For the love of food
.....

I’m Gillian, a Certified Nutritional Practitioner from the Institute of Holistic Nutrition, a graduate of the George Brown Culinary Arts Program and a Health Coach from the Institute of Integrative Nutrition.

My foray into nutrition started when I was volunteering at The Stop, a Drop-in and Food Bank for low income community members.

It was the end of my shift and I was feeling thoroughly energized - I felt that I’d really made a difference in people’s lives that day.   I’d seen people leave the Food Bank that morning with their baskets full of fresh vegetables they had never cooked before (and in some cases never heard of), but inspired to try because of my excitement in their abilities and my genuine love of food.

It was then and there I realized I had the ability to empower others to take control of their own health through food.

My story
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I had always thought I was fairly healthy, despite a rocky start in my teens and 20’s.   By the time I was 50, I had over 10 triathlons under my belt, culminating in a Half Ironman at the age of 52, eating what I thought was a healthy diet.  I had no idea that my bloating and abdominal pains, morning headaches, constipation, gas (so bad at times I couldn’t go out in the evenings to social events), poor sleeps, afternoon naps and sugar cravings weren’t normal. I thought everyone suffered from those things!

On the other hand, what I knew wasn’t normal was my stress level.  I was so stressed at times I could actually feel cortisol running through my veins.  I didn’t really know what cortisol was or how it affected me physically, I just knew it was bad.  

Over the course of time, applying what I was learning at school, things changed drastically.  I felt like a new person.  And I learned three key lessons:

First, deprivation through dieting is NOT the answer (plus I love food too much to go on a diet).

Secondly, I learned that it’s not just about the food on our plates - stress plays havoc with our digestive system, our hormones and our brain.  Our relationships, how we move our bodies, our coping strategies and so much more of our personal lives are just as important as the food we put on our plates.

Finally, I learned that lasting change takes time and begins with small, incremental steps - we all have the power to make lasting change, but it doesn’t happen overnight.  And sometimes we need a bit of help, especially in this world of nutrition overwhelm – where to start, how to get there and someone to whom we can be accountable.