Lucy Goff: My Food & Fitness Regime

The definition of a supplement junkie, Lucy Goff founded LYMA, one of the world’s most exclusive and science-backed formulas, in 2014 after a six-week battle with septicaemia left her exhausted and run-down. Having turned her back on PR for a career in the wellness industry, Lucy is on a mission to help women achieve peak health and wellbeing – something that has never felt more relevant. Here, she tells us what an average day-in-the-life looks like, as well as how she keeps her family’s health in check.

Breakfast is non-negotiable. I’ll either have some sourdough toast with salted butter, or if I’m feeling like a brain boost, I’ll add sliced avocado. My first drink is always boiling water with lemon and a tiny dusting of baking soda. I was diagnosed with acid reflux when I was in my 20s, and my grandmother was convinced this was the best way forward. I’ve stuck with it ever since, although it’s probably more of a way of keeping her memory alive rather than anything medicinal.

Taking some deep breaths before I leave the house is so beneficial. Five deep belly breaths really set me up for the day. Breathing is so often taken for granted – taking the time to breathe properly will pay off throughout the day. It’s easy to do, and better still, it’s free.

Following an anti-inflammatory diet works best for me. Lockdown has allowed me to be more experimental with food, to really consider how it forms part of a well-balanced lifestyle and how I can best protect my family through the food we eat. Dysnutrition is way more common than we might imagine; as a nation we consume so many over-processed foods that hold little nutritional value. So I try to avoid processed foods and follow an anti-inflammatory diet as far as I can – lots of fresh salads, grilled fish and chicken soup. I also try to limit red meat to once a week, usually a full roast beef dinner on a Sunday with all the trimmings, grass-fed from the Hampstead Butcher.

I’ve tried and failed on so many diets. Now I’m reaching the other side of 40, I try to stick to eating unprocessed foods rather than follow a specific plan. As a mother to a daughter, I’m very conscious of setting a good example for her. I’m quite balanced when it comes to my diet, I don’t ever really indulge. My indulgence is usually down to overworking, rather than overeating. I always hit the reset button at the weekends. 

That said, I’m a huge snacker. I’m always envious of people who can go from meal to meal without the need to eat anything. Even if I’m super busy, I have to be surrounded by cupboards full of snacks at all times. I try to keep things healthy, with nuts and fresh fruit, but I can’t say no to Rhythm’s 108 Hazelnut Praline bar, which is delicious dunked in black coffee.

Dinners are always healthy. Fortunately, one of my best friends is Dr. Chintal Bathir, a hugely talented doctor and the most fabulous chef – every week she sends me through a couple of her easiest recipes. Mondays I try and stay meat free, using up leftover vegetables, while Tuesdays is always grilled fish, usually salmon or sea bass, served with beetroot or spinach pasta. I make a mean veal meatloaf with a delicious tomato sauce that my daughter loves with pasta. I always have a pan of chicken bone broth on the go too – I’ll often heat up a bowl and add lots of vegetables, butter beans and couscous.

In my opinion, dinner parties should always be informal. I love the concept of platters of delicious colourful food displayed in the middle of a large table that people can tuck into. When I have friends over, it’s often either Italian or Indian and I like to keep things easy – scooping a delicious curry from your plate with a wholesome roti is so much more exciting than eating with a knife and fork. I’m a terrible baker, so I stick to my fail-safe chocolate mousse for pudding. It only has two ingredients, eggs and dark chocolate. It’s very rich, but doesn’t have added sugar, so it’s ‘almost healthy’.

In our house, there’s no such thing as a traditional weekly shop. I’m more of a daily top up girl. My top five trolley essentials, in no particular order, would be Duchy broccoli spears, Smitten apples (which never fail the crunch test), salted pistachios, The Bertinet Bakery Malted Wheat Sourdough, and Bendicks Bittermints, which I was never allowed as a child, so they always feel like a real treat.

Where possible, I buy organic. However, for me, taste and quality are non-negotiable. I’m not going to eat a fluffy apple just because it’s organic. Yes, you need to take chemicals into consideration, but food is there to be enjoyed and savoured. I try to stick to unprocessed foods as a rule.

Apart from fruit, I hardly ever crave puddings. The brain is a very powerful organ, and I’m a firm believer that you have the ability to train it to your advantage. I work off the phrase, “I can because I think I can.” If you’re trying to challenge an intrusive thought, listen to your body, don’t deny it what it needs and you’ll find cravings are no longer a concern.

I’m not much of a drinker. I’m not a fan of the taste of spirits and it would probably take me a few hours to get through a glass of champagne. The closest I get to alcohol is the occasional glass of rioja if I’m in a restaurant having a steak. My husband doesn’t drink either, which helps. People assume we’re both in recovery, but the truth is, we’re just not drinkers. The only time I really open a bottle of wine at home is when I’m making a bolognaise.

Salty crisps are my weakness. San Nicasio is my number one brand – the Himalayan pink salt flavour is in a league of its own. 

We eat out as a family most weekends. When we got to month three of lockdown, it was pretty obvious my family were tiring of my culinary repertoire. Sarracino in West Hampstead does a family sized Parmigiana Di Melanzane, which is divine served with fresh tomato bruschetta. Gymkhana is our go-to for Indian food – if I could figure out how to replicate their Lasooni Jheenga at home, I would be a very happy woman. I also love Cut at 45 Park Lane for steak and our local pizzeria, the Red Pepper in Maida Vale. I’m not really one for takeaways – they always seem to arrive lukewarm and like they’ve suffered on the back of a motorbike. If I’m pushed for time, I’d much rather throw a fresh salad together with a rotisserie chicken or an omelette, rather than ordering food in. 

LYMA is my lifeline. On the basis I eat a healthy, balanced diet and I’m not deficient in any nutrients, I don’t take any other supplements aside from LYMA. In a market that’s flooded with pseudo-science, we swap hope and hype for an evidence-based approach. LYMA uses eight peer-reviewed, medical grade ingredients, each dosed at levels that are proven to deliver the best results. Since taking LYMA, my skin has never looked so good, I have more energy than I had in my 20s, I don’t stress anymore about the little things. And I can get through an aerobics class without feeling like my knees are about to give way.  

It’s important my kids are fuelled, too. I give my kids Claricell Junior, which is formulated with vitamin D3, and Wellmune, a standardised and validated 1-3, 1-6 beta glucans, which also features in the LYMA formula. Beta glucans have been progressively removed from our food chain over the past half-century and if presented in the right molecular structure, can improve immune function and resistance to infection. I can’t remember the last time they’ve come down with a cold. 

I’m not a huge fan of exercise. I used to take my exercise very seriously and had a personal trainer, but gave up after a year. I’m naturally quiet petite, so I find that as long as I’m incorporating exercise into my daily routine and working out a couple of times a week, it all seems to tick over. During lockdown, I did zero exercise for three months, but have just started a boxing bootcamp in St John’s Wood park – I never realised how exhilarating exercising outside is compared to in a dingy gym. It’s run by an ex-SAS soldier and I love it.

Looking after yourself isn’t an indulgence, it’s a necessity. The rise of technology has created an unsustainable pace of life. We’re humans, not robots, and we’re not built to handle the stimulus of modern daily life. As well as good sleep, I like to treat myself to a good facial – Nichola Joss is my number one. Her lifting and sculpting technique is miraculous – I never look better than when I leave her clinic.
 

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*Features published by SheerLuxe are not intended to treat, diagnose, cure or prevent any disease. Always seek the advice of your GP or another qualified healthcare provider for any questions you have regarding a medical condition, and before undertaking any diet, exercise or other health-related programme.