Today’s guest is the delicious Melissa Hemsley, former private chef turned food columnist, best-selling cookbook author, real food activist, sustainability champion, mental health advocate AND mamma, who is passionate about spreading the power of feel-good food.

Food is Melissa’s passion. This conversation was recorded to celebrate the launch of her SIXTH cookbook, Real Healthy; Unprocess Your Diet with Easy, Everyday Recipes, but we also ended up talking about lots of lovely - and easy - ways to unprocess lots of other parts of our lives too.

I hope you will find this chat deeply comforting and nourishing on many levels, because that is always how I feel after spending any kind of time with Melisssa.

In this conversation we discuss:

• The Mental Health and Nutrition Connection (Research indicates a strong link between diet and mood/mental health, specifically ultra-processed foods).


• The art of Self-Mothering and being patient and understanding with oneself, especially during times of major life changes.


• The benefits of somatic practices for mental health, particularly in processing grief and trauma through body awareness rather than just talk therapy.


• Parenting and Mental Health as Melissa reflects on her journey through IVF, pregnancy, and motherhood, and how these experiences have reshaped her mental health practices.


• Mindfulness and wonder (and dogs!) as part of our well-being toolkits


• The simple Self-Care Practices that can significantly impact mental health.

LINKS

Get the Book > Real Healthy by Melissa Hemsley

Get the Book > The Bridge by Donna Lancaster

Melissa on Instagram > @melissa.hemsley

Donna on Instagram > @donnalancs

More on Mental Health Mates

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