They called me a Fat nutritionist, here is what I think of that!

When cruel words are spoken and doubt kicks in! 

Last night I looked at Twitter and here are some of the comments that were written about me 

"She's not even thin"
"She's a Fat nutritionist"
"If she's so healthy why is she so fat"

There were just some of the milder comments that were on my Twitter last night

At first It was a hard to read as someone who spent almost two decades hating her reflection it was almost like having my worst fears confirmed, everyone thinks I'm unattractive was my first thought with so many people telling me my body isn't acceptable it was hard to feel positive. It wasn't so nice and if I'm honest, in fact some of the comments made me feel a little bit like crying. It's taken me a really long time to not only like how I look but actually really appreciate and have love for my body. My ego went into overdrive when I read the comments and again if I'm honest my initial reaction was to hide away.

However, my current job is one where I help women and girls love themselves to health so I needed to become my own best friend and had to have a kind compassionate word to myself and take my own advice! Yes I am a nutritionist and I'm not ashamed to say I'm a good one, I know because people regularly tell me. Clients thank me and praise me for the advice I've given them and say the advice has helped them change their life. I've helped clients come off diabetic medication, come off anti- depressants and my favourite was a lady who had been trying to get pregnant for 7 years and conceived naturally after changing her diet for three months!!

My weight doesn't affect my brains ability to think to know or understand. No I'm not a size 8 I may not be a stereotypical ‘thin’ nutritionist I am actually a size 12 and I'm healthy and a knowledgeable nutritionist. So whilst some people may make unkind comments about my weight - I no longer hate my body the way I spent so many years doing.

You see, I now have a fully functioning body I was diagnosed at 24 with poly cystic ovary syndrome and told if I wanted children I would need IVF however a recent scan showed I no longer have the condition & I now have regular periods. I also spent a lot of my twenties depressed whereas I now wake up happy - happy to be alive, thankful to live and grateful for my body. Do I have dips in my mood? – Yes of course I do - I am human, but to me my happiness is no longer controlled by my reflection nor on someone else option of my body and that in itself is a revelation.

I like my body, no - make that - I love my body it's fully functioning! It's a vessel how it looks or what size I am is not the sole focus of my life anymore. And trust me for the longest time it was, I've put off so many thing and not done things for exactly that reason the fear of what people would think or say about me but that wasn't living at all that was hiding, it was silly, it was restrictive and it wasn't fun. In order to practise what I preach I had to have a compassionate word with myself which helped me to conquered my returning body demons, I have learnt to see that my weight is not my worth, and believe me for the longest time I truly did think my physical looks were what made me lovable or not.

We live in a world where girls are constantly told they need to look a particular way to be loved and this is so sad. We body bash and body shame women every day you only have to look at blogs, newspapers, magazines and even the TV women worldwide are constantly body bashed firstly for gaining weight secondly for losing weight they can't win, one minute they are too fat the next too thin and even if they look drop dead gorgeous the papers then print stories about how they rate their hair, dress or something else they can take them down on. The media constantly criticises. It's sad and it needs to stop, why can't we embrace the bodies we have and focus on health not weight?

Weight doesn't indicate someone’s health. I see many women who's height to weight ratio means they should be perfectly healthy however many of these women and girls sit in my office crying telling me they under eat, binge and then over exercise to compensate and hate the way they look. This is far from healthy. I've been both heavier and slimmer in fact there was a time where I didn't eat any solid food for possibly around 8 weeks or so I lost around three stone and everyone told me how good I looked - I was in fact pretty ill, constantly cold and very depressed but all people told me was I looked nice!! This is a very warped world to live in and a tragic message to send to young girls and women.

I see a lot of girls in my clinic with distorted body image and borderline eating disorders and I believe that we as a nation really need to act out of kindness more often. Praise people for their talents, their kindness not for good genetics or their current eating habits.

Why are people so happy to throw about unkind words? Words can be like weapons they can wound sometimes, whilst we can choose how we interpret them, sometimes they hit a nerve and logic is lost. Words can and do hurt but we as women can unit and change this. Personally I believe as women we need to become kinder firstly to ourselves and then to other women we need to stand united and act out of kindness and respect. I'm not sure that being mean to anyone ever made anyone a better person.

Some may argue that going on a TV show was me just opening myself up for criticism. However I don't see it that way, why do we have to bench mark every woman on the way she looks? So what if I'm a few pounds heavier than people think I should be - my health is the best it's ever been. I'm no longer depressed, I have regular periods, if that means some people don't like my body then you know what I'm OK with that.

