appearance or food

💠 You feel overwhelmed and confused no longer knowing what you ‘should’ eat

Body or head hunger?

Understanding you hunger is a key component to overcoming emotional eating. It’s essential work for my clients -often something they have never really thought about.

WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE?

Physical, bodily hunger can be identified when you feel the sensation in your body – often your stomach. Perhaps it’s a hollow feeling, or light headedness. Your stomach sends this message to your brain and you will feel it whether or not you see or smell food.

Head hunger however, is affected by external cues. For example, you may walk past a bakery. You can see and smell freshly baked pastries and then think – I’ve really got to buy some of that. There are no physical symptoms – it may be the pure fact that you’ve seen it and it looks good. It may habitual (ie you pass the same bakery every day and it has become your default behaviour to stop off and buy the pastry on your way home. Or you may be feeling sad, stressed, anxious, fed up or angry and think – that is exactly what I need to make me feel better.

If what you are experiencing is in fact head hunger– this isn’t a sign of weakness or something to fear. It is very often a signal that we have an unmet need. Learning to understand these signals with self-compassion is a key part of the process of creating positive change.

And what if you feel true bodily hunger all the time?

If your hunger is real and you experience it all the time, this is also something to embrace. It is your body’s way of telling you it needs nourishment.

Many of the women I work with have experienced intense hunger after they finish their meal. Often this is purely because they have not been allowing themselves to eat enough, following a self-imposed rule of how much they 'should' be eating.

Many of my clients express disbelief when they realise what a difference it makes to eat three balanced meals a day and give themself permission to have more if required. Following this they no longer needed to snack or binge in the evenings and are able to enjoy their eating experience.

What if you just don’t know?

We are all born to innately respond to hunger, fullness and satiety. Think of how babies and toddlers eat when they are hungry and push food away spit it out or throw it on the floor when they are not. They instinctively know. Sadly, over time this skill becomes eroded by the influence of our environment, mass media and diet culture -Have you ever been on a diet that focuses on your hunger and satiety?!

The good news is that this skill can be relearned. It takes work and focus to start listening to your body to then be able to trust and respond to it. But it can be achieved. I have seen my clients change the way they think about food and eating, liberate their mind and make incredible life transformations.

FREE DAILY SUPPORT 

If you are you struggling with your eating and your relationship with food + your body, head over to The Food Freedom Collective free group, for daily support and weekly live videos to tackle your challenges

If any of these resonate then this community is for you :

💠You are on and off diets all the time

💠You find yourself binge eating

💠You are an ‘emotional eater’

💠You restrict food in order to lose weight

💠 You can’t stop thinking about your weight, appearance or food

💠 You feel overwhelmed and confused no longer knowing what you ‘should’ eat

Quick tasty nutritious lunch {video}+ the nutrients that impact how we eat

Needing inspiration for a warming quick, lunch-time meal? This soup will hit the spot.

To save on time, make a big batch, freeze some and keep some to hand in the fridge. You can even speed up the process by using ready chopped frozen veg (very often this has retained more nutrients than fresh produce that has been sitting around for a while.)

This is just one way to increase the diversity of food in your diet. I talked about why this is important for optimising our metabolism and affecting how and what we eat in last week’s ‘Live’ in the Food Freedom Collective. You can catch the short video in the group HERE all about the impact that micronutrients have on this topic.

Remember, it’s not about cutting calories and stripping out, but is ALL about the diverse array of food that we can bring into our diet.

FREE DAILY SUPPORT 

If you are you struggling with your eating and your relationship with food + your body, head over to The Food Freedom Collective free group, for daily support and weekly live videos (like the one mentioned above) to tackle your challenges

If any of these resonate then this community is for you :

💠You are on and off diets all the time

💠You find yourself binge eating

💠You are an ‘emotional eater’

💠You restrict food in order to lose weight

💠 You can’t stop thinking about your weight, appearance or food

💠 You feel overwhelmed and confused no longer knowing what you ‘should’ eat

Does eating late impact your metabolism - myth or fact?

