COLOUR COMMUNICATION

As most of you are possibly aware, I rarely wear colour in my clothing.

However, I still believe that colour is something we fundamentally need in our lives, preferably on a daily basis. If we don’t choose to wear it, then we probably need to access it some other way. One way is by getting into nature. My garden is a riot of colour right now, and it’s a joy to sit in it and revitalise. Of course, this isn’t always possible in the UK climate but while I can, I do.

My preference is to access colour via my food. A day rarely goes past without my plate seeing a rainbow of colour piled upon it. I’ve pretty much always eaten this way and it’s probably a good thing as I used to be a heavy smoker, prolific sunbather and a regular imbiber of gin and tonic(s)!

A book, I purchased around 2 years ago, changed the way I looked at my food choices. Dr Megan Rossi, a doctor and expert in food, suggested that the gut and the brain are linked by the Vegas nerve. I’m paraphrasing now, so forgive me, but the gist of it is, that in the past, we needed to use our ‘gut’ to tell us what food is safe and what isn’t. For example, delectable bright red berries, that looked highly delicious, were actually poisonous. The gut instinct would have kicked in, moving us to safer food and possibly saved us from extinction.

Over time, we have lost this instinctive ability and use our head, or our heart, to guide us. The gut relies on trillions of different bacteria to keep it healthy and fully functional. The happier it is, the happier the brain becomes as the two are linked by the communication channel of the vegas nerve. To ‘feed’ our gut, the book recommends a highly diverse diet with at least 35 different plants (fruits, veg, seeds spices and herbs) every week.

As a result of this newly acquired knowledge, I started recording what I ate. Most weeks, I easily manage the 35 minimum required. My highest score, of which I’m extremely proud, was 72! Even my husband loves his colourful meals, and is much happier as a result. This is even more remarkable when I tell you that he wouldn’t touch a vegetable when I first met him!

Eating this way has massively increased my positivity energy and also made me into a more creative cook. Each food type can only score once. So eating the same salad of lettuce, tomato and cucumber would score 3 on the day you ate it, but nothing on consequent days. The book has lots of informative for anyone with digestive issues providing sensible advice around FODMAP etc. and plenty of nutritious, colourful recipes. Highly recommended.

The clothing we wear will always send out a communication about ourselves to anyone who meets us. It is a language of sorts, and a non verbal communication. I don’t wear a colourful ‘message’ but I feel my healthy positivity still shines through the blacks, navy’s, and charcoals of my wardrobe because of what I eat. Hope you agree!!!!

One reason I’m super interested in our next Coffee and Conversation discussion is because I love reading, and am frequently inspired and influenced by the content of books. Our next one, on Wednesday September 13th, will be based around The Book that Changed Your Life. I will not be talking about Dr Rossi’s, though both are high on my list. I have something else to share!

If you want to acknowledge and share details of the book that changed YOUR life please register here:

https://mailchi.mp/d393cd3e2c6f/ethpfyuvv3

Once registered, you will receive the zoom link. Please note this is a LIVE event and will not be recorded. A list of the books we discuss will be shared with participants post event.

I look forward to seeing you and am excited to hear more about the what, and the how, in your reading life.