You Are Nourished – Details, episodes & analysis

Holidays should be a time for relaxation. Escaping the rigmarole of daily life and treating yourself to a much-needed break. For so many of us though, we can end up spending the whole time worrying about what we look like, what people will think of us, and what we should or shouldn’t eat. 

What if you could go on holiday without the crash dieting beforehand? What if you could enjoy being somewhere new and trying new flavours that satisfy you? What if you could be present and soak up all the wonderful experiences you’ve been so looking forward to enjoying?

Today I want to help you stop wasting your hard-earned holidays worrying about things that are really not important. I talk about how it’s possible to have food freedom even on holiday. It’s not easy, and it does take time, but in this episode, I share my top tips on changes you can start implementing right away to help you shed the diet mentality and work towards healthier habits and behaviours.

“You are going to miss out on so many amazing opportunities in life if you spend them worrying about your body and about food the entire time.” 

- Lauren Gayfer

In This Episode:

• Understand how crash dieting before a holiday adds to the stress you feel during a holiday.
• Reassess what’s important about holidays and understand how diet culture keeps you stuck in an unhealthy cycle.
• Learn different tools that will empower you to develop a new healthier mindset.
• Discover strategies that will help you to nourish your body rather than punish it.
• Find out how you can honour your hunger even when on holiday.
• Follow my simple tips to avoid going overboard at the breakfast buffet.

Resources:

• To help have a stress-free summer, check out my Mega Summer Bundle which includes an incredible collection of 50 fresh and fruity recipes perfect for all occasions, and a gorgeous printable planner to help stay organised: https://youarenourished.com/summer-bundle

 Connect with Lauren: 

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nourished.lauren
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nourished.lauren 

Today’s episode brings us to the end of my four-part series on reasons why you might be struggling to lose weight. Today I am talking about a subject that I have first-hand experience of, which is an underactive thyroid.

Thyroid symptoms can affect us in so many different ways which can make it hard to get a correct diagnosis and work out the treatment you need – it certainly took a considerable amount of time for me to get the help I needed. When visiting the doctor, you may end up with a short-term solution to one of the symptoms (such as constipation, low mood, or weight gain) but that’s not dealing with the long-term root cause. 

It is really complex which is why I want to share my experience of what I went through so you can get the help you may need. In this episode, I explain what to look out for, how to get a diagnosis, and the potential need for medication. I also share my diet and lifestyle tips that I find help to successfully manage my condition.

“Thyroid issues can often be misdiagnosed because your thyroid hormone is responsible for so many different processes inside the body.” 

- Lauren Gayfer

In This Episode:

• Learn the surprising ways thyroid issues can affect us which make it so hard to diagnose.
• Understand some simple science to give you the confidence to ask for investigation into the root cause of your symptoms.
• Learn about my own journey with getting the right diagnosis and finding a treatment that worked for me.
• Discover changes I made to my diet that helped me manage my underactive thyroid.
• Try some simple lifestyle tips that can help improve your overall health.

Resources mentioned:

• If you’re interested in getting your thyroid tested privately, you could try https://medichecks.com/pages/thyroid-health or https://bluehorizonbloodtests.co.uk/collections/thyroid-blood-tests
• For further information on thyroid problems, check out Dr Izabella Wentz’s website: https://thyroidpharmacist.com/
• A great book for more information would be ‘The Thyroid Connection’ by Amy Myers: https://amzn.to/3aJpT55 

Connect with Lauren: 

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nourished.lauren
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nourished.lauren

As women, we must cope with monthly menstrual cycles. Not only can periods cause us to feel self-conscious and uncomfortable, but they can also cause us to reach for the sweet stuff. Instead of beating ourselves up every month for being weak and giving into temptation, what if we looked at the science of what’s actually happening? Maybe then we can understand what our bodies are trying to tell us and if we actually listen (rather than fighting these signals), we can feel more in control of what’s going on.

Today I want to delve into the science a little bit so you can get a better understanding of why sugar cravings are worse around your period and how you can manage this. In this episode, I share simple, actionable tips that you can start trying straight away to help reduce these cravings.

