5 How to balance work with a healthy diet with Jenna Hope

Jenna Hope, registered nutritionist and founder of Jenna Hope Nutrition helps implement beneficial nutrition strategies, through a combination of talks, presentations and workshops, to improve people’s well being, productivity, sleep, stress management and mental health. 

FF&M enables you to own your own PR & produces podcasts.
Recorded, edited & published by Juliet Fallowfield, 2024 Fallow, Field & Mason.  Email us at hello@fallowfieldmason.com or DM us on instagram @fallowfieldmason. 

MUSIC CREDIT Funk Game Loop by Kevin MacLeod.  Link &  Licence

Transcript

[00:00:00] Okay, so even I have now forgotten what day it is. Be Twix mess, the joy of most of the people in the world being off and leaving you in peace,, that made me think it's quite a good time to reflect on things. So in this episode, Jenna Hope unpacks how everyday nutrition and hydration habits can directly affect your energy focus and long-term health, which is something we all need when running a business. Keep listening to our remaining episodes of our 12 day series to learn everything there is about sleep, mobility, and so much more. 

Jenna Hope: Hi Juliet. Thank you so much for having me. I'm really excited about having this conversation with you. So my name's Jenna Hope, I'm a registered nutritionist and I founded Jenna Hope Nutrition, and we focus on a few areas of help. We focus on working with individuals. So really. How individuals can prioritize their health and make small, simple, but really effective changes to their everyday diet and their everyday routine.

Then we also work with brands and that can be anything from product development to marketing to [00:01:00] advice to talking to their consumers. And then we work with corporate clients as well, so delivering workshops and corporate clinic days where we go in and speak to employees. And a lot of that is about managing stress.

Within the workplace and really encouraging people and educating people why nutrition is so important on a day-to-day basis. Because I think it's so easy for people to get wrapped up in the day of work and forget about nourishing themselves and. You know more than anyone that if you don't nourish yourself, you do find that that will really have a negative impact on your day and your productivity and ultimately your work output.

So in a nutshell, that's what we do. And when did you start? So I started in 2016. I had just graduated from my master's, so I did an undergraduate and a master's in nutrition, and I was sort of in the place of not really knowing what I wanted to do. There were a lot of. Jobs in nutrition, but they were really not in companies that I felt really aligned to.

I [00:02:00] got a three month consulting contract with a bakery who were opening up and it was, had a key focus on health. They were setting up a menu. It was kind of more than a bakery, actually. It was a cafe. And so I did three months consulting for them and I realized how much of an impact being a nutritionist in industry, but also working with one-to-ones can have.

So that's where I went and set up. And. To be honest, at that point I had no idea the route and the direction that the business was gonna take. So I think it's definitely evolved naturally and we've seen particularly over the last few years, how people's focus on their health, their nutrition, and their wellbeing has changed.

So that's really where it started. 

I think a lot of founders have said that in the podcast. It's like, as long as you're comfortable with the fact the company you start is not gonna be the company you're running in five years. Go for it. Definitely. And given, I mean, we talk a lot in this season about founder health and wellness because if the founder isn't operating at their optimum, the business won't be either.

What are the key things that you found with the founders that you work with, sort of [00:03:00] obvious holes in the road that they're missing? What are the common problems that you see? 

So I think. Priority is a really big one because the priorities are often so focused on the company and the business. They totally forget about themselves.

So often that means that they're forgetting about breakfast, they're rolling out of bed, grabbing their coffee, and going straight into the office or straight. Onto their laptop. People are not necessarily stopping to eat, so they might find themselves feeling hungry, but they are eating on the go or potentially grabbing something between meetings or between calls, or they're sitting at their desk shoveling down lunch, which can have a really detrimental impact on your health, even if you are eating the most nutritious meal in the world.

Really? How come? Yeah, 

so there's. Whole, she says, just having done that. So I'm looking at the plate. 

We've all done it hands up. I've definitely done it myself as well. But I think this is one thing that a lot of people don't necessarily understand and that I really try to focus on with my one-to-one clients.

We know about mindfulness, right? And we know about mindful [00:04:00] breathing and meditation and all of that. But one key thing is mindful eating. So when we eat mindlessly struggling. Yeah. So for example, what you've just done eating lunch in front of your laptop. Your brain is focused on the work that you are doing, so the emails that you are sending, the podcast that you are preparing for whatever else you've got going on in your day, which means that it's actually not engaging in the food process.

