Clarissa Berry Health (2026)

10/01/2024

If I learned one thing last year, it was this.

Making healthy choices MUST NOT come at the expense of our peace. Stressing about a thing usually causes more damage than the thing itself.

This is especially relevant to gut health. While you might think that this or that food is your greatest symptom trigger, I’d argue that STRESS is actually your worst hidden enemy. Of course food and lifestyle behaviours are important and play a huge role in our digestive health, but if there’s one thing I can encourage you to do this year it would be to micromanage your health less and enjoy life more. That’s where the real healing happens.

Drop me a food emoji in the comments if this resonates 🥐, and stay tuned for more gut health info and tips 🤍

20/09/2023

Gut-friendly hummus 💛

There are several things that make this recipe a bit more gut-friendly than usual.

1. Reboiling the chickpeas with a pinch of baking soda breaks them down really well, making them both super soft for a smooth hummus, and a little more digestible. Chickpeas are full of fermentable fibres that can produce lots of gas in the intestines, and this step reduces that significantly.

2. I’m using organic chickpeas ( from ) to reduce the impact of pesticides on the gut environment. Biona cans are also importantly BPA-free, which makes them far healthier for our hormones too.

3. I’ve switched out some lemon juice for some raw apple cider vinegar, which adds in some friendly bacteria and helps to reduce the impact of the chickpeas on our blood sugar. Although chickpeas are a veggie source of protein, they’re actually very rich in carbs as well so it’s something to be mindful of. One of the qualities of ACV is that it slows the release of sugar into the blood. (NB. This recipe may well need a touch more lemon/ACV so feel free to add more to taste.)

4. I’ve also added collagen peptides (I use from ) as they blend seamlessly in with no discernible flavour, increase the recipe’s overall protein content and provide a source of gut-healing amino acids. You can add as much as you like - 3 tbsp was as much as I felt brave enough to add. If you add any more, you might need another splash of water to keep it creamy.

Drop a 💛 if this sounds delicious and let me know if you try it!

15/09/2023

Hippocrates said that all disease begins in the gut, but I think all health begins there too.

The gut isn’t just where our food is broken down. It’s our first line of defence against the outside world and over 70% of our immune system lives in the gut. Inflammation that begins there affects the body as a whole.

The gut is responsible for absorbing all of our vital nutrients, and eliminating most of our toxins. It’s home to billions of microorganisms, whose influence on our overall health is extensive and only beginning to be understood. It’s also intricately linked to our brain and emotional health.

Imbalances in the gut can ripple through our entire body…

Skin issues, fatigue, mood swings, autoimmunity, hormonal imbalances - all of these and more are often linked to a compromised gut.

As a Holistic Nutritionist specialising in gut health, I’ve witnessed the transformative power of nurturing the gut. Whether or not my clients come to me with digestive issues at the front of their minds, our strategy usually involves improving the gut environment. The impact on overall health and vitality always moves and impresses me.

Are you curious about the state of your gut and it’s impact on your overall health? I have some new 1:1 spots opening up towards the end of September. DM me now to book a discovery call and let’s get the ball rolling on your path to optimal health! 🌱

12/09/2023

Quinoa tabbuleh recipe 🌿

Before summer is well and truly gone, I’d better squeeze this recipe onto the grid. These veg are still just about in season so make this quick!

I love this quinoa tabbuleh as a side dish to almost anything, and particularly roast meat or fish. It works as a picnic salad and as part of a mezze spread. It’s unbelievably easy and has even been known to win over the quinoa-haters.

Using quinoa instead of the traditional bulgar wheat makes it gluten-free and low-FODMAP, and I like to cook my quinoa in chicken broth for extra nutrients (especially protein and minerals), not to mention flavour. If you’re on the biphasic or low-FODMAP diet, make sure to only use the green parts of the onion and omit the garlic, and anyone sensitive to histamines may prefer to cook the quinoa in water or meat stock, instead of bone broth.

