The MEN1 Mosaic
This podcast's mission is to raise the quality of conversation in MEN1, opening up the floor to diverse perspectives in this rare disease, hence the name 'mosaic.'
With guest speakers encompassing patients & practitioners from all areas of expertise, join a curious, open-minded & proactive discussion amongst a different kind of MEN1 community.
*This podcast and any affiliated content is personal experience designed to educate and inform, not to provide medical or health advice. All opinions are personal. Always consult a qualified, medical professional, especially before making any changes to your diet, exercise or lifestyle.*
The MEN1 Mosaic
#50 - What The Food Industry Isn't Telling You (Vegan Chef & Food Company Co-Founder)
What if the food you trust most is the thing making you feel worse?
In this honest and inspiring conversation, Sarah and I talk about healing chronic symptoms through food, what’s really in the products on our shelves, and why reconnecting with nature might be one of the most powerful shifts we can make.
In this episode:
• From processed to plant-based: how Sarah’s health transformed
• Behind the scenes of the food industry
• Why “vegan” doesn’t always mean healthy
• The anxiety–altruism connection (and how to find purpose)
• Tips for navigating food choices without fear or dogma
About our guest:
Sarah Wright is an international yoga teacher, plant-based chef, and founder of Nuve Foods, where she helps people heal through whole-food nutrition and mindful movement. Her own journey began with yoga to support her anxiety, eventually leading to a deeper connection between food, body awareness, and emotional wellbeing.
Sarah also hosted Modern Wellbeing, a podcast exploring sustainable living, holistic health, and conversations with forward-thinking entrepreneurs and nutritionists. She now blends intuition with nourishment—advocating for clean, minimally processed ingredients and empowering others to listen to what their bodies truly need.
Are you sure MEN1 can’t be influenced?
When I stopped just 'settling' for symptom management, I began carving a path to somewhere I believed impossible in MEN1: symptom-free, surgery-free, and medication-free. If you’re curious to see how I’m making this happen, join my community here.
Disclaimer
I share my personal experience as a MEN1 patient. Nothing in this episode, including the opinions of my guests, is intended as medical or holistic advice. Please consult a qualified professional before making changes to your care.
Today I’m joined by Sarah Wright—yoga teacher, vegan chef, and co-founder of Nuve Foods. Sarah and I met on yoga teacher training, and while our approaches to food and healing may look different on the outside, what connects us runs deeper: a shared belief in conscious choice, personal responsibility, and living in alignment with what truly nourishes us. This conversation explores health, values, and the courage to do things differently.
Sarah, you and I met on yoga teacher training and that for me was a time when in my MEN1 journey I really needed to learn how to connect with my body, and I wondered as you've had quite a colorful journey in terms of health what is it about yoga or teaching yoga or generally connecting to your body that has helped you see your health or approach your health in a different way than maybe you did before?
Very good question. It's very lovely even just to hear you talk about it 'cause it's been a few years now, hasn't it? Yoga training changed everything for me, which sounds like such a cliche, but I think I'd lived so much in my head. I was struggling from panic attacks, digestive issues, just a lot of health problems. And I got sick all the time. I had just things like tonsillitis every few months. I had glandular fever. So I was kind of out of it for a couple of months and I think I was just living kind of on overdrive, but I didn't know how to live any other way.
I'd never sort of pushed whatever sort of anxieties or thoughts down into the power of my body which sounds probably a bit cheesy when you say it like that. I dunno how else to explain it. But I think I realized how much we live now in the modern world on our computers, driving around everywhere. We're not really living how we're supposed to live and moving our bodies like they're supposed to move. And I think it just made me so much more connected to. How the food I eat impacts the way I feel whether I'm moving day to day and even just connecting with others. I think the yoga training we did, Lizzie, it creates like a container for you to connect with people with similar interests to you.
A lot of people don't ever have the opportunity to do that, and I think that's kind of changed how I show up in the world. Definitely this year it is taken a bit of a backseat but even just being present with other people it changes everything, makes you realize what it is to be more human.
I love what you said there about being human, because something I notice with any podcast guest I talk to is that no matter what their area of expertise is, no matter what it is they, they do with their community, if they have one, no matter their background, there's that common element of being human, which unites us. And therefore I could be speaking about Miami and one community and you could be talking about some vegan workshop and yet there's always gonna be some area of common denomination, there's always gonna be some crossover.
