The countdown to the festive season is well underway, synonymous with mistletoe, mince pies and a multitude of calories. And if the post-season tightening of waistbands, coupled with the guilt of unobtainable New Year health plans sounds all too familiar, fear not, we have just the lady for you! Dune Daisies were lucky to chat with Nadine Lahana, dynamic health fundi and owner of Nadine Lahana Nutrition Coaching. She has just completed one of her Go Green Challenges; a sustainable, fun, interactive healthy eating course. Let’s find out more…….
DD: What inspires you about health and fitness and how long have you been involved in this realm?
Nadine: My inspiration now has evolved slightly from when I was a young mom raising a baby in Canada. I had experienced both mental and physical challenges as a result of an uneducated decision to go vegetarian. I then propelled myself into an industry with a desperate need to learn more about everything from movement mechanics to the fundamentals of foods. These days, what inspires me is the need to share the truth, to set the record straight about food and help (mostly women) develop better relationships with both food and themselves.
Knowledge is power and as long as we don’t have it, we are vulnerable to every fad that promises a “RAPID RESULT” or a “BRAND NEW YOU”.
We are ultimately sacrificing ourselves to diet culture, which inherently results in a loss of control. Each time we fail a diet (because it does not consider our own unique body or lifestyle limitations) we blame ourselves or our lack of willpower! In truth, it is the restriction of elimination that does not fit our unique lifestyle.
There is no one-size-fits-all!
DD: Can you please tell us a little bit about your workshops – who are they aimed at and what can your clients expect when they sign up?
Nadine: My workshops are aimed at anyone who has experienced the side effects of serial dieting. In the past, I hosted these workshops to a much wider audience online. Although it was exciting being a part of a global community, they lacked the intimacy of in-person contact. For this recent workshop, I changed things around and invited only 20 people into my home. Having a small group like this allows daily communication. We are all part of a WhatsApp community where we inspire each other daily with recipes and I am on hand to answer questions.
The participants are introduced to a lifestyle that includes 3 BIG words – Balance, Variety & Moderation. By learning about proper nutrition, (there is no Monday to Sunday Diet booklet), they are then armed with tools to formulate their own personal lifestyle plan. The workshop challenges each individual to create their own daily balanced meal plans, using their understanding that all macronutrients are vital to body processes and optimal wellness.
I share my simple formula for FAT-loss and vitality, my BYOG Fitness plan and we get hands on and messy with meal planning and prepping (pestos, dressings and some time saving hacks)! Not everyone is here for weight loss, however, I do dedicate a good portion to explaining the importance of understanding WEIGHT vs FAT loss.
DD: What do you love about hosting these workshops?
Nadine: I’ve always said that the power of the knowledge I have obtained through individual client challenges, and the dedicated research on each, has surpassed any certification on my wall! I absolutely love how everyone is swapping recipes, sharing emotions and ideas on our group and during our sessions. As I said, the participants are all attending for different reasons so the outcome will differ person to person. I can’t wait to hear from each of them at the end of this Challenge.
DD: What are your biggest challenges?
Nadine: Although I strongly believe that there is a solution for every barrier, one of the toughest barriers for me is dispelling the myths and misconceptions that have settled in through clever marketing and product pushing.
As Epidemiologist & Author, Tim Spector so aptly put it: “PROTEIN SELLS. FIBRE DOESN’T!”
The protein push has resulted in most people consuming twice their daily needs of protein and 95% of people are fibre deficient. This explains the focus on the unhealthy gut microbiome and sudden rise in digestive issues.
Another challenge would definitely be keeping motivation flowing through the plateau phase. Commonly, the start of any challenge is the best for focus and commitment. Once some glycogen stores are depleted, the body experiences “fight or flight” and prepares for survival. The body just wants to survive! This is where weigh scales can either make or break our day and we need to remind ourselves why we are committed to this lifestyle change. The questions are: What other choice do we have? Elimination? Starvation? Yo-yo gains and losses?