It’s commonly recognised that eating dinner at least two hours before bed can help our metabolism. Many attribute this to allowing the body time to effectively digest food and because we are more sedentary later in the evenings. But is this merely a myth?

A recent study looked in to how aligning our food intake to our internal body clock, may influence our metabolism. Researchers have suggested that specific genetic markers related to the sleep hormone melatonin, may play a role.

They found that late eating can reduce insulin production and impair our ability to process the glucose from our food. This means that it becomes more difficult for our body to transport the glucose into our cells to be used for energy. The scientists also found that some individuals carry a specific gene variant which will have a greater impact on this mechanism.

This is where an individual approach comes into the mix. Eating late may impact how you process your food. It may affect how quickly you fall asleep as well as the quality of your sleep. (Which also has the potential to impact your appetite and how you process food!)

However, I have found that some of the women I have since helped, have taken this concept to extremes. They have become fixated on eating by a certain time, often eating too little. Then later on in the evening they experience intense cravings. This often leads to snacking or bingeing on less helpful foods. Or they may go to bed hungry and with blood sugar dipping too low. This also has the potential to have a negative effect on sleep.

Additionally, there is the psychological aspect to consider, when eating behaviours become obsessive. When working with my clients, my aim is to empower each individual to connect with their own body’s needs. This helps to foster flexibility with a balanced approach to food and eating habits – essential in the journey of healing their relationship with food.

If you need some support with this do book in a complimentary call HERE to see how I can help.

FREE DAILY SUPPORT 

If you are you struggling with your eating and your relationship with food + your body, head over to The Food Freedom Collective free group, for daily support and weekly live videos to tackle your challenges

If any of these resonate, then this community is for you :

💠You are on and off diets all the time

💠You find yourself binge eating

💠You are an ‘emotional eater’

💠You restrict food in order to lose weight

💠 You can’t stop thinking about your weight, appearance or food

💠 You feel overwhelmed and confused no longer knowing what you ‘should’ eat

The truth about willpower

Do you ever ask yourself why you have no willpower? So many women who approach me for help with their eating behaviour, blame themselves and their lack of willpower for everything that feels wrong in their life.

Willpower is defined as ‘the ability to control or restrain yourself and resist instant gratification to achieve long-term goals.’ But I really do not like the term willpower. That suggestion that we need to ‘restrict’ and ‘restrain’ ourselves is unhelpful in terms of eating challenges. I find one of the most significant factors underlying emotional eating and bingeing, is the pure fact that often food restriction precedes it!

Recent studies indicate that willpower is not a limited reserve of energy. The findings suggest that only the individuals who believed that their willpower was a limited resource ended up with less resolve and determination to achieve their goals. This illustrates how our beliefs drive our behaviour. Our mindset is critical and essential work that I do with my clients.

Other researchers have found that we all have the capacity for self-control. This capacity rises and falls depending on what is happening to us and how we feel. If we think of willpower in this way, we can learn strategies to help manage it.

I prefer to focus on motivation, which is a key factor in creating change. We can influence how motivated we are by examining the beliefs we have about overcoming our behaviour. Do we truly believe we have what it takes? If our motivation is low, we have the power within to strengthen it once again.

Motivation levels may be affected by energy and stress levels and how well you sleep. I have also found in clinic, that depleted nutrients, blood sugar dips and alcohol will often impact the motivation of my clients to change their behaviours.

But sometimes a lack of motivation is long lasting. Here, we can truly begin to observe and understand why. This is where coaching can be so powerful – and how I help my clients find a new path, gain motivation, and ultimately overcome their challenges.

HOW TO STRENGTHEN YOUR MOTIVATION AROUND EATING CHALLENGES:

• Eat consistent, balanced meals – avoid food restriction and skipping meals.

• Prioritise your sleep - check out my blog ‘9 steps to a better night’s sleep’ HERE

• Plan and prep- Build consistent habits that are achievable. For example being organised with food shopping and meal planning and adding structure into your day.

