The Lifestyle Edit | Madeleine ShawIn case you hadn’t noticed from all the healthy recipes on the site, we’re major foodies here at The Lifestyle Edit and there’s a special place in our kale-loving hearts for tasty food that ticks all the nutritional boxes and that’s why we’re huge fans of Madeleine Shaw.

In case you didn’t know, Shaw is, well, one of the most sought after nutritionists in London, thanks to her to top notch healthy recipes that focus more on allowing you to enjoy the foods you should be eating, rather than simply depriving you. Like the Hemsley sisters, Shaw created a blog to make sure all the recipes she makes for her private clients are available to the masses so when we heard she was releasing her first cookbook, sitting down with her and quizzing her on the recipes she loves, the food we should be eating to glowy skin and the skincare products she swears by became our top priority.

Before you dismiss her new tome as just another cookbook, you’re wrong – it really is one not to be missed. Instead of simply offering hundreds of recipes, a large part of the book is dedicated to giving you the tools to really change the way you think and feel about food. It’s full of down-to-earth and practical advice that will help you embrace the whole Get the Glow mantra as a lifestyle and you’ll also find out more about the way Madeleine used food to combat the effects of IBS and other symptoms too. We’re picking between what recipes to try tonight as we write!

After admiring her site and philosophy on wellbeing and beauty for so long – it’s pretty much the reason we started ever thinking about the prospect of giving up gluten – there was a lot discuss.


HEALTH AND WELLBEING

I got my hands on the first few copies of my book last week and I’m so excited to finally be able to show people. It’s based on a six-week program I used to run with clients. It was such a success so I really wanted to turn that into a book to help spread the message. You can look forward to a life-changing nutrition plan, 100 delicious recipes from green juices to slow roast lamb and practical, holistic advice that will help you have gorgeous, glowing skin.

My food is for everyone, whatever diets you follow, and my advice is simple: I focus on what you can eat rather than what you can’t. I’m always very holistic and look at the importance emotions, stress and sleep on your body’s state. My book is fun, the food is delicious and the advice is really simple to follow. I have basically filled it with all my favourite recipes – foods that are full of flavour and packed with skin-glowing ingredients. Many of the recipes are inspired from when I lived in Sydney and the approach to fresh produce there. Look out for my pistachio cookies and the folded eggs – they’re both staples at home for me.

The book isn’t about a fad diet or quick fix. It’s about helping people make steps towards a healthier lifestyle. It really is about what you do every day, not just for a week. I eat what I want but it’s pretty much always healthy. I love cooking and love eating the way I do. I never feel deprived, I never miss junk food, my food is clean but it lacks boundaries. I exercise four times per week but I do things that I enjoy like yoga, weight training and barre classes.


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You can easily start adopting a healthier lifestyle in three steps. First step is to look a breakfast. Switch your cereal or toast for eggs and salmon or oats with coconut milk and almonds. They are much more nutritious and will keep you going until lunchtime. Next, ditch the diet, stop restricting and start eating. The more you diet, the more likely you are to binge eat. Focus on having three proper meals a day, full of clean protein, healthy fats and veggies. And finally, stress less – take time to breathe. Stress is something that wrecks out health and causes weight gain. Go for a long walk, take a bath or do some yoga but make sure you unwind.

My approach to food started to change when I was got really sick with IBS while I was living and studying in Sydney. I saw a naturopath who told me to start eating whole foods and fats and I instantly started feeling so much better. It made me suddenly realise how much food can affect not only your health, but your energy levels too.

I started hosting supper clubs when I first moved back to London because I wanted to create a place where you could eat out healthily. I started at Boma Green, a gorgeous local restaurant in Parsons Green run by my now boyfriend (that’s how we met). They are always such a great night, full of coconut cocktails, healthy dishes and raw, sugar free desserts. I have been doing them for almost two years now and I love every minute of each one. It is so great to connect with likeminded people and eat my own food in a restaurant setting.


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The-Lifestyle-Edit-Madeleine-Shaw-031HAIR AND SKINCARE

With the book, I wanted to show that foods can heal you from the inside out and can make a huge difference to your skin. Having fats in your diet is so important to get healthy, glowy skin. Think good healthy, natural fats like avocado, nuts, seeds, eggs, fish and olive oil.

I love washing my face – I know it sounds silly, but it never gets old for me. Each morning I was my face with Pai [the Organic Skincare brand] cleanser, then apply a Ren Skincare serum and a Pai light moisturiser. I exfoliate twice a week and use rosehip oil at night instead of a moisturiser. I love a good facial to give my skin that extra bit of TLC. I often run a bath, put on some Xavier Rudd and sink into bubbles with a mud mask. That’s a great night for me.

To me, eating organic food and using natural skincare products goes hand in hand. You absorb what you put in your skin so why would you put toxic things into your body. The things that go into skincare be awful. Now, I am no saint, and not everything I sue is pure, but I make sure all my body creams and skin care is natural and organic.

The same applies with my hair. I wash it three times a week using a natural, organic, Australian brand called Jurlique. To give my hair a bit more love, I often do a coconut oil hair ask or rub in some argan oil. I love making argan oil and homemade egg and olive oil hair masks. They make your hair feel amazing afterwards but they can be pretty messy and smelly though.

MAKE-UP

My mum is a barefaced beauty so my approach to make-up is pretty much the same. It takes me about 2 minutes to get ready in the morning. I always say that I’ll make more effort but I like to go out barefaced and a little scruffy – it’s very me. My go-to products are Charlotte Tilbury all the way. The products are beautiful and I love the natural, glowy skin, highlighted cheekbones and lip tint look.  

Get the Glow will be available in hardbook and e-book on April 23. Photography by Dvora for The Lifestyle Edit