Tell us a little bit about yourself….

I’m a local girl, having grown up in Coleshill, now living in Beaconsfield with my husband, 3 kids, Rhodesian Ridgeback and chickens! Just before I fell pregnant with my third child, I decided to retrain as a Nutritional Healer – I wasn’t sure if it would just be to use my brain and learn something I’m passionate about, or to become a potential future career – it turns out I love it so much and I’ve seen how well it works, that it is now my job!

In a nutshell what’s nutritional healing?

Essentially, it is looking to all aspects of nature in order to heal our bodies. Mother Nature created everything in perfect balance, but our modern lives now create imbalances within us and we need to rectify that.

What were you doing before you set up Tara Nutritional Healing?

I have an unusual career history! I started in the fashion industry, then moved to food and travel, specialising in Italy, where I also qualified as a Sommelier. Before becoming a mum and nutritional healer, however, I was working in the world of pensions!

When and why did you set up your business?

I set up my business nearly 2 years ago, upon qualifying from the College of Nutritional Healing. I feel like I am truly able to combine my two passions: food and vitality. Attending a detox retreat in Somerset gave me insight into the world of Naturopathy and Healing, providing me with an opportunity to use my existing knowledge as well as heal myself of chronic neck pain. By working for myself, I am able to (attempt to) fit working around being a mum – which is still my primary job!

What’s the process you go through with a new client and how much does it cost?

Clients come to me with all sorts of ailments. I fully believe that you can’t heal in a single appointment, so I ask my clients to commit to 5 sessions initially, so that I can hold their hands as they begin their journey of healing. My approach is to drip-feed changes weekly into my client’s lifestyles so that they can implement them slowly, without feeling overwhelmed and adding to the stress their body is already under. 5 sessions cost £320.

Why would someone come to see you?

Quite simply – why not? Why spend the rest of your life on medication or feeling low or suffering in pain, when your body has an innate ability to heal itself?

What small simple changes can people make to increase their vitality or begin the healing process?

The top answer has to be WATER. But it’s not that straightforward. Yes drinking 2-3litres a day is necessary because our bodies are 70-80% water, so if we don’t get enough water intake, many systems stop functioning properly. But then take into account the amount of water we lose on a daily basis through breathing, exercising, talking, stress, taking in stimulants such as caffeine or fizzy drinks, and you can see why many of us are de-hydrated. Remember to drink water AWAY from meals – 30mins before or 1hr after. If you drink with food, your stomach acid becomes diluted and you don’t digest properly, potentially causing issues for your gut – another important area for the health of your body!

Another quick win is to replace everything ‘white’ you eat with everything ‘brown’!

What do you suggest for someone that doesn’t like plain water?!

Water is best to be drunk by itself. As soon as you add anything to pure water, your body has to expend energy (and therefore more water!) trying to turn it back to water. If you are really struggling, add some fresh fruit or herbs such as lemon, orange, mint, rosemary. Cordial is not ideal because it contains sugar but you could do a ‘weaning process’, gradually adding less and less. The key is to having pure filtered water which taste lovely and clean – tap water unfortunately has various chemicals in it so some may find it’s taste unpleasant.

Do you have any daily rituals?

I haven’t really thought about it but I guess I probably do! My morning ritual is a cup of mushroom tea with lemon, ginger and 1/2tsp coconut oil. You can get little sachets of ready mixed mushroom tea so just add hot water. Medicinal mushrooms are amazing for restoring hormonal balance and helping your body deal with stress without it actually getting stressed! Coconut oil on an empty tummy is a great energy booster and the slices of lemon and ginger are brilliant to prepare the tummy for the day ahead!

My ‘afternoon pick-up’ is a couple of squares of raw dark chocolate with a rooibos chai tea. Sometimes I make my own raw chocolate but otherwise I buy Raw Halo ( available from Waitrose or health food shops such as Revital in Beaconsfield), Panna or Ombar which have loads of yummy flavour options. Raw chocolate is a superfood! It contains masses of amazing nutrients, including antioxidants, magnesium, iron and increases blood flow to the brain. The confectionary that we all grew up eating as treats doesn’t have any of these amazing properties unfortunately!

What does a typical week look like for you?

Recently its mostly been homeschooling! However, in general, a lot of time is spent cooking and preparing food. I try get out in nature too as it is so good for our bodies, so walking the puppy is useful there! I also love gardening, which really helps me reset and has been such a tonic this last year. I exercise 4 times a week, do some yoga, experiment with essential oils, love a movie. And I’m always thinking about new workshops I can create to bring some of this awesome information to others.

And just for fun….

Favourite places locally:

TO WALK: Walking in nature is so important for the soul. I enjoy the woods from the top of Sandelswood End in Beaconsfield, down to Marrods Bottom, past the sheep field and up to see the alpacas and goats in Coleshill.

GET TAKEOUT: Prema’s Kitchen is a Sri Lankan takeaway in Cookham – home cooked, authentic dishes, full of flavour, delicate spice and quality ingredients.

GRAB COFFEE: Benedicts in Beaconsfield for their fruity Monmouth decaf coffee. On Fridays, I buy a cheeky protein ball from them too, handmade in Marlow by Clairesamazeballs

BUY FOOD: Halls of Hazlemere butchers have excellent meat and delicious pre-made pies, lasagne, snitzel. My favourite is the steak and ale pie!

SHOP FOR GIFTS: Mira always has some lovely trinkets for a friend, although I usually end up treating myself to a pair of earrings too! Prelibato, the Italian deli in Beaconsfield Old Town, also has some delicious bits to buy as gifts for friends – Dolce & Gabbana spaghetti was a hit!

SHOP FOR CLOTHES: Heidi and Hudson have some lovely things. If I’m looking for a special piece, I’ll check them out in Amersham or Gerrards Cross. I also love Odette for underwear (now as a pop-up in Jak & Liza) – they recycle all old underwear and send it to Africa, which is great!

There are a few other independents that I love and hope they will have survived this third lockdown.

What are you currently reading?

I have just finished a bit of escapism in The Butterfly Room by Lucinda Riley – easy reading fiction of family drama and history tangled with love twists! Now I’m into The Case For Keto by G. Taubes which revisits everything society knows about why people might be overweight and how to adjust the body to burn fat instead of storing it.

Favourite cook book?

Simple by Ottolenghi – I adore Middle Eastern food! This has lots of fail safe recipes to use when cooking for friends. For Christmas, my husband bought me ’The Diabetes Weight Loss Cookbook’ from the Caldesi family (my Italian nostalgia and lovely restaurant in Bray!) which contains delicious Italian recipes without all the carbs, which can be problematic for many, not just those with chronic conditions.

What do you love most about where you live?

We have such a great neighbourhood. Lots of lovely friends, and my kids are just getting old enough to be able to walk into ’town’ by themselves, mostly to get a crepe from Fego! In general, I love the Chilterns for having nature and rolling countryside on our doorstep, with the opportunity for culture and art in amazing London if we want it, only 20mins away by train!

What might people not know about you?

I was once on Ready, Steady Cook with James Martin as my chef! A life highlight!

Workshops

Tara runs workshops at various times of the year, including ‘Make with Me Kombucha Making’, Superfoods workshops, Water workshops, Gut Health workshops. After Easter, she will run a workshop called Health on a Plate where you can learn all about the philosophy behind Nutritional Healing, how amazing the body is and how we can make it work better, what to look for in nature to help us feel better, what fats to eat (and what to avoid) and how to cleanse the body in order to help eliminate any symptoms of dis-ease we might be experiencing. Contact Tara to find out more.