The Nutrition Consultant

04/12/2025

See that shadow? Time for your vitamin D reminder! ☀️

I was out running yesterday and spotted my shadow stretching way longer than I am tall…and while I sometimes wish my legs were a bit longer than they actually are, it’s really just a sign that UV radiation is low.

I know we’re already in December and the recommendation is supplementation from October, but I come across so many people who aren’t taking it because they forget or don’t realise they should. Even on sunny winter days, the sun just isn’t strong enough to produce vitamin D through our skin ☀️

So if you haven’t started yet, it’s not too late - now’s the time. When your shadow becomes longer than you are, that’s your cue to start supplementing ✨

In the UK, official guidance recommends everyone over 1 year old takes 10µg daily from autumn through winter.

I’m all about getting nutrients from food, but vitamin D is the exception. We generally can’t get enough from diet alone during colder months, even from sources like oily fish, eggs, and fortified foods. And the stores we build up over spring/summer become diminished.

Why does it matter? 🤔 Vitamin D works with calcium and phosphorus to keep your bones, muscles, and teeth healthy. Without enough, your body struggles to absorb calcium properly. Low levels have also been linked to fatigue, poor immune function, hair loss, and low mood.

Children under 5 should take a vitamin D supplement all year round (with vitamin A), and babies* need 8.5-10µg daily from birth.

Some people need supplements all year long: those with dark skin, those who cover most of their skin outdoors, or those with limited outdoor access (housebound, night shift workers etc).

When choosing a supplement, look for 10µg dosage (adults and kids over 1yrs) and ideally avoid added sugar.

Think of it as a little daily hug for your body until spring returns 💛

* Babies having more than 500ml of infant formula daily don’t need additional supplementation (formula is already fortified).

01/12/2025

Your December seasonal calendar is here, and honestly this month's lineup is divine!🎄✨

Whether you're meal prepping around busy household schedules, planning your Christmas feast, or simply trying to balance the festive treats with nourishing wholefoods, December's seasonal produce has you covered 💚

There are so many different varieties of seasonal produce available right now so try and plan in some of these seasonal beauties.

From hearty root veg that keep you warm to vibrant greens that brighten up your plate, there's so much gorgeous seasonal goodness 🥕🥬🍎

20/11/2025

With ultra-processed foods dominating headlines right now, I think it's time for a more balanced conversation. The term ‘ultra-processed food’ (UPF) lumps together everything from energy drinks to baby formula, fortified cereals, and plant-based milk - but of course they're not nutritionally equivalent.

Many people depend on UPFs because of medical conditions, sensory sensitivities, time, or cost, and demonising an entire category risks alienating those who don’t have the privilege of choice. That doesn't mean we should just accept our current food environment though. With children having around 80% of their diet made up of UPFs, we’re clearly not striking the right balance, and that needs to be addressed. We can’t all go back to eating nothing but whole foods - we need practical, systemic solutions.

Bottom line: processing level does not always equal healthfulness.

Here’s an article I wrote about this subject, following the recent Joe Wicks documentary - https://www.foodfacts.org/articles/joe-wicks-killer-protein-bar-ultra-processed-food-upf

As always, let me know if you have any questions ⬇️

Joe Wicks’ controversial “KILLER” protein bar sparks debate on ultra-processed foods, but experts say the real issue is misinformation, not ingredients.

07/11/2025

SEASONAL NOVEMBER! 🥦 There’s something special about eating seasonally - brilliant for our planet AND it pushes us to discover new ingredients and add variety to our diets 🌍🥰

This month I’m super excited about all the gorgeous green veg (my absolute fave! 🥦🥬) and I’ll definitely be using the pumpkin chunks I froze after Halloween. Still not convinced on the Brussels sprouts though 🤢 Is this just me? Where are the Brussels lovers?

