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Embrace Festive Feasting: A Nutritionist’s Guide to Intuitive Eating

Embrace Festive Feasting: A Nutritionist’s Guide to Intuitive Eating

by admin | Dec 20, 2023 | Body Image, Intuitive Eating, Nutrition, Personal Growth, Self Care, Self Love, STress

The holiday season is here, with twinkling lights and all! It’s the time to toast to life, love, and all those warm, fuzzy moments together. But hey, let’s be real – sometimes, the thought of all those yummy treats and the fear of the dreaded weight gain...

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  • Understanding Women’s Metabolic Health
  • Embrace the Wisdom of Intuitive Eating Over Calorie Counting: A Mindful Approach to Nourishing Your Soul

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    Joanna Heffernan | Nutrition | Body Image | Binge Eating | Tests

    themindfulnutritionist
    There is still time to grab a ticket ! https://w There is still time to grab a ticket ! https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/cnm-cork-open-day-saturday-17-may-2025-registration-1363133311429?aff=ebdssbdestsearch
    📣 CNM Cork Open Day — This Saturday! Thinkin 📣 CNM Cork Open Day — This Saturday! Thinking about a career in natural health? Want to explore what studying nutrition, herbs, acupuncture or health coaching actually looks like? Just pop in this Saturday 17th May to Griffith College Cork and say hello! We’re hosting a CNM Open Day — nothing formal, just a chance to meet the team, chat with students and lecturers, and get a feel for the CNM vibe. 🖤 Free tickets (and bring-a-friend ones too!) 🖤 Hear real stories, ask questions, and see what it’s all about 🖤 Perfect if you’re thinking of a change or just curious You don’t need to decide your whole future — just come along and see if it sparks something. 🎟️ Grab your free ticket here Use code: AMBASSADOR2025 at checkout for a free ticket We’d love to see you there. #cnmcork #cnmopenday #naturalhealthcareers #studyholistichealth #nutritiontraining #herbalmedicinecourse #acupuncturetraining #healthcoachingcourse #careerinwellness #holisticeducation #nutritionstudent #futuretherapist #wellnessjourney #studywellness #learnnutritio
    Have you ever noticed that not all hunger comes fr Have you ever noticed that not all hunger comes from the stomach? In mindful eating, we talk about the 9 hungers — a way to tune into the many ways we experience the desire for food. It’s not just about physical hunger, but also the pull of our senses, mind, and emotions. Here’s a closer look: Eye hunger — we eat with our eyes first. Beautiful colours, shapes, and presentation can stir desire, even if we’re physically full. Nose hunger — the smell of food has a powerful pull. Think of the aroma of fresh bread or coffee and how it can awaken appetite. Mouth hunger — this is about craving specific tastes or textures, like wanting something crunchy, creamy, or sweet. Stomach hunger — the actual physical sensations of hunger: emptiness, growling, or a hollow feeling. Cellular hunger — the body’s deeper wisdom calling for what it needs, like hydration, salt, protein, or certain nutrients. Mind hunger — the stories and rules we carry about food: what we should or shouldn’t eat, when we’re “allowed” to eat, or what’s healthy or not. Heart hunger — the longing for comfort, love, or connection, often linked to food memories or emotional soothing. Ear hunger — the sounds of eating or cooking, like crunching, sizzling, or the pop of a jar opening, that can stimulate desire. Touch hunger — the physical feel of food in your hands or mouth, the textures that bring pleasure or comfort. The invitation here is not to judge these hungers, but simply to notice. Awareness brings choice. Which of these feels most familiar to you? How might noticing them shift the way you relate to food this week? #mindfuleating #bodyawareness #intuitiveeating #emotionaleating #foodfreedom #selfcompassion #healyourrelationshipwithfood #bingeeatingrecovery #bodyimagehealing #midlifewellness #somatichealing #nourishnotpunish #embodiment #womeninmidlife #selftrust
    Emotional Eating & Your Gut What’s really happe Emotional Eating & Your Gut What’s really happening in your body when you eat in emotional overwhelm? Digestion slows when you eat in stress Your body prioritizes survival, not digestion, when you’re in fight-or-flight. It can trigger bloating, cramping, reflux Your gut reacts to stress—food becomes harder to break down and absorb. You may not digest nutrients properly Even with healthy food, stress can block absorption and leave you depleted. It disrupts gut-brain communication Your enteric nervous system gets confused—signals get scrambled, hunger and fullness cues go offline. Gentle, mindful eating is powerful medicine Slowing down, breathing, and being present with your food helps restore balance. Your gut hears your stress. Emotional eating often happens fast—on autopilot, in survival mode. It’s not a failure. It’s a nervous system response. But here’s the truth: You could have the most “perfect” food plan in the world, but without nervous system safety, your gut can’t fully do its job. To truly heal emotional eating, we need more than willpower. We need softness. We need regulation. We need safety in the body. Gentle, mindful eating isn’t just a nice idea—it’s a recalibration for your whole system. Your body is always listening. What would it feel like to speak to it with kindness? #foodfreedom #gutbrainconnection #emotionaleatinghelp #somaticnutrition #nervoussystemhealing #mindfuleatingjourney #guthealthcoach #bodytrust #embodiedeating #healyourgut #emotionaleatingrecovery #traumainformednutrition #midlifeguthealth #bodyawarenesshealing #selfregulationtools
