Inspiring People: Nicola from Eat Well NZ

Next in our Inspiring People interviews we have the Lovely Nicola from Eat Well NZ. Nicola is a NZ Registered Nutritionist, she also has a beautiful blog with great advice and scrummy looking recipes.   Nicola speaks to us about her journey to becoming a NZ Registered Nutritionist, her approach to balance and moderation in both food and life and shares her top healthy foods to always keep on hand. Nicola has also kindly given us a $25 off voucher for any of her services – details at the end of the post! 

Hi, I’m Nicola a NZ Registered Nutritionist.  I love working in this industry and enjoy helping people achieve their goals. It’s such an amazing feeling to support people through health issues to come out the other end feeling fantastic.   I have an interest in working with people to build a healthy relationship with food and to break that diet cycle.  Personally, I love running, walking with my dog and gardening – I have a huge vege garden I try to maintain all year, although things are a bit slow over winter.  I love blogging and sharing nutrition advice + healthy recipes with my readers. 

Tell me about your journey to living a healthy lifestyle…

I’ve always had a love for food and an interest in health. Mum was quite interested in health and nutrition and my grandfather was a pharmacist, so I did grow up with those influences. I knew throughout school that I wanted to study nutrition, although I had a last minute change of mind in year 13 and enrolled at Victoria University to study Media and Psychology. But by the time I’d made it through the first half of the year, I decided I did really want to do nutrition, so I started my second year at uni studying a Bachelor of Science majoring in Human Nutrition. I then did a postgraduate Honours year which really added to my knowledge. I completed a registration process with the NZ Nutrition Society so I can call myself a “Registered Nutritionist” – not everyone that calls themselves a nutritionist is qualified, so it’s good to have this credential 🙂

When I first came out of uni I didn’t find a nutrition job straight away. I actually worked for Jenny Craig for about a year as a weight loss consultant. Then I started working at a local Health and Social Services provider in health promotion before I started doing what I really wanted to (at the same workplace), working as a nutrition consultant helping people with pre-diabetes, diabetes, weight loss, cholesterol and irritable bowel syndrome for the majority of my work, as well as a little bit of work with PCOS clients. I’ve been at my current workplace for 6 years, as well as running Eat Well NZ.

Being a nutritionist also means I have to keep updated with the latest research, so it’s an ongoing learning journey, attending seminars and reading nutrition journals.

What are some of the most common ‘mistakes’ you see when your clients first come to you?

One would have to be the “all or nothing approach” to nutrition and weight loss, where they’re either in diet mode or all out unhealthy eating, with the view to start tomorrow.  I really encourage a balanced approach and remind people that just because they’ve eaten one thing that might not be nutrient rich, it’s not the end of the world.  One Tim Tam doesn’t ruin a week’s progress!   I remind clients that it’s a journey – there will be ups and downs, the main thing is to get right back on track rather than giving up and starting again “next week”. 

What’s your approach to balance and moderation in life and food?

In life, I think it’s important that we have routines and rhythms that keep us grounded and give us a sense of balance.  I also need my down time to recharge my batteries so I always make sure I have time in the weekend to just relax and do what ever I want – either reading, gardening or spending time with my husband, friends family.  I also exercise regularly as it makes me feel great. 

In terms of food, I aim to make sure that the majority of what I eat is nutrient rich food that will nourish my body.  But I’m not afraid to indulge and treat myself occasionally.  I think a lot of people view food in an “all or nothing mind frame” which I don’t believe is useful for long term healthy eating patterns. 

Years ago, I used to have an unhealthy relationship with food+ really poor body image, but I turned that around to be in a really good place with food and how I feel about myself.   Years back, I would deprive myself of foods like chocolate, then eat some, feel terribly guilty, eat way too much of it, then restrict again where it came a binge or nothing cycle. 

Now if I want chocolate, I eat it.  It’s not “bad”. It’s just chocolate.  I don’t binge. I enjoy it, I savour it and I can stop at with a small amount, because I’ve really enjoyed that small amount and I know that I can eat it again!  I wrote a bit about it here  That’s why I’m passionate now about helping people develop a better relationship with food.  It’s one of the keys to long term weight management as well.

What is your favourite form of exercise to do?

I really love running, it makes me feel amazing!  I find running a great stress relief and it also puts me in a good mood – I definitely get a “runners high!”.  I’m not particularly fast, but I love the fact that it’s something you can set your own challenges and goals in, so you’re competing against yourself to achieve your personal bests.    I also do cross fit a couple of times a week, and play hockey which I enjoy, but running is definitely my favourite.

What is your favourite healthy food/recipe? 

Hmm there are a few.

One is this brown rice, cashew, capsicum and currant salad.  It’s always a favourite and I’ve made it quite a few times now. 

For a sweet treat, I really like these gluten free chocolate banana muffins. 

What are your top ‘must have’ foods to keep on hand?

Oo there’s lots!  But a few things I always have around are fruit including frozen berries (great for smoothies, on top of porridge or with yoghurt for a snack), vegetables, yoghurt, nuts, canned fish and rolled oats.  Nothing fancy because you don’t have to spend lots of money on powders and potions to be healthy 🙂 There’s other things too, but these are the basic must haves for me.  

What is your number one tip for those who want to live a healthier life?

Don’t overcomplicate things.   Eat well, exercise, manage stress, get enough sleep are the basic rules.  There is so much information out there it can get confusing, but just take it one step at a time and build on progress.  Sometimes if we try and change everything at once, it gets too hard and we feel we’ve failed then give up.  If you’re finding it hard,  pick one habit a week to change and add to it.  Before you know it you would have made a whole lot of changes.  You might start with something simple, like drinking more water + eating more vegetables.  Focusing on what you’re going to ADD rather than cut out is also a positive way to start, it puts your mind in a good frame, and often by default, you have less of the less healthy stuff! Eg if you’re drinking more water, you’ll likely cut down coffee etc – there’s only so much drinking a gal can do in a day!

What is one piece of workout equipment or tool that you swear by? 

I really love the Nike Running App.   I’m a bit of a running nerd, so I like to compare my runs and track my fitness so I can see my progress.  I also love the little update I get at each kilometre that tells me my time and average pace.  AND they tell you what a great workout you’ve had when you’re done too. Nice bonus at the end haha!

What are your favourite healthy living blogs/websites or tools? 

Ooo there are lots. Yours of course! 

I also love:

Two that aren’t all about healthy living, but are a part of their blogs are:

 Thank you Nicola, it has been a pleasure interviewing you and getting a NZ Registered Nutritionists thoughts on living a healthy lifestyle.

Nicola has generously given all Move Love Eat readers a $25 OFF Voucher for any of her services on her website, so if you have ever been thinking about speaking to a NZ Registered Nutritionist now is the time to do it!! Just use the code Moveloveeat between now and the end of September 2014 to claim this discount on any of the services at Eat Well NZ. 

You can find Nicola in the following places:

On Her Blog – Eat Well NZ
Eat Well NZ Facebook Page
Eat Well NZ Twitter Feed
Eat Well NZ Instagram

Feel free to check out some of our other inspiring people interviews:

Nicole Joy – Why it is perfectly acceptable to eat desert for Breakfast
Lucia Oles – Optimum Nutrition Sponsored Fitness Competitor
Jane from KettleBells and Cookies
Laura from KettleBells and Cookies
Emma from Static Era
Leah from Naturally Leah
Emma from Embracing It
Lauren SAHM 
Kate from Kori Kita Sports Skirts