02/10/2025

A day late...but hello October! 👋 Seeing all these yummy veg becoming available is a sure sign that the seasons have changed again. Autumn is such a great time of the year 🍁 Here are what UK seasonal vegetables are available this month 🥬 (and a couple of fruit options too! 🍎)

You don't need to eat seasonally all the time, but being aware of what’s in season can really help to make the most of local produce whilst available. The taste differences can be significant in some cases! 😋

01/08/2025

AUGUST seasonal produce 🍅🥕🌽. Another great month of goodies to make the most of. Save this so you have inspo when you’re out and about 🍽️ or doing your weekly shop 🛒 Enjoy 💚🌱

01/07/2025

It’s JULY and what a great month for all things seasonal 🍒🫐 The extensive choice is one of the many reasons why July is my favourite month of the year (oh and it’s my birthday month too 🥳☺️)

Who else finds it fascinating watching the months change and the subsequent fruit and veg becoming available? I certainly do (you might have guessed that! ☺️)

My desire in sharing these posts (now in the 5th year of doing them!) has never been about ONLY eating seasonal produce - our diets would become limited and boring if we did that - BUT it is about making it easier for you to see what is being harvested a bit closer to home so we can make the most of them whilst we have them 🍒

Before you know it, the options change again!

Integrating seasonal fruit and veg with produce harvested further afield is a pretty good combination to strive for when you can 🍅🍍

Please be assured though that ANY fruit and veg is better than NO fruit and veg, and canned, frozen, dried and fresh are all awesome, nutritious choices 🤗

SAVE this so you have it as a handy reminder throughout the month 👍

Enjoy 💚

20/06/2025

Great to feature in the latest Waitrose Food Magazine, exploring the benefits of eating with the seasons! 🌱

Here are a few key takeaways from the article:

🍓 Better Taste - Seasonal produce is harvested at peak ripeness, so it’s fresher and often more flavourful. Strawberries are a perfect example. Nothing beats them in season!

🥦 More Nutrient-Dense - Produce harvested in season tends to contain more nutrients. For example, in-season broccoli can contain twice as much vitamin C as its out-of-season counterpart.

🌍 Better for the Planet - Seasonal and locally-grown food generally uses fewer resources and travels less distance to reach your plate, cutting carbon emissions.

Right now, UK produce is at its best - from strawberries and gooseberries to vibrant tomatoes, cherries, and asparagus. Enjoy! 🍅🍒

23/05/2025

Thrilled to have been invited to join the SME Business Awards national judging panel! 🏆 Having been a regional and national winner myself, as well as serving as a regional judge for Hertfordshire last year, I know just how much dedication, passion, and hard work goes into running a business—and the incredible impact that winning an award can have, both personally and professionally.

It’s a real privilege to help celebrate this year’s inspiring nominees. Wishing the very best of luck to all - I can’t wait to see the amazing things that have been achieved!

02/05/2025

5 YEARS of posting seasonal produce joy on the 1st of every month!! 🍓🍆🍅🥬 And I managed to post this one a day late lol 😅🤣

Life is overwhelmingly CRAZYYY busy currently 🤯 but finally here are your MAY SEASONAL PRODUCE goodies 💚

The spring and summer produce options are the best in my opinion - especially this month’s one! 🥳

🍓STRAWBERRIES…...love them! And don’t they just taste SO much better versus other times of the year!

Improvements in taste is one of the key benefits when it comes to eating seasonally, but one of the other key ones is the connection of where our food comes from 👩‍🌾

‘Pick your own’ facilities will start to open later this month and into June and they are a fab example of how to bring this to life. A really fun activity to do with kids especially and a really powerful tool to educate them (and sometimes the grown ups too!) about the origin of food and how it is grown 🥰 They do seem to be so much more expensive now though than in recent years unfortunately 😔

Aside from ‘pick your own’, every month I sit down with my own kids to talk about what’s coming into season and it’s a great way for us to increase variety across our fruit & veg consumption (fyi it’s very common for families to have the same fruit and veg all the time just out of habit 🍅).

We quite often tick off what they have tried or want to try ✅ Check out my kids seasonal resource if you need some help with this - it’s free and kids love it! - link in stories.

Will you be visiting ‘pick your owns’ this year? Have you noticed how expensive some of them now are? 🫠