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Why Your Food Choices Matter with Hazel Long
Join Kat and registered nutritionist, Hazel Long as they explore our modern relationship with food, eating habits and the surprising connections to mental health. They discuss everything from the challenges of our current food environment to practical strategies for developing healthier eating patterns. Hazel shares insights about why we fall into unhealthy habits, especially during holidays, and offers realistic ideas and solutions that don't involve restrictive dieting.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Whilst working in public health for over eight years, Hazel has noticed a dramatic shift in our food environment, noting how even simple items like coffee have evolved from basic options to complex, highly processed versions with added confectionery and syrups.
- Drawing from her clinical experience, Hazel emphasises that successful dietary changes often start with a single habit - like establishing a proper breakfast routine - rather than attempting to overhaul everything at once.
- Self monitoring can be a powerful tool for behaviour change, for example through food diaries or tracking apps, but the approach must be individualised.
- Around 25% of our calories come from out-of-home food sources this is why Hazel focuses on helping clients develop strategies for navigating these environments.
- Hazel advocates for approaching food choices through the lens of how they make you feel rather than focusing on appearance or weight, which she's found leads to more sustainable behavioural changes.
- Working with families, Hazel has observed that establishing morning routines, particularly family breakfasts, can serve as a foundation for better eating habits throughout the day.
- Financial circumstances significantly impact eating behaviours, there are stark differences in health outcomes appearing as early as primary school age.
- From her experience as both a nutritionist and parent, Hazel promotes the importance of role modelling healthy eating behaviours for children, incorporating this principle into her professional advice for families too.
BEST MOMENTS
"When we look in certain areas, particularly rural areas, particularly areas of higher deprivation, where people are relying on smaller convenience stores, the cost of a healthy food shop is significantly more than when we compare it to places where people have access to things like low budget supermarkets."
"I would never advocate for people to cut all sugar out of their diet. We just looked at her behaviours and then we looked at ways in which we could reduce that sugar intake to help her feel a bit better."
"I'm a really big advocate of family breakfasts... it's a really good thing for the kids in terms of us sitting down together, undistracted, before school, before nursery, having a meal."
"It's not about kind of living this rigid lifestyle with food, but it's just, I think at some point you need to raise your consciousness of what you're actually putting in your body and how it's making you feel.”
"If I had a choice, I would much rather live a life where I got to enjoy food in a healthy way than restrict myself and kind of be hating the fact that I can't eat X, Y, and Z."
*Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in Scotland, but is second to Dementia in England, Wales and the UK as a whole.
ABOUT THE GUEST
Hazel Long, Freelance Registered Nutritionist (AfN)
Website
ABOUT THE HOST
Kat started her career as a teacher, before moving into Tech where she worked in different executive roles within teaching and consulting working across the globe, both in the public and private sector. Despite appearing 'successful' on the outside, she paid a heavy ‘life’ price. In 2016, her whole world collapsed. The reason? The compound effect of years of unhealthy and toxic habits that destroyed her health, relationship and career. She suffered a severe breakdown and lost everything. In the middle of this she got headhunted for her first CEO role. She rebuilt herself by changing just one small habit, and built a series of positive habits which has transformed her professional and personal performance, resulting in becoming the healthiest and happiest version of herself.
She is a positive habits international keynote speaker and teacher, giving talks and delivering high impact programmes to organisations across the globe.
View all episodes
By Kat ThorneJoin Kat and registered nutritionist, Hazel Long as they explore our modern relationship with food, eating habits and the surprising connections to mental health. They discuss everything from the challenges of our current food environment to practical strategies for developing healthier eating patterns. Hazel shares insights about why we fall into unhealthy habits, especially during holidays, and offers realistic ideas and solutions that don't involve restrictive dieting.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Whilst working in public health for over eight years, Hazel has noticed a dramatic shift in our food environment, noting how even simple items like coffee have evolved from basic options to complex, highly processed versions with added confectionery and syrups.
- Drawing from her clinical experience, Hazel emphasises that successful dietary changes often start with a single habit - like establishing a proper breakfast routine - rather than attempting to overhaul everything at once.
- Self monitoring can be a powerful tool for behaviour change, for example through food diaries or tracking apps, but the approach must be individualised.
- Around 25% of our calories come from out-of-home food sources this is why Hazel focuses on helping clients develop strategies for navigating these environments.
- Hazel advocates for approaching food choices through the lens of how they make you feel rather than focusing on appearance or weight, which she's found leads to more sustainable behavioural changes.
- Working with families, Hazel has observed that establishing morning routines, particularly family breakfasts, can serve as a foundation for better eating habits throughout the day.
- Financial circumstances significantly impact eating behaviours, there are stark differences in health outcomes appearing as early as primary school age.
- From her experience as both a nutritionist and parent, Hazel promotes the importance of role modelling healthy eating behaviours for children, incorporating this principle into her professional advice for families too.
BEST MOMENTS
"When we look in certain areas, particularly rural areas, particularly areas of higher deprivation, where people are relying on smaller convenience stores, the cost of a healthy food shop is significantly more than when we compare it to places where people have access to things like low budget supermarkets."
"I would never advocate for people to cut all sugar out of their diet. We just looked at her behaviours and then we looked at ways in which we could reduce that sugar intake to help her feel a bit better."
"I'm a really big advocate of family breakfasts... it's a really good thing for the kids in terms of us sitting down together, undistracted, before school, before nursery, having a meal."
"It's not about kind of living this rigid lifestyle with food, but it's just, I think at some point you need to raise your consciousness of what you're actually putting in your body and how it's making you feel.”
"If I had a choice, I would much rather live a life where I got to enjoy food in a healthy way than restrict myself and kind of be hating the fact that I can't eat X, Y, and Z."
*Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in Scotland, but is second to Dementia in England, Wales and the UK as a whole.
ABOUT THE GUEST
Hazel Long, Freelance Registered Nutritionist (AfN)
Website
ABOUT THE HOST
Kat started her career as a teacher, before moving into Tech where she worked in different executive roles within teaching and consulting working across the globe, both in the public and private sector. Despite appearing 'successful' on the outside, she paid a heavy ‘life’ price. In 2016, her whole world collapsed. The reason? The compound effect of years of unhealthy and toxic habits that destroyed her health, relationship and career. She suffered a severe breakdown and lost everything. In the middle of this she got headhunted for her first CEO role. She rebuilt herself by changing just one small habit, and built a series of positive habits which has transformed her professional and personal performance, resulting in becoming the healthiest and happiest version of herself.
She is a positive habits international keynote speaker and teacher, giving talks and delivering high impact programmes to organisations across the globe.