The quinoa:veg:herb ratio is up for grabs - do what feels good to you and what your fridge allows. I do love it extra herby though.

Personally, I love this with some grilled wild salmon, a big dollop of mayonnaise (from of course) and a scattering of bitter greens like rocket or watercress. YUM.

Drop me a 💚 if you’re going to make this!

23/08/2023

This is why you should work with a holistic practitioner to resolve your gut issues. Our gut health is SO complex and is influenced by almost everything that we do.

It’s important to be aware of the top of the iceberg - these are important tools to support gut health. But it’s essential to also look at the bigger picture: how are your lifestyle behaviours impacting the gut environment? How is your toxic load? What are the root causes of your gut distress? What obstacles might be preventing you gut issues from resolving?

As a holistic nutritionist I build a comprehensive picture of my clients’ state of health and help them define a roadmap towards better digestion and overall health. Sustainably.

If you’re curious to learn more about how to improve your gut health holistically, drop me a DM to book a free 30-min discovery call 🫶🏻

15/08/2023

This should really be called “fridge clear out pasta” because you can put anything you want in here - switch up the veggies with whatever you’ve got 🥕🍅🥬🥦🌶️🍆, just keep the peppers to maintain that flavour profile and slice everything lengthways.

The lentil pasta is a bit nutty, absolutely delicious and far richer in protein and fibre than regular wheat pasta, but you can also sub any pasta you like. Other nutritious options include chickpea, edamame and green pea pastas, or I like quinoa and rice pasta for a neutral-tasting option. I’ve used - from of course!

I fancied doing a veggie recipe for a change (to make it purely veggie omit the collagen powder, and for vegan/dairy-free you can use nutritional yeast as an alternative to parmesan 🧀), but you could add some shredded chicken to the mix if you feel like it.

As this recipe stands, it has 28g protein and 6g fibre per serving. I’d serve this alongside steamed green veg tossed with olive oil or a sharp green salad, and a fried egg if I was feeling fancy.

Will you try this? Drop me a 💚 if it sounds good! 🫶🏻

14/08/2023

My origin story 🌱

A question I'm asked a lot is why I do what I do. I have a complicated personal health story like many other health professionals out there, but actually the initial driver for me was pure passion for science, biology and health.

I come from a scientific background - I studied Biology at university, specialising in genetics 🤓, and my plan was to go on to medical school. But I became disillusioned with the health care system (/industry), overshadowed by big pharma, and realised I’d rather do something holistic.

I spent a few years between the Amazon rainforest, numerous organic farms and my own plot of rewilding land in the Colombian Andes, taking twists and turns through my own health story of life-long IBS and eczema, helped in no way by years of vegetarianism. After 6 years living in South America, where public health and education are really poor, my overriding feeling was that what we eat has the greatest impact on our health than any other choice. Years of study and clinical practice have shown me that other lifestyle behaviours can have an equal impact, but the power of nutrition became crystal clear to me in those years.

I’ve now been practicing as a holistic nutritionist for 5 years, and due to my own experience with IBS have found myself particularly drawn to the topic of gut health. The gut is fascinating and also causes terrible distress to people’s lives when it’s not working properly, as I’ve experienced first hand.

I LOVE what I do - I am constantly learning about the marvels of the human body, I work with the most inspiring clients, and every day is different.

Did any of this resonate with you? I’d love to chat in the comments 💚

09/08/2023

Slow down and be present.

More than any supplement, diet strategy or lifestyle hack, this is the first step towards improving digestion and applies to absolutely everyone.

The digestive system isn't just ready to go at all times. When you start eating, the digestive system takes a while to kick into action, and if you're stressed or distracted it never fully gets in gear. This can result in reduced stomach acid, enzyme and bile production, and impaired motility, placing undue strain on the digestive system, interfering with pH balance throughout the digestive tract and having knock-on effects on the gut microbiome, immune function and beyond.

One of the first things I talk to all my clients about is mindful eating. Mindful eating means slowing down, eating away from distractions, being fully present with your food, relishing the full sensory experience of each meal, and taking time to chew your food thoroughly.

