Blueberry Yogurt with Toasted Cashews

I’m very excited about the work that I am currently doing with Urru Culinary Store in Bandon. I was brought into the store to take a look at their menus, and make suggestions on how to put health at the centre of these. As a store committed to providing only the best of Irish ingredients and food products, my job was fairly straightforward. In addition to this, I am creating ‘health messages’ around the store over the next few months that educate customers on the importance of food in their health. To make this programme even more practical, I am running 4 week ‘Shop Well... Be Well’ programme that runs throughout October, turning the shop floor into a classroom and unravelling the confusion that now exists about what food and health is all about.

For me, this is a dream project! I spend most of my time, through the articles I write and the work I do one on one in my nutrition clinic, explaining the role that food plays in how people feel, how people think and how energised they are. For me, once people can connect with the information and can translate it to themselves, they are much more likely to create sustainable change, change towards leading a happier and healthier life.

I here again and again “ I know I should be healthy but” and I believe that most people know deep down what they should and shouldn’t be doing. However, what is hard is actually making the change, breaking the habit and continuing on a path of eating well. Through the work that I am doing with Urru, and the education work that I do others, I am able to start building a direct relationship between food and how people feel. A light bulb goes off when I talk about getting a quick burst of energy after eating a white scone or sweets and then the crash that generally comes ½ hour to an hour afterwards. People make the connection. And from here, they are able to make changes and make better decisions. Then all they need are options, like this perfect afternoon snack below.