• Move your body -but find what’s right for you. Movement can help overcome any impulses to eat unhelpful foods. If this is something you struggle with – avoid pushing yourself into punishing exercise that you don’t enjoy. Instead, choose activities you are more likely to gain pleasure from. It could be anything that rocks your boat from walking in nature to dancing in your kitchen!

• Trouble shooting unhelpful situations will help with motivation in the long run.

If you are you struggling with your eating and your relationship with food + your body, head over to The Food Freedom Collective free group, for daily support and weekly live videos to tackle your challenges

If any of these resonate then this community is for you :

💠You are on and off diets all the time

💠You find yourself binge eating

💠You are an ‘emotional eater’

💠You restrict food in order to lose weight

💠 You can’t stop thinking about your weight, appearance or food

💠 You feel overwhelmed and confused no longer knowing what you ‘should’ eat

Stress, anxiety and IBS plus more...

IBS AND STRESS….

A recent survey of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) patients investigated the impact that the pandemic had on their symptoms. In times of increased stress levels, IBS flares can be stronger and more prevalent. In this study, researchers found that there were consistently increased levels of constipation, diarrhoea and abdominal pain correlated with increases in stress and anxiety.

Disturbances in the way the nervous system, brain and gut interact can cause changes that lead to IBS symptoms. Information flows along the vagus nerve, which connects the brain to the gut. Hence, whatever is occurring in the mind affects the gastrointestinal system.

I see this regularly with my clients who are struggling with disordered eating and a great deal of anxiety – all too often there are gut symptoms present and we need to take a systematic approach covering all aspects including mindset, behaviour, nervous system and nutrition.

ORGANIC SEPTEMBER + HOW TO BUY WISELY…..

Organic September’s aim is to raise awareness of how the overuse of artificial chemicals and pesticides is disrupting our natural world. Organic farming works with nature, to support healthier soils, more wildlife, and our planet. Not to mention how eating organic produce helps to reduce our exposure to the pesticides used in conventional farming.

Whether you already use an organic box scheme or buy organic from a retailer, it only takes one small change to make a difference. Perhaps you've never bought organic food before. It can be more expensive, so I would recommend looking at the UK Dirty Dozen list which will help you decide which to prioritise when buying organic.

A POWERFUL CONVERSATION…..

I was delighted to have been invited back to the Bulimia Sucks podcast. This is not just aimed at those battling with bulimia but really for anyone struggling with their relationship with food and body. With discussions about bloating, gas, food intolerances, metabolism, set point theory and lots more.

Listen to the podcast episode HERE

If you are you struggling with your eating and your relationship with food + your body, head over to The Food Freedom Collective free group, for daily support and weekly live videos to tackle your challenges

If any of these resonate then this community is for you :

💠You are on and off diets all the time

💠You find yourself binge eating

💠You are an ‘emotional eater’

💠You restrict food in order to lose weight

💠 You can’t stop thinking about your weight, appearance or food

💠 You feel overwhelmed and confused no longer knowing what you ‘should’ eat

The Truth about the ketogenic diet

(Please note– if you currently have an eating disorder or are in recovery – I hope this information will help you to shift your thinking about dieting and reframe eating disorder thoughts about diets with something more rational.)

Whether you have a long history of dieting or you relatively are new to the ‘game’, the keto diet may have piqued your interest. Hailed as the diet to help you burn fat faster or watch your weight disappear, it sounds like the magic bullet you’ve been searching for – or is it?

WHAT IS THE KETOGENIC DIET?

The keto diet has been around for approximately 50 years but was used as a treatment for epilepsy. It involves removing almost all carbohydrates from your diet resulting in a significant increase in your fat intake. Foods that contain carbohydrates don’t just include pasta, bread and cake. In fact, all grains, legumes (lentils, chickpeas, beans, peanuts), fruit and ‘below ground’ vegetables would also be out of the picture.

SO WHAT IS KETOSIS?

