Celebrity Health – Madeleine Shaw
Nutritional therapist, chef and bestselling author Madeleine Shaw talks to Liz Parry about her new natural health venture
Q Can you tell us about your own health journey, and how you were able to transform your diet and wellbeing?
Madeleine: After school, I moved to Australia and went to Sydney University. When I was living there I had really bad IBS and I was trying to figure out what was causing it. I ended up seeing a naturopath who helped me with my diet. I’d always questioned what I would do in life and I never really quite knew. Then, I started cooking and learning about nutrition and I realised that I wanted to pursue a career in that area. So I started up my blog and then I went on to study nutrition. It’s been eight and a half years of this journey of educating, growing and sharing. It all began from my own quest for health, and that taught me to want to help others.
Q Your personal philosophy is based on the theme “Get the Glow”. What does this mean to you?
Madeleine: When I was in Australia and I was beginning to focus a lot more on my health and what I was eating, lots of people would say that I was glowing. And I thought that was such a beautiful word to describe health and wellness. For me, it’s about inside-outside health, so that means looking after your insides by eating nourishing foods but also thinking loving thoughts about yourself. My philosophy is to make sure that you’re eating five to seven portions of fruit and veg a day, drinking lots of water, eating mindfully and having a balanced plate. But also it’s important to keep active and do something for your mind, whether that’s meditation or journaling, or affirmations.
I think you can eat all the kale in the world but if you’re not kind to yourself then you’re not going to feel good. That’s why I like to take a holistic and balanced viewpoint on health and nutrition. I think that there has to be balance and there has to be joy. Food is so linked with joy and happiness.
Q You have recently teamed up with natural health brand BetterYou to develop a new range of supplements. Tell us about this.
Madeleine: I’ve been a fan of BetterYou and their products for years, and I’ve always wanted to develop my own range of supplements, so this was a great opportunity. The first product in the range is a spray that contains specific nutrients that you need for conception. Then there’s the pregnancy spray, which helps you to get those extra nutrients you need for the health of your baby. Being able to take this formulation as an oral spray means that the nutrients are absorbed directly into your bloodstream, and the pregnancy product has a lovely peppermint flavour, which is helpful for those who experience nausea in pregnancy. Then there is the Get Your Glow Back spray, which is a hair, skin and nails supplement, and it’s great for anyone who needs an extra boost, whether it’s post-baby or post-lockdown. The final product is a children’s spray, which contains all the important nutrients for children’s growth and development.
Q Life has been hard for many people over the past year, and a lot of us have lost our glow. Do you have any tips for how to get the glow back?
Madeleine: Firstly I would say make sure that you’re drinking enough water. You could lay out six cups of water and make sure you drink them throughout the day or get a big litre bottle that you put by your desk and drink from that throughout the day. Then, you could look at breakfast. If you’re starting the day with say toast and jam, you could swap the jam for a poached egg or some avocado. I always recommend making your breakfast as protein-heavy as you can, whether that’s eggs with your toast, or porridge with nuts and seeds on top, or a smoothie with protein powder. That’s going to keep you fuller for the rest of the day and prevent any highs and lows in your blood sugar levels. Another tip would be to go for a walk in nature and make sure that you get out of the house. I think everyone goes a bit stir crazy being at home all day, so having that break and having that movement and fresh air in your life makes a huge difference. Lastly, aim to get five portions of fruit and vegetables into your diet each day. Doing these things will make a huge difference to how you feel.
Q What do you tend to eat during a typical day?
Madeleine: For breakfast I will have granola with berries or I might have a smoothie with spinach, berries, protein powder, almond butter and chia seeds. For lunch I’ll often have a soup that I’ve made at the beginning of the week and that I just need to reheat. I’ll have it with some rye bread and some toasted seeds on top. Or I’ll have leftovers from new recipes I’m working on. I eat dinner quite early because I have it with my son. It normally tends to be something hearty and warm. I do a lot of batch cooking as it’s good to have meals ready that just need to be heated up or added to. I cook for a living and I love it, but it’s also nice not to have to cook sometimes!
Q Do you enjoy exercise?
Madeleine: My usual routine used to be that I would go to yoga classes about three times a week. I would walk to a 7am yoga class, and that’s how I’d start my day, but things are quite different now. I’m just trying to be easy on myself and recognise that none of us are really functioning at optimum. Now, the way my day runs is that my partner drops my little boy off at nursery and I will go for a walk first thing for about 45 minutes to an hour. Then I come back and I do some Transcendental Meditation for about 20 minutes. I recommend meditation to everyone as it’s a great way of connecting with ourselves and being still. I’m really enjoying my walks and if I do an hour in the morning and then 40 minutes in the afternoon for nursery pick-up then I feel like I’ve done quite a lot. It’s bringing me a lot of joy, and I think that’s really important at the moment.
Madeleine Shaw has teamed up with natural health brand BetterYou to develop a range of nutritional oral sprays to support every stage of motherhood; from conception to pregnancy, children’s health to getting your glow back – all pill-free. The range includes a Conception Oral Spray, Pregnancy Oral Spray, Children’s Health Oral Spray and a Hair, Skin & Nails Oral Spray. Find out more at betteryou.com
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