http://sarahhawkinsnutrition.com/

Sarah Hawkins Nutrition, 1 Cranmore Park, Belfast (2025)

21/03/2025

🍃 Wild Garlic season is officially upon us!🧄

I absolutely LOVE this time of year as all my favourite things to forage like nettles, cleavers and dandelions begin to appear! 💫And the star of the show is of course, wild garlic! What an absolute gem! 💎

However, unlike nettles, cleavers and dandelions, wild garlic is much more of a rarity to find, especially these days. Therefore, sustainable foraging practices are KEY! 🗝 I cannot stress this enough as people begin their annual trips to gather as much of the stuff as they can, often leaving with their bags brimming with it! 🥹 If this is you or someone you know PLEASE 🙏 stop decimating this mighty little plant friend! ✋️

So the basics... rule no 1 of foraging, only pick plants you can 100% identify. Wild garlic should smell like... garlic...there's a surprise! No smell, its not wild garlic! 👀

Rule no 2 is never harvest more than 10% of an established herb. If you only see a few plants, move on and check back next year.

And rules 3 & 4 when it comes to wild garlic is NEVER EVER pull it out by the roots and only take 1 or 2 leaves per plant. Uprooting it, kills the plant so it won't return next year. Yes the roots are edible but please leave them in the ground. Taking all the leaves off the same plant also kills it! The leaves generate enough sugar through photosynthesis to get the roots through winter till next year. So carefully take only 1 or 2 leaves off each plant. The total you take should only be enough for 1 or two meals. Don't take more than you can use as its just a waste and more than a little bit greedy! 🤪

My favourite way to use wild garlic is as a pesto! Simply blend wild garlic 🍃, ground almonds🧅, parmesan cheese 🧀and quality olive oil 🫒with a pinch of salt in a food processor. It is delicious with fish, meat and pasta.

Bon appetit xx 👩‍🍳

08/11/2024

My immunity soup is a golden, silky based delight that magically combines 2 traditional foods for colds & flus: lemon & ginger tea + chicken soup!🥘

Honestly, this is one recipe to save to your favourites, ready for when you feel that ni**le at your throat or that stuffiness in your nose!🤧

INGREDIENTS
2 carrots, chopped🥕
2 sticks celery, chopped fine
1 red onion, diced 🧅
1 leek, sliced
6 cloves garlic, crushed🧄
Heaped tbsp ginger, grated🫚
8 mushrooms, roughly chopped🍄‍🟫
Handful kale, chopped🥬
150g orzo or rice
1.5L hot chicken stock/broth
1 lemon, juice only 🍋
2 egg yolks
Leftover cooked chicken🍗
Flat leaf parsley, chopped (optional)

🔹️ Heat a large saucepan with a little olive/coconut oil and cook the carrots onion, leeks and celery for 3-4 minutes until softened. Season with salt.
🔹️ Then add the garlic and ginger and cook for another 1-2 minutes.
🔹️Add the mushrooms and orzo/rice and hot chicken stock and bring to a boil, then simmer for 10-12 minutes until the grains are cooked.
🔹️Add the kale the last few minutes of cooking.
🔹️ As the kale cooks, separate 2 egg yolks into a bowl and add the lemon juice, whisk with a folk to combine. Then slowly add a ladle of the hot soup broth to the lemon + egg mixture as you whisk.
🔹️Turn off the heat for the soup and add the lemon and egg mixture, stir to combine.
🔹️Place shredded cooked chicken into soup bowls and ladle over your golden soup. Garnish with the chopped parsley if using and Wall-ah! 👩‍🍳

20/10/2024

SPOokY SEasOn is here! How you like them apples?👻 🧙‍♀️🍎

Setting boundaries and learning to advocate for our bodies, our wellbeing and even our sanity is sadly the reality faced by women today. We have no choice but to navigate both the healthcare system and social dynamics that still think its OK to downplay and even dismiss how we feel without thorough and proper investigation and to openly pry into our fertility status and plans. Yes, Aunt Sandra, we're looking at you! 🙀

BUT the good news is, things are changing, albeit at a snails pace. 🐌 YOU don't have to put up with hormonal and/or digestive issues that interfere with your life. Nor do you have to put up with nosey parkers who ask things you don't feel you need to answer.

