Top Tips for Parent Wellness
Miriam, founder Mimi’s Bowl
I have been listening to the brilliant Giovanna Fletcher’s book “Happy Mum Happy Baby” (which I thoroughly recommend); the wording in the title really strikes a cord. Through Mimi’s Bowl we are focused on children’s food and family nutrition, but we don’t often get a chance to highlight the health of parents. I find when I am talking to parents they are living off a diet of caffeine and snacks, so focused are they on producing healthy meals for their kids. How can we look after ourselves better and eat better? It is something we are discussing in this, February feature for our, #MimisFriends series. Our guest contributor is Stephanie Chillaz: mum of two and a practising nutritional therapist. She works from her London clinic, consulting on nutrition for children, men and women, of all ages. She is a wealth of knowledge and has so much passion for good nutrition and good food. Her refreshing approach is that nutrition is not a one size fits all solution, every client’s wellness journey is individual. So read on, firstly, as I interview Stephanie and secondly, as she shares her top-tips for parent wellness in 2020.
Our guest contributor Stephanie Chillaz,
for February’s #mimisfriends feature
Stephanie grew up in London to a Turkish mother and Swiss father. She spent her childhood summers in Turkey living on a diet of fresh fruit, cooked vegetables, and daily local caught fish. It was here that her interest in nutrition and wellbeing was sparked. Stephanie went on to study economics at the LSE and then straight into a city job out of university. During her time in finance, she saw first-hand how stress and poor nutrition had a huge impact on physical and mental performance and decided then that there must be a way she could help. Fast forward a few years, she had left finance, had her first baby and found herself overwhelmed by information on when to start weaning, when to give protein, whether to give her baby cow’s milk or not and upon discovering that she herself was anaemic, how best to nourish herself.
After reading numerous articles and books about gut health and the microbiome, she decided to enrol herself on a short course in nutrition followed by a 3 year diploma and is now a registered naturopathic nutritional therapist.
Stephanie, founder of Stephanie Chillaz Nutrition
Meet Stephanie as I ask about work/ life balance,
what inspires her
& what she serves for dinner at home…
What is the best part of your work?
The right nutrition really can change a person’s life. Someone who is coeliac, for example; they could have symptoms of low energy, fatigue and nausea. As a first step I would look to identify their condition, then offer support with the right nutritional advice. By cutting out gluten, a coeliac will start to absorb vital nutrients (that they’ve been missing), for a healthy and full life. Watching a client go from being malnourished and lethargic; to feeling healthy and vibrant again, is incredible.
Stephanie, what does a typical day look like for you?
My day starts off getting the kids ready for school and nursery (my youngest is 2.5 years old), feeding them a good breakfast and getting them out of the door. After they’ve been dropped off, I am either in clinic seeing clients or at my desk planning protocols for clients I have seen. As each client is unique, I try to create plans which are individual and tailored to my client based on their lifestyle. Writing up a protocol often involves many hours of work, reading research and trying to find the best evidence based solutions. New research is constantly being conducted and emerging on nutrition – nutrition is still such a new science and new trials are coming out all the time.
Work done, I will collect my children and either take them to their activities or I am back home cooking dinner. Variety is key for me so I do try to keep it interesting and buy different vegetables in my weekly shop. I am a strong believer in introducing the greatest variety possible at a young age, as then it is more likely your children will develop a palette and be happy to eat different foods when they’re older.
You always have so much on, how do you balance work and family life? Any tips for other working parents?
As a working mother, time is never on your side and you always feel like you’re playing catch up. I try to be as efficient as possible in getting my work done during the day and if I haven’t been able to get it all done when the children are at school, I will switch my computer on at night once they’ve gone to bed. That said, I feel that it is very important to make time for yourself and your partner – it can’t just all be work and no play so I try to manage my schedule so that I can make my yoga class or an evening out with my husband. My tip is to write lists – I have a million lists which helps me stay organised and on top of everything.
What are your favourite workouts?
Always yoga and pilates. I do mix it up a bit and sometimes try a different class here and there such as spinning or a dance class but I always do those two. If I don’t find the time to get to a class, I try to do a mini workout at home. I need to be strong as I have very active kids and I notice the difference when I have not done any!
What inspires you?
I love reading about how the body works and how the food we eat and the lifestyles we lead have such a great impact on our health. I find it amazing that our bodies have this incredible capacity to heal themselves; they just need to be given the right means to do so. Right now I’m reading “The clever guts diet” by Dr Michael Mosley which, as the title would suggest, is all about the gut and how to feed our so called “2nd brain”. Earlier in the year I went to a talk my Dr Chatterjee who is fascinating and talks about all sorts of different topics from diet to spirituality – he has worked as a doctor for nearly 20 years and is now considered a pioneer in the field of progressive medicine. I love his books and regularly listen to his podcast.
