Ditch detox diets and try switching up
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The modelling industry doesn’t always have the best reputation for being au fait with nutrition.
Late nights, lithe limbs, sex, drugs and alcohol – those are the stereotypes we find endlessly fascinating.
But model-turned-nutritionist Rosemary Ferguson has successfully switched all-out hedonism for veg juicing (her book, Juice, is full of ideas for what green stuff to blitz into liquid), and non-stop partying for an appreciation for plant-based living.
Ferguson became part of the nineties New York set, modelling for Prada and Miu Miu, appearing on the cover of Vogue and The Face, striding down catwalks in the grunge-laden era of ‘heroin chic’ and becoming close pals with Kate Moss (who, she says, has been known to juice with her).
Eating right wasn’t always a top priority. “To be honest, I didn’t think about food much back then,” muses the 45-year-old.
“Although I was interested in feeling energetic, which was difficult given how hard I was working and the fact I was slightly burning the candle at both ends.”
She “started green juicing to try and put some credit in the bank, as it were”, and then in her 30s, studied and qualified in nutrition. Since then, when it comes to food, she has “approached it in a whole new way,’’ she says.
However, despite that penchant for juicing, she’s not of the austere deprivation-ilk often found in the wellness arena. Which is why you’ll still spot her holidaying with Moss, Sadie Frost and co, and she hasn’t completely sworn off nights on the razzle either.
“I believe in balance – a bit of everything and feeling well,” explains the Cotswolds-based writer.
“You can’t have a good time unless you are feeling well, and that’s why I love food and nutrition – it’s truly amazing what food can do for you.”
So, if you’re looking for tough love and a forceful shove towards ‘new year, new you’ detoxing, she’s likely not your gal.
“It’s always good to reset, it makes a brilliant start to the year. In the world we live in, a fast fix is a really useful tool,” she notes diplomatically.
“But what really counts is carrying the benefits forward and making them a part of your every day. In essence, it’s less about a hardcore detox in January, than a switch up in regime that inspires you to make changes that last throughout the year.”
The key, she says, with any resolutions – food-based or not – is “don’t make them too hard. It’s all about small steps.”
Meaning if you are doing Veganuary, she encourages you to “plan ahead” and make sure to eat “a wide variety of different fruit and veg.”
Ferguson has teamed up on recipes with Strong Roots, available at Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury’s, Wholefoods and Ocado.
