I have been passionate about healthy eating since I was a teenager. I was inspired by the late, great footballer Sir Stanley Matthews, and then made my mother’s life hell as I tried to follow his advice, which at the time was revolutionary, of not eating anything white and processed! At University I spent some of my very minimal funds on buying ‘Here’s Health’ magazine and bought the life-changing book ‘Diet for a Small Planet’ by Frances Moore Lappe.
A couple of years ago I bumped into an old schoolfriend who asked if I was still into all that ‘faddy’ eating that she remembered from our teens! I took great delight in telling her that so much of that is now considered mainstream, as supermarket shelves are full of wholemeal breads, chickpeas, wholegrain rice and suchlike.
My studies took me in the direction of languages and Marketing, and on all my frequent business trips abroad as an globe-trotting International Marketer, I coped with the stress and pressures so much better when I ate healthily. It takes years to get into that mindset of wanting to make healthy choices because you know that you will feel so much better in the longterm.
Fast forward. There is so much conflicting advice about nutrition out there, and in fact has been for decades. Another book that shaped my beliefs is ‘Pure, White & Deadly’ by John Yudkin, published in 1972. For years that book was discredited, as it really wasn’t in the interest of major companies like Coca Cola and Kellog’s to accept the science. Now, it is a defining book for so many people.
Having spent decades reading about nutrition, I decided I wanted to use that knowledge, together with my NLP skils, to inspire others. The global obesity epidemic upsets me more than climate change! So, I went back to studying, which wasn’t easy and challenged my brain in ways it didn’t know it could be challenged! I am proud to say that I passed all modules with flying colours and can call myself a Nutrition Adviser! I took many supplementary modules so that I am also qualified in Sports Nutrition, Weight Management and Nutrition for the Elderly & Children, as well as Vegan, Vegetarian and Plant-Based Nutrition.
