with Debbie Townsend
“Healthy eating can sometimes seem quite daunting, I quickly realised that rather than thinking about what you can’t have, your focus needs to be on the foods that you can eat and by simply adding a few good things into your daily meals, before you know it your diet is predominantly healthy.
I also find that if you do have “a bad day”, then it’s best just to get back to healthy eating the next day, try not to focus to much on the negative and realise that tomorrow is a new day. The bonuses of feeling healthy and having more energy whilst following a healthy eating plan are essential."
Sian, 42
" I met Debbie when I was about 12 as she was my chiropractor. I struggled a lot, even at that age, with feeling physically grotty, slow and I was overweight which causes so many anxieties for many young people. Debbie introduced me to her Complete Lifestyle, her No Fads, No diet, leaflets that really helped me understand what real health actually looks like. I learnt what toxic foods are and how to avoid them, even though they are all around us all the time!
Also, she got me onto Arbonne, making a general swap to safer, cleaner skincare products but more importantly, the Arbonne 30 day plan. It was tough, I am not going to lie to change my eating and thinking habits about food, but it was worth it. Once you get into the swing of it, it becomes natural and your new habit.
The rewards for eating clean, cutting out toxins, addictive foods and so on, not only helped me lose that uncomfortable weight but helped my anxiety making me feel amazing. It felt like my body had taken a big breath of fresh air, that my veins had opened up to let everything flow properly and efficiently; these are only a few of the benefits. I had more energy and therefore more motivation felt cleaner and healthier.
I can never go back to my bad eating habits as they do not serve me and now I surge forward, with a force that almost seems superhuman, learning about health and achieving my goals. People talk about investments in money, property and so on but what about an investment into your health and lifestyle as that is what facilitates everything else that one does.
I am proof that learning and eliminating toxic and bad foods and substances are life changing and this isn’t just limited to grown-ups but can be used and help children as it did me. So good luck and I believe in you! "
Henry, 20
" My original heath concerns came from not sleeping well (always waking up at around 2am), bloat, breaking out, eczema all over my hands and fingers but when I found the plan and breakfast club it was honestly surprisingly easy! I thought I would be hungry but some easy changes like not eating as soon as I wake up and closing that time gap more from breakfast to lunch made life so much easier!
After days I instantly noticed my eczema went away because of cutting out dairy, and that stopped my breakouts also. Sleep was a huge one, I found I was sleeping through and waking up at 7/8am naturally with so much energy, even if I tried to go back to sleep I just couldn’t! Also in about 4 days my bloat had almost completely gone!
I'm so glad I did this because now still every morning I replace breakfast for a shake, changing the recipes often which is fun but putting all the good stuff in of course and I wait an hour or two after waking up before I have it to keep me fuller for longer. Instead of coffee I have fizz sticks - one in the morning and one in the afternoon and I’m just always on top form because of it! I've dropped my carb intake for healthier alternatives thanks to Debbie's consultation and dairy alternatives has had a huge impact on my bloat and skin!
I will never have cows or soy milk again thanks to the knowledge gained! I always have almond, oat, coconut or cashew milk now and they’re so delicious/affordable/easily accessible!
I would absolutely recommend a lifestyle change no matter how small! The world is changing very fast and alternatives are becoming way more accessible so it’s really easy! Simple changes can really have an amazing impact on your day to day life whether that be more energy, better sleep, skin or losing a little weight etc. It was far easier than I thought and once you’re in a habit which you know is doing your overall health good there is just no going back! "
Kobe, 23
"My husband, Harry, has Type 2 diabetes.
From diagnosis, he quickly lost 3st in weight.
While successfully lowering his blood sugar levels we struggled to keep him at a healthy weight. .....then we met Debbie.
Her wealth of knowledge, dietary advice and continuing care have put him on the right track. We now have a greater understanding of the effect of food on our bodies and our diet has changed for the better. We eat healthier meals, organically where possible and by substituting protein in place of excessive carbohydrate Harry's weight has now stabilized."
