People We Love: Naturally Nina

We’ve been big fans of Nina aka @naturally_nina_, an accredited Nutritionist, Sports Nutritionist and CrossFit Coach for the longest time. Passionate about all things nutrition, health and fitness, her goal is to educate, empower and inspire others into learning how to best fuel their bodies to optimise performance both in sport and everyday life, whilst having a positive relationship with food. Get to know her below!

Hey Nina, can you give us a brief rundown of your journey so far?

My passion for health and nutrition started around the time I was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes where I essentially had to relearn how to take care of myself and notice how much of an impact what I ate had on how I felt. I was also swimming competitively during high school which further fuelled that fire. Unfortunately I took my desire to get things ‘perfect’ with my health and food too far, and ended up developing an eating disorder which I struggled with throughout high school, which almost cost me my life. Recovering from my eating disorder and going on to study nutrition, followed by sports nutrition, gave me a whole new understanding, appreciation and respect for the importance of nourishing and fuelling my body properly, and what ‘health’ really means.

I’ve been working as a nutritionist for the past 4 years, seeing clients all over the world one-on-one via Zoom and face-to-face, to help them with their nutrition goals. As well as this, I’ve been sharing delicious recipes, nutrition education and plenty of myth-busting on my Instagram!

What are your morning rituals?

My morning usually consist of waking up early, having some toast with peanut butter and banana, then heading to the gym to train. Other mornings I might be coaching CrossFit, or on a day off, taking my dog for a walk before a delicious breakfast.

What inspires you?

I’m really inspired by all the strong women in the sport of CrossFit. They completely changed my mindset from always feeling like I needed to be as small as possible to be happy, to focusing on getting stronger, performance and appreciating my body for everything it can do and allows me to do every day. Watching the women competing at the CrossFit games, pushing their bodies and minds to the limit, is just absolutely incredible.

I’m also inspired by being outdoors in the green or by the ocean, as well as any colourful plant foods and produce I can turn into something delicious in the kitchen!

We love your passion for fitness, what are your top 3 tips for working out in winter?

1. Make it a habit – having a set time of the day to train is key for me and means I don’t even question it, just go!

2. Make sure you’re choosing weather appropriate clothing, something you feel comfortable in – usually layers in winter as you’ll get warm quickly once you start moving.

3. Make sure you start with a good warm up – this not only gets you feeling warm, but also reduces the risk of injury and gets your body ready for moving correctly during your session. Don’t skip or rush the warm up!

If you could go back in time, what would you tell your younger self?

I would probably tell myself to stop doing the things which aren’t serving me, and leaving me miserable, unhappy and unhealthy. And that eating as little as possible is taking you in the exact opposite direction to your goals, you have to nourish and fuel your body to live your best life!

We’re obsessed with your recipes, what’s your go-to dish in the colder months?

Thank you so much! Lately I’ve been obsessed with my Lentil Pasta Bake as it’s such a warming, hearty and filling meal to prep for the week in winter! I also can’t go past a daily bowl of oats either.

What’s your favourite thing to make with our Mylk Bases?

I absolutely love using them in a creamy porridge or rice pudding which are two of my absolutely favourite things to eat on a daily basis and the Nut Mylk Base just make them extra delicious!

What’s the best advice you’ve been given and who gave it?

One thing my mum once said to me was ’no one is coming to save you’. And that really stuck. It was in the context of my eating disorder where I was stuck in the same destructive habits and vicious cycles, getting all the treatment available to me yet not actually taking onboard any of the help. It made me realise that no one could magically fix my problems for me and it wouldn’t suddenly get easier or go away, it was me that had to make those changes and face those fears for things to actually change for the better.

Make sure you check out Nina’s website and follow her on the ‘gram!