MADELEINE SHAW

27, nutrition blogger and author of A Year Of Beautiful Eating

‘I featured in WH’S Naked issue last year – but my body has completely changed since then. Now, when I stand naked in front of the mirror, I see my growing bump – the beginning of something new and beautiful. I’m in sheer awe of my body. Pregnancy has given me a whole new type of body confidence.

I had morning sickness for the first three months, which was really draining, but since then

I’ve had loads of energy. Initially, I was nervous about exercising, but now I do prenatal classes at Bumps & Burpees at Lomax gym in London with trainer Charlie Launder. She makes me do squats with weights, lunges, modified press-ups and pull-ups using TRX cables. I feel like I’m in safe hands.

As my bump grows, my stomach feels increasingly squished, so I eat little and often. I’ll have a smoothie for breakfast made from raspberries, almond milk and protein powder, and meals like lentils with hummus, tomato salad and falafal, and snacks such as chia pudding in between.

I didn’t always eat so healthily. At 16, I began calorie-counting, believing that diet drinks and foods like rice cakes were good for me. Food became my way of controlling my life during a turbulent time, after my parents’ divorce and the death of a close friend. I lost weight, but my skin was dull, my hair began falling out and I always felt exhausted. I was ruining my body.

Two years later, I had digestive issues, so I saw a naturopath to get me back on track. I began working in a health food cafe, learned about nutrition and fell in love with cooking. From there, my food blog was born.

Now, I don’t eat foods that are processed, packaged or refined, and I only cook with good-quality meat and sustainably farmed fish, organic veg and grains. I’ll cook good, nourishing food for my child, but if he or she wants to have a burger, then of course I’ll let them. I know from experience that a good diet is about balance, not deprivation.’ Madeleine has created three healthy recipes for Blue Diamond Almonds; bluediamondalmonds.co.uk