1. Your name, title, and age? What do you do (or did you do) for a living?

My name is Nathalie Chantal de Ahna, I’m 35 years old and a certified orthomolecular nutritionist and mindfulness coach.

I am convinced that anyone can change their lifestyle and be genuinely happy and healthy, if they take it one step at a time, use a holistic approach and never try and force changes upon them which they are not ready for yet.

We develop routines and habits over the course of years. I we want to change, we need to allow ourselves time to evolve and follow a decent step-by-step plan (rather than a “quick fix” diet trend).

I always say: “First find your balance. Then anything is possible!”

2. Who was the person that inspired you as a child to eat healthy and stay fit? What was their relationship to you?

My grandma, definitely. She knew a lot about how to eat right, she believed in the power of nature and food as medicine and she was a very spiritual person.

Although my kids never got to know her, I’ve told them many stories about her great granny and I’m sure she is still somewhere out there watching over us.

My kids are aged 3.5 and 5. When I teach them about food and a healthy lifestyle, I often talk about how “Granny Irma” used to do things.

For example, the only reason why my kids keep on trying food which they think they do not like is because their great grandmother always used to say to me:

“My dear girl, the only reason why you feel you don’t like it is because you haven’t tried it often enough. Just try it again. And again. And again. And again. And sooner or later you will love it and all the little warriors in your body fighting nasty virus and germ monsters who want to make you sick will be doing a happy dance.”

My kids love these stories and when I then show them what a happy dance looks like they try whatever I put on their plates.

3. What did they do to inspire you?

My grandma was always there for me, she never pushed me, she always listened and she simply practiced what she preached! That was the most important, I guess.

She taught me a lot of her wisdom, it only took me years to fully understand how precious her lessons were.

To be honest, when I was still a child, I struggled a lot. As a teenager and young woman I suffered from an eating disorder, I was depressed, a bacteriophobe, as well as co-dependent.

I didn’t eat right and generally didn’t take very good care of myself.

But when things looked especially gloomy at some point, I knew I had to start acting differently if I wanted my life to change.

4. How did their lesson change your life?

My grandma was a very religious person and her belief helped her move mountains.

When I had hit rock bottom, I started to meditate and slowly but surely, everything began to change – just like my grandma had always promised me.

I started to eat better, educate myself and rediscovered the truths she had been telling me all along:

Food can be your medicine. Believe in yourself and in the power of your mind, find your silver lining and take it from there.

Life is all about balance. Find yours and you are ready to take on the world.

5. Do you convey their message to kids in your life presently?

Definitely. I really walk my talk and I’m very proud of how much for example my own kids already know about healthy living.

If you ask them what to do fight nasty cancer monsters, they will tell you to drink lots of green juice, eat every color of the rainbow each day, use turmeric and pepper s lot, sleep well, laugh a lot and exercise.

They will also tell you that cancer monsters love sugar, wherefore it is important that we don’t eat too much sweet stuff and things that come from a pack.

Don’t get me wrong, my kids have dessert almost every day. But we mostly make our own food and stick with the 80/20 rule.

Have at least 80% awesome food daily. If you then want something which is not that great nutrient-wise, go ahead and ENJOY it.

This is also a very important lesson I teach my kids: ENJOY what you eat and take your time doing so.

This is one of the best recipes for developing a healthy relationship with food and having a long life.

I lost my dad to cancer several years ago and my father-in-law died of cancer, too. This is another reason why I changed my own life step by step.

I want to grow really old, get to know my grandkids and be able to chase after them.

6. What would be your main message to children today to lead healthy lifestyles?

Focus on do’s rather than dont’s. “Restricting” and “cutting down or out” is scary and counter-productive, but there is so much out there we can ADD to our life: amazing food we have never tried before, sports that are incredibly fun.

There is a healthy alternative to everything. We just need to look for and try them!

Once we’ve seen the incredible effects that for example simple and real food has on us, all the bad stuff becomes less and less appealing.

Also, living healthily is by no means boring.

If you live a healthy lifestyle you will be happy and balanced. You will feel incredible, look great, and never need to worry about your weight. You can focus and achieve anything you want.

Effortlessly!

My kids have learnt that from the very beginning and they have preserved their somatic intelligence: their innate food navigation system which tells them exactly what and how much to eat to feel happy and healthy.

Of course, they do love a piece of cake or some ice cream. But their body tells them when they have had enough and the amazing thing is that they actually listen and stop.

No arguing, no fighting – it happens naturally.

And the best thing is:

We all have this innate ability. We just need to rediscover it!

7. Do you have a web site you would like to promote….web address only?

Yes, I have. You can find me at www.simplylivebetter.net