Author: Nicola Jane Hobbs

Research: Why Weight Loss Goals Don’t Work

Research: Why Weight Loss Goals Don’t Work

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Paper: Ross, R., Blair, S., de Lannoy, L., Després, J. P., & Lavie, C. J. (2015). Changing the endpoints for determining effective obesity management. Progress in cardiovascular diseases, 57(4), 330-336. I can do a handstand. But I never set myself a goal of being able to do a handstand. Handstands have merely been a by-product of a healthy yoga practice. And weight loss is the same. I don’t believe it should ever be a goal. Only a by-product of a healthy lifestyle. Trouble is, there is so much focus on weight that, even if you are eating well, moving...

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Egg and Baked Bean Breakfast Salad

Egg and Baked Bean Breakfast Salad

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Breakfast salads are quite possibly my new favourite way to start the day. You basically get a load of your favourite breakfast ingredients, toss them with some leaves, add some buttery soldiers, and voila! Since I was a kid, baked beans have always been a favourite of mine and this recipe uses haricot beans with juicy cherry tomatoes, peppers, onions, smoked paprika, and chilli flakes to make them a little more grown up. You can cook up the whole recipe in about 10 minutes and it is packed full of protein and fibre from the beans, healthy fats from...

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Research: How Dieting Makes Us Fatter

Research: How Dieting Makes Us Fatter

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Paper: Dulloo, A. G., Jacquet, J., & Montani, J. P. (2012). How dieting makes some fatter: from a perspective of human body composition autoregulation. Proceedings of the Nutrition Society, 71(3), 379-389. One of things I aim to do through this blog is to raise awareness amongst nutrition professionals on the long-term side effects that restrictive dieting causes. Many evidenced-based nutritionists know a lot about nutrition but there is a lack of awareness in the health and fitness industry on the emerging evidence around intuitive eating and a non-diet approach to healthy weight maintenance and overall health. Dulloo et al’s (2012) research was...

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Curry Roasted Carrots

Curry Roasted Carrots

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There a few people in my life who really struggle to eat vegetables. And because eating more vegetables is pretty much the only piece of nutrition advice health experts can agree on, one of my missions is to make vegetables delicious! And these curry roasted carrots have to be one of my favourites!! I had whole roasted carrots for the first time whilst on a yoga retreat in Spain and they were so tasty that I decided to create my own! Carrots are packed full of nutrients, especially vitamin A (from beta-carotene) which is important for growth and immunity,...

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How To Eat Well On Holiday

How To Eat Well On Holiday

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If you haven’t read What Is Fear-Free Eating then I recommend you start here: What Is Fear-Free Eating? When I’m not creating recipes, writing books, and coaching clients, I teach yoga and run retreats. And I’ve just got back from hosting Eat. Play. Move. 2018. – my Spanish yoga retreat. I had so much fun with so many beautiful yogis and the food was out of this world. And not just the food, the entire eating experience was amazing. New foods. New flavours. New friends. Three times a day one of the chefs would hit the gong in the...

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Salmon Sushi Bowl

Salmon Sushi Bowl

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Sushi bowl! Ever had one? It’s the perfect solution when you want something sushi-like without the hassle of shaping it into cute little parcels! You might have seen Poke Bowls (apparently pronounced ‘Poh-keh’) making their way on to menus and supermarket shelves recently. Well, sushi bowls are pretty similar only, instead of using Hawaiian flavours like their Poke sisters, they are packed full of the flavours of Japan. I love sushi bowls for a couple of reasons: 1) they are so versatile and a great way to use up leftover rice, fish and vegetables, and 2) they are super...

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How To Make a Vision Board

How To Make a Vision Board

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I started creating my vision board a couple of years ago. It was the kind of thing I would read about doing to support my mental health, think it was probably a good idea, and then never bother to make the time to actually make one. And then I started writing Thrive Through Yoga.  As part of my writing I explored hundreds of meditations and and mind-set exercises and heart-centred explorations and psychological and spiritual techniques that would help people grow stronger and kinder and braver. Vision boarding was one of those techniques. Fast forward a few years, and...

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Orthorexia Self-Test

Orthorexia Self-Test

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‘Orthorexia’ is a term coined by Dr. Steven Bratman back in 1996. And, although, it’s not officially a disorder in the DSM-V (the manual used worldwide to diagnose mental disorders, including eating disorders), orthorexia is talked about a lot in health and wellness circles. Because it is a fairly new disorder, research shows its prevalence varies from 7% to 58% of the general population depending on the assessment tool used. It’s also important to highlight that rates of orthorexia do appear to be higher amongst those working in healthcare (dieticians), therefore it is essential, as practitioners we review our own...

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Carrot Cake Banana Bread

Carrot Cake Banana Bread

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Bananas are amazing! And I can’t think of a better way to celebrate them than in banana bread. But not just any old banana bread… Nope. This is carrot cake banana bread!! This recipe is super simple to make. It’s packed full or nutrients. Plus, it requires basic ingredients you will probably have in your kitchen right now. Some of my clients have mentioned to me that bananas are a ‘fear food’ (something that creates anxiety) because of the sugar they contain. If you feel the same way, do your best to remember that a) sugar is not ‘toxic’,...

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Meditation for Healing: Touch and Go Meditation

Meditation for Healing: Touch and Go Meditation

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*If you haven’t read Meditation for Eating Disorder Recovery then I’d recommend you start there. One of the biggest lessons I have learnt through meditation is how to view anxiety with such calmness that it no longer feels like a threat. And because it no longer feels like a threat, I no longer feel the need to numb it with eating or exercise. This is because meditation teaches you how to separate YOU from your thoughts and fears and worries. How to be aware of these anxieties without becoming involved in them. How to observe them without believing them....

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About The Author


Hi, I’m Nicola! I’m a nutritionist, foodie and eating psychology geek. Fear-Free Food is the place where I share recipes, advice, and wellness tips to inspire you to eat freely, love fiercely, and live fearlessly.

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