Self esteem comes from self, a few years ago this would have shattered me in a way I can't even articulate. There were so many cruel comments from people - however the reality is these people don't know me they've never met me so why should I really put that much importance on what they think of me. It's not their job to love my body after all it's mine. Whilst it's never nice to read unkind things about yourself and I'm not going to pretend they didn't hurt - momentarily it did.

The old wounds reopened and I fleetingly questioned myself. But such is life, my doctor thinks I'm a healthy weight for my height, I have a healthy body and for once I'm generally happy in my own skin. I never weigh myself anymore I used to weigh myself religiously a few times a day. That's stopped. My worth is not based on my weight anymore.

Wouldn't the world be a nicer place if people weren't quick to judge or be so critical of others? I wonder what it would be like to live in a world where women were encouraged to love their bodies no matter what their shape or size? However this body bashing of all shapes and sizes needs to stop in all forms. Thin, fat, curvy are all too often used in a derogatory manner that sends out the message that they are not good enough, not worthy and needs to be different. We as women need to love ourselves more and we need to teach others what's acceptable and what's not. If we don't love ourselves we live in a place of comparing ourselves and judging others and they are never good route to go down. If we constantly criticise our bodies it almost gives others permission to treat us the same.

Life is so short, so fleeting, some people will hate you some people will love you. Your job is to ignore the haters, surround yourself with people that love you and don't let anyone tell you how you should look. Healthy is the aim of the game not a number on the scales.

Feed your mind with thoughts that feel good.

Nourish your body with foods that are natural and delicious.

Fuel your soul by shining your light and living your passions.

Life is too short to be lived any other way. I personally think it would be heaven on earth if humans could treat everyone the way they wanted to be treated and speak only words they would like to have spoken back to them. So today I'm going to leave you with one thought - How beautiful would you be if the words you spoke and the comments you made appeared on your skin? Would it show that you’re compassionate, caring and kind OR judgmental, cruel and mean? I know where I'd rather be.

You can’t eat that you’re a nutritionist!!

You can’t eat that you’re a nutritionist!!

I have a confession, well not really a confession but something that seems to surprise people, I eat chocolate! I love chocolate, I also eat cake, Chinese, pizza and a whole host of other things that are on the whole not particularly nourishing .

I am after all a human, I am by trade a nutritionist and I’ve spent years studying biochemistry, human biology and nutrients, so….. I also know exactly what happens when I eat these foods!

I don’t however eat them every day – anymore! I used to; during my teens and early twenties I had a somewhat distorted view and relationship with food. I read every diet book going, attended any diet group or class I could and generally felt very very confused about what to eat because every diet seemed to have different rules, you can eat fruit in abundance on one yet it was the route of all evil on the next! Oh the confusion, all I wanted was to be slim! Why was it so complicated!

Years of yo-yo dieting and a growing list of health complications (IBS, Polycystic ovarian syndrome, suspected pernicious anaemia, anaemia etc) left me realising I needed to know more about how food was affecting my health - So I did what any normal person would do I retrained as a nutritionist!

What I learnt is that it’s what we eat every day that has the biggest effect on our health not what we do once in a while. I also learnt what certain foods do to the body and was shocked to find that the diets I had been following were likely to be directly responsible for some of the health conditions I was experiencing and completely responsible for the cravings I was having!

It’s been quite some time now that I qualified and I’m please to say that my relationship with food is now one of a healthy nature, I no longer eat chocolate for breakfast (Eater Sunday was different ok?!) or starve myself, but I so still eat chocolate and processed crap from time to time.

If you have rules and restrictions on the food that you can and cannot eat for anything other than allergies or health conditions in my view you are going into dangerous territory.

Food is fuel, food is nourishment, but food is also a social activity and this doesn’t need to mean that it’s unhealthy. I truly believe that there are times when a packet of crisps is just what is needed, yes of course you could go and have crunchy carrots and hummus or unsalted nuts but please its ok to eat a little what you fancy now and again. Less judgment is needed amongst fellow humans these days, so if you see me munching on crisps of eating chocolates don’t judge come and say Hi I’m happy to share.

My view is food is the remedy not the enemy, we don’t need to fear food, whilst I believe we should pick foods that nourish our body daily its ok to eat foods that nourish your soul every now and again too!

If you are struggling with your diet, or fed up of dieting and want shape up, slim down or just stop feeling crazing around food, I can help you, I offer one to one coaching around mindset, body image and self love aswell as one to one nutrition advice!

For more information please email me on Kirsten@thefoodremedy.co.uk or call me on 07780007361,

Ditch the diet mentality and remember food is a remedy not the enemy.

The Food Remedy - Chickpeas

Chickpeas Chickpeas or garbanzos are delicious and nutritious round bean that is popular in central Asian and Middle Eastern cuisines. It’s also available in a flour and is the main ingredient in hummus.