If you're struggling with gut and or hormonal issues and you're ready to transform your health, drop me a PM or head to my website and book yourself in for a free 20min chat where we can see if we're a good fit to work together! 🫶

🎆 Wishing you a happy Halloween

Sarahxx 🎃

#

08/04/2024

Don't get me wrong, I love a wee pamperday 💅as much as the next person, but the odd 'selfcare sunday' ain't going to get you any closer to your health goals. And until you put your own needs (note: not wants) first, your health WILL suffer. 📉
Life is about choice. You can choose to stay in the cr@ppy relationship💔, be a doormat for your boss and eat the junk food infront of the tv 📺 every night, but know that a) life doesn't have to suck on every level, b) its never too late to take new paths and c) you deserve to be happy. 🌞

25/03/2024

The amount of Netflix docuseries pushing plant based diets with less than credible research, not to mention all the kale smoothie loving influencers, it can seem like anything other than vegan is just not good enough. 🥑
Whilst its easy to fall into the belief that plant based is the healthiest way of eating, both for your own health and that of the planet, like most things, its just not that black and white!
Let me start by saying that I see a lot of clients with hormonal and/or digestive issues, and regardless of whether they eat animal products or not, nutrient deficiencies are commonplace. The difference is that its often my strictly plant based clients that have what looks like a pretty healthy diet on paper but are completely unaware of the key nutrients they might be lacking.🌱
Like it or not, animal products are a much better source of the nutrients listed above. Think eggs, offal, poultry, red meat, shellfish and dairy. Theres other nutrients often lacking too, like vitamin d, calcium, iron and iodine, which again are best found in animal products.
So why am I posting this? Its not to p*ss off the vegans, so please don't be slipping into my dms and comments with your hate for this post. The entire point of this post is to raise awareness of key nutrients you might be lacking on a plant based diet. If you are not eating animal products and have what looks like a pretty clean diet but still suffer with light/heavy/clotty/painful periods, bloating, ibs, mood changes, skin issues, low energy, brain fog, joint stiffness and/or sleep disturbances it might be some of the nutrient deficiencies mentioned above. Same goes if you eat meat tbf. 😬
If you want to be well on a plant based diet but have a lot of digestive or hormonal symptoms, you are going to have a more difficult path. And I'm saying that from both personal and clinical experience over the last decade. Its not impossible, just more tricky to get right. Speaking to a qualified health professional to guide you and run some bloodwork is often a good place to start.
Disclaimer: intended for educational purposes only.

22/03/2024

Its hard to pick just a few of my favourite herbs for tea, even now I'm looking at this post thinking of all the others that aren't included!😅 But here is why these guys made the list....
1️⃣ Camomile is well known as a 'sleepy tea' but did you know its also soothing to the gut and aids digestion because its slightly bitter? 🌼
2️⃣ Make elderberry syrup in Autumn and add it to hot water and lemon! Delicious but also immune boosting and much cheaper than buying it in the pharmacy!
3️⃣ Ginger is a warming, powerful anti- inflammatory herb helpful with nausea, painful periods and digestion.
4️⃣ Raspberry leaf tea is a really pleasant tasting tea packed full of minerals! It also has been shown to help tone the uterus making for less crampy periods when drank consistently.
5️⃣ Lemon balm is a delicious member of the mint family with a citrus taste. So many studies on this herb! Useful for blood sugar balance, anti herpetic, reduces anxiety and aids digestion. 🍋
6️⃣ Hawthorn grows EVERYWHERE in Ireland, the hedges turn white all over in May when the flowers come out. Powerfully rich in heart loving antioxidants and a soothing herb to thr nervous system!
7️⃣ Got gas? Make yourself a fennel seed tea!💨
8️⃣ Linden/limeflower is a tasty tea soothing to nervous and digestive system. A great tea before bed. Packed with antioxidants!
9️⃣ In the autumn collect rosehips for tea and syrup! Packed full of natures Vit C!
1️⃣0️⃣ A rich source of nutrients for hair, skin, bones and nails... drink nettle tea! 🦴

Disclaimer: for information purposes only, not intended to treat or diagnose.

15/03/2024

Hands up if lipbalm has actually made your chapped, sore lips even more sore and chapped than before? 🙋‍♀️ Based on my recent poll in my stories, it seems that I'm far from alone with 67% of you agreeing with me!
I knew it couldn't just be me, so I'm here to tell you why your lip balm isn't working and how to find one that does. FINALLY you can have soft lips all year long! Can I get a hoorah?! 💋
1️⃣ Essential oils and synthetic fragrances can really dry out and irritate your skin. Yes, even natural plant extracts like geraniol, citronellol and cinnamaldehyde all can cause skin reactions. One study found peppermint oil to be the worst offender! So skip fragrances if you are sensitive!
2️⃣ Topical vitamin E (dl-alpha-tocopherol) is listed by The Dermatitis Institute as one of THEE most prevelant allergens that causes contact dermatitis. Yet its in almost every single lip balm out there! Vitamin e is a skin loving nutrient, but stick to dietary sources like avocado, red peppers and seafood. 🥑
3️⃣ You'd think castor oil, beeswax and coconut oil to be some of the safest things to put on your lips! Well, not for everyone. A lot of companies use chemicals like hexane to extract castor oil which can cause skin reactions. Some people are also sensitive to ricinoleic acid in castor oil. With beeswax, in its pure form is generally good but not if mixed with the other allergens listed in this post. Some also react to any trace of propolis in beeswax. Coconut oil is good for some in its pure form but be mindful it blocks pores which can cause irritation
4️⃣ Drink. More. Water. Caffeinated drinks and most herbal teas are direutics so chapped lips can be your body's way if telling you to rehydrate!
5️⃣ Skip the chemical SPF! Source a mineral based one!
So what do I recommend as a lip balm? It can be a bit of trial and error. Try a single ingredient chapstick and check for irritation. For me I love made from 100% lanolin (sheeps wool). Some people react to lanolin so if this is you try pure shea butter or pure beeswax and see which one works best!💋

