Rising levels of fatigue, weight issues, poor sleep, and mood imbalances are being attributed to poor nutrition and an over-reliance on ultra-processed food. Today’s eating habits and misinformation are leaving many people undernourished and overwhelmed.
Cork’s Lucy Kenefick, a nutrition expert and founder of Nume Collective, is leading a movement to change this. With a background in nutrition, movement, and education, and as co-founder of Obodo gym, Lucy brings a uniquely local and holistic approach to health and wellness. Her mission is to empower women to make lasting, sustainable changes—starting with the food they eat.
“Food becomes problematic to the body when we process it beyond its natural state, either adding to it or taking- away from it,” Lucy explains.
At the heart of Nume Collective is a simple but powerful philosophy – eat real food, as close to their natural state as possible. She continued “We believe in eating foods as close to nature as possible. If it flew, grazed the earth, swam in the sea, grew from a tree or in the ground, then it’s probably ok to eat.”
Lucy believes that this back-to-basics approach is key to restoring energy, supporting weight management, and improving overall health, something she’s seen time and time again in her work with Cork clients, mainly women.
The issue isn’t just what we’re eating, but how far we’ve drifted from understanding food’s true role in our lives. Ultra-processed options, though convenient, are often stripped of their nutrients and packed with additives that do more harm than good. “By eating real, wholefoods most of the time, you will automatically be consuming nutrient dense foods. All foods in their natural state could be deemed a superfood.”
Lucy’s approach is refreshingly human. She rejects the outdated model of obsessive calorie counting and instead encourages a more mindful relationship with food. “Calorie estimates on food labels can be out by up to 25%. The equipment you use to determine how many calories you are burning in the gym can also be off by about 25%,” she says. “So you can see how this method of calories in, calories out is not an exact science.”
Rather than tracking every bite, Lucy advises people to become more in tune with their own hunger cues. “Weighing, measuring and recording foods is a real drag. Calculating your macronutrients at every meal is a sure-fire way to fall off the wagon. It just gets in the way of life.” She advocates awareness when it comes to portion sizes and advises stopping eating when you are 80% full.
- Her 90/10 rule promotes balance: eat well most of the time, but enjoy life’s treats without guilt. “We have lives to live! Don’t get so caught up in a regimented diet that you can’t enjoy a meal out with friends, or your son’s birthday cake. Good health is about being mentally happy too.”
- This Cork voice of wellness also stresses that no two bodies are the same. Individual responses to food matter. “Listen to your body. If a food makes you feel bad, tired, sluggish, leaves you with gut aches, skin problems just stop eating it. If you feel full of life, then it’s probably for you.”
The Nume Collective, under Lucy’s guidance, is more than a wellness brand, it’s a community resource in Cork, built around education, empowerment, and sustainable change. Lucy’s practical and compassionate guidance is helping women across Cork reconnect with food, restore their energy, and reclaim their health one real meal at a time.