Now, the very first phase of digestion is known as the cephalic phase of digestion, and that's where the brain engages with the idea that we're going to be eating. So the sight of food, the smells of food. Thinking about food, all of that really stimulates the cephalic phase of digestion. What that does is that allows the brain to send those messages to the stomach to say, right, starts secreting those digestive enzymes.

Get ready. We are gonna receive food. The appetite hormones are getting ready to know that the food is coming, and therefore, naturally, when we focus on our food, everything works. Really well, we digest, [00:05:00] our nutrients are absorbed. Everything's great. When we are not focusing because we've skipped that phase.

The food hits the stomach and all of a sudden the stomach goes, whoa, we were not expecting this. What's going on? So it has to work over time to try to break down that food. Then what we find is that because the food can't be broken down fast enough, we get bits of partially digestive food entering the gut.

This means that the nutrients can not necessarily be fully absorbed. That can also contribute to bloating because the gut says we don't know what to do with this. These particles are far big for us. And because our appetite hormones are not prepared, that means there can be a delay in the secretion of leptin.

So the satiety hormone, which means that we don't feel as full. So essentially the picture that we've got is we are not feeling as full, we're more likely to crave something else. So if you've ever, or anyone listening has ever the experienced doing their work, they go down for another fork for, and they think, where on earth did that go?

I, I didn't realize that I ate that. That's because your brain hasn't registered it. You are much more [00:06:00] likely to experience things like bloating and discomfort in the gut, and you're not gonna be absorbing your nutrients as well. So you know, you might have all the nutrients in there, but if you're not absorbing them, you can't use them and therefore that's not gonna be beneficial for your health.

So I think the number one thing I really try to work on with my clients, and that is really common among founders, is mindless eating. And how can we get people to eat more mindfully? So a little bit of science in there, but 

yeah. But so many good reasons to prioritize it and be conscious of cooking, making time for it, sitting down and, and enjoying the meal.

And so time I know is the most precious resource within the business. And it's finite. It turns out, I do need to sleep, I do need to eat, I do need to exercise to function. And you go, oh, no, no, I work till midnight. It's this weird bragging right in a founder, like I'm a founder, I started a company, I can work.

18 hours a day, every day, as you can hear in my voice, it doesn't work. You get ill. What other than prioritizing your mealtime, should founders [00:07:00] be aware of at the get go? How can they start as they mean to go on? 

So another thing is trying to reduce the reliance on coffee. So exactly as you've just said, right?

We tend to think we don't need to sleep, it's fine. We'll just have some coffee that will see us through. And actually we know that overconsuming on caffeine can not only contribute to poor mental wellbeing, it can increase stress. So caffeine heightens cortisol, which is our stress hormone, and if we're already feeling stressed, because running a business is stressful, let's face it.

Um. That's gonna, that's gonna heighten those feelings. It can contribute to anxiety as well, and it can take you along a blood sugar rollercoaster. So, because you constantly feel like you need this reliance on caffeine, essentially you consume your coffee, caffeine does contribute to spiking blood sugar levels for a lot of people.

As quickly as they go up, they come crashing back down. We feel exhausted. And at that point you think, oh, I have another coffee. I have another coffee. And you find yourself. 4, 5, 6 [00:08:00] coffees later. That becomes a daily routine and a daily habit, and I think it's so important. If we can encourage people to wean off coffee, they'll sleep better, their energy will be there more naturally.

'cause remember that caffeine gives us artificial energy. We tend to think that it's real, but it's not. And mentally, for a lot of people, particularly if you're stressed and if you are prone to anxiety. I really would encourage you to try to cut down on those coffees, and for many people as well, coffee is an avenue for adding sugar to their diet.

So people will have, especially at the minute with all these festive drinks, but people will add one, two sugars to each coffee if they're having a cup of coffees a day, that really does add up. Gosh. 

And someone, I think I heard somewhere saying, caffeine has a 12 hour halflife, so you should stop any caffeine and take about noon.