A regular person will metabolise both carbs and fat – ie use them for energy. If you remove the majority of carbohydrates from your diet – to almost none, his halts this process for producing energy. Instead, we begin to produce ketones from the breakdown of fats in the liver. They are an alternative source of energy when glucose is not available. Overnight, we will produce ketones if we haven’t eaten for between 6 and 12 hours as we will have used up our carbohydrate stores.

IS THE KETO DIET REALLY THE ULTIMATE WEIGHT LOSS PANACEA?

If you’ve been following me for a while, you will know my take on diets. I am frequently questioned on this particular one– after all we are told it has fantastic health benefits and if it just burns fat surely it will work?

But as with all things nutrition we cannot just simplify and isolate – we need to look at the big picture. What happens in the body, how sustainable it is, the physiological knock-on effects when we restrict whole food groups|?

A recent study compared the keto diet to a traditional Mediterranean diet (which excluded refined carbs- but not all carbs -and sugar.) with prediabetic and diabetic individuals. After 12 weeks, participants on both diets lost the same amount of weight. Not a great surprise when we restrict intake and exclude sugar and refined carbs, we are likely to lose some initially. However it’s interesting that the keto diet did not live up to the hype. 

 It's worth noting that it was only a short-term study. The research tells us that in the longer term, weight lost from any diet is not sustained for the majority of people.

In fact, most of research investigating ketogenic approaches, tells us that initial weight loss is due partly to water loss. Some fat loss may then occur but as the sustainability of the diet wanes, the effect becomes similar to other diets after one year. (It’s after this time that we begin to see weight regain for the majority of people)

IS THIS DIET HARMLESS?

Apart from the fact that diets do not work in the long term and are often a high-risk factor for developing disordered eating behaviours and even eating disorders, this diet is extremely restrictive. We know from any kind of diet which omits foods and food groups, that it becomes extremely difficult to sustain in the long term.

Additionally, the absence of many vegetables, grains, legumes and fruit has quite an impact on the microbiome. The microbes in our gut need diversity of these plant foods to remain in a healthy balance. Not only will this impact our digestive health but may also negatively affect our immune system, mental health and possibly our weight too! (Yes, you heard that right – there is much emerging research in this area!)

These ‘forbidden’ foods are an important source of many nutrients – fibre, vitamins, minerals and polyphenols that are so essential for our wellbeing and for the body to function at its best.

So as with any diet (that is unsustainable, restricts foods and therefore important nutrients) and impacts your relationship with food – the keto diet is not all its cracked up to be and for some may cause harm.

If you are you struggling with your eating and your relationship with food + your body, head over to The Food Freedom Collective free group, for daily support and weekly live videos to tackle your challenges

If any of these resonate then this community is for you :

💠You are on and off diets all the time

💠You find yourself binge eating

💠You are an ‘emotional eater’

💠You restrict food in order to lose weight

💠 You can’t stop thinking about your weight, appearance or food

💠 You feel overwhelmed and confused no longer knowing what you ‘should’ eat

Try this tasty summer-side dish recipe, book recommendation + podcast conversation

August’s top picks includes a tasty summer-side dish recipe, book recommendation + podcast conversation

A JOYFUL PODCAST CONVERSATION.....

I really enjoyed chatting to Mari Craig on She Speaks Talk Radio.

We had a great conversation which I hope you’ll find insightful. We discussed what intuitive eating is all about and how giving yourself unconditional permission to eat any food actually leads to eating in a more balanced way!

You can listen to the podcast HERE!!

SIMPLE, SPEEDY, SUMMER SIDE….

Rich and vibrant; a treat for the eyes and totally delicious in salads. Red cabbage is in season right now and this is one of my favourite most simple sides

Simple red cabbage slaw – perfect with Thai-style or griddled chicken or halloumi.