This has many benefits:

🥑Slowing down and eating away from distractions allows the parasympathetic nervous system 'rest and digest' to switch on. This is crucial as only in this state is digestion prioritised. When you watch TV, eat at your desk or on the go, digestion is inhibited because the body is in a state of activation, or 'fight or flight'.

🥑Being fully present with all your senses engages the brain with the act of eating, allowing it to signal to the stomach and other digestive organs that a meal is underway. This helps the stomach produce sufficient acid, and sets a domino effect in motion, stimulating pancreatic enzymes and bile to be secreted.

🥑Chewing your food well breaks it down into smaller pieces, increasing the surface area accessible by acid and enzymes. Swallowing large food particles risks overburdening the digestive system and can cause undigested food to ferment in the intestines, producing gas and discomfort.

🥑Eating mindfully can help you notice how foods make you feel and when you are full. The more we tune into these signals, the better we can learn how to take care of our bodies, which are all unique.

Start with 1 meal per day and see if you notice a difference. Let me know in the comments if this resonates 🫶🏻

28/06/2023

A belated birthday post… ♊️☀️

35 turns around the sun and here we are! It’s a funny thing turning 35 as a woman. I’m childless and divorced. I haven’t achieved many of the things that society says I ought to have by this age. But I also feel more securely on the right path than I ever have done before.

I love what I do and the opportunity it gives me to continually learn about the world of health. I love the people - clients and colleagues - I work with. I love running my own business, in spite of its many challenges. I love my friends, old and new, who enrich my life and expand my mind. And I love my relationship, more mature and loving and grounded and real than any in my past… so here’s to thriving, at 35 and beyond 🥂🫶🏻

15/06/2023

Subtle changes aren't sexy, but anyone who's seen real results knows that's what really works.

Fad diets and extreme shifts are rarely sustainable… It's the microshifts in our behaviour that accumulate over time and get us where we want to be.

I can immediately hear the dread in a new client's voice when they believe that starting to work with me means that they're going to have to overhaul their entire lives, starting tomorrow. I feel their pain - the industry and social media have made us think this way and the healing to health anxiety pipeline is very real. Having a 'zero-tolerance' approach to certain foods or behaviours works for a *very* small subset of people, but for most of us, true health lies in making educated but imperfect choices everyday.

On my own health journey, it took me years to realise that stressing about eating the ice cream was way worse than just eating it. This is something that is central to my approach with clients - your body and emotions are inextricably linked and the health of your whole person depends on all parts. Foods and behaviours nourish us in different ways, and all of it is valuable. Especially when it's done consciously and purposefully, without guilt or self-doubt.

If you want to navigate your way towards health without extreme thinking, reach out to me and we can cocreate a plan that nourishes both your body and your nervous system 🫶🏻

15/05/2023

Azure as far as the eye can see 🩵

Some holiday highlights… Short but very sweet and the perfect antidote to dreary London and an empty vitamin D bank account ☀️

25/04/2023

🍒Nutrient density hack: Eat seasonal, local, organic produce 🍒

Did you know that eating seasonally and locally can be good for your health as well as the planet's?

Buying seasonal, local, organic food is a great habit to form for many reasons. It supports local farmers and small producers, saves a lot of fuel and allows you to vote with your £ for organic and regenerative farming. Swipe to read some reasons why it’s also good for your health, specifically by improving the nutritional content of your foods.

NB. speaking of seasonal produce, you will notice that these veg in the photo are most certainly not in season! I've been sitting on this photo since last summer and I can't wait to be harvesting their successors in a few months from my mother's vegetable patch.

What are you planting this year? Can you recommend any local farmer's markets in your area? Let me know in the comments! ✌🏻🌱

Clarissa Berry Health

10/01/2024

20/09/2023

15/09/2023

12/09/2023

23/08/2023

15/08/2023

14/08/2023

09/08/2023

28/06/2023

15/06/2023

15/05/2023

25/04/2023

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