Our food philosophy by - Olivia Dowding
OUR FOOD PHILOSOPHY
As a dietitian, I am passionate about promoting a way of eating that is realistic, nourishing, and enjoyable. Building a balanced diet isn’t about cutting out entire food groups, chasing perfection, or following the latest wellness trend. Instead, it’s about creating meals that support your energy, hormones, workouts, recovery, and overall wellbeing whilst still allowing flexibility and enjoyment.
A balanced diet includes a variety of whole foods from all core food groups:
Lean protein
Fibre-rich grains and carbohydrates
Healthy fats
Colourful fruits and vegetables
Calcium-rich milk, yoghurt, and cheese
Rather than focusing on what to REMOVE from our diet, I like to focus on what we can ADD to give us more nutrients, nourishment, variety, and balance.
I encourage meals that combine:
Protein for satiety and muscle repair
Fibre for gut health
Carbohydrates for fuel
Healthy fats for hormones
Eating this way helps support:
Sustained energy throughout the day
Healthy digestion
Blood sugar balance
Improved recovery from exercise
Better relationship with food
Long-term consistency
Healthy eating should fit into your lifestyle, which means practical recipes, flexible routines, meals you genuinely enjoy, and learning how to listen to your body instead of relying on rigid food rules!
WHY PROTEIN AND FIBRE ARE OUR TWO MOST IMPORTANT MACRONUTRIENTS
Protein and fibre are two nutrients I prioritise heavily. Most of our population isn’t eating enough of either, despite how important they are for energy, satiety, gut health, recovery, and long-term health.
Protein is essential for:
Building and maintaining lean muscle
Supporting metabolism
Balancing hunger and cravings
Recovery after workouts
Hormone and immune function
Aiming for 20-30g of protein in each main meal, plus 10g protein in each snack, will help meet your protein target of 1.5-2.0g protein/kg body weight per day.
My favourite sources of protein include:
Lean meat and poultry, such as beef and chicken
Seafood such as salmon, tuna, and sardines
Natural Greek yoghurt
Good quality protein powder
Now onto fibre...
Fibre supports:
Gut health and digestion
Healthy cholesterol levels
Blood sugar regulation
Satiety and appetite regulation
A healthy gut microbiome
Research shows we need 25-20g of fibre daily to support metabolic health and improve long-term health outcomes.
My favourite sources of fibre include:
Fruit and vegetables (with the skin on where possible!)
Legumes
Wholegrains
Nuts and seeds
THE IMPORTANCE OF FUELING PROPERLY FOR LONGEVITY AND PERFORMANCE
Undereating has been normalised in wellness culture, particularly for women. However consistently underfuelling can negatively impact energy, recovery, hormones, mood, metabolism and performance, both in the gym and in general life.
As we say, food is literally fuel! And fuelling properly allows your body to perform at its best. Your body needs nourishment no matter what your goal is. If you are wanting to build strength, improve fitness, support hormone health, increase energy or improve body composition, you need to be eating enough to support this.
Fuelling properly means:
Eating enough overall
Eating consistently
Not skipping meals
Including adequate carbohydrates, protein and healthy fats
Fuelling before and after workouts appropriately
Carbohydrates are especially important for active women and are often unnecessarily feared. They provide your muscles and brain with their preferred energy source and help support training performance, recovery and nervous system function.
Long term health isn’t built through restriction, rather its built through consistency, nourishment, movement, sleep, stress management and sustainable habits.
Our goal at Body Pulse is to help you move away from that all or nothing mindset, and towards a way of eating that supports both your physical and mental wellbeing.