Millie Mackintosh's nutritionist talks fitness secrets: 'She's a big exercise bunny'
NUTRITION coach Madeleine Shaw has let us in on her top tips for a healthy lifestyle, her love of almonds and her famous friend's fitness regime.
Her glowing skin and healthy-looking blonde locks prove that whatever she's eating is definitely doing the trick and now we know Madeleine Shaw's how she stays looking so good.
The healthy nutrition coach runs a six week programme in which she teaches people how to eat as healthily as possible while still maintaining a balanced diet.
She began her health kick at the age of 18 after moving to Austrailia where she worked for an organic cafe and the rest is history.
But it wasn't an easy ride for Madeleine who had flaky skin and bad digestion as a teenager.
"I ended up getting a job working in this café and it just transformed my life," she admits.
"I started to eat well, I started to really nourish myself with good food, healthy fats, good quality protein and it just felt so good.
"My skin cleared up. I had energy throughout the day and I absolutely adored working there and it just felt effortless. It didn’t feel like work."
After three years in Oz, Madeleine decided to share what she had learned and came back to the UK and set up a website as well as her diet programme.
The blonde beauty has had many clients but her most famous would have to be Made In Chelsea star Millie Mackintosh.
"We met through a mutual friend and I've known her quite a while now. She's really great."
So how tough did she find her health kick?
"She’s always been a very slim girl, she’s just naturally built that way but she probably wasn’t eating the right things and feeling a bit bloated and tired.
"But I think she's really enjoyed eating well, she's been great.
"She’s a great cook so being able to experiment in the kitchen has been cool for her and I think it’s nice. It’s something that we can share together. "
That's all well and good but surely there must be a bit of competition.
"She's probably fitter. She's very good. She's a gym bunny," Madeleine laughed.
Millie Mackintosh is fighting fit with PT pad work
Fitness aside, Madeleine is a big fan of eating clean and claims almonds are her go-to snack.
"I use almond milk in my cooking. I use it in my porridges, in my smoothies, I use them as snacks.
"They're something that are part of my daily life."
So what else should we add to our shopping list?
"Oily fish like salmon and sardines are great for your skin because they've got fatty acids in them.
"Chicken stock is actually really good for nails.
"For your hair, you want to get protein in there so hemp seeds are great."
But when it comes to sugar, Madeleine calls it a big no-no and recommends cutting it out of your diet altogether.
"Sugar is extremely harmful. It's processed and lacks any form of nutrition and it only makes us crave it more.
"But there's lots of great alternatives like coconut sugar, honey, dates and things like that."
But surely even health guru Madeleine must treat herself to a cheeky snack every now and again?
"I love croissants with jam. You can't make them healthy, they just don't go healthy," she laughed.
"I like Baklava too, which is like a random middle-eastern pastry with nuts."
So how does she work off all those tasty pastries?
"I do yoga or pilates classes most afternoons.
"I've actually finished my teacher training and I'm a yoga teacher now so it's a big part of my life.
"It calms my mind, makes me feel less stressed and it's just become something regular that I really love to do."
So we can slim down and de-stress. Is this the best weight loss technique ever?
Madeleine Shaw is a nutritional health coach and an ambassador for Blue Diamond Almonds.
Her recipe book Get the Glow launches in April.
See more at madeleineshaw.com and bluediamondalmonds.co.uk