I think it makes for such an interesting conversation and I'm chuckling to myself because as I mentioned a potential vegan workshop that you might have run. I'm a massive meat eater. It doesn't mean we can't be friends. It just means we've been on a journey of self-awareness and wherever we're going might be the same destination. We just have different ways of guessing there. And what I wanted to ask you was, how have you managed to align your values with the work that you do and what it is you want to create and in moments of doubt where you're like, oh, I'm not actually sure if this is the right thing. What do you come back to? What is it that helps you keep that fear in that anxiety at bay?
I think to touch on a few areas, I do believe in bio individuality and I think you have to do what feels good for you with food especially. I've been on such a journey with food, kind of experimenting with things. I'm not totally vegan now, I think I've been on such a journey with it where I was really strict, sort of raw vegan in the beginning. And I'm not gonna lie, I felt incredible. That was when I briefly moved over to Portugal and I just rediscovered normal food.
And I think before that I was living off protein bars and all of this processed stuff, which. I even just being back in England now, I find myself slowly sort of going back towards processed foods and I just see even now the levels of inflammation that it can bring on your body and the effect that has on your body, on your mind, even just like mentally, how you show up.
It makes me way more reactive, over responsive. I could rabbit it on so much about the effects of food, and I'm still at the beginning. I'm not a nutritionist. I've done some nutrition courses but I'm still learning. And I love hearing your contact as well, Lizzie.
There's a lot to uncover there around big food, food as a business and the food that's readily available to us, and then actually finding out what actually is good for us and what actually makes us feel good.
There's a quote. The antidote to anxiety is altruism and I think when I was really motivated with NUVE, my old food business, I wanted to help the planet. Every morning I did these connection to source meditations that Dylan, our yoga teacher was doing at the time.
Every morning it would just bring you back to the deeper reason why. I think realizing that you are not separate. And we're here we are all connected. We share 60% of the same DNA as a banana. It all sounds a bit woo woo, but when you realize that we're all connected to nature, to animals to each other it's things like that that make me feel more grounded because I think it's so easy in this day and age to feel disconnected, to feel isolated.
Problems with mental health even is on the rise. Even things like loneliness. I just think it's not completely right the way we're living and to have a purpose or if there's something you can do to combat that through your work, that helps me come back out of fear mode and back into going on my mission. I've fallen outta it a lot the last year, so it's really nice to revisit it because that helps me a lot.
Mission and purpose, I know personally are so important and I love the quote you said about the end state to anxiety is altruism, and I couldn't agree more because the only time I get fearful and anxious, and all up in my head is when I'm thinking about myself and as soon as I'm working on something that helps other people, it just takes all the pressure off me to have it all sorted and to have it all together and to know exactly what I'm doing. And there is a lot of uncertainty and and fear in this world.
I know that the work that you've done on yourself and that you have also helped others through the work that you do is a massive antidote to that. You touched very briefly on NUVE your company. You'll have to give me the details here 'cause I'll get this all wrong, but was based in vegan foods and not just vegan foods 'cause stick the word vegan on it and it doesn't make it healthy. It doesn't necessarily make it tasty, just as if you stick the word organic or anything. You and I know that 'cause we've talked about it. What was the mission? With the food business? And what was the impact that you wanted to have and that you did? Because I've tasted some of it and it's very good.
Thank you so much. I remember bringing my brownie mix down to you and your mum and you were very kind about it in London.
It's nice to reflect on NUVE. I think the mission was to replace products on the supermarket shelves that were in plastic packaging, not very good for the environment and a lot of hidden sugars and chemicals. So we, business partner and I, Angela, we wanted to create products like baking mixes, cereals, instant oats for protein bar mixes. We had a hot chocolate drinks powder and a milkshake powder with natural ingredients, essentially. We'd replace dairy powder, which can be full of nasty, nasty things. It's not really natural to have it in powder form. I've learned a lot about the food industry and I think what I set out was to create healthier plant-based versions of what was on the supermarket shelves.
