What is your lifestyle?
“I think nutrition is important. I myself have adjusted my diet, because I was not feeling well. I also see this in our practice where we guide women with PCOS. PCOS stands for Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome. It is a hormonal imbalance that can disrupt the natural cycle.
By advising these women to make the right adjustments in their diet, this can reduce the complaints. I generally eat plant-based and unprocessed as much as possible. I do occasionally snack and eat animal products, such as cheese and eggs. I eat a lot of vegetables, fruits, nuts and legumes. I gave up meat, but I did that mainly because of the environment and the welfare of the animals.
I don’t smoke, but every now and then I drink a glass of wine. I drink a maximum of four glasses of alcohol per month. My daughter (2) wakes up early every morning and I suffer from a hangover quickly, so I can’t sleep off that high. That’s why I don’t drink much. I do power yoga once a week. But I want to free up more time to exercise more often.
How do you keep that up?
I always think when I put something in my mouth: what will the food get me? When I start the day with a white sandwich with chocolate sprinkles, I know that I am hungry, binge eating or very tired all day long. While I don’t suffer from that when I start the day with oatmeal and fruit, nuts and seeds.
I also think it’s important to feel energized so that I can have fun playing with my daughter and not be constantly tired. What do I have a weakness for? Chocolate! If that were on a table in front of me, I couldn’t keep my hands off it. I am aware of what awaits me each day, so I don’t want to be in a dip by making wrong choices in my diet. But chocolate often tempts me.
Are you at your target weight?
Yes I think so. A healthy weight does not mean that someone is healthy. I feel good now and that’s the main thing. I used to be a bit heavier than I am now. I’ve never been fat, but I soon hit puberty and had a lot of feminine curves. I was bullied because of that, I thought I was overweight.
That has caused me to do a lot of dieting. And that’s why I also started studying nutrition & dietetics. My gut problems made me very insecure about how I looked, because I always felt bloated. Now I don’t feel that way anymore, because I eat healthy and delicious; I am much more comfortable in my own skin because of this. As a result, I now also look more confident and my diet has contributed to that.
Do you inspire others?
Yes, I help women with PCOS to a better lifestyle every day. But also my mother, for example. She is the toughest eater in the world. She ate a lot of cold cuts on bread and I told her it was better to replace it with hummus, for example. She now eats less meats and that is a big win. I sometimes jokingly say: ‘If I can inspire my mother, then I can inspire everyone.’
What is your golden tip for a healthy life?
Look for an overlap between enjoyment, convenience and healthy. If you have to leave a glass of wine every time, while you enjoy it very much, it does not contribute to your quality of life. By imposing rules on yourself, it can be difficult to stick to them.
Small adjustments are much more effective. For example, I did not stop eating meat all at once, I did this in steps. Working on your lifestyle is fun, because it produces positive effects. You feel better, as I have also experienced.”
Do you also want to be in this section? We are looking for nice ladies who want to inspire with their lifestyle. Send an email with your name, telephone number, motivation and two current photos (portrait and total) to [email protected].
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