Consultant Dietician Sarah Keogh talks to RTÉ Create about healthy living, top tips and the importance of the odd indulgence.
In today's more health conscious world, many of us endeavour to make healthier choices on a day-to-day basis, striving for a balanced sense of well-being. We want to live well, eat well and be well, but at the same time we're wary of going overboard, where being overly health conscious becomes counter-productive and stressful; we need to give ourselves a break from time to time too and, in our pursuit of health, it's important not to lose our sense of humour. Now, it's easier than ever to find your own path to wellness, what with the help of consultant dieticians such as the revered Centra brand ambassador, Sarah Keogh. But for someone who spends their days advising the masses and consulting individual clients on how to live well, how does Sarah manage her own wellness? With an incredibly hectic schedule, here Sarah Keogh shares her top tips for balance and how she makes it work.
How many plates do you normally have spinning on an average week?
Running a food and nutrition consultancy means that each week is different but I do try to start the week with a day in the office to read emails and set out goals and plans for the week. Midweek, I have client meetings, workplace seminars and my own one-to-one clinic. Towards the end of the week, I am usually back in the office working on nutrition analysis for clients or looking at the regulations around labelling for businesses launching new products. Outside work, there are lots of after-school activities with kids and the weekends are always about spending some time with the boys, usually outdoors and catching up with friends.
With such a busy lifestyle, is living well and eating well for you something for which you have to be really well organised?
I tend to be organised for school lunches and evening meals – with two children you have to be. For my own lunches, I tend to eat out as I am on the road quite a bit. Then when convenience is the order of the day, Centra is a great place to pick up a chicken and multigrain salad or some really healthy snacks when I am out and about.
As a consultant dietician, we're intrigued to know what dinner in your house look like midweek?
There's always lots of vegetables and I’m lucky that my kids like them. We eat lots of different things but still some of the old reliable like shepherd’s pie and spaghetti Bolognese. I make a few different versions of fish pies as well to make sure that I getfish in a few times a week. The current favourite dinner is chicken marinated in garlic, oregano and olive oil. It's a really simple recipe that tastes amazing and the leftovers are brilliant for sandwiches the next day.
Breakfast is of huge importance to you - and should be to everyone, especially the kids. What's your go-to?
I think wholegrains make a great start to the day so Centra Porridge oats are something we use a lot, usually with some sunflower or pumpkin seeds. Getting some fruit in is also essential for me so we would use melon, chopped strawberries, grapes and bananas mid week. I find eggs are a great way to fill up but these are something we use a lot more at weekends when we are not in a hurry. We do all enjoy a traditional fry at the weekend but I usually add in lots of mushrooms and tomatoes and more recently, a sweet potato cake.
Tell us a secret, do nutritionists indulge in treats from time to time?
For sure! I love chocolate and that is my go-to treat. I think you do need to enjoy treats now and again – they are a lovely part of eating and enjoying food. It’s really just about balance and if you get things right most of the time there is no harm at all in relaxing at the weekend with something you enjoy.
Phew! How balanced is your approach to living well, when it comes to your clients and your life at home?
No one wants to be preached at and I have no interest in taking that approach. Most people have a good idea about what to eat and it is really just about balance: nourish your body well with the right foods and then there is room to relax and enjoy a treat at the weekends.
So we know you've got the healthy, balanced eating down pat, but how do you and your family get active?
It's easy with two boys! It is rarely quiet in our house so we do a lot of swimming and gymnastics along with football and tennis. Tennis is something we all enjoy and I’m a big fan of long walks at the weekend. I’m looking forward to taking the boys out blackberry picking at the weekend (weather permitting!).
If you could give readers one key piece of advice to living well, what would it be?
Where to start! First of all, don’t kill yourself trying to be perfect: life happens. And don’t be afraid to use convenient options to help you – there are some great options out there that can make it so much easier to get great nutrition even when you are busy. Secondly, don’t judge: yourself or others especially about food or weight. You don’t know where other people started from and there is no need to be perfect with food anyway. Lastly, start small. If you have a lot of changes to make it can look overwhelming. But these days there are so many options out there to make it easier and Centra are at the forefront of making health eating the easier choice. I would always say to start with one small change, get used to that and then make the next one. Take your time, check out your options and remember to praise yourself for any progress you make.
Consultant Dietician Sarah Keogh helped launch Centra’s new brand position Live Every Day which encourages people to live in the moment and make the most of every day. To bring this to life, Centra announced the #LiveToday photography competition, encouraging people to share an image that shows them making the most of their day using hashtag #LiveToday.For further information on Centra, visit www.centra.ie.
