Gabriela Peacock - 2 Weeks to Feeling Great: Because, seriously, who has the time?

I once lived on green beans. That was, quite literally, all I ate. I was 16, starting out as a model and was told to eat nothing but green beans to lose weight (dont get me wrong, I love green beans; theyre high in vitamin C and magnesium but, er, hello..?). I now eat every three to four hours in fact, when I got married, my orthodontist ticked me off for constantly taking out my braces to have my snacks. Times have radically changed.

After a 15-year career as a model, what I realised when studying nutrition at university in London is that knowledge is power. Funnily enough and I hope youre sitting down for this it turns out that starving yourself on only green beans is not a healthy, safe way to lose weight. Nine years studying and two degrees later, I am still amazed at how clever the body is, having seen first-hand in my clinic how even adding one supplement to your diet can quickly change the way you feel.

There is so much information on weight loss and nutrition now. Everyone has an opinion on diets, food and supplements but inevitably, that comes with judgement. If youre not reaching your target weight, its your fault. If you havent signed up for every HIIT class at the gym, youre lazy. There are tons of guides on how to manage weight and be healthy, but very few have a realistic approach for people with real lives.

What I know through years of experience is that you dont have to make huge changes to reach your goals. Were all so busy in this day and age travelling, working and raising children that we need to find ways to feel fantastic that are simple and achievable, which is why this book is full of my easy tricks and tips. You can make improvements without feeling stressed or overwhelmed and take it as far as you want. All roads lead to feeling better than ever before. The bottom line is, you dont have to be perfect throughout your journey and I have no inclination to judge anyone for their choices. I am a nutritionist, and I quite regularly eat last nights takeaway curry for breakfast (okay, with quinoa rather than white rice, but still) because Im probably tired, possibly a little bit hungover and definitely cant be bothered to make something fresh while my two youngest are throwing bits of scrambled eggs at each other.

My aim with this book is to educate you so that you understand how your body works as an interconnected system and the ways to make it function at its highest level. Once you have that knowledge, you can dip in and out of these pages, depending on what you need at any particular time whether youre exhausted after Christmas, going through a bad sleeping phase or have had one too many ros lunches over the summer. I encourage you to live life and have fun. You dont have to be hysterical about your health in order to feel great. Life really is too short.

A note on the magic of supplements

To say Im obsessed with supplements is an understatement. These concentrated forms of goodness may come in tiny quantities, but they have a potent and targeted biochemical effect within the body. They are not designed to replace healthy food but to supplementit; together they become a power couple of epic proportions.

People often ask me why they need supplements if their diet is healthy. The influences of stress, alcohol, late nights, not enough exercise, pollution and that expensive anti-wrinkle cream, that is actually full of parabens, are daily challenges. Along with all the normal processes within the body that are draining it of nutrients, these kinds of external factors all contribute to the body having to redirect the nutrients it needs to flourish to prioritise what it considers to be harmful. And if its any consolation, I am yet to meet a single patient who doesn't present with any kind of deficiency. To make this a whole lot simpler, I will be including lists of my favourite nutrient supplements, along with the food and lifestyle recommendations, at the end of every chapter. I encourage you to try them and see what works for you or at the very least, start with a good-quality multi-nutrient.