Nutrition: My Personal Journey to High Performance & Wellbeing
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- March 10, 2025
A Seasonal Awakening
Early March gets me every year… Visibly longer days and more sunshine, while the first crocuses start to show up and the magnolia trees on my road begin to bloom. This shift also influences my cooking. Moving away from slow-cooked broths and stews – not only nutritious but also winter-warming – I start anticipating the arrival of colourful nowalijki – early spring vegetables, celebrated in Polish cuisine for their freshness and vibrancy.
Food, cooking, and sharing have such a big impact on our lives. It’s not just about nourishment; it’s a reflection of the life cycle, changing with the seasons and evolving as we do throughout our lives. Just as nature adapts, so must we – and what we eat plays a crucial role in how we feel, think, and perform.
Nourished by Family
Nutrition is complex; it intertwines with our emotions, beliefs, and societal pressures. I was so lucky to grow up in a family that valued fresh, home-cooked meals and quality ingredients. Both my mum and dad are wonderful cooks, and I enjoyed balanced dishes shared at the table, full of great conversations, love, and the occasional home-baked sweet treat from my mum. None of us struggled with our weight.
However, like many teenagers, I felt pressure to adopt a restrictive diet. I mistakenly replaced nourishing meals with “fat-free” and “light” options, believing they were healthier. This left me constantly hungry and snacking, turning food into a stressor and leading to weight gain and fatigue. My “light” diet deprived my body of essential nutrients, causing it to store fat. Food was no longer my friend. By my early twenties, I developed an eating disorder.
Rediscovering True Nutrition
Now, having fully healed and reflecting on my journey, I believe the type of diet – whether omnivore, carnivore, vegetarian, or vegan – matters less than the quality of what we eat. High performance starts from within. Our bodies require water, protein, healthy fats, carbohydrates, and micronutrients. When we provide whole, natural sources, our bodies intuitively know the right portions. Nature provided us with all the mechanisms required; we just need to uncover them. When was the last time you saw an overweight deer?
The Processed Food Dilemma
It’s concerning to see just one small aisle in the supermarket labelled “healthy food.” What does that make the rest? Pre-packaged, shelf-stable items are often highly processed and engineered, leaving our bodies confused. These products can lead to health issues; they hijack the brain by targeting its reward system in ways that drive cravings and overeating. It’s unsurprising that we can easily consume massive fast-food meals; you wouldn’t eat the same number of calories in bananas because they would fill you up too quickly.
While I believe that engineering and development have their place, nature knows best when it comes to food. We should embrace natural foods and allow them to be a part of our lives, rather than assuming we always know better.
A Return to Nature
These days, I spend my Saturdays driving to farms in Sussex to buy fresh, seasonal produce. These regenerative farms illustrate how all elements work in harmony, including us. Eating this way, I feel better than ever – never hungry, more focused, and no longer dealing with restrictive eating habits. It’s not just about the appearance – it’s about feeling strong, clear-headed, and ready to take on whatever life throws at me.
And my parents continue with their great cooking… the difference being that they moved out of the city and built a house next to the forest, where they grow their own vegetables and fruits… and the table got bigger! 
Discover: Patrycja Zuber