“Diet culture has told you not to listen to your body and diet culture has told you that you are bad for wanting to eat sweet things.” 

- Lauren Gayfer

In This Episode:

• Understand the hormonal changes that are going on during your cycle.
• Discover why diet culture has caused us to blame ourselves for our cravings.
• Learn what causes cravings at certain times of the month.
• Understand the power of patience and consistency when looking after your wellbeing.
• Find out simple nutritional swaps that can help reduce sugar cravings.
• Listen to my lifestyle tips that you can start implementing today.

Connect with Lauren: 

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nourished.lauren/?hl=en 
• Facebook: https://www.laurengayfer.com/nourished.lauren 

Resources mentioned: 

• You are Nourished Podcast episode 12 – Are You Scared of Carbs?: https://youarenourished.com/episode12 
• Save your spot on my brand new Food Freedom Bootcamp starting on 9th May: www.youarenourished.com/bootcamp

Does food consume your daily thoughts? Do you spend all day thinking what your next meal will be and go to bed dreaming of what you’ll be having for breakfast? Perhaps seeing a chocolate bar at the checkout sets off an exhausting dialogue of ‘want it, not allowed it, must resist it, oh screw it’? It’s so tiring isn’t it? This obsession over food can lead us to feeling totally out of control… but the good news is that you have the power to change this.

Today I want to talk about mindset and how you can start to change how you think and feel around food. In this episode, I share some actionable steps that can help you to rewrite the narrative that keeps you stuck in the relentless cycle of obsessing about food.

“The major cause of food obsession is dieting and restriction.” 

- Lauren Gayfer

In This Episode:

• Understand the difference between disordered eating and eating disorders.
• Find out how the Minnesota starvation experiment uncovered the many ways restricting food affects us.
• Discover the survival mechanisms your body employs when you restrict calories.
• Try out my solutions to start rejecting diet culture so that you can stop being stuck in an exhausting cycle of obsession and guilt.
• Learn how to tune into your thoughts to change the narrative in your head.
• Discover how to empower yourself to have more control over food instead of food controlling you.

Connect with Lauren: 

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nourished.lauren/?hl=en 
• Facebook: https://www.laurengayfer.com/nourished.lauren 

Resources mentioned: 

• You are Nourished Podcast episode 1 – 3 Tips to Help You Reject Diet Culture and Start Your Diet-Free Life: https://youarenourished.com/episode1 
• You are Nourished Podcast episode 2 – Why Can't I Stick to My Diet?: https://youarenourished.com/episode2
• You are Nourished Podcast episode 3 – The Proven Method to Stop Dieting For Good: https://youarenourished.com/episode3
• Get your name on the waitlist to join Nourished 365 where you can get my support to start your journey towards food freedom: www.laurengayfer.com/club 

Life is busy. If you’re a working mum like me, you can often find yourself being pulled in all directions and it can feel a constant battle to keep on top of it all. When we’re under lots of pressure, good intentions can go out the window and we end up reaching for convenience foods full of processed nasties that aren’t actually going to help us feel better. But I do understand that sometimes we just don’t have the capacity to be spending hours in the kitchen. That’s why I’ve put together some top time-saving tips that can help.

Today I want to talk about simple steps you can put into practice to stop life getting on top of you. In this episode, I share lots of practical tips that are going to help you keep nourishing yourself and your family even when you’re really busy.

“When we are really, really stressed, that is when we need to take care of ourselves the most.” 

- Lauren Gayfer

In This Episode:

• Understand why cravings are worsened when under stress.
• I’ll remind you that everything doesn’t always have to be perfect and how to cut yourself some slack.
• Realise the importance of prioritising yourself as you can’t help others if you’re not looking after yourself.
• Discover my practical tips to use when life gets really busy.
• Learn how to put some really simple, quick and tasty meals together.
• Try out some of my favourite meal prep hacks.
• Find out about my 7 Meals in an Hour workshop that will set you up with meals and snacks for the week ahead.

