Finding the best diet for you can be a daunting task. This can mean tons of trial and error and countless hours of research. Luckily for us, there are people people out there like Pixie Turner that will make the process of finding a healthy diet so much easier.
Pixie is a certified nutritionist in the UK. She helps other find the best diet plans for their goals. “My focus as a nutritionist is on helping people improve their relationships with food, whether that’s ensuring they are eating enough to fuel their activity levels, advising them on what they need to be aware of if making drastic dietary shifts, or working through food fears and anxieties. Food, movement, stress, and sleep are all interconnected, so I always make sure to talk about all of these things with my clients! In addition to this I also make it my mission to call out nutrition BS where I see it, particularly through social media, and use my online influence to be a voice of reason amongst all the pseudoscience and fearmongering,” Pixie explains.
Start
The internet can be a great platform to share your views to large audiences. WHile this is great because it gives us access to great information at the tip of our fingers, but it also has a down fall. There is a ton of false information that can guide us in the wrong direction. This is what drove Pixie to begin her journey as a nutritionist. “The main driver for me was the amount of misinformation I was seeing online, particularly on social media. It frustrated me that there were so many unqualified bloggers giving out terrible and wrong advice, and spreading untruths. So I decided to do a masters degree in nutrition to learn more and also make sure I could counter this in some way,” Pixie says.
Pixie is now taking this battle head on and guiding other in the right direction to reaching their health goals. She educates other on the many options they ave and help them to prepare a diet plan that will work for them. “A nutritionist uses an evidence-based approach to advise people in the community on their diet and lifestyle, with an individualised approach tailored to the client’s needs. There is no one way of doing things, but personally I send my clients a pre-consultation questionnaire which covers dietary habits, medical history, exercise, stress, and sleep. I also ask them to complete a 3 day food diary to give me an idea of where they’re at. The first session is mainly there to identify how I can best help a client, what the plan of action is, and how to proceed, so whether they need weekly sessions, monthly sessions, or just a one-off! It all depends on the individual,” Pixie enlightens.
Advice
Outside of providing direct nutritionist services, Pixie also shares general tips and tools to leading life with a healthy balanced diet. For starters, Pixie believes that everyone should take on nutrition with a new approach outside of the typical mindset towards dieting. “I think we place too much emphasis on ‘willpower’ and not enough on trusting our own bodies. We’re constantly told to eat less, deprive ourselves, and fight our biology. But I find it more helpful to focus on listening to our bodies’ hunger and fullness signals. The best way to do that is to eat slowly and mindfully with no distractions. Savour the food and enjoy every bite! And stop when you’ve had enough, you can always save the rest for another time,” Pixie advises.
Another thing Pixie suggests is “it shouldn’t be about deprivation and restriction. Try new foods, find the fruits and vegetables that you really enjoy eating, and if you can, definitely learn to cook! It’s the most useful skill! Find some great cookbooks by chefs (not bloggers) who know how to make food taste good, not just look good. Focus on adding healthy habits in, not on cutting things out. For example, if you’re a big chocolate lover, then have a little chocolate in the evening, but make sure you’ve also had a delicious and nutritious evening meal that fills you up and satisfies you,”
What three food staples should everyone have in stock at all times to help make eating healthy easier?
Canned/ready cooked beans and pulses
Hummus – the best salad dressing!
A cookbook or blog you really enjoy cooking from that doesn’t require a trip to 3 different expensive shops to get all the ingredients.
In your opinion, what are the most overrated and underrated foods that help make eating healthy [and clean] easier? [Clean eating is a BIG no from me, would prefer the word not to be mentioned at all]
Most overrated: anything spiralized. If you want spaghetti eat spaghetti and add some vegetables to the sauce. Courgette isn’t the same as spaghetti and it needs to stop trying to be something it’s not. It tastes nothing like it. Ditto sweet potato toast. It’s not bread and will never be bread.
Most underrated: ready-cooked vegetables, lentils, rice…and so on. Anything that cuts down on time. Also potatoes. Poor things are vilified for no good reason at all.
What motivational/inspirational books have you found to be most helpful?
Izy Hossack’s book ‘The Savvy Cook’ is an amazing resource for students in particular, as it even tells you how you can use up your leftovers!
I also have Rick Stein’s India to thank for my curry obsession!
What’s your beliefs on performance diet like? Do you prescribe to a particular philosophy on diet (example: Paleo, Gluten free, etc…)?
Nope! There is no one size fits all when it comes to nutrition and health, and as such there is no one method that I would recommend. Having said that, if you don’t need to go gluten-free then don’t do it. Eat as wide a variety of foods as you can!
Pixie Turner
Please buy my book! It’s called ‘The Wellness Rebel’ and it’s available to preorder on Amazon now 🙂