Cholesterol and a Healthy heart

Chickpeas, are rich in both soluble and insoluble dietary fiber. Soluble fiber forms a gel-like substance in the digestive tract that helps excrete bile, which contains cholesterol, and ships it out of the body. Research suggests that regular intake of Chickpeas can lower LDL (bad) and total cholesterol. They also contain the significant amounts of folate and magnesium. Folate lowers the levels of the amino acid, homocysteine and strengthens the blood vessels. Studies have found chickpeas could lower the risk of heart attack.

Digestive disorders

Research studies have shown that insoluble fiber not only helps to increase stool bulk and prevent constipation, but also helps prevent digestive disorders. Chickpeas contain good amounts of the fibre.

Vegetarian and Vegans

Chickpeas are a good source of vegan protein. However it is considered an ‘incomplete’ protein as it does not contain all the 9 essential amino acids, Chickpeas lack the essential amino acid methionine and whole grains lack lysine. However when vegetarian and vegans combine things like hummus and whole meal pitta bread this produces a complete protein that contains all of the essential amino acids.

Weight Loss

Chickpeas have a low GI value which means the carbohydrate in them is broken down and digested slowly. The low GI and the high fiber content are excellent for weight loss as they keep you full longer and help controlling the appetite.

How to eat them

Chickpeas are delicious addition to salads can be mashed and made into falafels, vegetarian burgers, or blended and made into hummus.

The Food Remedy - Ginger

GINGER 

Scented, strong and spicy, ginger adds a special flavor and zest to dishes from warming teas to cakes right through to stir fries. The health properties of ginger are vast and widely researched.  Ginger is available in various forms including whole fresh roots, dried roots, powdered ginger, crystallised ginger and pickled ginger.  The root, is the part of the plant most widely used in alternative forms of medicine, is rich in volatile oils that contain the active component gingerol.

Ginger has broad-spectrum antibacterial, antiviral, antioxidant, and anti-parasitic properties, to name just several of its more than 40 pharmacological actions

Ginger also contains very potent anti-inflammatory compounds called gingerols. These substances are believed to explain why so many people with osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis experience reductions in their pain levels and improvements in their mobility when they consume ginger regularly as it appears to reduce inflammation in a similar way to aspirin and ibuprofen . Gingerols inhibit the formation of inflammatory cytokines; chemical messengers of the immune system. It is also a valuable source of pain relief for those who suffer from menstrual pain, headaches, and other inflammatory diseases.

Ginger is a thermogenic substance with beneficial impacts on metabolism and fat storage

Ginger contains chromium, magnesium and zinc which can help to improve blood flow and assist in the maintenance of normal blood circulation, as well as help prevent chills, fever, and excessive sweat. As well as encourage increased and prolonged erectile function!

Ginger improves the absorption and stimulation of essential nutrients in the body. It does this by stimulating gastric and pancreatic enzyme secretion.

How to peal ginger.

Hold a piece of ginger root firmly in one hand and the bowl of a metal spoon firmly in the other hand. Scrape the edge of the spoon against the ginger to peel off the skin. Work your way around the ginger root, peeling only as much as you think you will use.

Always store ginger with the peel on as it lasts longer.

The Food Remedy, Health benefits of Cucumber

Cucumber 

Cucumbers are one of the most cultivated vegetables in the world and known to be one of the best foods for your body's overall health.  They have many benefits from assisting you digestive system, to easing acid reflux and research also suggests that it may help prevent some types of cancers.

Digestive Health

Cucumber skins contain insoluble fiber, which helps add bulk to your stool and helps food to move through your digestive tract more quickly for healthy elimination.

Cancers 

Cucumber contain three lignans - lariciresinol, pinoresinol, and secoisolariciresinol. These three lignans have a strong history of research in connection with reduced risk of several cancer types, including breast cancer, ovarian cancer, uterine cancer and prostate cancer. They also contain phytonutrients called cucurbitacins, which research has found could possess anti-cancer properties

Diabetes

Cucumber juice contains a hormone which is needed by the cells of the pancreas for producing insulin which is believed to be beneficial to diabetic patients.

Heart health

Cucumber contain plant sterols which are well documented for there ability in helping reduce cholesterol levels. They also contain a lot of potassium, magnesium and fibre, that work together to help regulating blood pressure. This makes cucumbers good for treating both low blood pressure and high blood pressure.

Stress

Cucumbers contain multiple B vitamins, are known to help ease feelings of anxiety and helping ease some of the damaging effects of stress.

Cucumbers are great in salad, in stir fries or eaten with dips as a nutritious snack.