We are chatting with our friend Nathalie Gudgeon, registered nutritionist and recipe developer.
Nathalie is a registered nutritional therapy practitioner adopting a functional medicine approach in clinic, working with clients on a consultation basis to optimise health. She is also a keen recipe developer; passionate about clean eating. Her nutritiously natty Instagram account is a great way to follow what she feeds her family, providing practical tips for busy people managing allergens.
Q. Can you tell us about your health journey and how you came to be a registered nutritionist?
I ate very badly as a child, lots of sugar and processed food. This reflected in my teens. I always had a problem with dairy and cutting this out helped hugely – my digestion recovered, and my energy levels returned. It was this journey that switched me onto Nutrition and I completely changed my eating whilst studying for my degree.
I love the consultation and education side of my role but I’m deeply passionate about the recipe development/demonstration side of my business. It’s this education and the tools that people need to enable their health plans to succeed. I come from a family that love to cook and bake and I really want to inspire people to get back to that, whilst educating them about using real food ingredients. That’s what nutritiously natty is all about.
Q If you could go back ten years, what advice would you give to yourself?
Slow down! Too often we rush into decisions or rush through the day, before you know it 10 years have passed. Now I have 2 children, my life is busy juggling work and family life. Practising self-care is so important now. It’s a big part of the functional medicine approach, combining nutrition with lifestyle medicine.
Q. Who are your role models and what do you admire most about them?
I really admire many food bloggers but in particular Ella Woodward (Deliciously Ella). She overcame her own health challenges through changing her eating habits and through her blog and cook books she’s really switched people onto eating real food. I’m not at all vegan but you can adapt a lot of her meals to include a portion of fish or meat. I recommend her books to many of my clients as a good starting point.
Q. What is your #1 piece of nutritional advice
Cut down on your sugar intake! Excess sugar causes so many imbalances in the body as a source of inflammation and stress. Its the foundation of many of all of my health care plans.
Q. What's your favourite primal cut sausage and favourite way to eat it?
I love the Cambridge and its suits my kids palate. My kids love homemade toad in the hole in the winter, made with gluten free flour, coconut milk and eggs. In the summer we love BBQ sausage with a big fresh salad, jersey royals and homemade beet slaw.
Here's a sample of one of Nathalie's sausage-licious creations, you can find more inspiration and recipes on her instagram account
And you can read more about Nathalie’s services by visiting her website here at www.nathaliegudgeon.com
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