How do you switch off and hit re-set?
I actually really enjoy cooking and trying out new recipes. I recently made a vegan gluten free chocolate raspberry tart which was a big hit even with the kids. Otherwise, I try to spend quality time with my husband and friends over a meal and if I really need to switch off, a good book and bath usually does the trick.
Finally, I am dying to ask…
what does a typical family meal look like for you and your family?
We’re not a vegetarian household, but we eat more fish than we do meat. Sometimes our meals will be plant based such as a lentil dahl with brown rice or sometimes it’ll be a simple grilled fish – salmon or sardines – with a lot of vegetables on the side. My children will always eat their meals with a complex carbohydrate and if I’m making pasta, it’s generally gluten free. They don’t even notice once you have made a delicious tomato or pesto sauce to go with it. We do have sweet at home but it’s generally reserved for the weekends and even then there is a limit to how much I will allow them to have, but I am a big believer in the 80:20 rule. As long as you are good 80% of the time, you can have the odd treat here or there. We’re only human!
Steph’s simple changes for a healthier 2020
1. Chew your food
So many of us have digestive issues as we’re in such a hurry to get our kids to school, or to their next activity, that we forget about chewing. Digestion starts in the mouth – don’t leave all the hard work to your gut as digestion will then take longer, and this means your food can start fermenting, causing gas, bloating and, ultimately, pain. This is the smallest change that can make a big difference.
2. You are what you eat
I’m a big believer in eating whole, organic and where possible, local, foods. In our hurried and stressed lives working and bringing up children, we can forget to nourish ourselves. I have seen clients who subside off packets of chips or cereal bars as it’s quicker and easier when they’re on the go and think they’re still being somewhat healthy. Processed foods not only contain higher amounts of sugar and sometimes trans fats, they do not provide us with the right combination of micro and macronutrients we need. As parents, we should not forget to nourish ourselves as well!
Seasonal Spring Vegetables and Fruits
3. Getting in the good stuff
Try to eat more than 5 a day We should all be aiming for 2 portions of fruit and at least 5 portions of plant based foods a day. So many of the vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients vital for our daily lives come from plants. As an example, magnesium is an essential nutrient, playing a crucial role in many of our bodily functions including energy production and muscle relaxation as well as nerve transmission. Recent reports suggest that 70% of us in the UK are deficient.
You can find magnesium mostly in plant foods such as dark green leafy vegetables like kale and spinach, brown rice, nuts and even dark chocolate so start eating your plants!
4. Research well and ideally work with a registered nutritionist, before making big dietary changes
If you are thinking about going vegan, try to see a nutritionist or do your research. I have seen too many clients in clinic lately who have decided to become vegan only to find themselves severely malnourished as they are living off a diet of pasta or potato chips. The same goes for being gluten free – it is so easy nowadays to find gluten free snacks which are full of sugar and yet people think they are being healthy.
5. What supplements?
A selection of supplements Steph gives her kids, for general maintenance and immunity, during Winter (from Steph’s Instagram, follow more top tips and advice)
n.b. please seek professional medical advice, before making key dietary changes.
I am frequently asked what supplements I take. In the winter months, I take Vitamin D (BetterYou does a spray I like) as it’s so important for our well-being yet so easy to become deficient in the winter as the sun is our main source. However, I do recommend getting tested twice a year; once before the summer in March and once after the summer in September to check your levels first. I have seen cases where people have been over supplementing themselves and have ended up with levels which are too high which isn’t good either! It’s all about maintaining the optimum level! I also always take Omega 3 supplement as, again, it is hard to get enough from food. Omega 3 fats are important for our cardiovascular health, for the proper functioning of our cells, and are also known to be anti-inflammatory.
6. Get outside and move more
It has been said before, but try to do some light exercise every day. Not only is it amazing what exercise can do for our minds as well as our bodies, it’s important for me as a parent to be able to keep up with my kids! Ideally, we want to be outside exercising and breathing in fresh air. Studies have shown that being in nature lowers our stress hormone, cortisol which has a positive impact on our sleep as well as blood pressure and heart rate.
Our guest contributor is Stephanie Chillaz, Registered Nutritional Therapist, BSc, Dip NT, mBANT, CNHC
& founder of Stephanie Chillaz Nutrition
Follow Stephanie on Instagram
Stephanie runs a clinic from 58 South Molton Street in central London. She consults children, men and women of all ages and provides personalised nutrition and lifestyle advice.
Stephanie believes that nutrition is not one size fits all and keeps an individual approach to each client, so she can achieve optimum results for their state of well-being. In her practice, she may advise on supplements to take if deemed beneficial. Stephanie’s aim is to deliver realistic protocols based on her client’s lifestyle and tries to create achievable plans accordingly. She will be planning a number of workshops in 2020; as well as talks on how to guide parents to eat the right foods, so they can keep up with their little ones!