Do nutritional therapists, nutritional therapy students, chefs and food writers indulge during the festive season? You bet they do!
We delve into their culinary pleasures, guilt-free indulging, and new year resolutions and discover how these inspiring foodies balance indulgence with wellness.
Guilty pleasures…
Go on, be honest, what’s your guilty food pleasure during the festive season?
While I don’t assign it to “guilt,” I do like dark chocolate, cocoa, cacao nibs and coffee, which some might see as forbidden. All the browns are not part of the rainbow I talk about in the “colourful, vivid” sense people think it to be; however, I think brown is a valid rainbow inclusion! — Deanna Minich, Certified Functional Medicine Practitioner, nutrition scientist, international lecturer, teacher and author of The Rainbow Diet
There are plenty of Christmas foods that bring me pleasure, and I try not to feel guilty about that, because it’s not always a healthy mindset to find yourself in. I love the taste and texture of stollen and Christmas cake, so they will be part of my Christmas shopping list for sure! — Nicola Moore, nutritional therapist, ION graduate and Fellow
…to Christmas plates…
What is on your Christmas plate this year?
I’ll be in France this year with my partner’s mum, so I am going traditional. They don’t go ‘all out’ for turkey in France but there will be some type of bird on our plate. Our pre-Christmas London celebration will involve a turkey. We make our turkey last for a week – we love the meat, but we also love plenty of vegetables. I will make brussels sprouts with a hot honey, chilli flakes, salt and honey to infuse and roast. If the oven fails, I could fry the sprouts and drizzle the honey on at the end. I love simple steamed carrots and peas. Of course there’ll be plenty of roasties with rosemary.
If I have the energy, I might make a cheesy, leek, cauliflower or broccoli bake knowing that we won’t eat all of it but will have plenty of leftovers. I am not a fan of Christmas pudding – a cheese board is my thing so I will make a chutney or a spicy fruit jam. Of course, a bone broth-based gravy will drizzle the plate. All of this will feature in our boxing day sandwiches. A full fridge and maximising the ingredients is the best gift at Christmas – you can sit and enjoy the food, as opposed to rushing! Yum! — Melissa Hemsley, chef, writer and author of Real Healthy
We have the full works – an organic turkey, carrots, parsnips, brussels sprouts and chestnuts. As for guilty pleasures? I love mince pies, luckily my wife Alison makes delicious home-baked ones with lots of nuts and no added sugar! — James Goolnik, Founder of Optimal Dental Health, and current GradDip ION student
I don’t have much of a sweet tooth, but I do enjoy a good Christmas pudding. So, I’ll have a large slice of that with double cream. My wife is French and from Brittany, so as well as the usual veg, it will be a real mish-mash from crab legs to pigs in blankets. Maybe I could do crabs in blankets? — Sam Feltham, Director, Public Health Collaboration
…to 2025 and resolutions
Tell us, do you have a New Year’s food resolution?
In all honesty, I don’t think I’ve ever made a New Year’s food resolution! Growing up Catholic, I would make resolutions during Lent much more than I would be thinking about in the new year. Personally, I’ve never subscribed to giving something up for a year. Rather, I try to focus on adding something to my life which will fortify my health and enrich my happiness. For the past years, it’s been less about directing this emphasis into food because I feel quite comfortable with my diet. Instead, my focus has been on getting sufficient strength training and physical activity, particularly as I entered my 50s and went through menopause. — Deanna Minich, Certified Functional Medicine Practitioner, nutrition scientist, international lecturer, teacher, and author of The Rainbow Diet
Completely unrelated to food, but I’m hoping to finish the sci-fi novel I’ve been working on in my spare time. — Sam Feltham, Director of Public Health Collaboration
My goal? Well, I plan to film and upload 104 videos showing the connection between the mouth to the body. What you eat has a knock on effect in your mouth and the rest of your body! — James Goolnik, Founder of Optimal Dental Health, and current GradDip ION student
This new year I’m taking my clients (and myself) through a 21-day dietary change ‘sprint’ called a Metabolic Reset. This means we’ll be working as a group to focus on having a really positive start to the year in terms of how we approach eating, trying new foods, and looking at what we can add into our diet to help our overall health. So, it won’t be about one particular “thing”, as I often feel that’s sending the wrong message. Instead, as a group, we’re going to focus on a clear and structured approach to how we eat and consider food, with the view that after 21 days we will all feel more empowered and engaged to tackle 2025 in a really positive way. — Nicola Moore, nutritional therapist, ION graduate and Fellow
I’m afraid I’m not one for big New Year food resolutions – if they are overly ambitious, they often fail and make us feel bad which can encourage a negative relationship with ourselves and food. This new year provides an opportunity to refocus on my nutrition and adding nutritious foods into my diet rather than taking anything away. After having a baby last year my nutrition has taken a back seat, but I am going to refocus on it this new year. — Clemmie Oliver, nutritional therapist, ION graduate and Fellow (pictured)
