Nicky’s Health Philosophy
Healthy eating is fast becoming one of the hottest topics in our society. Illnesses such as heart disease, diabetes, obesity and even eating disorders are increasing in Ireland and people are becoming ever more aware of the effects of what they are consuming in their daily diets. Unfortunately much of the information out there today is provided by companies who are trying to sell their products and are not always concerned about their customer's health. Also, new and interesting research is constantly coming to light and it can be difficult to stay abreast. As a nutritional therapist, natural chef and retreat facilitator it is my job to keep up to date with this research and inform people as far as possible about how they can improve their over all health. I believe in bringing back peoples joy for food and cooking, showing them that nutrient rich food can be not only easy to prepare but also delicious.
I believe there are many ways to maintain optimal health; it is not just about what, and how we eat, although food plays a pivotal role. Moving the body, sleeping well, carefully choosing the environment we live in, having a positive outlook on life, learning to forgive, living with purpose, awakening creativity and releasing emotions from the body all help us live in a good state of health. The mind has such power over our body and health. The more we fixate on negative thoughts and keep old emotions blocked up in ourselves the more our bodies can feel out of balance, lose connection to ourselves and develop unhealthy eating patterns.
I find it difficult to see many people who are diagnosed with an illness and are told by a medical professional they will have to be on a medication for the rest of their lives. We unfortunately have lost our connection to the healing powers of nature and plants but also feel more and more people are opening up to a more natural way of healing before turning to life long medications. Witnessing many people heal naturally on my journey, including myself, I believe we can all discover our own inner healers within us, it’s a matter of awakening this power to feel free from old emotions and negative limiting beliefs we have about ourselves. We can tap into this deep intuition in many different ways including meditation, connecting to nature, ritual, ceremonies, community and sometimes giving ourselves a helping hand with plant medicines if it feels right.
However, it is not possible to manage our health 100% of the time. I do not believe it is good for us to become completely obsessed with our health, as such stress can put a lot of strain on the body. As long as we have a healthy balance, we should be able to live long healthy lives.