You may have caught our newsletter back in Spring, when we said we were recruiting for another practitioner to join our ARDERE nutrition clinic. After a lengthy recruitment process, we are so excited to welcome onboard the new addition to our wellbeing team! Introducing Nutritional Therapist, Catia…

1. What made you want to become a nutritional therapist?

My desire to align Psychology with Nutritional Therapy, the mind and the body and have the ability to help people in a more holistic way. I also love food and everything food-related – i.e. one of my favourite activities is going food shopping and visiting restaurants and cafes that keep growing on my bucket list.

2. What would you class as your 3 main areas of specialities in helping those with nutrition?

Nutritional Psychology – food to boost mental health and cognitive/brain function

Weight management and mindful eating

Gut health

3. Tell us something interesting about yourself…

My passions are dancing and writing – I have danced professionally for 12 years and I also write poetry/short stories since I was 15 years old.

4. What is the best nutrition/health tip you have ever been given? Or is your favourite one to give!

Keeping it simple in terms of what and how you eat is still my favourite nutrition/health tip to give to all of my clients.

5. What is your favourite ARDERE recipe and why?

Key Lime Chia pudding -apart from loving breakfasts I also love the freshness of lime and plus this chia pudding resembles a healthy dessert.

6.  What is your favourite ARDERE candle and why?

Kefir lime & ginger – isn’t obvious that I love citrus, strong and fresh scents? 🙂

7. You are stuck on an island, you can pick one food to eat forever without getting tired of it, what would you eat?

This is a very difficult one…but juicy, sweet watermelon!

8. Pilates or yoga?

Can I say both? Any form of exercise does wonders for me 🙂

9. Coffee or tea?

Another difficult one… I like both but I would say: 100% coffee!

10. Facial or massage?

Massage

11. Tell us a nutrition myth that grinds your gears…

Eating fats will make you gain weight…

12. What’s inspiring you in life right now?

Our infinite ability as human beings to transform any hardship into true change and growth

13. Most adventurous thing you’ve done in your life? 

Quitting a secure fullt-ime job as a Head of Psychology in between lockdowns to follow my dream of becoming self-employed

14. How would you define yourself in three words?

Creative, determined and loyal

15. What’s one thing people don’t know about you?

Fear of driving and heights to some extent

16. What’s your wakeup ritual?

I chant every day before I leave the house. I have been practising Buddhism for 4 years now.

17. What’s your go to bed ritual?

A herbal cup of tea no matter what time is it

18. What does a typical breakfast look like for you?

Breakfast is my favourite meal so I love a cooked, nutritious and filling meal like eggs on toast with salad greens and fruit, homemade savoury pancakes or oats with lots of different toppings

19. Best piece of advice you’ve received?

To keep some things to yourself

20. Best advice you’d give your teenage self?

To always be your genuine self and to not be afraid to be your genuine self

21. A book that everyone should read?

Kafka on the shore by Haruki Murakami

22. What would you like to be remembered for?

A person of value that has helped create value in the world

24. How do you define beauty?

Beauty comes from within – you will always shine no matter what

25. Best way to take a rest/decompress?

Exercising and swimming in the sea or just being near water

26. What is your worst habit?

Drinking more coffee than I eventually should… I’m Portuguese and find it very hard to challenge my deepest love for coffee and espresso

27. Bath or shower?

Shower

28. Favourite cuisine?

Levantine

29. Describe yourself in a hashtag… #

#loyalpassionatefiresign

30. Favourite healthy snack?

Seaweed

31. Juice or smoothie?

Juice

32. Favourite category of scent: Florals, citrus, green, oriental or woody?

Citrus

33. What’s on your bucket list?

Publish a paperback book, volunteer in Asia or Africa for a month and travel to Japan for a good couple of weeks

 

If you want to book a 1-1 nutrition consultation at the ARDERE clinic with Catia, get in touch here.