ABOUT SAMI
I’m Sami, a Sydney-based Clinical Nutritionist, Holistic Coach and Yoga Instructor. Having completed my degree in Law and Communications, I worked in law firms and advertising agencies in Sydney and New York before taking a leap of faith and following my true passion, nutrition. This came after years of soul-searching and piecing together my own health puzzle…
When I was four I became vegetarian. No one in my family was, but something within me rejected meat. Some health professionals suggest that perhaps I didn’t have the enzymes to break down meat properly, and as an intuitive toddler I avoided it. I think perhaps on some level I knew something was wrong about eating animals – I didn’t like the idea of it nor the taste. Whatever the reason, it certainly kick-started my love for vegetables and grew my interest in nutrition.
The next phase of my health journey began as a young teenager. Social pressures weighed in and I became obsessed with working out and restrictive eating. I had always been active, but mainly through school sports. I joined a gym and began exercising excessively. I started packing my own lunches. My weight plummeted and people took notice. I lost my period. I thought I felt fantastic but realistically, any self-esteem I had was largely dependent on the validation of others. At this point and for most of my early twenties, my lifestyle was fast-paced on all fronts; I was yo-yo dieting, binge drinking, over-exercising, over-analysing and just generally over-doing it! Of course, I was exhausted. I had all kinds of hormonal imbalances, stress and disordered eating issues.
IT BECAME VERY CLEAR TO ME THAT MY DISSATISFACTIONWITH MY BODY WAS A MANIFESTATION
OF MY
DISSATISFACTION WITH THAT LIFESTYLE.
I don’t like to say I had an “aha” moment, because I think it oversimplifies the very complicated process of finding your way. There were moments of clarity, moments of weakness, steps forward and steps backwards. I will say that there was an important turning point for me, when I opened my heart and mind to the practice of yoga.
Yoga tested my patience and was a real challenge for my over-analytical, self-critical mind. Most importantly, it taught me to honour and respect my body. The days I did yoga I didn’t feel like being unkind to myself through negative thoughts, restrictive eating or over-exercising. Instead, I found myself wanting to nurture it.
I began making choices with health in mind. I ate out of nourishment and with pleasure, not in fear.
I VIEWED FOOD AS MEDICINE AND CAME UP WITH
CLEAN CREATIVE WAYS TO NOURISH MY BODY.
My love for cooking grew! I continued to move my body in ways that served me, embracing restorative practices. During my Yoga Teacher Training, I realised the career I needed to pursue. I began a health coaching course and enrolled into a full-time degree in Health and Nutritional Medicine.
As I continued to learn more about the body from my studies, I also began to do my own personal research. Slowly, I noticed myself gravitating toward and thriving on a plant-based diet. I eliminated dairy, began to eat only small amounts of fish and eggs, and incorporated more greens, superfoods and legumes than ever before. I felt alive! Eventually, I was inspired and encouraged to make the commitment to becoming 100% plant-based, yes, vegan! Please read more about this here.
My health journey is inspired by many of my own challenges, all of which contribute to who I am and where I am today. I started this blog to share them and to support others in finding their own health equilibrium through my experiences, education, lifestyle tips and delicious recipes. I hope to inspire healthy choices and make healthy living tasty, accessible and appealing to everyone!
My food philosophy is to eat foods that exude life – plants, a variety of colour, sprouts, fermented foods, herbs and weeds, to rid your diet of processed food and refined sugar, limit stimulants like caffeine and alcohol and most fundamentally; listen to your body. I strongly believe that our bodies guide us, if we would only just take the time to reconnect with ourselves. It certainly is not all about food, however I believe that what you put into your body is a reflection of how you care for yourself…
WHAT YOU PUT ON YOUR FORK IS A CHOICE, A CHOICE
THAT WILL EITHER NOURISH YOUR CELLS OR
STARVE/CONFUSE/OVERWHELM THEM.
…THINK OF IT LIKE THIS, AND I PROMISE YOU,
YOU WILL ONLY WANT TO TREAT YOUR BODY KINDLY.
WORK WITH ME
I want you to feel how good healthy feels! With the right tools, your taste buds change, cravings waver, your energy levels skyrocket, stress diminishes and you feel GOOD.
WHEN WE FEEL FANTASTIC, IT BECOMES EASY AND NATURALTO CONTINUE HEALTHY HABITS AND FORM LONG-LASTING,SUSTAINABLE LIFESTYLE PATTERNS.
II believe health is about striking a balance between making choices with your bodies best interests in mind, and living life to the fullest. To do this, I look at your life as a whole – food, thoughts, desires, sleep, stress, habits, hobbies, work and relationships. What’s more, I tailor a solution to your individual needs. Together, we will work toward finding your own unique health equilibrium.
I would love the opportunity to educate, guide and inspire you to take charge of your health – not because you have to, or because you should, but because you want to. As your nutritionist and health coach, I will help you understand how your body functions, what it needs and reprogram how you eat, think, feel and choose. I can’t wait to share my knowledge with you and help you live your healthiest, most fulfilling life!
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