'cause otherwise, by the time you want to go to bed, it's still gonna be in your system. So that's not gonna help either. Exactly. Yeah. So do you see the sort of the fueling of yourself, the fueling of your engine is a primary. Basic [00:09:00] need to get on with the day because a lot of people are like, you should prioritize exercise, drink water, meditate.

How important do you think nutrition is in that, that list, that spectrum of things we have to do to look after ourselves? 

I mean, look, I'm, I'm a nutritionist, so I'm, I'm biased here in a sense that I do definitely think that nutrition plays a fundamental role, but I'm also realistic, and I believe that there are three key areas of your health.

So you've got your diet, your exercise, and your sleep. And actually they're starting to believe, people are starting to believe that sleep may be more important to our health than diet and exercise combined. So. Yes, nutrition is crucial, but sleep is also really important and we have to remember that the three are often really interlinked.

So say for example we are not sleeping well, we are much more likely to crave higher sugar foods, we are much more likely to overeat as well. 'cause we know that impaired sleep can increase ghrelin, which is the hunger hormone, and decreased leptin, which is the satiety hormone, which means that we find [00:10:00] ourselves needing more food to feel the same level of fullness as we would.

If we've had a good night's sleep, and equally if we're eating or if we're not making the best dietary choices before we go to bed, as we've just said, for example, is of on caffeine, that can have a negative impact on our sleep as well. So I think they're all very much interlinked. I think that diet. Is so crucial because there are so many times in the day that we make dietary decisions and dietary choices, and if we can prime ourselves to making 1, 2, 3 better choices each day, that's gonna have a really big impact over the long term.

I was reading that, and correct me if I'm wrong, but 95% of the body serotonin is produced in the gut. So obviously you have to look after our gut. What are there some, not quick wins, but are there some basic things that founders could do on a daily basis to protect that gut health? 

You are correct. So there's a really high percentage of our serotonin, which is the happy hormone that is produced in the gut.

So a couple of things that founders can do is. As we [00:11:00] said, eat mindfully, because if you are eating mindlessly, then that's gonna disrupt the gut with those large particles that can give rise to higher levels of the poor bacteria that we don't want. I think also consuming more pre and probiotic rich foods in the diet.

So probiotic rich foods we're talking about yogurt, kafi, kombucha, sauerkraut, prebiotic rich foods, onions, garlics, leeks, bananas. Chickpeas. So, you know, hummus and carrots, for example, would be a great way to increase more prebiotics into your diet. Great. That's great news. Definitely all for that. So I'd say that from a gut health perspective, there's some key focuses.

We also want to ensure that we're staying hydrated because that's another really common issue amongst founders is that, you know. Busy day, busy life, they forget to drink. And especially when it's colder, our bodies tend not to tell us so much. You know, we're not sweating out as much excess sweat, so therefore we, we don't feel as thirsty.[00:12:00] 

But if we allow ourselves to become dehydrated, we are more likely to crave sugar because we feel tired. So if we can stay hydrated throughout the day, we're less likely to feel tired and therefore you're less likely to. Crave sugar and those snacks that you think that you need to kind of give you an energy 

boost.

So water really will replace chocolate in my life if I actually drink enough of it. 

Well, I mean there's, there's definitely a place for chocolate as well. But on a day-to-day basis, I really think that hydration is fundamental. I. I will always encourage people, you know, can you have a large bottle of water on your desk if you're traveling around, make sure you're carrying a bottle of water.

And people often say, I forget. I forget. There are some amazing apps that remind you. And we have apps for everything nowadays, right? We have notifications for everything, so there's no. Used to say that you, yeah, you don't like it or you don't want it, 

you just have to prioritize it. 

Exactly. 

And I think that's a lot of things.

Like I joke in our communications consultancy that PR is always the bottom of people's priority list, but when it comes to health and wellness, sleep and water are also [00:13:00] at the bottom of people's todo list. They're like, oh, I can just push it. I can push it. And my hack is when I'm at my desk, I have a bottle that I have to finish.

With in the morning and it is fill it up and finish it in the afternoon. But traveling I find really hard to remember water, especially going through airports. You don't want to buy another plastic bottle. How other than the app reminders, is it something that you just have to get in the daily practice of?

Are there any hacks you can give people how to conquer that? 

