The motivation to be fit, strong and lean, alongside limiting my diet considerably with being vegan, led me down a road of exploration into the world of nutrition. I found it fascinating and became a bit obsessive with only eating "good" foods, putting in rules like being allowed one "treat" in the weekly food shop, and consuming every single type of nut and seed on my morning oats – JUST SO DAMN HEALTHY. Whilst reading an article about the health properties of coconut oil in a magazine at the hairdressers, I decided this would be a fascinating career path.

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A couple of years later, I returned to the UK and began a BSc in Nutrition, Exercise and Health at the University of Plymouth and followed up with a Masters in Sports Nutrition at St. Mary’s. I thought studying to be a sports nutritionist would make me even "healthier" and I would finally learn the truth about what you should and shouldn’t eat. But instead, I learned that our perceptions of what is healthy are warped and fuelled by diet culture; that the messaging we and our parents have grown up with about how we should eat is nearly entirely focused on body weight, and usually trying to reduce it; and that eating healthily is much simpler than the overwhelming (and often bullshit) noise coming from the media. I learned that we shouldn’t zoom in on individual foods and nutrients and, instead, need to look at what we eat holistically; that food is more than just it’s nutritional value; and that so much joy can come from cultivating a relaxed and wholesome relationship with food.

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The thing is, a lot of what we have been fed about being "unhealthy", is less relevant for athletes. In fact, eating healthily is often not healthy when it comes to fuelling your tank and optimising performance.

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So now I sit somewhere in the middle, bridging the gap between eating for health and longevity, and eating for performance. I think most people could benefit from eating more veg (and learning how to cook veg in more delicious ways), but I think sufficient protein for recovery and muscle protein synthesis is equally important. I think that wholegrains, beans and pulses should be key players at the table, but that sugar is an essential nutrient around and during exercise. I try to buy organic veg and am pescetarian, but I use a whey protein powder and take creatine daily. I focus on eating whole foods with plenty of colour and variety, but no food is off limits.

 

I train and eat for my old lady body, but have total food freedom and trust in all my internal appetite signals. I eat out of respect and care for my body and health, not out of punishment or guilt. And I absolutely love helping people to do the same.