But oh my goodness, Lizzie, over the course of three years that I went to food factories, I learned about how. The process works from sourcing ingredients to bringing it over to the UK, having it filled in by a manufacturer, to the packaging that you do, it's absolutely crazy. Behind all of these products that you see on supermarket shelves, like the cereal we buy, even the bread, it is just nuts when you see how unnatural the ingredients actually are and what it's doing to our bodies, our brains, everything. It was really hard for us to compete. We pitched to Waitrose and Ocado and because as a small business, if you don't have the margins, they want you to sell at a very, very small price because larger companies like Quaker Oats, like Nestle, like Cadbury, they can afford to sell to supermarkets very cheap.
That's why it's all about money, essentially. So I really urge people to look into the ingredients and the food that they're buying at supermarkets, because it looks all pretty in the packaging and the advertising. There's a whole team with expertise on how to sell these products to you. Look appealing and make it look like it's gonna taste great at a cheap price, but at what cost your body and your health. It's just been a big learning process for me. And I think away from vegan it's more whole food and just getting to the root of where your food's coming from. Where is that chicken come from? How was it raised? Were there antibiotics used? In what situation was it? A factory farm. We are so disconnected from our food now 'cause it arrives to us in a packet and I just think even going to visit a farm and seeing what actually goes on, or just making sure you know how your food is made, how your bread is made and just educating yourself. It's just getting curious. And during NUVE I did Tasty Tuesdays on BBC East Midlands. It was just the radio during COVID and every Tuesday I'd share little tips and tricks on how to go back to nature plant-based recipes, that sort of thing. And I think it's just little steps. And then how we can live more sustainably and just look after our bodies a bit better. 'cause at the end of the day, it's up to us. And the power of food, you can heal with food and I just think we are not educated about it enough. At school, it was all Turkey Twizzlers and rainbow sponge cake at school, and we didn't really learn what food is, where it comes from and how it affects our bodies and our mind and communities. So that was the original mission with NUVE continuing mission.
It's a very powerful one. As long as the BBC doesn't mind when they listen to this back and doesn't think we're stealing any content, what are some of those tangible tips and tricks that you shared when you were on that radio program. You've talked so much about chemicals and things going into our products that we just don't know. Is there anything really specific that you would say to any listener? Like, just beware of that. Be mindful.
I would say it's easy to go to supermarkets and I'm very aware that we're in a cost of living crisis and you've got to factor money in to how you function day to day. So I'd never want to sort of make things not accessible. But if you can visit a local farmer's market or get to know your your local grocer or something like that and just really get to know where the fruit and veg is coming from. And just do a bit of research about whether organic is better. And just when you do go to the supermarkets, just have a little look and you can see on the packet sort of where it was produced, how many ingredients are in there. And I just think there's so many resources online now, but just to get curious about the ingredients and where your food was made because I think rather than overwhelm anyone with the to-do list, just having that awareness and that little pause before you buy something in the supermarket, just take a moment to think what actually is it and is it even food? We're a lot better than America. I was in California last summer and I remember being at the airport and I bought a tuna sandwich on the way back and there was over a hundred ingredients in the packet and I was just like, what on earth am I even eating? So I just think to pause and I think the start of any change is just awareness. Pause and get curious.
I very much relate with what you said about the difference between the UK or Europe as a continent and the US. I remember picking up a punnet of strawberries in New York, and obviously you would think that the only ingredient in strawberries would be strawberries, but there were probably 10 to 12 different names on the back of a packet. It made me want to ask, when you became aware of that and then you started to put changes in place, what were some of the results that you started seeing? Changes? I know you talked about feeling amazing when you first went vegan, and you're not fully vegan now, but presumably you still have incredible benefits.
What are those for anyone who's listening back who might just be interested in trialing something, experimenting something new?
Do you know what's funny? That's when I started going to Portugal straight after that. I went initially on a yoga retreat, and then I worked as as a plant-based chef for a surf camp over there.
I had an avocado tree right outside the kitchen when I was working in Portugal, and I would actually go out and I'd get fruits and vegetables from the garden and bring it into the kitchen. I'm going somewhere with this, and I'd say it's definitely possible in England, like it really is.
But I think just reconnecting myself to where fruits and vegetables are actually grown. I transformed, like just moving somewhere where the weather was a bit better and I connected to nature every day. I mean, I was in the sea surfing every day and stuff like that. And I think naturally the more you move and the more you are in nature, the more you want to look after your body.