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

·         300g cabbage

·         1 large carrot, coarsely grated

·         1 bunch spring onions, finely sliced

·         2tbsp mayonnaise or natural yoghurt

·         1tsp white wine vinegar

·         1tbsp extra virgin olive oil

METHOD

1.      Shred the cabbage with a knife and place in a large bowl with the carrot, apple and spring onions.

2.      In a separate bowl, whisk the mayonnaise, vinegar and oil with a fork. Season then toss with the salad.

A BOOK I’M LOVING…

I’ve been listening to the audio version of ‘Why Has Nobody Told Me This Before?’ Experienced clinical psychologist, Julie Smith, shares many skills to help us navigate our emotional health and overcome common life challenges. The book contains are a number of similar techniques that I also use with my clients to help them overcome emotional eating but also many new insights.

If you are you struggling with your eating and your relationship with food + your body, head over to The Food Freedom Collective free group, for daily support and weekly live videos to tackle your challenges

If any of these resonate then this community is for you :

💠You are on and off diets all the time

💠You find yourself binge eating

💠You are an ‘emotional eater’

💠You restrict food in order to lose weight

💠 You can’t stop thinking about your weight, appearance or food

💠 You feel overwhelmed and confused no longer knowing what you ‘should’ eat

Delicious, nutritious, summertime treat and news on Perifest 2022!

I have some great stuff to share with you this month including a delicious, nutritious summertime treat

PERIFEST 2022 IS ON IT'S WAY.....!

I am excited to be on the virtual stage at The Peri-Fest Weekend online event being hosted by the Perimenopause Hub. I will be speaking at 3pm on the 10th of July -I’d love for you to join me!

I’ll be talking about diets, weight loss and the menopause and how to build a healthy relationship with food.

So grab a friend or 5 and join us - did I mention it's FREE !!!

Registration is super easy. Simply click HERE and you’re good to go!

Please share this with all of your network - the more women we can help through this the better we’ll all feel.

DELICIOUS, SUMMERTIME TREAT....

Raspberries are very much in season now! Aside from being delicious they provide a truly remarkable array of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory nutrients! Here is the perfect recipe to cool you down in the summer heat when you want something sweet!

Raspberry & Coconut Ice Lollies

·         300g raspberries

·         400ml coconut milk

·         150g Greek yoghurt

·         1tbsp runny honey

Place all the ingredients in a blender and process to a smooth purée. Pour into ice lolly moulds, add the lolly sticks and freeze overnight.

A POWERFUL PODCAST CONVERSATION.....

It was a pleasure talking to Kate Hudson Hall on her podcast ‘Bulimia Sucks.’ We discussed strategies for improving your relationship with food along with disordered eating, the gut connection and bloating. I found it a powerful conversation which covered binge eating, bulimia and restrictive eating – I hope you do. You can listen to the podcast HERE!

Do you struggle with your relationship with food and your body? Have you been desperate to shrink your body size and have tried diet, after diet, after diet? You are not alone. But how would you feel if I told you that the action might actually be causing you to gain weight?

I’ve broken down the most common myths and misconceptions in an easy to digest FREE download, bringing some clarity to the murky messaging that we are subjected to on a daily basis.

Using evidenced based weight science research, ‘What the diet Industry doesn’t want you to know’. exposes the biggest weight loss myths and will help you discover the truth about dieting.

How does your body image impact your life?

For some, being dissatisfied about their looks has little impact. For others it can take over their life.

Have you ever reflected on this?

How does your body image impact...

your self-worth?

your social interactions?

how you exercise and eat?

your overall quality of life?

When helping my clients work towards a happy relationship with food and their body, we explore how they are struggling with their body image. We then start turning these self-discoveries into goals to work towards.

Professor of psychology, Thomas F. Cash describes this important part of the process as identifying our ‘needs for change’

If poor body image is having a negative impact on your life, then try this constructive exercise to get you started.

It’s helpful to keep a notebook or journal to write this down. Firstly, reflect on how your body impacts what you think, behave and how you live your life. Next, brainstorm a list of anything you think may make your body image and life better. 

Here are some examples:

“I need to stop despising my stomach.”