08/02/2024

Yes, you read that right, you CAN eat butter! So go bin that utterly butterly once and for all! I mean it, if you have margarine lurking in your fridge, drop everything this instant and go bin that utter rubbish!😅
The truth is, fat matters! Low fat diets are not healthy as we need fat for brain function, hormones and vitamin absorption to name but a few.
But WHICH fat also matters. Seed oils like sunflower and rapeseed are so processed that you want to try to limit these as much as possible as they are very pro-inflammatory. Sadly, they are in everything from crisps and mayonnaise to cakes and pasta sauces. 🍝
But the good news is switching to butter from margarine is an easy swap and one your cells will thank you for. Go grass fed for extra benefits! Here's 5 reasons why you should eat butter again...
1️⃣ Butter is an excellent source of vitamin A, as well as vitamins D and K, all in their bioavailable form which can be difficult to find in most diets. These nutrients are essential for the efficient absorption of both calcium and phosphorus, and therefore strong bones and teeth! 🦷

2️⃣ Adding butter to your cooked veg helps absorb fat soluble vitamins within them (A,D,E & K) so you get even more benefits from eating your broccoli & kale! 🥦
3️⃣ Butter is well tolerated, even by those who struggle with dairy. As a pure fat there is very little, if any, lactose (sugar) or protein (casein) in butter to cause issues.
4️⃣ Butter is solid at room temperature meaning it is not as prone to rancidity as the more delicate seed oils. This is partly why it isn't pro-inflammatory like seed oils. The best butter to cook with is ghee which doesn't burn. Avoid rapeseed, sunflower & vegetable oil completely when cooking.
5️⃣ Butter is rich in short- & medium-chain fatty acids, such as conjugated linoleic acids (CLA); these have a significant anti-tumour, anti-cancer action. Butter from grass-fed cows has more CLA.
A final word to the wise... don't be fooled into buying 'spreadable' butter...its still mostly margarine!!! Opt for a solid block of local, grass-fed butter. Always.🧈

05/02/2024

Coffee lovers rejoice! ☕Amongst all the incessant noise on socials around coffee you may be wondering whether your coffee habit is doing you good or not, so here are my top tips to make coffee work for you!
1️⃣ Buy good quality, organic coffee. Most stuff on the shelves are loaded with pesticide residues and have other nasties used in the manufacturing process, not to mention molds...yikes! My fave brand is
which has the same amount of antioxidants per cup as 600 blueberries!!!
2️⃣ If you are stressed, anxious or struggling with sleep, try to stick to one cup of coffee a day before 1pm. do a FAB decaff coffee with no added chemicals to extract the caffeine. Its the only decaff I drink myself!😊
3️⃣ If you rely on coffee to make you p**p then you need to work on your gut health. Drop me a dm to find out more. 💩
4️⃣ Avoid coffee first thing on an empty stomach. It spikes cortisol and puts you into fight or flight mode...not a great way to start the day! Instead hydrate with warm water and a squeeze of lemon or lime to start your morning off on a good footing. Need energy first thing? Hydration is key!
5️⃣ Remember, coffee is a laxative! If you struggle with IBS symptoms and drink coffee throughout the day, it could be your coffee habit making you run to the toilet more often!
6️⃣ There is such a thing as too much of a good thing. Try to limit coffee to 1-3 cups a day, especially if you are stressed or drink it black. The tannins in black coffee can impair digestion of certain nutrients like iron and can irritate the bladder.
I hope this was useful for all the coffee lovers out there!

Do you drink coffee?

