I’ve been following Kate Horsman on Instagram for a while now but we didn’t actually meet in person until we both showed up to a Danielle Laporte talk at Native Shoes a while back. Last week, I had the chance to sit down and get to know her better.

Kate is a trained counsellor and holistic nutritionist specializing in eating disorders and food psychology. She exudes a very down-to-earth, wise-beyond-her-years vibe; for me, it’s such a joy to meet someone who is so genuinely passionate, honest and thoughtful in her work.

If you want to see her in action, Kate is hosting a series of intuitive and mindful eating workshops this month…be sure to check them out!
Desiree

What is your earliest food memory?

I’m trying to recall, the earliest that I can say, although my memory at times still is vague, I would say one that comes to mind is Stoned Wheat Thins with Cheeze Wiz. Maybe I was home sick from school for the day, because I remember the soap operas my mom would be watching, playing in the back.

I was a terribly fussy eater as a child. If it was plain and white in colour, it was perfect for me. The exception being milk, which my parents could not get me to drink and so I had to endure Mighty Mouse calcium supplements…which I did not like either. On the flip side, Flintstone vitamins suited me well. Things have changed a little you could say.

So many of us, even if we have not lived with an eating disorder, have experienced a disordered relationship with food. How can we move towards a more intuitive approach?

There are a few ideas that I think of as foundational in changing the way we eat and view our body. The first is eating enough to fulfill our energy needs both physically and mentally. If we don’t have enough, how are we supposed to function and THINK properly. Continuing on that, the second is to eat for thought. The idea of eating for happiness and quality of thought with nutrients specific to brain health puts emphasis on the ability to heal our minds and disordered eating habits through a more malleable, well-fed brain.

Sometimes choosing to eat for our body is more challenging than to eat for our thoughts, so we start with this. The third would be, and it may sound simplistic, but DO. Sometimes just doing, leads to being. The  more we give our body what it needs and believe in the power of the body to do its thing, is the moment we get closer to not only the body that we want, but the happiness and lifestyle we deserve. So start by DOing.

What has been the most powerful tool in building your own positive relationship with food?

This is a hard one, because I really believe its a multi layered approach. So I will go with again three pillars that created my change and that I believe in for others. This is Change, Food and Movement. Altogether this interaction of health and wellness is where the something different happens. The change is working on thought, beliefs and the nervous system. Food is about fresh, live real food. Acting in its most whole and natural state. Movement is about getting “shit” out. Our stuck, blocked energy that needs to be released on a cellular and psychic level. Oh and if I was to say one more, the present moment.  In the present moment there is nothing wrong. There is only what is.

What does ‘rebel health’ mean to you?

It means saying ‘eff you’ to the rules. It means that everyone’s approach to healing has got to be different. It means believing that our ability to heal is greater than our potential of being diseased and doomed.

Just for fun, if you were building a plant-based feast for your nearest and dearest, what would you serve?

I think I would make it in Maui. I am so inspired by the land and nature there; keeping that Aloha alive would be ideal. So it would be a spread:

Maui Coconut Kefir on Tap
Fresh Local Mango
Stacks of Coconut Macadamia Pancakes
Acai Bowl Bar
Kona Coffee and Almond Milk Lattes

Now to make this happen 🙂

To learn more about Kate, click here.

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