Intuitive nutrition.

The female body is intelligent, intuitive and incredibly strong. We are born inside a body which has an astounding ability to adapt and endure.

In western medicine, the female body has, for centuries, been divided into separate systems. Digestive, immune, reproductive, nervous etc. When a woman presents with a symptom, it is the correlating system which is traditionally treated by medicine. This approach has it’s place. I invite you, however, to explore with me how we, as women, can harness our intuition to support our health now, into the future and through the generations to come. 

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Our health was influenced by our grandmother’s life, as we will influence our grandchildren (if you so choose to conceive). When your grandmother was carrying your mother in her womb, you were already forming inside of your mother’s ovaries. What year would this have been for you, do you know? We can trace back our ancestral health & appreciate how much we influence the generations to come by the choices we make today.

What was your grandmother’s life like? What was she eating? We will circle back to this question a little later.

As a nutritional therapist and health coach specialising in female health, I see many symptom patterns within the reproductive system. My therapeutic approach, however, supports all systems of the body together. The body is so powerfully interconnected, that a whole-systems approach ensures long lasting physical and mental health for my clients.

Seasonality is a powerful and intuitive way of supporting your body through life. There are two prominent seasonal cycles. There are seasonal shifts happening around us in nature in an annual cycle. Spring, summer, autumn and winter. There is also, however, the seasonal shifts happening within us every month: our menstrual cycle.

As women, honouring these cycles allows us to embody all the versions of ourselves that we are, depending on the season’s mood and energy levels; The extrovert, the quiet observer, the athlete, the provider. We can, and could, be all of these women, depending on the time of the month, and time of the calendar year.

Observe the seasonal shifts of the natural world. I believe that a great contributor to modern day illness is the expectation to live the same lifestyle all year round. As an acute example, living through the winter months here in Ireland can be difficult for many, physically and mentally. Continuing with the same waking and working hours when the body craves more rest, eating large quantities of refined carbohydrates and sugars (not usually available in the natural world in the winter), and not allowing time for stillness and reflection, can all contribute to exhaustion, anxiety and low mood.

In spring, the atmosphere is cool and damp as it thaws from winter. Physical imbalances at this time of year may include a congested chest or sinuses, sluggish digestion, allergies, water retention and sluggishness. Leaning on certain tastes in spring, such as bitter, pungent and astringent flavours, helps to clear physical dampness from the body. Appropriately, seasonal foods eaten in spring will gently warm and dry the body. Which foods do I include in my diet in spring? Pungent spices, such as black pepper and ginger. Lemon. Bitter vegetables, such as dandelion, arugula and seasonal cruciferous vegetables (cabbages, broccoli, Brussels sprouts). Astringent (drying) fruits, such as apples, pears and berries. These are only a few of many examples.

Taking into account the damp quality of spring, it can also be beneficial to reduce our consumption of ‘damp-forming’ foods, such as dairy products, wheat, and sweet fruits such as bananas and dates. In traditional Chinese medicine, spring is the time of year to support the liver and gallbladder, as these organs are working hard to shift our bodies from a state of hibernation into a state of revitalised energy. A healthy liver contributes to a smooth movement of blood through the body, resulting in nourished tissues, plenty of energy, creativity and drive. After an indulgent and sedentary winter, a sluggish liver can lead to symptoms such as anger or irritability, IBS and acid reflux. Spots and acne may also occur as toxins make their way to the skin to be released from the body.

Nature always provides precisely what we need at the right time of year. Wild garlic and young nettles are abundant in spring and these leaves help to support the liver’s detoxification pathways.

For menstruating women, the external cycle of the seasons can be a helpful analogy for our internal monthly cycle. We can tune-in and support ourselves through different phases of the month. Lets begin in winter, the week leading up to, and during our bleed. We need to honour more rest during this time, as we would in wintertime. Many women, due to the sudden drop in hormones such as oestrogen, will feel more introverted and quiet during this phase. Listen to your body’s cues as much as you can. This is the time of the month to set boundaries with others in your life and to prioritise your time for rest. 

