While we are often told that calories deficits and restricting food is the key to losing weight, a Cork nutrition expert says that eating real foods and being conscious about what we are putting into our bodies is the key to boosting our metabolism and fuelling ourselves properly.
According to Lucy Kenefick, founder of Nume Collective and co-founder of Obodo gym, long-term food restriction isn’t good for us.
“We are constantly told to eat less, to restrict certain foods, to try this new supplement, etc, but ultimately, the reality is that long-term restriction really slows down the metabolism and plays a big part on our hormones and on our energy levels,” she says.
With a background in nutrition, movement, and education, Lucy’s mission is to empower women to make lasting, sustainable changes – starting with the food they eat. It may surprise some people to learn that she recommends that people eat more, rather than less.
“That doesn’t necessarily mean eating more food, it means eating the right food and that’s where food labelling comes into it,” she says. “Food labels are confusing because we don’t really know what’s in our food. “They say ‘low calorie, low fat, high fibre, high protein’ but a lot of these newer foods aren’t leaving us feeling or doing our best.”
At the heart of Nume Collective is a simple but powerful philosophy – eat real food, as close to their natural state as possible. 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.
“Ultimately not all foods are equal, so what we need to start being aware of and trying to do better is to eat more real foods, looking at our complex carbohydrates, our lean proteins, our good fats, crunchy vegetables and high fibre foods,” she says. “These will ultimately boost your metabolism and make you start feeling better.”
Lucy says that by following these guidelines, we’ll fuel our bodies and absorb the nutritional value from real foods. She also says that these principles can also help people struggling with weight that wouldn’t budge.
“This could be the missing piece that’s holding you back,” she says. “Restrictive eating will get you so far, but for long-term weight goals, health goals and health gains, you’re really going to need to have to look at the quality of your foods,” she says.