Connect with Lauren: 

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nourished.lauren/?hl=en 
• Facebook: https://www.laurengayfer.com/nourished.lauren 

Resources mentioned: 

Check out my 7 Meals in an Hour Meal Prep Workshop: www.laurengayfer.com/7-meals

In a previous podcast I’ve talked about the importance of including a good balance of proteins, carbohydrates and fats in our meals and snacks in order to balance our blood sugar and reduce cravings. The dieting industry, however, likes nothing better than to demonise food groups, and currently carbohydrates seem to be the group we are told we must stay away from. But if we avoid them at all costs, this actually only makes them more tempting which can lead to feeling out of control when we do allow ourselves a taste.

Today I want to talk about the different types of carbohydrates that are out there, and help you understand the vital role carbohydrates play in our bodies. In this episode, I dispel common myths you may have been led to believe and share my top tips on how to stop feeling frightened of carbs.

“The more we try and restrict these foods, the more we are going to crave them.” 

- Lauren Gayfer

In This Episode:

• Learn about the diets that have made us fearful of eating carbohydrates.
• Understand the different types of carbohydrates that are out there.
• Appreciate the science of what carbohydrates do in the body.
• Common myths around carbohydrates are debunked.
• Discover my top tips on how to stop feeling frightened of carbohydrates.
• Learn how to feel in control around carbohydrates.

Connect with Lauren: 

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nourished.lauren/?hl=en 
• Facebook: https://www.laurengayfer.com/nourished.lauren 

It’s been just over two years since the pandemic began and also two years since I was first struck down with the virus. As a nutritionist, I am a healthy person who looks after myself, but it goes to show this can affect anyone... and it can really wipe you out. I sadly had to pause my podcast and postpone my Food Freedom Bootcamp event, as I realised trying to carry on as though nothing was happening was making me even more ill.

Having now recovered from Covid for the second time, today I wanted to talk about my experiences of having the virus and what I did that helped me recover. In this episode, I share my top tips on how to alleviate Covid symptoms and provide general advice on how to support your immune system.

“If you are still trying to do things while you are struggling with Covid, just stop and give yourself that permission to 100% fully rest, because the longer you leave it, the longer it's going to take you to recover.” 

- Lauren Gayfer

In This Episode:

• Learn how I was affected by Covid, not once but twice!
• Discover my top tips for how to alleviate the symptoms of Covid.
• Find out how you can support your immune system.
• Understand food and drinks that can help speed up recovery.
• Learn the importance of listening to your body and giving yourself the time to rest and recover.
• Find out about my competition to win Unbeelievable Health – Bee Prepared Max Strength supplements!

Enter the competition:

• We have several packs of Unbeelievable Health supplements to give away to some of our lucky listeners. All you have to do is FOLLOW, RATE and REVIEW the podcast on Apple Podcasts (if you’re listening on another platform, you might not be able to review us, but you can still follow us).
• Take a screenshot of your review or your podcast app showing that you’ve followed, and send this to us on hello@laurengayfer.com where we will enter you into our prize draw.
• Entries close on 5th April and we will email the winners if you have won.

Connect with Lauren: 

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nourished.lauren/?hl=en 
• Facebook: https://www.laurengayfer.com/nourished.lauren 

Cravings can cause us so much stress… Constantly battling the urge to consume chocolate, cake and biscuits, no matter what the time of day. You are not alone in this fight – it’s one of the most common concerns I hear from the women I work with. Cravings can totally consume us, leaving us obsessing about food every moment of the day. Feeling it’s your fault, that you are weak and lack willpower… but it’s not your fault!

There are so many different causes for your cravings, but today I want to talk about the food side of things, and provide you with some simple, food-based changes you can make that will have an instant impact on how you feel. In this episode I share my top 3 tips to help you overcome your cravings and feel more in control of your eating.

“Diet culture is about cutting foods out and minimizing what you eat. And I'm all about adding foods in and maximizing what you eat to enable you to feel full and satisfied.” 