Enid, 72
Success Stories
" I’ve never been particularly unhealthy but when I have eliminated the toxic foods from my diet I have found that I sleep better, my mental acuity is better (which is useful being a student) and that during the summer months my hay fever doesn’t flare up as badly so I guess that means my immune system is working better. I go to the gym a lot so I’ve also found that when I’m eating better I recover quicker and I tone up more.
The changes for me were pretty easy, of course you have cravings early on because the foods you cut out are made to be addictive but once you overcome that small barrier you don’t even think about them. Once I changed my lifestyle for a certain amount of time, for me it was 30 days, it was easy to maintain the healthy habits of eating gluten free pasta’s, cutting out bread and not eating any dairy because for me they made the biggest impact. I didn’t realise it was gluten that made me feel bloated after a bowl of pasta and dairy that was causing my skin to flare up so they stay, happily, out of my diet now.
I would definitely recommend a lifestyle change to people…..or at least just looking at and questioning your own diet and exercise. Mainly because people believe they have healthy diets because of adverts and what others say but when you look at a real healthy lifestyle, full of whole natural foods, you might realise you’re further away than you think and will connect some dots about what you’re consuming and some health issues you might have. And, it’s not a case of cutting everything out cold turkey, of course I still eat unhealthy things now and again but it’s few and far between now, it’s about changing daily habits. That’s what I did anyway and now I feel great every day."
Dan, 28
" I am a single working mum of two beautiful children (aged 6 and 9) and I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia in June 2017. At the time I was shocked, I knew I’d had a few rough years, a surprise pregnancy, a child that never slept, a stressful job safeguarding children, a split with the children’s father, and so I had put my symptoms down life and not a chronic illness.
Looking back now I am unsure how I managed. I suffered migraines 3 to 4 times a week, I felt bloated all the time and had IBS, I was dragging myself out of bed after over 8 hours sleep, still exhausted, I had lots of nightmares, my limbs ached all over, I was unable to concentrate and started to forget things, I stuttered as I couldn’t process the words in my head. My head felt like it was in a spaceman’s helmet and I knew it was impacting my work. I was grumpy, snappy and I’ll admit it, not a great mum or person to be around.
The symptom that left me the most devastated was the pain and lack of strength in my hands, unable to tie my daughters hair up or do the children’s buttons on their clothes. All this left me demotivated and low in mood.
The doctors told me there was no cure, fibro had only recently being recognised as a chronic illness and it was in its early stages of research. I’d have to prepare myself to be unable to continue working, the illness will only progress and get worse. I was prescribed lots of pain killers, muscle relaxants and anti depressants to mask the pain. I refused that this would be my new reality so I started to research the healthy benefits of nutrition. There was so much to unravel, it seemed like a mine field. Some of it was conflicting and I was completely confused and overwhelmed.
I was then introduced to a healthy eating plan by Debbie. This program pulled together everything I had been researching, into an easy to follow plan.
But would it have a impact on my health?
Would plants trump prescribed medication?
For the first time ever I was not restricting my body from gorgeous foods, I was replacing the foods that didn’t serve my body for ones that did. I made small changes to my diet and how I cooked. Over time this changed my mindset around food. And I loved it. After a shaky start the kids are wolfing the food down and asking for seconds. My biggest battle was to get rid of dairy, which I’ve finally done thanks to some fab alternatives and recipes the children think are treats.
Within days my migraines had gone. I was surprised that I’d made such small changes for such a massive impact and it only got better. I found I was sleeping without nightmares and waking refreshed and was more focused throughout the day. I felt like a fog had been lifted from around my head and my thoughts were being formed into words and flowing out of my mouth easily. I lost weight, felt less bloated and that uncomfortable feeling after eating disappeared.
After the second month of continuing the plan the pains in my hands had reduced so much that I was able to help the children thread needles and sew handmade Christmas decorations, something I would have never been able to even attempt the Christmas before.
I feel so empowered in the knowledge that I have so much control over my health and have in my hands a really simple plan I can follow. The plan helps me understand what I can do to fully support my body, so that it can work at its best. I also cant believe how easy it was to make the changes. I’ve made mistakes along the way, at times its felt like two steps forward one step back. But I’ve learnt from those mistakes, which is what mistakes are for after all and am moving forward, happy in my healthy living lifestyle."