Comforting and hydrating dishes are what’s needed. Think stews, soups and broths. We also want to feed ourselves well to replenish nutrients lost during our bleed, iron being a key example. Your body cannot produce it’s own iron, so it must be consumed regularly. As well as meat, fish and shellfish, some good plant sources include leafy greens, legumes and pumpkin seeds. Vitamin c increases the absorption of these plant iron sources so, for example, squeezing lemon juice over your leafy greens will help to increase your iron intake.

Even in the profession of nutrition, we can become too fixated on trying to support the different systems of the body individually (recommending supplements for the immune system and foods for bone health, for example). In my clinic, I have to repeatedly remind myself to step back and remember the foundations of health, which aim to support the body and mind as a whole. This, of course, includes therapeutic foods and ways of eating, but also lifestyle factors such as social connection, movement and even a feeling of purpose.

So much of my work with clients is deciphering how to incorporate healthy habits into your life which feel easy, and will stick. Take movement and exercise as an example, which is integral to support your body to literally carry you through to old age.

Diversity of movement is essential. Our ancestors didn’t go to the gym. They spent their days working outside, with their hands, making, gardening, walking, running, dancing and cooking for the community.

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How can you diversify the movement in your week?As we enter springtime, moderate exercise such as swimming, qigong, walking and yoga, all encourage blood flow to your muscles and tendons. Daily movement will also help to increase our energy levels, in preparation for the business of summer.

More importantly, what movement do you enjoy? A healthy habit has to be enjoyable, for it to stick. Exercise which involves other people is more commonly enjoyed and sustained. Is there a dance class you could join in your local area? Perhaps a community garden to tend to with neighbours, if you don’t have an outdoor space of your own. A yoga class, helping to support our physical (and mental) balance, through into old age. A walking group on weekends. Surrounding ourselves with people who also lean into healthier activities, helps us to ensure healthier, sustainable habits ourselves.

Another huge benefit of movement is the release of endorphins and subsequent stress relief.

Stress is such a big topic in my clinic, as we all encounter stress daily in our modern world. Our bodies are made to withstand short, sharp bursts of stress incredibly well, as our nervous system kicks into what we refer to as the ‘fight or flight’ response. This evolutionary process ensured that we could run from predators and defend ourselves from other dangers. Once the danger has passed, our nervous system returns us to a state called the ‘parasympathetic state’, otherwise referred to as ‘rest and digest’. A common picture these days is that we become locked into a chronic state of fight or flight. Endless work commitments, 24 hour emailing, global news, comparison-culture, family and financial worries, to name a few examples, can place our bodies into a state of chronic stress, with little opportunity to settle back into it’s ‘rest and digest’ state. This is where symptom patterns commonly occur and, depending on your constitution and genetics, the symptoms can differ greatly from person to person. For some, stress contributes to digestive issues and IBS, for others it may manifest as insomnia or difficulty concentrating and, very commonly, it can disrupt women’s menstrual cycles, contributing to missed or painful periods, and even diagnosed infertility.

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Life stress is inevitable. The key is ensuring you prioritise time in each day to regulate your nervous system back down into its parasympathetic or ‘rest and digest' state of being. This can look different for people, depending on each individual personality. For some of us, it may be gentle exercise, gentle yoga and breathwork. For others, singing or tending to potted plants on your windowsill may be the answer. Choose whatever helps you to unwind and fall into deep, diaphragmatic breathing again. In my clinic, advice spans further, into supportive food groups and herbs to counteract physical and mental stress, and potentially some gentle nutrient supplementation recommendations to support the nervous system.

Allowing time in life to slow down is so important.