- Lauren Gayfer

In This Episode:

• Discover my top 3 tips to help you understand and manage your cravings.
• Find out my favourite breakfast recipes that help me feel full until lunch.
• Get my advice on how to create a balanced meal or snack that’s not going to spike your blood sugar.
• Understand why low-calorie and low-fat foods are exacerbating your cravings.
• Discover the benefits that can be achieved by making simple changes to what you eat.
• Find out how I’ll be digging deeper into why cravings control us in my Food Freedom Bootcamp starting on Monday 7th March!

Save your spot on the bootcamp:

• Find out all about my new Food Freedom Bootcamp here: https://www.youarenourished.com/bootcamp 

Connect with Lauren: 

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nourished.lauren/?hl=en 
• Facebook: https://www.laurengayfer.com/nourished.lauren 

Resources mentioned: 

• If you would like to get your hands on some recipes for healthy snacks, download my free eBook at: https://www.laurengayfer.com/healthy-snacks

To get help constructing a healthy breakfast, listen to episode 6 of my podcast: How to Construct a Healthy Plate of Food.

Many of you will be familiar with my incredibly popular 5-day Shift the Sugar challenge. This challenge has helped thousands of women ditch their cravings without feeling deprived. But as my own relationship with food changed over the years, it no longer felt in alignment with what I’m passionate about.

Today I want to talk about why I created Shift the Sugar, the incredible results it provided and how I’m replacing it with something even more exciting that will still help you achieve amazing transformations. In this episode I explain how the changes in my own relationship with food have led me to shift the focus of what I teach, and how I always want to be clear and honest about what you can expect from me. I can’t wait for you to join me on my new exciting adventure!

“Ultimately I want to make sure that people who sign up to work with me know exactly what they’re getting.” 

- Lauren Gayfer



In This Episode:

• Learn how Shift the Sugar came about.
• Discover how my own relationship with food has informed what I teach.
• Find out how Shift the Sugar evolved over the last 5 years since it began.
• Understand the misalignment I felt between the sugar-free and anti-diet messaging.
• Discover what led me to make the difficult decision to no longer run Shift the Sugar challenges.
• Learn about the exciting new Food Freedom Bootcamp that will help you understand what is driving your cravings and give you the tools to find food freedom.

Connect with Lauren: 

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nourished.lauren/?hl=en 
• Facebook: https://www.laurengayfer.com/nourished.lauren 
• Find out all about my new Food Freedom Bootcamp here: https://www.youarenourished.com/bootcamp 

Food freedom is a term that is used more and more, but what does it actually mean? There are lots of companies out there who profess to promise food freedom, but they are still setting rules and restriction around food, and that is not food freedom.

Today I want to help you understand what food freedom really means, how obsessing about food is leaving you miserable, and discuss whether it is possible to achieve a healthy relationship with food after a lifetime of dieting. So in this episode I’m sharing 3 small steps to help you start moving towards food freedom. If you’re fed up with feeling out of control around food and repeating the miserable cycle of starting diet after diet, this episode will help show you there is another way! 

“One meal does not make you healthy or unhealthy. It's the habits that we participate in every single day.”

- Lauren Gayfer

In This Episode:

• Understand what food freedom means and what it looks like.
• Hear real life examples of how someone with food freedom thinks, feels, behaves and acts.
• Recognise the fears, stress, and anxiety that someone stuck in the prison of dieting experiences.
• Appreciate how following strict rules and regulations around food makes you miserable and stops you from enjoying special occasions that should be fun.
• Discover how to stop the damaging dieting behaviours that exacerbate feeling out of control around food.
• Learn the small, achievable steps you can take towards a healthier relationship with food.

Connect with Lauren:

• Website: https://www.laurengayfer.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nourished.lauren/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nourished.lauren
• If you would like to learn more about how to ditch dieting, download my free guide “Break Up With Your Diet”
• Click here to save your spot on my new 5-day Food Freedom Bootcamp to kick-start your journey towards a healthier relationship with food.

Resources mentioned:

• To learn more about my own dieting journey, listen to episode 5 of my podcast: All the Diets I've Ever Been On: My Personal Journey with Food.