“I need to work on reducing these self-critical thoughts about my weight.”

“I need to become more comfortable about my appearance at social events.”

“I need to stop comparing myself to how other people look.”

“I need to stop skipping meals in order to change my body size”

“This may be hard, but I need to accept that I look different to how I used to.”

This exercise is valuable because it firstly helps you to identify the difficulties you experience surrounding your body image.

You can then use this information to mark out your direction and goals. At this stage you can begin to take small, manageable steps towards reclaiming your life.

I would love to hear if you found this article useful- please do hit reply and let me know if you have any feedback

If you struggle with your body image, have been desperate to shrink your body size and have tried diet, after diet, after diet, you are not alone. But how would you feel if I told you that the action  might actually be causing you to gain weight?

I’ve broken down the most common myths and misconceptions in an easy to digest download, bringing some clarity to the murky messaging that we are subjected to on a daily basis.

What happens to our metabolism when we yo-yo diet

Over half the population of adult women will be on a diet at any given time. And for seventy percent of these women, this will not be their first diet.

It might surprise you to hear that approximately 95% of dieters regain their lost weight after between 1 and 5 years. If you are a yo–yo dieter ie. someone who loses weight and regains it in a never-ending cycle, it is likely that this will be taking its toll on your body; not only physically but emotionally and psychologically too.

It might feel like dieting is the only way you can be happy and healthy, feel good about yourself and enjoy your life; but have you ever weighed up the cost of doing so?

WHAT HAPPENS TO OUR METABOLISM?

Most people eventually end up the same weight or heavier than when they started the diet. This is because the body typically reduces the amount of energy it uses when weight is lost to preserve it, whilst at the same time, hunger increases. Hunger hormones, including ghrelin rises with weight loss and satiety hormones decrease.

And there is the ‘set-point’ theory to consider. This proposes that the body uses a natural mechanism to maintain its natural weight, rather like a ‘fat thermostat’ so that it will always go back to its ideal weight range, after restriction or over exercise. This can fluctuate during our life-time and thought to be regulated by mechanisms of our metabolism and thyroid hormones.

MUSCLE VERSUS FAT

Another complication of weight cycling (as it’s known in scientific literature) is that it’s likely to lead to a less healthy body composition. When breaking down the body into its core components – fat mass and lean body mass (organs, skin, bones, body water and muscle mass) we can have a far better understanding of the physiological changes in the body.

During weight loss, fat mass tends to reduce more than lean mass. However, when weight is regained, the proportion of fat in the body increases more than that of muscle and bones etc.

METABOLIC CHANGE AND YO-YO DIETING?

There is some evidence to indicate that weight cycling may lead to the development of conditions such as insulin resistance, cardiovascular disease and hypertension (high blood pressure). Although more research is needed in this area as some studies have been found to refute this.

HOW IT MAKES US FEEL

I witness the emotional impact that yo-yo dieting has on my clients – and the literature back’s this up too; Poor body image, a preoccupation with how they look, feelings of failure and shame, as well as higher risk of depression and anxiety. Bingeing behaviour stems from restriction and the feeling of deprivation that dieting brings.

The diet industry would have you believe that the only way to be truly healthy is if you are slim and that the only way to enjoy life, be happy and like yourself is if you diet. My mission is to help debunk this myth and help women build a happy relationship with food and their body. It is possible to accept your body whether you are carrying excess weight or not, without dieting. It is possible to eat in a balanced way AND take joy from your food.

If you are you struggling with your eating and your relationship with food + your body, head over to The Food Freedom Collective free group, for daily support and weekly live videos to tackle your challenges

If any of these resonate then this community is for you :

💠You are on and off diets all the time

💠You find yourself binge eating

💠You are an ‘emotional eater’

💠You restrict food in order to lose weight

💠 You can’t stop thinking about your weight, appearance or food

💠 You feel overwhelmed and confused no longer knowing what you ‘should’ eat

Why eating mindfully benefits more than just your digestion

Consuming foods without distraction, eating with awareness and taking pleasure from our food are some of the key principles of mindful eating. Sounds simple, but in today’s society where eating at our desk, in front of the TV or computer has become the norm, mindful eating habits are difficult to incorporate.