Many menstrual symptoms which arise in women can be due to stress and overstimulation, particularly in the second half of our cycle. This is called the luteal phase and is the phase between ovulation and the first day of our bleed. A key aim of this phase is for the body to build the hormone Progesterone. Progesterone has a calming energy and also requires a calmer state to be produced adequately. If we live through our luteal phase in patterns of late nights, poor sleep, excess stimulants such as caffeine and sugar, and intense exercise for example, this can block the adequate production of Progesterone, leading to a myriad of symptoms including many common PMS symptoms. You don’t have to shut yourself away and nap for 2 weeks, however, listening to and respecting your needs and energy levels in this half of the month (particularly in the week before your bleed) can be a powerful tool. Leaning on more gentle, restorative forms of movement, being selective when accepting social invitations, or choosing to go to bed an hour earlier, will all contribute to a more regular, comfortable period.

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What did your ancestors eat? Your great grandmothers perhaps? I appreciate the bounty of ingredients available to us these days of course, however I believe that prioritising real, whole, seasonal foods is what our bodies need.

A lot of the work that I do with my clients is support and education of how to turn simple ingredients into simple meals. Meals that feel familiar, comforting, don’t break the bank, and don’t take a lot of preparation.

We don’t all have the time to cook for hours each day, although I admit it is one of my favourite activities in my free time. I have 2 decades of experience as a professional chef and baker and live for the simple pleasures of food; Sitting on the kitchen doorstep, preparing runner beans in the sunshine with a cup of coffee. These small, seemingly insignificant moments are what feed me. Using our hands, whilst taking as much time as we can afford to create our meals, is therapeutic for our nervous system and our souls. Finding pleasure participating in the same repetitive movements as generations before us, whilst educating the generations to come.

For me, nutritional therapy not only addresses what we eat, but how. So many digestive issues that I see in clinic are due to clients rushing through their meals, usually in front of a screen, in a stressed state. Our bodies shut down our digestive systems when we are stressed (remember the fight or flight state mentioned earlier on). The ability to digest food in this state is greatly compromised. Mindful eating may be a familiar phrase to some of you. Mindful eating means simply allowing your attention to settle on the food in front of you, allowing for better digestion and, therefore, better absorption of the nutrients within the food. Setting time aside to eat your meals slowly and calmly, without too many distractions, will support optimal digestion. Focusing on the smells, colours, textures and ,of course, tastes of the food whilst you are eating, will help your gut to produce all of the necessary digestive fluids and enzymes, so that you can break down your food effectively. Simply taking a few deep breaths before you begin to eat also helps to settle your nervous system into it’s ‘rest and digest’ state.

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The Japanese have a phrase at the dinner table. “Hara Hachi Bu” simply translated as “eat until you are only 8 parts full”. Over-eating contributes to many health conditions as it stresses the body. One side effect of not eating mindfully and rushing through our meals, can be that we over-consume calories. We are distracted from our body’s signals which are telling us that we are full.

Harness your intuition.

Enjoy reflecting on what your grandmothers ate, how you would like to influence the generations to come, and explore the abundance of seasonal produce around you.

Above all else, enjoy your food. It is truly one of life’s greatest pleasures.

My name is Christabel Courtauld

I am a nutritional therapist & health coach, specialising in female hormonal health.

I help female clients every day who are struggling with debilitating hormonal symptoms. Some clients are learning about nutrition from scratch, whilst others have foundational knowledge on how to support their health, but are still getting stuck. Lots of us know what to do, but struggle to implement positive changes into our busy lives…

This is where 1:1 work can be so powerful. My client support is a successful combination of nutritional education and health coaching. This creates the consistency and accountability that women need to stay on top of their goals, long-term. 

If you would like the opportunity to talk to me about how I work with my female clients and successfully help them through their health challenges, then click the link below to book in your ‘hormone review call’. This is a complementary, 30 minute call where you can discuss your symptoms and health goals with me, and I can also give you some tips on how to improve your health straight away.

Over on my instagram page, I also publish regular nuggets of health advice centred around female health. This includes seasonal recipes, health and lifestyle tips. Follow me by clicking the link below.