Gaby Richards is a registered Nutritional Therapist and founder of River Nutrition, her passion is helping individuals improve their health and wellbeing through informed food choices. With a special interest in the link between nutrition, mood and cognitive performance. Whether supporting children’s focus and energy in the classroom or promoting productivity and resilience in the workplace, River Nutrition empowers people of all ages, to eat smarter and feel better.
www.rivernutrition.uk
Tell us about River Nutrition?
River Nutrition offers nutrition advice to help people feel better. There is so much confusion out there when it comes to what to eat, and advice can often feel contradictory and difficult to put into practice. My aim is cut through the confusion, to provide clear, evidence-based nutrition advice that can fit into everyday life.
What made you want to become a nutritional therapist?
My son had allergies as a baby (egg and milk), and it changed the way I thought about food entirely. It was a really lonely and confusing time. Not only did I have to get very good at reading and understanding labels, but I had to change the way that I cooked. Old family favourites were off the menu or had to be adapted. I spent many months searching for new recipes, tracking down specialists and speaking to people who knew a lot more about this topic than me. It wasn’t until a few years later that I decided I needed to take the plunge, and retrain as a nutritional therapist.
What do you like about working and bringing up a family in London?
I love the convenience of London. I have a strong network where I live, we walk to school and many of our friends also live nearby. I have always lived in London and feel there are lots of opportunities to meet and connect with others here. From a work point of view, I feel London has a real buzz and there’s lots going on.
How have you seen your approach to food affect you and your family?
When my son was little, he wasn’t able to eat a lot of the traditional ‘party’ foods- he couldn’t have the cake, the ice-cream, the pizza or the chocolate in the party bag. This was over a decade ago, when the vegan movement wasn’t quite what it is now, and often it would mean I had to cook things from scratch to take with him. Eating out was also very difficult. It involved lots of planning, checking menus and phone calls to see what he would be able to eat. At the time it felt hard, but it turned out to be a bit of a blessing in disguise. I learnt when he was a baby, to cook a lot from scratch as a result. My boys didn’t grow up with a lot of the ready-made, grab and go type snack foods- because my son couldn’t eat most of them. We are all also pros when it comes to reading labels (and not taking too much notice of the marketing on the front)!
What is your view on supplements for children?
I would always recommend ‘food first’ rather than supplementing. Supplements should be exactly that, a supplement to the diet. But there are times when they are necessary and can help get key vitamins/ minerals back up to optimal levels. As we live in the UK, vitamin D through the winter months (Sept- March) is recommended by the NHS for children and adults. An omega-3 fish oil can also be helpful if your child doesn’t eat much oily fish.
How can you feed your children to improve their cognitive ability?
There are a few key pillars that help when it comes to supporting your child’s cognitive development, and while this isn’t an exhaustive list, it’s a good place to start.
Healthy fats are essential for brain health. Think oily fish (like salmon or mackerel), nuts, seeds and eggs. The brain is made up of nearly 60% fat, and healthy fats help with reducing inflammation as well as supporting energy and focus. Many of today’s diets are low in these healthy fats.
Protein is another big one, especially for keeping blood sugar stable. A lot of kids' snacks are heavy on refined carbs and sugar, which can lead to energy crashes and mood dips. A good rule of thumb is to always look for the protein on the plate, whether it’s chicken, lentils, yoghurt or nut butter.
Gut health plays an important role in brain function too. A happy gut supports a happy mind. Try to include a rainbow of colourful fruit and veg, fibre-rich foods, and fermented options like live yoghurt or kefir. Ask yourself, is this meal colourful or mostly beige? The more colour, the better. Don’t forget about the basics either. Hydration is key, brains need water to work properly, and of course enough sleep.
Favourite family meal:
Turkey chilli is an all-time favourite at the moment, so much so that my sons have learnt to make it themselves. When I make it, I add in a lot of ‘hidden’ veg to the chilli- grated carrot, courgette and mushroom. We serve it with smashed avocado, sour cream, grated cheese, nachos and brown rice. We all love it!
Best tip for improving focus in children through nutrition:
Fuelling your child right at breakfast. A lot of breakfast foods are high in refined carbohydrates and sugar, such as cereal, toast and jam/ honey, fruit, fruit juice, pastries and ‘healthy’ breakfast bars. This can send blood sugar rocketing up, before crashing a few hours later, which can lead to a loss of focus, as well as feeling hungry and generally out of sorts.My best tip is to include protein at breakfast. This might mean adding nut butter to breakfast, some eggs, a chia pudding or sprinkle of chia seeds on porridge, some natural yoghurt or kefir, or having a savoury breakfast- such as a chicken and avocado wrap. I gave my son kippers on his 11+ exam mornings. (It wasn’t as mean as it sounds, he loves them)
Best sugar free child snacks:
I think people feel they need to spend hours in the kitchen coming up with ‘healthy’ snacks, when there are lots of quick, easy options. Oat cakes and a dip like humus, or a homemade mackerel pate are a great option, as are mini sandwiches- like cream cheese and cucumber, apple spread with nut butter, seaweed thins, popcorn or a smoothie (being mindful that it’s not just fruit)! Homemade trail mix is one of my favourites- where you mix together a selection of nuts, seeds, popcorn, dried fruit and dark chocolate. This makes a delicious and very speedy snack.
I also love these oat cookies, they only take a few minutes to make with 15 minutes in the oven- so I can put them together just before pick up.
Recipe: Oat biscuits
3x bananas (peeled and mashed)
1.5 tbsp coconut oil (melted)
150g porridge oats
4x tbsp milk of choice
4x tbsp nut butter of choice (smooth/ creamy not dry)
Handful of raisins
Approx 50g of 70% dark chocolate (broken into chunks)
- Preheat the oven to 180C fan. Line a baking tray with baking parchment.
- Place all the ingredients in a mixing bowl.
- Combine altogether, either with a wooden spoon or your hands.
- Take approx. 1 large tbsp of the oat mixture into your hands and mould into a ball before placing on the parchment paper. Flatten out slightly so it looks more like a biscuit- you’ll need to leave some space between them. Repeat until all the mixture is used up, you should have around 6 good sized biscuits.
- Bake for 15 minutes until golden, then remove from the oven and leave to cool.
- Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.