IMPROVE YOUR METABOLISM

Mindful eating has a number of positive impacts on our health. When we are eating without distraction and can initiate our rest and digest state. This helps us to avoid what can be distressing symptoms such as bloating, gas and digestive discomfort. We are also able to break down, absorb our nutrients and digest our food more effectively.

LESS LIKELY TO OVEREAT

In recent years, researchers have also found that when we eat for pleasure, and with awareness we feel more satisfied and are less likely to override our body’s cues that tell us when we are full. When we eat foods that we feel we ‘should’ eat rather than what we really desire, we are likely to continue to crave. We are more likely to end up eating the other foods anyway, and for some this can result in binging.

The study found that mindful eating was a fundamental factor as to why participants were able to manage their weight effectively without dieting. It would have been helpful to witness longer lasting impacts of the research ( which was only carried out over six months).

LONG LASTING CHANGES IN EATING HABITS

I have personally found that the introduction of mindful eating has significantly impacted my client’s outcomes. Most of all, this has contributed to long lasting changes to their eating behaviour and relationship with food.

WOULD YOU LIKE TO LEARN MORE?

I would love to guide you on the path to mindful eating and let you experience how it really feels. I feel passionately about the transformative effects of this and have been thinking about creating a mini course to help you on your journey to food freedom.

I would love to know if you would be interested in taking part. Comment ‘yes’ if this might be something to ignite the spark of change in you!

If you are you struggling with your eating and your relationship with food + your body, head over to The Food Freedom Collective free group, for daily support and weekly live videos to tackle your challenges

If any of these resonate then this community is for you :

💠You are on and off diets all the time

💠You find yourself binge eating

💠You are an ‘emotional eater’

💠You restrict food in order to lose weight

💠 You can’t stop thinking about your weight, appearance or food

💠 You feel overwhelmed and confused no longer knowing what you ‘should’ eat

Tasty breakfast recipe + effective relaxation tool - top pick's for June

I’m delighted to bring you this months top picks…..

My favourite relaxation tool…..

Since using my Sensate every night, when I’m ready to go to sleep, I have personally found that I’m falling asleep quicker, sleeping deeper and rarely waking up at all during the night.

Sensate is a relaxation and meditation tool that syncs to your phone to different calming tracks and uses vibrations to help take you deeper in to your meditation.

You can use this any time of the day to help you calm your central nervous system and reduce anxiety and stress. The infrasonic waves help to tone the vagus nerve which can become desensitised when exposed to chronic stress.

If you would like to try it for yourself, Sensate have agreed to offer £20 off  using my code MRN20

Pomegranate, the gut and mood

Research has found that the polyphenols found in pomegranate may have neurocognitive protective properties thought to support mental health and mood. When consumed, polyphenols mostly remain in the large intestine to be metabolised gut bacteria and help to promote a healthy gut microbiome. This summary explains how this may have a positive impact on our mental health.

Tasty breakfast recipe that works well for picnics too!

Egg muffins

INGREDIENTS (MAKES 12)

• Coconut oil for greasing the tin/cases

• 12 large free range eggs

• Seasonings – this can be customised according to personal taste, but at a minimum you will require:

• 1 tsp salt 1 tsp ground pepper

• 1 tsp turmeric

• 2-3 fillings – vegetarian or meat/fish as you choose: 225g onion, diced 225g spinach 225g mushrooms, diced 1 chilli, chopped 1 bell pepper, diced 2 slices of smoked salmon/turkey breast /chicken breast/ham etc

 METHOD

• Preheat your oven to 180°C.

• Use the coconut oil to grease your muffin tins or cases. (You can melt the coconut oil first if you find it easier to handle, but usually direct contact with your hands will melt the oil enough to spread. )

• Mix together your fillings in a bowl and then evenly divide between the twelve muffin cases

• In a jug, beat the eggs, add the seasonings and mix well. 