    ✨Body Liberation Isn’t Just for Some Bodies— ✨Body Liberation Isn’t Just for Some Bodies—It’s for All of Us✨ Body liberation has often been framed around size—and while that’s absolutely part of it, I want to widen the lens. Because every body holds something. Our history. Our lineage. Our trauma. Our environment. Our desires, our joy, our sexuality, our survival. We carry stories in our flesh. And for so many, those stories come wrapped in shame, restriction, a relentless pressure to fix, change, improve. That pressure—whether it’s about weight, aging, skin, gender, disability, race, or worth—is what keeps us in bondage. True liberation is the radical act of coming home to your body as it is. Not as it could be. Not as someone else wants it to be. But as you feel it. As you live it. As you reclaim it. You deserve to feel safe, enough, whole—in the body that carries your truth. This is the body you get to inhabit, not escape from. This is the body you get to belong to. Let this be your invitation to remember: Liberation is your birthright. No matter your size, shape, past, or pain. #bodyliberation #embodiment #healingthroughbody #traumainformed #somatichealing #bodyimagecoach #emotionalhealing #reclaimyourbody #bodywisdom #bodytrust #allbodiesaregoodbodies #shamefree #midlifewellness #bodyfreedomjourney #selfcompassionpractice
    Still stuck in a job that drains you? What if your Still stuck in a job that drains you? What if your next career actually helped people feel better—while transforming your own health too? It’s not too late to do something meaningful. And it’s never too late to start again. If you’ve ever felt the pull toward natural health, nutrition, or helping others—but thought “I can’t afford to go back to school” or “I don’t have time”—this is your sign to look again. At CNM Cork, our in-person Nutritional Therapy course is designed for real life. That means: You study approx. one weekend per month You can keep your full-time job You’ll be learning face-to-face with expert lecturers who live and breathe this work You’ll join a community of passionate, like-minded people all changing direction with purpose And most of all—you’ll walk away with a globally recognised qualification that can launch a flexible, meaningful, high-impact career Whether you want to work with clients 1:1, support your family’s wellbeing, or start something completely new—this training gives you the tools to turn your passion into purpose. 🎤 What’s happening at the Open Day: 🧠 “The Gut–Brain Connection” with Claire O’Brien – Nutritional Therapist & Health Coach 💬 “My Journey into Nutrition” with Marc Murphy – CNM Graduate & Practitioner 🩺 “The CNM Training Concept” with Joanna Heffernan and the CNM Team – All your course questions answered 👉 Join us at CNM’s Open Day 📍 Griffith College Cork 🗓️ Saturday 17th May 🎓 Meet tutors, hear from real graduates, and take the first step Spots are limited and classes are starting soon—secure your seat today. This could be the decision that changes everything. Link: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/cnm-cork-open-day-saturday-17-may-2025-registration-1299508186969?aff=oddtdtcreator&fbclid=IwY2xjawJ-yLFleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBicmlkETFxaTF2RU94bTV6eHBPQkt1AR5adAed4asgIU-F3dIYw888oTvSCHkS2rQd3oQtLrI9oTohQKcGXQ48BgWbiw_aem_INxQuyCR4yMgVWX5KOgAAw #openday #cnmcork #cnm #studynutrition #careerchange #careergoals
    You thought it was just about weight... but your g You thought it was just about weight... but your gut is still paying the price. Let’s talk about what chronic dieting really does to your digestion. You’ve been told to restrict, control, and cut foods out in the name of health or weight loss. But what no one tells you is that constant dieting can leave your gut completely dysregulated. Here’s what really happens when your body is stuck in diet mode: Digestion slows down Bloating, constipation, or IBS symptoms flare up Stomach acid and enzyme production decrease Your gut bacteria become imbalanced and inflamed When you’re in survival mode with food, your nervous system can’t support digestion. The stress, guilt, and food fear are part of what’s keeping your gut stuck. But you can heal. Healing your gut isn’t just about what you eat—it’s about how you feel when you eat it. And it starts by building trust with your body again. This is what I help women in midlife do: heal their gut by healing their relationship with food and self. #guthealthmatters #ditchdietculture #emotionalhealing #midlifewellness #gutandhormones #somaticnutrition #bodytrust #bloatingrelief #ibsawareness #healyourrelationshipwithfood
    “Your gut isn’t just what you eat—it’s how “Your gut isn’t just what you eat—it’s how you eat, how you feel, and how you’ve been taught to control food.” This hits hard, doesn’t it? We’ve been told that gut health is just about taking supplements or avoiding gluten. But the truth is—your gut responds to your story. If you've spent years dieting, bingeing, fearing food, or punishing your body... your gut has felt every bit of it. That bloating? The IBS flare-ups? The endless food intolerances? They're not just physical—they’re a response to stress, control, and survival patterns. Healing your gut is not just about what’s on your plate. It’s about creating safety, consistency, and compassion in how you relate to food and your body. If you’ve lived on diets, battled bingeing, or felt shame around food, your gut is likely impacted. Let’s heal the patterns that disconnect you from digestion, trust, and nourishment. This is the work I do. And I’d love to walk that healing path with you. 👇 #somaticnutrition #guthealthmatters #emotionalhealing #foodfreedomcoach #bodyimagehealing #gutrestoration #midlifewellness #chronicdietingrecovery #embodiedhealing
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