I didn’t enjoy any so-called ‘healthy’ food until I was about 30 – I wouldn’t touch vegetables or fruit. I was an embarrassed, fussy eater for most of my life. Then, in 2015, I became vegan. Back then there wasn’t the same variety of fake meats you can find now, so I had no choice but to find ways to eat more vegetables. It all started with roasted peppers that I turned into a pasta sauce, and over time – slowly but surely – I began to embrace different textures and flavours. I went from simply tolerating them to actually loving a much more varied menu. Now, dinner is something I genuinely look forward to – it feels abundant and exciting. That experience showed me that our relationship with food really can change, given time and patience.

When I was vegan, I started listening to loads of health podcasts and absolutely loved them. I was fascinated to learn how much power we actually have over our own health, and how transformative food can be for our wellbeing. That curiosity eventually led me to study nutrition.

I’m no longer vegan these days. I came to feel that there are some really valuable nutrients in animal products, so now I include small amounts of meat and dairy – but they’re never the ‘star’ of my plate.