So I, I think the reminders help you to get into the daily practice once you are in the practice. And you'll probably also be able to resonate with this as well. You'll start to notice more when you're feeling dehydrated, so you know what those feelings feel like.

I think when you allow yourself consistently to, to become dehydrated, it's very easy to, for the brain to misinterpret those signals as hunger. So if anyone's ever experienced it, where you think you're hungry, so you eat something and you don't feel satisfied, so eat something again. You still don't feel satisfied.

So you have a glass of water and you think, oh, that was it. I'm satisfied. Now. That's [00:14:00] initially where you've misinterpreted those first signals for being hungry. So the more that you do stay hydrated, the more in tune you become with the signals that your body's trying to give you. 

So interesting and also really, really important.

Many, many levels. It's almost like we need to write a handbook of sleep. Eat, exercise, drink, water, repeat, and just do those basics and then the rest will come. Are there certain food groups that we should be more conscious of? I mean, I've recently working with a trainer and he's saying, you don't eat enough protein.

And I was like, what's protein? And I'm very, very, very poorly informed on those sorts of things. But is there a particular ratio you recommend between fruit, veg, protein, all this kind of thing? 

So generally speaking, when it comes to protein, I think that there's sort of two camps at the minute. We've got the people who are protein, protein, protein and consuming vast amount of protein supplements and protein bars.

And then we've also got those who probably like yourself, don't consume enough protein. Protein is really important for supporting everything from hair structure, skin structure, hormone production. [00:15:00] Brain function, our general wellbeing, supporting our hormones to go to sleep, mental wellbeing. So it plays a crucial role.

Generally speaking, we want around one to 1.2 grams of protein per kilogram body weight. So take 70 kilogram individual, we're looking at around 70 grams of protein per day with regards to sort of what that should look like. I always recommend breaking up your meals and snacks. So I think. Three meals a day for most people.

Some people will like to have a snack in the afternoon. Some people will like to have a snack in the morning, and there's no wrong or right way of doing this at all. It's very much about you. One thing that I do always say is try to ensure that you've got, when you're thinking about your meals, 50% of your meals to be fruits or vegetables.

So if we're thinking about lunch and dinner, really 50% of your plate should be vegetables, and that's a great way to ensure that you are getting in variety. You are getting in. A wide range of nutrients and also you are supporting your gut health. 'cause vegetables are [00:16:00] crucial. You know, they contain different fiber types.

They also contain different plant chemicals, which can be really beneficial for our gut. So generally speaking, that's what I, I would say. I think the other thing that we really want to focus 

on are those snacks. Yeah. Is snacking. Good or bad? 'cause we've heard so much in the press about avoid snacking, it'll, it'll peak your sugar, or things like that.

What's your advice on that? 

Yeah, you're so right. You know what the, the press can make things so complicated, and it's great that people are talking about nutrition, but sometimes it can just seem really, really confusing. So, generally speaking, I don't think that snacking is bad at all. And actually for some people.

It enables them to get from one meal to the next, maintaining their energy levels. If you are someone who feels like you need a snack and you are denying yourself come dinner, you are more likely to feel ravenous. Your blood sugar levels are more likely to be very low, so as a result of that, you're much more likely to overeat at dinner time.

So snacking can be really helpful. It's about what you snack on, right? Yeah. So it's those high sugar chocolate bars and [00:17:00] the biscuit that you have with the tea, or a slice of cake or a muffin that you pick up with your coffee. They're the things we want to try to avoid and we want to focus on. More protein rich and more fiber rich snacks.

That's what's gonna keep you fuller for longer. So in practice, what does it look like? Things like roasted chickpeas, which are now becoming more and more accessible, are great snacks. They can be really delicious. They're high in fiber, high-end protein. Spoiled eggs. If you are at home, just boiling up loads of eggs, keeping them in their, in your fridge even.

They'll, um, keep for a few days. So that's a really good snack as well. Some oat cakes with some cream cheese, or as we said before, hummus and carrots. A handful of nuts if you're traveling, for example, it's really easy to keep a bag of nuts in your bag. A little yogurt as well, maybe with some berries on top.

And some cinnamon. Cinnamon can help stabilize your blood sugar levels. So lots of different things that can be. Really nutritious snacks. We don't have to totally avoid snacks 

entirely. Okay, good to know. And in terms of cooking, you [00:18:00] hear Eat the rainbow, have lots of different colorful things. Mix it up.