And finally, there’s budget & availability. It’s easy enough for a health professional to tell someone to eat half a ruby grapefruit for breakfast, a salad of sorrel & pine nuts for lunch and a herb encrusted fillet of Norwegian salmon on a bed of polento for supper, but the reality is that most cannot afford or do not have access to these ingredients!
DD: Can you share some success stories?
Nadine: You will have to check out my reviews on Social Media 🙂 I’m happy to say there are a lot of stories with happy endings! From clients in New York, London, Germany and Australia who had the choice of top personal trainers at their fingertips but continued to “Zoom” in to my little studio every week, claiming my method produces the best results, to my lovely locals who send me heart warming reviews telling me that “in all my years of serial dieting, this is the first time I feel in control!” I think the most rewarding are those who haven’t just noticed the losses but the immense gains!
“I have suffered from eating disorders since my early teens and well into my 30’s. I have always had a low self body image and struggled terribly with finding a way to eat that makes me happy. So the biggest lesson I have experienced from your go green has been to have a good relationship with food….wow this has made me think completely differently!!
Now knowing that I do not have to count calories all day long….meal prepping and making food look colourful and delicious and not sacrificing, but substituting.
It has sparked an excitement inside me…..and I cannot wait to enjoy the journey of change ahead of me. Thanks you so very much, you are an amazing role model for wanting to live a healthier and happier life.”
Niks G
One particular favourite story features my Mom. After being diagnosed with a multitude of ailments from gall stones to diverticulitis and hiatus hernia, she came with my dad to St Francis to live with us. After her diagnoses, she came into the kitchen and said “I’ll have what she’s having!” This meant I had the challenge of spending a lot more time in the kitchen than I would have liked (no, weirdly enough it’s not my favourite place to be), churning out plant based burgers and Buddha bowls, smoothies and transforming a palate accustomed to fatty cold meats, full English fry ups, daily sweet treats, goose fat and other sources of metabolic mayhem! By the time she left for France, she had lost 20kgs and gained a whole new way of eating. Sadly, having left it a little late, her new diet was born out of absolute necessity rather than choice.
When we subject our bodies to severe overload or restriction, it takes a toll on our organs and disrupts our second brain. When we severely restrict calories then return to normal eating, we discover the frustration of not being able to shift excess weight.
Why? Simply put, we have severed signaling from neurons to working parts and we are left with an inability to UTILIZE calories as efficiently as we once could. So inevitably, we STORE. I don’t want other people to experience this.
DD: Do you have any inspirational texts/people that motivate you?
Nadine: I am very motivated by anyone who has passion and pursues goals (it isn’t easy to stay focussed when life happens despite our plans!). I am ashamed to say that I have only just latched onto the world of Podcasts. I have always been so careful of who I tune into for research or simple listening pleasure – there is just SO much quackery out there. Everyone is a Health or Lifestyle Coach these days. I have a daily challenge updating my Social Media and managing a fast scroll past ‘6-pack wielding so-called Influencers’ feeding the public utter &*!$. However, I am so grateful to have found this handful of geniuses who have, in my ripe old(er) age, given me a boost of confidence.
Keep your ears out for:
✅ Dr Andrew Huberman of the Huberman Lab. A Neuroscientist and Podcaster.
✅ Dan Beuttner. Aside from Guiness record holding cyclist, Founder and Author of the Blue Zones. He sums it all up nicely in his Documentary- Live to 100!
✅ Tim Spector. Softly spoken Epidemiologist and founder of Zoe, a personalised nutrition company that works at the intersection of food, lifestyle and health.
DD: How can we sign up for your next workshop?
Nadine: You will have to follow me on Social Media to keep an eye out for dates of my upcoming 2024 Challenges.
INSTAGRAM:
FACEBOOK:
DD: What do you love most about SFB?
Nadine: St Francis teaches you very quickly that downsizing is actually upgrading when it comes to your wellness. I love that my grown up children, who we once feared would suffer the boredom of village life, refuse to accept offers to go overseas for the holidays and explore, for fear of missing out on the St Francis vibe!