‘You are what you eat’.
I am sure many of us have heard this being said many times to us but where does the
phrase come from? It is said that it originally appeared in 1862 when Jean Anthelme
Brillat-Savarin, a French lawyer, politician and famous gastronome wrote ‘Dis -moi ce que
tu manges , je te dirai ce que tu es’ which translates to ‘Tell me what you eat and I will tell
you what you are’.
As for me personally, this is literally true as the nutrients from the food we eat provide the
foundation of the structure, function and integrity of every little cell of our body, from the
skin to hair, muscles, bones and our digestive systems and immune systems .Our body is
constantly repairing, healing and rebuilding .Believe it or not, every cell in our body has a
‘shelf life’,, for example the cell life of our stomach is a day or two, the skin cell lives for
about a month and a red blood cell lives for about four months .Thus everyday our body is
making new cells replacing those that have ‘expired’, therefore good nutrition determines
how healthy those new cells will be.
Now that we are aware that good nutrition is very crucial, how do we even start? Recently I
was in conversation with a Nutritional Therapist that gave me an insight of the importance of
good nutrition to support our health and wellbeing .
Deborah Taylor
A period of illness in 2013 prompted Deborah to make some changes to her diet and
lifestyle, she even swapped her beauty products with more natural alternatives .It was during
the months of treatment following her illness that she started to read more about dietary and
lifestyle interventions. She she now helps her clients transform their health with nutrition and lifestyle changes.
Taylored Nutrition
Deborah Taylor now sees a range of clients via Taylored Nutrition and she offers 3
packages to help people struggling with health issues, each plan or package provides the
time to thoroughly explore each individual’s underlying imbalances, make timed gradual
changes and focus on unique nutritional and lifestyle needs in addition to helping people
stay motivated to achieve their aim .Each package includes an initial consultation (60
minutes), the follow up sessions depends on the package an individual signs up for, e mail
support, tailored nutrition and lifestyle recommendations .Should you require more detailed
information about the package,kindly visit her website.
Deborah Taylor specialises in gut health issues including bloating, abdominal pain, gas, diarrhoea, constipation and IBS type issues. Her main area of interest is to support
women with Perimenopause and Menopause symptoms such as poor sleep, mood swings, bloating, cognitive problems, memory problems, low libido, painful sex, stress, anxiety,
irregular periods, bladder function problems, weight gain, fatigue and hot flushes.
Deborah also mentioned during our meeting that she has special interest in helping women
who are unable to, or don’t wish to, address these symptoms with Hormone Replacement
Therapy.
The power of good food
Whilst speaking to Deborah I asked her about the power of good food, to which she
said, “ Food is so powerful and people don’t know that enough, I thought I was eating
healthily until I studied nutrition then I realised there was lots more to learn.” She also explained that
“Making small, simple changes to our food choices can lead to better health, wellbeing and
increased vitality.”
When asked “ How soon can someone see changes after eating healthily ?” She said “If
someone follows the plan diligently, changes can be seen within a week or two.”
Isn’t it amazing how fast our body can respond to nutritionally balanced food? In fact studies
have shown that it is possible to get healthy in 21 days However the aim should be for long
term and visible changes and this will take more time with dedication and consistency .
Deborah said “I became fascinated by the power of good food and the importance of the
impact of a balanced healthy diet on the mind and body and wanted to share what I had
learnt with others.”
Besides running her private clinic , Deborah also conducts talks and workshops and has
recently joined up with a local yoga teacher for a Beeston based workshop. She is
passionate about sharing recipes and tips. Follow her on her facebook page and on
Instagram to enjoy her recipes and articles to support your health and
wellbeing. Her next workshop, Nutrition and Yoga for the Menopause will take place on
Saturday 4th March. Contact – info@taylorednutrition.org for more details.
Deborah shares a recipe with us
Sweet potato and coconut soup from The Plant Programme by Jane Plant – this is a brilliant book and the recipes are based around balancing hormones so is great for peri/menopausal women!
Ingredients
2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped into bitesize chunks
1 small onion chopped
3-4 cloves of garlic
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp lime or lemon juice
1 tbsp ginger, peeled and chopped
1 red chilli, chopped
2 tbsp coriander, chopped
400ml coconut milk
1 litre vegetable or chicken stock
Optional – 4 lime leaves, 1 stalk lemongrass, cut into 2cm pieces
Method
1. Heat the oil in a pan, stir fry the onion for 2-3 mins
2. Add the garlic, ginger, chilli, lemongrass and lime leaves (if using). Stir fry for 1-2
mins
3. Pour in the coconut milk, stir and bring to a simmer
4. Add the sweet potato, simmer for 7-8 minutes, then add stock and bring back to a
simmer
5. When the sweet potato is tender (check after 10 minutes), remove lime leaves and
lemongrass (if using) and blend the soup.
6. Sitr in the lemon / lime juice and serve with coriander leaves on top.
AMG