Don't just eat the same thing all the time. Again, coming back to time, how would you advise a founder to sort of map their week or their month? Is it just being thoughtful about that planning and thinking ahead? What hacks would you give them on that front Look, 

in an ideal world, thinking ahead would be.

Amazing, and we'd all plan our meals and it would be great, but truthfully, often we don't have time for that. So a few things I think are really important is know where to go on the days that you're short of time. So know what you can pick up from the supermarket. Nowadays, there are some really great brands that do ready made dolls or stews or soups.

That you can pick up, particularly in the winter months. You know, it's super warming. They're really nourishing, really delicious, and I'm not talking about sort of old fashioned ready meals at all. There are some really, really great brands in the supermarket. So have a look what's available to you and know where to go so that you are removing that decision on the days that you are short of time, you [00:19:00] know, equally knowing that you can go and pick up.

A can of salmon and a readymade salad for lunch, and you can just throw the salmon or or tuna or whatever you want into a salad and you're good to go. Some baked falafel balls that you can buy now, they're really excellent. You can add to sort of readymade quinoa or rice. So just knowing where you can go.

Ideally, if you do have time to cook and you enjoy cooking. Spend some time on the weekend. If you've got any batch cooking, maybe use it as an opportunity to catch up on a podcast as well. Call a friend if you've got a family. Spend some time with the family, get everyone involved and use the freezer as well.

So soups, stews, curries, pre-done sort of chicken and pre-marinated chicken and salmon can be really good. So try to be prepared, but if you can't be prepared, know your options is what I'm saying. 

I think I got a bit too prepared. A couple weeks ago I made this massive batch of lentil and carrot soup with, um, chili in it, and I made so much.

I'm now so sick of eating it. I go to the office and try and give it away to all the [00:20:00] co-working space that I'm in. I'm like. Please somebody else help me run this down. And our freezer is full, so I'm like itching to finish that so I can then batch cook something else. But I think, yeah, the variety of it I think is, is important.

And I read, I think it was Ella Mills was talking about how important spices and herbs can be. Are they really effective in balancing out your diet? 

Definitely. So they've got a couple of roles. Firstly, from a nutrition perspective, they increase diversity. They've got different nutrients in their different plant chemicals.

So again, that's gonna help to nourish those beneficial bacteria in the gut. But the other thing with them is that they make food exciting and they make food interesting. And I always say to people, yes, nutrition is vital, but the most important thing is that you enjoy your food because if you are not enjoying your meal.

You are not enjoying your food, then the chances are you are gonna find something that's probably a little bit more delicious, a little bit higher in salt, sugars, fats, you know? So getting creative I think is really important [00:21:00] for having fun with it and learning and finding out what flavors you like, what maybe you don't like, what goes together and.

You can't go, you really can't go wrong. You really can't. 

And I was brought up three meals a day. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. 

Is that true? So no, in, in short, I don't believe it is. Um, there are people who the thought of breakfast makes them feel physically sick. 

So who are they?

They're mad. I love breakfast, but yeah, with fasting I can do without it, but yeah. A good breakfast. I don't know each their own, but yes. Sorry. Continue. 

No, I love, I love a good breakfast as well. I mean, avocado and poke eggs on toast. I don't understand it, but I'm, I'm definitely aware of it. So for those people trying to make them eat breakfast is not gonna be beneficial.

That's not a great start to their day. For those individuals, I'd say wait until you do feel hungry and then make sure that you are eating a, a great option, whatever that may be. If it's lunchtime, making sure that you've got a. A meal that is packed with vegetables, with [00:22:00] whole grains. You know, a source of protein, lentils, beans, chickpeas, meat, fish, whatever it may be for the people who do eat breakfast, it's about what you are eating for breakfast.

So if you are eating a muffin and a coffee. Then that's definitely not the most important meal of the day, but if you are really nourishing yourself with a good bowl of creamy oats, topped with some peanut butter, some flax seed, a dash of cinnamon, and some fresh berries, or you are having some eggs on some whole grain toast, maybe you are having some smoked salmon with some avocado and some scrambled tofu or some eggs in there.

