Who is F.I.G (Food Is Good) Nutrition?

Maybe you have stumbled across my website by accident or you might be a long time follower.

Either way, if you’re wondering who F.I.G (Food Is Good) Nutrition is or what it’s all about, keep
reading!

Hello! My name is Sarah Hawkins and I am the founder of F.I.G (Food Is Good) Nutrition. I am an AfN registered associate nutritionist and yoga teacher specialising in digestion and disordered eating.

I work with those who suffer with chronic digestive issues and help them to take back control without the food restrictions. I also work a lot in the space of disordered eating, to help people to let go of restrictions and rules around food. It is a privilege to do the work I do and I feel incredibly lucky to call this my job.

How did it start?

I had just graduated from my nutrition degree and had plans to do a masters in dietetics. F.I.G was born out of a desire to keep up with nutrition research while I worked in hospitality for a year, saving for the masters. I decided to set up a blog and Instagram page as a way to both share tips with others and to keep myself accountable for writing and reading up on research.

I was delighted when the Instagram page got such great feedback and began to get some inquiries for 1-1 work, predominantly in gut health and digestion, a topic close to my heart. You can read about my experience with IBS here.

After a few shadowing opportunities in hospitals, I quickly learned that being squeamish does not work well as a dietitian and realised that this route was no longer for me. A pandemic induced job loss and lockdowns gave me the perfect opportunity to grow and develop F.I.G (Food Is Good) Nutrition into something more than a hobby and passion project.

Why FIG nutrition?

F.I.G stands for Food Is Good, because for so many individuals, it can feel like an enemy or something to avoid. The name was born back in 2018 over a delicious gin and tonic in Edinburgh City Centre. My boyfriend, Ben and I were thinking of names for the Instagram page as Sarah Hawkins nutrition felt too boring.

Throughout my degree I loved learning about nutrition but struggled with the black and white views of ‘healthy’ and ‘unhealthy’ food. I personally felt that all foods should be able to fit in a healthy balanced diet – balance being the key here, right? Having done some mock consultations and coaching with friends and family, it was clear that most people knew the theory but struggled most with the application. I noticed a lot of food rules and restrictions which often held people back and knew I had to explore this topic further.

Ben’s creative side came out that night as he casually suggested ‘what about food is good and fig for short?’ Simple and effective – it described my values and approach to nutrition while also being easy to remember. F.I.G (Food Is Good) was born!

Since then it’s been quite a journey. You never stop learning as a nutritionist and I’ve done plenty of continued learning in body image, intuitive eating, female health, pre and post-natal along with all I’ve learned from each wonderful individuals I work with. In late 2020 I even added yoga to my CV which has been the most perfect addition to my 1-1 work.

While I work predominantly on a 1-1 basis, I also run group workshops for gyms and groups, I run group yoga classes and workshops, I’ve done corporate sessions and have plenty more to come. I feel incredibly lucky that this is my job and am so grateful to 2018 Sarah for deciding to start that blog.

So here we are, nearly four years and hundreds of clients later. F.I.G (Food Is Good) Nutrition is here to help you to beat the bloat without the food restrictions so you can develop a happy and healthy relationship with food. To those of you who have been part of the journey, I’d like to thank you. If you’re yet to start your own journey, welcome to the club! For more information on working with me, book a free call.

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