Sidedish: Sexy eating

NO, it’s not dining on candle-lit table tops with nothing but a good piece of lingerie on—for the ladies, of course. Being sexy is not only about what is seen on the outside, at least that’s what international nutritionist Margaux J. Rathbun, B.S., N.T.P, shared to the audience in an exclusive seminar organized by all-natural products store Healthy Options.

“Because if you feel good, you’ll look good,” Rathbun said relying on a good old fact.

The seminar dubbed Nutrition Is Sexy—A Life Changing Seminar, was a two-day event, with the first one held on Feb. 19 at Edsa Shangri-La Hotel in Manila and Feb. 20 here at the Cebu City Marriott Hotel.

“The ‘N’ word could be really boring,” Rathbun starts by acknowledging how nutrition, per se for some people, may be synonymous to toil, hard work and bad tasting food.

“I actually was bullied during my second grade because I used to be so fat. My classmates would tease me so bad, that I would end up eating alone at the library—worse, in the restroom” revealed Rathbun.

After a few years, she became bulimic and anorexic, as she took on gigs of becoming a professional model for print ads and ramps.

People, according to her, would praise her for her thin frame, yet deep inside, she felt anything but healthy. It got so bad that one day, she found herself in the emergency room of a hospital for unbearable stomach pains.

“Doctors couldn’t tell me what was wrong with me. ‘Maybe it’s your kidney,’ ‘oh, let’s take out your gall bladder.’ ‘No thanks,’ I thought. If you guys aren’t sure of what’s wrong then let’s not cut me up first, alright?”

It was until one day when Rathbun had an appointment with a doctor who was also into nutrition, that she was told what her problem was.

“‘Honey, it’s just really simple,’” Rathbun recalls what her doctor’s words were. “‘The food that you are eating isn’t being digested anymore.’”

Rathbun had denied herself of food and drinks for far too long, that her digestive system wasn’t functioning anymore. “It was my wake up call,” she declared.

Fast forward to today, the nutritionist has amassed fans online, especially from her website www.authenticselfwellness.com, as she is known to have a knack of turning the often boring subject of nutrition, into something fun, plain and easier to digest—pun intended.

In fact, even celebrities quote the nutritionist on their sites, like Heidi Klum, Tyra Banks and Perez Hilton.

“Margaux, one of the top nutrition contributor to my websites FitPerez.com and Perezitos.com, is the one to connect with readers. My website visitors really respond well to her because she makes nutrition and healthy eating fun! Margaux isn’t your typical nutritionist, telling you to lose weight and eat lots of carrots and tofu. She talks about how tasty whole foods make us feel fabulous,” expressed Hilton, the celebrity gossip blogger.

During the seminar, Rathbun rattled a few tips and tricks about nutrition and body care. She also shared to the audience, which she considers very important—keys to improving digestion.

Chew your food. Something common which mothers would quite warn their children about during meal times.

Relax while eating. Focus on the meal at hand, don’t rush; turn off the television.

Don’t flood your food. Resist the urge to drink a lot during a meal. “For me,” Rathbun adds, “I would suggest that one shouldn’t have a drink 30 minutes before and after a meal.”

Take a supplement to aid in digestion. The natural ones make the best choices.

“Digestion is a foundation for health,” Rathbun, a firm believer on the benefits of eating a diet high in authentically healthy foods, would say.

Standing at around six feet tall and with a slender frame, plus a bright countenance, this nutritionist walks the talk.