That's what's more important is what you are eating for breakfast rather than are you eating breakfast. There's definitely some research to suggest that those who eat breakfast feel less hungry later on in the day and eat less later on in the day. But we are all really unique and it is really about listening to yourself.

And if you are someone who just doesn't get on with breakfast, then I'm definitely not telling you that you have to jump out of bed and have 

breakfast. And the same applies, I guess, for an evening meal. Lots of people say [00:23:00] you shouldn't eat past 8:00 PM or don't have carbs after 2:00 PM or all of these sort of.

Banded about myths. What do you advise in terms of times of day to eat that help you? 

So if people can, I would always try to say, eat earlier if you can. So we do know that eating too close to going to bed can have a negative impact on your sleep, and that's because a couple of things happen. Firstly, your body's so focused on digesting your food that the melatonin, which is your sleep hormone.

Which is secreted and absorbed in your gut isn't going to be as efficient 'cause the body's essentially distracted with the food that you've just eaten. But secondly, when you want to go to sleep, your core body temperature needs to drop. When you are digesting a heavy meal, your core body temperature increases.

So that causes a little bit of internal conflict. 

Does it? God, I had no idea. Yes. I mean, the other sleep thing, someone said, your feet need to be warmer than the rest of you to fall asleep. But all of these things, the temperature is quite interesting, especially as it's chilly in the UK right now. 

I've not heard that about the feet, but that's really interesting to start [00:24:00] putting those socks on to fall bed.

But yeah, so I think timing can be important, but at the same time, having said that, if someone gets back from the office at 10:00 PM 11:00 PM. And they're hungry. Then you definitely shouldn't skip a meal and think, well, I shouldn't eat. Maybe just have something a little bit lighter, so a bowl of soup or some eggs, for example.

If you are someone who consistently gets back late, then I would say try to have. A larger lunch and then just know that your dinner is just gonna be a lighter option anyway, and I think that that is probably the best approach. Again, though, some people have shift work where they work throughout the night, and therefore that might impact their timings of their meals as well.

So we have to work with what's realistic. Unfortunately, we just don't live in an ideal world as much as we would like to. 

And if someone's starting a company and they're vending all the plates in the air, where should they go to find and inform themselves on nutrition? How can they find you? Or are there any books that you'd recommend that they could read?

Any information would be great 

for sure. [00:25:00] So I am online at Jenna Hope Nutrition on Instagram. I share a. Of recipes, tips, and tricks, and my whole ethos is make it so easy that you can't say no. Ah. So if you prepare yourself, you know where to go, you know what to look for. You are putting it there on a plate for yourself that you just.

You can't not do it with regards to other resources. So I think trying to find maybe a cookbook that you like or a good app that you enjoy can be helpful. Everyone's got totally different tastes and opinions, and I think that that's a good place to start. There is the Optimum Nutrition Bible, which to be honest, it's probably a little bit outdated now, but it's a book that really, really got me interested initially.

And it's the foundations of nutrition. And so if someone is interested, it's an old classic, but I do recommend it by Pat Patrick 

Holford. Thank you. And then we've started asking previous guests to ask a question for our next guest. So Jamie, who's the founder of the Breath Space, wanted to ask you if you could go back and give [00:26:00] your 18-year-old self one piece of advice, what would that be?

I think it would be be confident in your abilities as a founder. You are faced with different challenges every day, new situations that you may not know how to navigate. But if you are confident in your decisions and you're confident in your capabilities, then that's the most important thing. And I'd also tell myself, work hard and it will work out.

Alright. You'll be all right. 

Oh, that's lovely. And is there a question you'd like to ask our next guest? 

Yeah, I think so. So I think if. They could focus on one thing in their life to improve, what would it be? 

Thank you so much, Jenna. It's been really informative. I mean, um, that we could go on for hours 'cause it's such a huge topic, but I really appreciate the advice that you've shared.

Thank you so much for having me, Juliet. It's 

been an absolute pleasure. 

Speaker: Thank you for listening to our 12 Days of Christmas from How to Start Up. If you have enjoyed this episode, please write and review the show 'cause it honestly makes a massive difference to the podcast being found by other people and to me as your host. It's nice to know you'll bear. Our [00:27:00] normal scheduling will resume in January, 2026 and we wish you a very, very merry fest of season and hope you get some rest.