If you can’t seem to shake illness this January, read this

Nutritionist and hormone specialist Jess Shand shares her insights on healing and recovery this winter, and answers my fave question: "What would you do differently if you could have your time again?"

I had Norovirus. Now I have a cold. Like many others, a germ-filled January has made it challenging to get back into my groove. That’s not to say last week wasn’t super productive, but only fuelled by coffee and medication.

Nobody talks about how ill children make you. Not my husband Dan I might add. And I’m not talking about birth – although two C-Sections weren’t that easy breezy. I mean in the day-to-day. Clearly, I have no natural immunity seeing that everything from sick bugs and conjunctivitis to the common cold are ALWAYS caught by me, roughly at the same time as either of my children. There’s two of them, and one of me, so you can see how the odds are stacked against me and at this time of year, I feel like I’m sick more often than I’m not.

Seeking expert tips for immune system recovery

Which is why this instalment of “Learn from our mistakes” comes in a little differently. I wanted some advice on how I could kickstart my immune system recovery and start feeling more robust and the first person that sprang to mind was Jess.

So selfishly, but hopefully also beneficially to all of you, I spoke to the incredible nutritionist and hormone specialist, Jess Shand, about her top tips on how to boost immunity, aid recovery and improve wellbeing this winter. As well as my usual question I love to ask women I’m in awe of “what would you do differently if you could have your time again?”

PCOS, anxiety and hacking hormonal health

A registered naturopathic nutritionist and hormone specialist, Jess and I first crossed path years ago when she was starting out as a writer. Her journey is a testament to resilience. She turned personal struggles with PCOS, an under active thyroid and anxiety into a career that not only improved her life but empowers others too.

Jess’s experience is relatable for so many women. After she couldn’t get the help she needed from her GP, Jess decided to take control of her own situation, focusing in on her own hormonal health. I’m not throwing shade on GPs, our NHS is incredible, but the facts are it’s over stretched and understaffed, plus my observation is that if you have a women’s health concern, then GPs generally don’t seem to have the resources to deal with them.

Today Jess has built an impressive celebrity and social following, and I’m not surprised. She has a unique take on how to support your body through nutrition. And whilst I’ll confess, I don’t think I could ever live life as well as Jess does, her advice can be dipped in and out of and, she’s savvy when it comes to how to implement better choices (i.e. she’s a big advocate for batch cooking).

Here’s Jess’ journey and take on what she’d do differently if she could have her time again

"If I could redo my career, my first thought would be to train as a naturopathic nutritionist in my twenties and step into my life’s passion earlier. I adore it so much and want to spend the rest of my days doing this!

But truthfully, I’m grateful for the hormonal health challenges I faced - PCOS, fertility struggles, and at times, debilitating anxiety. These experiences forced me to reevaluate my lifestyle, nutrition, and how I treated my body. Without that low point, I might never have found the incentive to make such transformative changes.

It was through my lowest of low anxiety and panic attack episodes and wanting, more than anything else, to become a mum that I realised I had spent the most part of my late teens and twenties punishing my body instead of looking after it, or even acknowledging its needs for that matter.

I’m happy to say this all changed when I started consistently and intentionally nourishing and supporting my body using food as my daily medicine and it’s what transformed not just my hormonal health, but it changed my entire life, including my career.

I pivoted completely, selling my PR agency after 10 years to pursue a new path as a registered naturopathic nutritionist. I’ve never looked back. Those low moments gave me the determination to create meaningful change in women’s health. It’s also what inspired me to write my book The Hormone Balance Handbook to empower women to take control of their hormones and learn to nourish their bodies using food - a book I hope helps every single woman out there from the start of their hormonal health journey right through to the end!

I wouldn’t change my past. I feel immense gratitude for finding my path when I did. Now, I want to spend my life feeling calm, happy, and healthy—and never take my health for granted again.”

Channeling tough experiences into a better future

We might look back on tough experiences and think, why me? And that’s understandable. But if you can take those negative thoughts and channel them into something positive, learn from them, and grow from them, then often it can make the tough times an easier pill to swallow. And Jess, she is a great example of someone who has done just that. Which is why I’m so impressed by everything she’s achieving, and she totally deserves all her success.

Here’s Jess’s healing and recovery tips to support your body and build some more resilience - hoping this can help me (and you) to help kick the relentless onslaught of illness to the curb.

Nourish don’t punish – batch cooking is key

“Ramp up immune-supportive nutrients to help your body heal. The more you can go the extra mile for yourself right now in terms of making mindful, considered choices on the foods you are feeding your body with, the quicker you will start to feel better - this is a great way to work with your body and to promote healing and balance.

Make every meal count by adding wholesome, nourishing ingredients. Avoid grazing on ultra-processed foods that can amplify symptoms. Instead, simplify your life with batch cooking that can take minimal effort to chop-up and chuck in a big pot – your body will quite literally thank you for it.

My go-to immune supporting batch cook recipes are – My Healing Chicken Soup (found on page 95 in The Hormone Balance Handbook), Creamy and Comforting Butter Bean Curry. Restorative Beetroot Soup or Immune boosting antioxidant salad.”

Embrace herbs and spices in your meals and drinks

“Inflammation will be elevated if you are unwell! This is such a powerful way to sneak in as many anti-inflammatories as you can to actively support your immune system by reducing inflammation in your body and supporting your gut microbiome (especially as 70–80% of immune cells are present in the gut).

Adding in herbs and spices including ginger, turmeric, garlic, rosemary will nourish your immune system and support your whole body - from your gut microbes to your liver enzymes - all of which will be asking for extra TLC. When you are unwell you need to treat the WHOLE of you to feel a whole lot better. Try my Golden Glow Milk with turmeric and cinnamon, Pomegranate Tonic or Immunity Cubes to support your immune health this winter.”

See rest as productive

“This one might make your eyes roll but it’s so important, a real non-negotiable! See this time as natures invitation for you to retreat inwards and take time to rest and recuperate to help your body. By this I mean allowing yourself to get enough restorative sleep - getting into bed earlier and carving-out a peaceful evening wind-down, but I also mean for you to really level up your self-care too and spend time actually ‘being’ instead of doing and to activate your parasympathetic nervous system to help you recover.

For example, saying no to things you don’t want to do, making time to read that book that’s been on your list for ages, watch a good film, meditate, have a bath, listen to a podcast and not be ‘available’ to anyone else but yourself. This will speed up recovery big time, whilst also helping you gain clarity on (many) things by tuning into what your body is trying to communicate with you and is telling you it needs - gold!”

Speak kindly to yourself

“Your mindset matters. Surround yourself with things - media, people, books, plans - that are going to give you a mental boost and create boundaries around the media you consume. Focus on the things you are grateful for even when you are feeling fed up (these can be the simplest things but can have the most amazing mental knock-on effect, like a positivity domino cascade in your brain), helping you to be proactive about your health.”

Sick of always feeling rubbish, I just bought Jess’ book as I’m interested in how I can nourish myself with the best foods to boost immunity naturally to help me build some resilience. Here’s where you can grab a copy too.

To anyone reading this, thank you for being here, please ❤️ (below) if you enjoyed this piece, it really helps others find it.