01/02/2024

Granola, overnight oats, porridge...at times it feels like everyone on insta eats some form of oats for breakfast, even if its in the form of an oat milk latte or shake.
In theory oats are a sound choice for brekkie, they are full of fibre, b vitamins and heart loving beta glucans. They are also cheap, readily available and ever so versatile, as demonstrated by the 2.8 billion* insta pics of porridge... *thats just my best guesstimate😅
But if you are struggling with your hormones, gut health, blood sugars and/or energy throughout the day and are having a big bowl of oats with fruit, honey and nut butter for breakfast, well I'm afraid to break it to you, but thats not the ideal breakfast for you. And spoiler alert, nut butter is not a health food either - see my previous post on my grid.
How many of us actually measure out our 30g serving of oats? 30g is actually very little. In fact the quaker oats in the little bags are just 27g. Most people eat a significantly bigger portion and that is a LOT of carbohydrates first thing in the morning. Then add fruit, honey or maple syrup and that sugar hit first thing in the morning shoots up even more. 🚀
Now don't get me wrong, its not that carbs are bad or sugar is the devil. Not at all. However, at breakfast we want to fuel our body right with the balance of macros (protein, carbs, fat). We want to aim for 25-35g of protein at breakfast to maintain blood sugars (and support energy, hormones, stress levels). A bowl of oats with semi skimmed milk offers about 10g of protein and 24g of carbohydrates. If you use plant based milk then the protein is significantly less than this! And this is BEFORE you even add on fruit and honey...EEK!
Its time to shake off the notion that cereal and toast are breakfast. Eggs, fish and yogurt are always a good bet and provide dense nutrition. Add some fruit for antioxidants and carbs and thats a winner in my book. If you eat oats, add collagen and an egg or yoghurt. But there's lots of other high protein choices too. Need ideas or have alternative breakfast recipes you'd like to share? Let me know in the comments below! 👇

24/01/2024

You might not like any of these truths ladies, but if you have heavy periods, irregular cycles, light bleeds, don't ovulate, get migraines, mega PMS, spotting, sore b🍒bs, severe cramping and pain or have lost your periods completely, and you do any (or all 👀) of these things....its time to change things up.
Contary to popular belief, periods should not be excessively sore and heavy, nor come with a string of unpleasant symptoms making you dread your monthly bleed. Having a healthy period (whilst not on any hormonal birth control) is an absolute cornerstone of women's health.
But what is a healthy period?
🩸Blood that is bright or dark red, not pink or brown
🩸Not severely painful
🩸Little to no clots
🩸Lasts 4-6 days
🩸Arrives every 26-34 days
🩸Not too heavy or too light (more on that later)
🩸Some mood changes are normal, but not severe
🩸No breast tenderness or migraines beforehand
🩸Fatigue or cravings that aren't excessive
If this 👆 doesn't sound like you, and you are doing the things I highlighted in my post AND you want to restore your period health, then you need to change the way you fuel and move your body.
Yes, that means no more coffee fuelled workouts at 5am on an empty stomach and then eventually getting round to eating porridge at 11am. Any wonder your hormones are outta whack!🙈
And before all the coffee guzzling gym bunnies come at me, if your period health is great, as is your overall health, then you do you girl! 🏋️‍♀️ This post is aimed at all the ladies struggling every month whilst falling into any of these daily habits!
If you would like to work with me to restore healthy periods, drop me a pm or book in for a free 20min chat via my website (link in bio)

21/01/2024

🌬With Storm Isha in full swing theres something extra comforting about a big bowl of hearty lentil soup! Aaaaand before you tell me lentils make you bloated and gassy, follow my instructions below for a lentil recipe without the gastric turbulence!
I usually do a spiced lentil soup, but as today is Sunday it just had to be lentil and bacon! Nom! And with plenty of leftovers for the next few lunches, its a great recipe for my weekly meal prep! Its also cheap as chips to make and packs a decent amount of fibre, protein and vitamin A!
INGREDIENTS:
🥓3 rashes bacon,
🧅1 large white onion,
🧄2 cloves garlic,
🥕1 medium carrot,
🍠1 small sweet potato,
🫑1 small red pepper,
☕1.5 cups red lentils,
🔸️1.5 stock cubes,
🧂Salt & pepper
METHOD: Boil kettle and chop the veg and dice the bacon. Rinse the lentils and place in a pan with cold water and bring to the boil. Simmer for 8mins, drain and rinse well. Set aside. Heat some coconut oil or ghee in a pan and fry the bacon, onion and pepper for 2-3 mins. Add the garlic, sweet potato and stock to a pan and add just enough hot water cover. Bring to boil and simmer for 12-15mins until veg is soft. Add lentils and blitz to your desired consistency. And wall-ah! 👩‍🍳
.
Pair with leftover Sunday roast chicken or add some collagen powder and you've got a super filling, blood sugar balancing, hormone loving lunch to last you all the way to dinner!

Sarah Hawkins Nutrition

21/03/2025

08/11/2024

20/10/2024

08/04/2024

25/03/2024

22/03/2024

15/03/2024

08/02/2024

05/02/2024

01/02/2024

24/01/2024

21/01/2024

Address

Telephone

Website

Alerts

Contact The Practice

Shortcuts

Share

Category