Obviously that's not attainable for everyone. I'm not saying just go and move to a holiday destination, but I think it's not super duper easy, I find when we're surrounded by supermarkets and Starbucks and Costa coffees and chain cafes. How did it transform me? I think just every single day I was, I was going to markets, buying fruits and vegetables and eating them. I'd just sit and eat a whole pineapple or sit and eat a whole papaya and my digestion was better, my eyes were brighter. Gosh, I had so much energy and I think I'd never felt like that before.
I think I'd felt really heavy, not really with it. I think sometimes a lot of people are walking around feeling a bit crap in England and we don't know why and we think that we need to do a new gym class or go get a therapist. I'm not saying none of that is relevant, but I just think the power of nature and going back to basics and eating whole foods and knowing where your foods came from. For me it was a game changer and I'm very tempted to move back. Sometimes I just wanna get back on a plane and go back there. It's not completely functioning sometimes, but I think just taking a moment to really connect with the food that you are buying.
That was a game changer for me. I used to make really beautiful, colorful Buddha bowls with avocado. I love pickles. I made sauerkraut and stuff like that and loads of tofu. I know it's not for everyone, but there's so many recipes out there and I just think don't knock it until you try it.
I think the next step for me is to go and get blood tests because I want to check what my vitamin levels are and just see how it's working, but I never had any issues with iron deficiency or anything when I was fully vegan. I've just sort of slipped a bit, being back in England.
The products are too processed now. You get all these vegan burgers and they're just full of awful things. It's accessibility, which is something I'd love to work on in the future if there's another business idea on how to make whole food more accessible in general.
If there's one thing that you can come up with and are not short of, it's fun ideas and ways to be creative. I know for a while you hosted a podcast and that brings me back to the idea of altruism, which is in some senses not thinking about myself, it's about putting the focus on someone else and in some ways sharing what I know with other people so that they can take it or leave it. Did you have that same experience when you were hosting the podcast and was there a sense of fulfillment and purpose that you enjoyed and that has filled you up?
Definitely. I think having a podcast opens you up to having conversations with new people that are starting new businesses or in research fields and it's such a fantastic way to learn and also educate people. I think it's the quickest way to share an idea as well.
If anything, it's quite inspiring that someone can have an idea to start podcast and then do it out of their bedroom, for example, which is like what I did; I was connected to vegan chefs in LA and I could contact people through Instagram and then all of a sudden you're on a video call with these incredible people.
There was a really lovely lady, Sydney, who started a company called French Squirrel that I interviewed and she was on a mission to make well, they taste like Snickers. They're essentially dates with almond butter in the middle and then wrapped in chocolate. But she wanted to make whole food plant-based sweets and she's now on the supermarket shelves across the US which is incredible. But all through a podcast, I was able to access these people. That weren't necessarily in my circle of contacts here in Nottingham and I think it's a really important job to do something like a podcast because you can share ideas and innovative ways of living.
From people across the world. I think it's amazing and I think it's amazing what you've created, Lizzie. I'm very excited for you and your journey.
Well, thank you. And also likewise with yours going forward. I know that, as I say, you've always got ideas coming in and the wealth of experience that you've had across so many different areas of your life. I mean, we've only touched on a really small part of your life in terms of everything else that you've done. I know you've got corporate experience in the financial world, which I'm sure deserves a podcast of its own, but it's just incredible to talk to someone who's so knowledgeable and you really bring yourself into the work that you do and into this podcast. I wanted to ask you one more question before we wrap up, which is. If you could go back and give your younger self a piece of advice that might change everything or might change nothing, 'cause some people don't want to change their journey and that's okay, what would you tell that younger version of yourself, or what's a piece of advice you might give to someone who's about to go through the same thing?
There's more people that feel exactly the same way you are feeling than you could ever imagine. So go out there and try and find those people. 'cause there's lots out there. I'd probably say that.
I think that's such a beautiful note to end on, and I cannot thank you enough, Sarah, for your friendship, first of all, personally, but your generosity of time and wisdom, as I say, there's such a wealth of knowledge and experience that you have and that you've been able to bring into this episode, and I feel like we've only just scratched your surface.
I'm super excited to have you back on at some point in the future, so thank you.
Thank you so much, Lizzie.
I hope that left you with some fresh perspective—whether around food, wellbeing, or how you relate to your own health journey. If something resonated, do check out Sarah’s work linked in the description box below. And as always, well done for being here and for choosing to stay open, curious, and self-led in how you navigate MEN1.