• Pour the egg mixture into the cases that you filled in step 3. 

• Bake for 18-20 mins checking that when a fork is pricked into the centre of the muffin, it comes out clean.

• Enjoy warm. Once cooled, store in an airtight container in the fridge

Are you struggling with your eating and your relationship with food + your body? If so head over to The Food Freedom Collective free group, for daily support and weekly live videos to tackle your challenges

If any of these resonate then this community is for you :

💠You are on and off diets all the time

💠You find yourself binge eating

💠You are an ‘emotional eater’

💠You restrict food in order to lose weight

💠 You can’t stop thinking about your weight, appearance or food

💠 You feel overwhelmed and confused no longer knowing what you ‘should’ eat

How Martina ended a life-long battle with binge eating

Upon reflection, Martina realised she had been dealing with an unhappy relationship with food since the age of ten and is now thirty-three years old. She had a history of disordered eating and yo-yo dieting and had been struggling with binge eating behaviour for many years. 

This is how she described her daily challenge

“I was a compulsive over-eater so everything in my day-to-day life revolved around food.  I used to binge all the time and then punish myself by not eat anything at all for a day or two, which would eventually make me binge again as I was so hungry. I was stuck in this cycle for a very long time.”

Whilst working through the programme she began to observe the shift in how she felt about herself –now she believed that there were no limits to what she could achieve in her life. This is what she said, acknowledging her the incredible progress she had made:

“I completely got rid of my "all or nothing" mentality around food and stopped punishing myself anytime I thought I ate something I shouldn't have. I don't binge or starve myself like I used to. It is such a massive achievement to accomplish.”

In this short video, I talk about some of the steps Martina took to achieve this.

If you’re struggling with your eating and your relationship with food + your body, head over to The Food Freedom Collective free group, for daily support and weekly live videos to tackle your challenges

If any of these resonate then this community is for you :

💠You are on and off diets all the time

💠You find yourself binge eating

💠You are an ‘emotional eater’

💠You restrict food in order to lose weight

💠 You can’t stop thinking about your weight, appearance or food

💠 You feel overwhelmed and confused no longer knowing what you ‘should’ eat

Is it possible to accept your body but still want to change it?

This week in my Facebook community, I explained the true meaning of body acceptance and talked through a simple exercise to help you find the relevant answer for you - we are complex beings and there is not a one-size-fits-all for this!

I have had some great feedback about this video training from some of the community members. so I thought I would share it with you. I will be continuing this conversation in my community this Monday. So if you're not already a member come and join us HERE. 

NB. If you are already inside the community, but don’t see my posts, please set your notifications to ‘all posts’ ( not ‘show highlights’) and you are less likely to miss helpful information.

*Catch up on the video below*

I record weekly live videos and provide daily motivation in the Food Freedom Collective community where you will be amongst like-minded women who get what you're going through.

Loneliness and disordered eating

This year’s focus for Mental Health Awareness Week is loneliness. There are number of factors that increase our chances of experiencing long lasting loneliness, which has the potential to significantly impact our mental health. These risk factors include living alone, being from an ethnic minority community and having a long-term health condition. Though of course anyone can experience feeling lonely.

Working with women who battle with disordered eating, I have witnessed how loneliness can play a role especially where emotional eating and binge eating are concerned. And having any eating disorder can make an individual feel extremely alone and isolated- consumed with shame that keeps them from sharing their experience with others.

If this is something you struggle with, please don’t face it alone. Come and join our Food Freedom Collective community where you will be amongst like-minded women striving to reclaim their life. Connection with others that understand what you’re going through can give you a sense of belonging and positively impact how you’re feeling.

Finally, I have a gift to share that will help you on your journey of feeling yourself again. If you would like a copy of my Mood Breakthrough Guide just MESSAGE ME HERE with ‘mood’ in the subject line and I will know to email it to you. (Please check junk/ spam folders if you can’t find it)