This week Liz McWatt shares her journey with food growing and health, from childhood memories to her early career, and how it has encouraged her to support the FoodFriends scheme.
My name is Liz McWatt. I’m a Nutritional Therapist based in Holme, and I am passionate about all things food.
My father, his father, and his grandfather all grew their own food, so I have very fond early childhood memories of my dad teaching me how to plant. We started with a row of carrots, and one of my favourite activities during visits to my grandparents was going on dung-collecting walks along the route of a local riding school. Those moments were truly special.
My granddad had “poo“ stashes hidden under bushes all over the woods. The veggie garden was my playground and I made dens under the blackcurrant bushes and sampled the produce whilst I played, often getting rather muddy. Freshly pulled runner beans are a favourite of mine but anything raw straight from the plant will do!
My father was an insulin-dependent diabetic, so I learned early that healthy eating was important. We weren’t allowed sweets and sugar, so in the summer months, we could have fresh raspberries and strawberries to put on our breakfast cereal. Harvest time was always incredibly busy, and we would all be in the kitchen processing, blanching, making purees and jams, etc. We had an epic freezer and larder.
In my early 20’s whilst a student nurse, I became ill with allergies, the symptoms were pretty severe and doctors didn’t have any answers. Luckily I found an alternative health practitioner – a rare thing in the 80’s who suggested it may be food that was my problem. I changed my diet and my symptoms disappeared. A miracle!
Eventually, I trained as a Nutritional Therapist, starting my practice in 1996 in Kendal. I then pursued further training as a Homeopath and Shamanic Practitioner. I am very concerned as a health professional about the impact of chemicals on our well-being, particularly pesticides in food. Our bodies need us to do all we can to reduce our chemical intake, which is why I try to eat as much organic food as I can and promote it to others.
I think the FoodFriends scheme supports amazing work. It financially supports the production of organic local food at the Plot, while also helping and training others learn about organic food growing.
Having resilient and vibrant food production prospering locally is vital if we are to survive and thrive in the coming years.
Become a FoodFriend today! Visit foodfutures.org.uk/foodfriends.
You can read the latest FoodFriends Annual Report here.
