My Approach
My Approach
From my 20+ years working in the field of nutrition, I fully appreciate how our food choice and eating behaviour can influence several aspects of our health and our life. With that, I truly believe that we are not just what we eat. We are so much more.
Within nutritional therapy there is a wide range of ways to support clients. Nutrition is as much a health science as it is a social and behavioural science. With this concept in mind, my approach embraces the whole self when both addressing physiological imbalances and fostering a positive relationship with food.
What we may see as a “healthy diet” can often seem unattainable for many people. This may be due to socio-economic reasons, limitations in accessing a variety of foods, educational opportunity and skills, physical ability and many more reasons. Considering our individual ability to access and prepare a variety of foods that help our bodies feel well is something I take time to explore with groups and clients. Feeling heard in our challenges with food access and choice helps us to better understand and navigate what options are available to us and that can help support us in our nutrition journey.
Earth Cook Eat reflects my wider philosophy around our connection with the food we eat. Where we source it from, how we prepare it and our relationship with our eating it. As a gardener and someone who loves to forage, learning what the earth can provide us has given me a deeper insight into the role which food can play in our lives.
Growing fruit and vegetables and foraging gives me great pleasure. Preparing, fermenting and cooking this bounty is a creative passion of mine. When we foster a positive relationship with food, we enjoy and eat a variety of foods that nourish both our body and soul.
This point of view may not resonate with you. We all have different perspectives on the role food plays in our lives. I acknowledge and celebrate that everyone' nutrition journey will be unique. My aim is to meet you where you are and guide your towards your distinctive unique health goals.
I fully believe that the size, weight and composition of our body does not solely influence our health or nutrition status. Diet-culture will have us believe that health “looks” a certain way- however scientific research clearly shows how weight bias can cloud our understanding.
By focusing on health promoting behaviours, such as adequate nutrition, sleep, stress management and physical movement for all bodies, we can endeavour to support our wellbeing without pursuing weight loss. I will help you find a comfortable and enjoyable relationship with food that is free from restrictive eating behaviour whilst choosing foods that help you nourish your whole self.
Importantly, paying attention to how our body feels when eating provides clues about which foods help us feel well. Equally essential is exploring the nutrition journey with compassion at a physiological level and on an emotional and social level.
Intuitive eating is an “evidence-based, mind-body health approach and a personal process of honouring health by listening and responding to the direct messages of the body in order to meet your physical and psychological needs” (Tribole and Resch 1995). I support clients to become more attuned to their body’s appetite cues, how to recognise which foods will satisfy them and also apply a more neutral language to their dietary choices that will help endeavour a more peaceful relationship with food.
I have a 4yr Honours Degree in Applied Human Nutrition from Queen Margaret University in Edinburgh and a 3 ½ year Higher Diploma in Nutrition Sciences and Therapeutics from the Irish Institute of Nutrition and Health in Bray Co. Wicklow Ireland. As a member of the NTOI, I complete a variety of annual continuous professional development programmes and seminars and adhere to a code of ethics.
Earth Cook Eat
A Weight Inclusive Approach To Health
Advocate of Intuitive Eating
Qualifications
