When it comes to healthy eating, there’s a lot of places to look for advice: magazines, books, GPs, celebrities, athletes, sports celebrities, sports coaches, bloggers, vloggers, friends, parents and the list goes on. But what about those who specialise in nutrition and wellness as a career? In this post, we look to some of the experts we’ve interviewed and share some of their top tips.
Nutrition Tips to Steal from the Experts
Indy Power – Original Interview
“It’s all about balance” says Indy Power, the name behind the hugely successful blog The Little Green Spoon. “I want to show people that you can still treat yourself but there’s a better way to do it. If you are going to treat yourself, do it right.” Indy skillfully creates and shares healthier versions of many dishes and cuisines in her book and on her blog. She believes that “when you change your diet your palate actually changes too and you stop craving that type of sugar. For example, when you try dark chocolate with a high coco content of 70-85% for the first time, it tastes quite bitter. The more you eat it, the more your palate gets used to the flavour and it starts to taste sweeter.”
Robert VERKERK PhD of Alliance for Natural Health International – Original Interview
Robert’s top tip centers around ‘rest’. “The benefits of exercise are widely acknowledged but the benefit of rest is often underestimated,” says Robert of Natural Health International. What’s more interesting, he explains is that “the real benefits of exercise don’t come during the exercise itself, they come during the rest period. While exercising you damage muscle but it’s in the righting of that damage that all the benefits are incurred.” This concept applies to mental health too – “If we engage in an emotionally stressful behaviour, we need to have time to recover.”
Meleni Aldridge of Bite The Sun & Alliance for Natural Health International – Original Interview
Managing Director of Bite The Sun and Executive Coordinator, Alliance for Natural Health International.
When asked for her top tips, Meleni concluded that “we need to be more aware of the work-life balance. “Me time” is pretty essential.” She explained that, “we have so many pressures and distractions in our lives and in this digital age we are never off, with work emails at all hours and our phones on all night. Our brains need space; our immune systems need space.”
Oliver McCABE – Original Interview
General Manager of Select Stores & Fuel Food Whole Food Kitchen & Deli, Dalkey; Chef, Nutrition Advisor, TV Personality, Writer & Speaker on Health and Nutrition
When it comes to nutrition and health, Conor’s advice is to “keep it simple”. He continues by explaining how people come to him all the time in a panic about their diet but there’s really no need. “Don’t stress about it. Get back to basics….Eat 3 meals a day and maybe 2 snacks. Drink lots of water. Get enough sleep.”
JOAN HANRAHAN : Original Interview
Herbalist & Nutritional Therapist
And last but not least, Joan shares her top tip and it’s a really good one. “Take control of your own health,” she says. “Don’t expect anyone else to do it for you. Become your own expert.”
So there you have it, 5 Nutrition Tips to Steal from the Experts.