Did we all survive Hallowe’en? My children made out like bandits after Susie Switch paid a flying visit, so all is well at Natural HQ.

There was an hour or so of unsupervised candy madness up in their bedroom with all their friends, but there was also an hour of unsupervised wine madness downstairs … seemed like a good trade-off at the time!

The next morning was a little bit fuzzy, but nothing that a few green smoothies couldn’t fix.

It also helped that the house had been magically tidied by my mum. After hosting 30 adults and God-knows-how-many rampaging children, I was expecting a bombsite the next morning. Instead, it was all pretty perfect.

Supergranny flies home tomorrow and — despite all the mother-in-law jokes — I suspect the LH may quietly weep into his whiskey.

Having three adults in the house definitely makes life less stressful. Mum has been busy organising our lives and, in return, the LH has welcomed her into 2016 by putting WhatsApp on her phone.

This may seem like baby steps, but this is a woman that actually owns a notebook labelled “The Personal Internet & Password Logbook”.

I am pretty sure that this is sold by Indian men working for “Microsoft” but she’s adamant that it’s legit.

I’ve taken a picture of it in case you don’t believe me. Scoot on over to Facebook and check it out!

Having sussed out that I’m now writing about her, she’s now yelling indignantly at me from the living room. I’m responding by WhatsApp only, which puts me firmly in the teenager category I suspect. Seriously, this woman deserves a medal.

The other person who deserves a medal this week is Sarah, my very first (and unlikely to ever be topped) employee at Natural.

I messaged her in a panic this evening asking for column ideas and she responded with some great suggestions. Fuelled by the large glass of wine mum poured me (retox, whoops!), I replied with a series of inappropriate jokes and had to end up promising not to write about vibrators. So, we’re going to talk a little bit about stress and NOT about vibrators, OK?!

During Nutrifit (our six-week nutrition programme) we do talk a lot about stress.

I used to tuck it in at the end of the course, but we now discuss it in week two, largely because stress has such an influence over the choices we make.

Learning what to eat really is the easy part, putting it into practice is difficult.

If we’re constantly functioning under pressure, we put ourselves on the back burner and lurch from one bad decision to another.

The problem with our quick fixes for stress — largely caffeine, sugar and alcohol — is that they just make the problem worse long term.

Although they might work as a temporary pick-me-up, they all deplete the body of B vitamins. Ironically, B vitamins are the very thing you need for more energy and for nervous system support. So the more you deplete them, the more stressed and tired you get — and so the vicious cycle goes round.

If you’re tired of being tired and if stress is a major burden in your life, at some point you have to acknowledge and then break the cycle. I’ll admit that stress is my major area of weakness, it’s 100 per cent the thing I find hardest to manage. I’m naturally anxious, an over-thinker, a perfectionist at work … not really a good combination.

But, I also know that my nutrition will make or break how I navigate that path. If you can see nutrition as “having your back”, rather than yet another thing you have to fight, it gets really easy to make healthy choices. If you can see past the immediate taste-reward satisfaction of junk and connect it instead to feeling listless and apathetic, it’s just not so attractive any more.

Breaking the cycle sounds difficult, but it really only requires one simple step. You’ve got to find an hour you can dedicate to planning and prepping so that you’re surrounded by better options. Healthy choices have to be quick, easy and right under your nose if you’re going to make them under stress. I don’t mean you have to prep all your meals for a week, but rather start with healthy snacks.So many people eat reasonably healthy meals and then top them off with a layer of crap. Let’s do away with that shall we? Here are my best tips for breaking the stress cycle and fuelling your day in a much more positive way. Read, digest and then take an hour to plan your strategy and shop.

1. Write it down

At the end of a stressful day, make a note of everything you ate (or meals you skipped) when you were under pressure. What snuck in that wasn’t really in the plan? Figure out where and when you go wrong so that you can pull a targeted plan together.

2. Shop

If you’re snacking on junk at work because it’s the easy and most tempting option, we have to surround you with better alternatives. Don’t just do the family shop at the weekend, shop for YOU too. If you’re single, make sure you get to a grocery store and stop living off takeout and snacks from the pharmacy!

3. Choose better snacks

If you read this regularly, you know the drill. But here’s a list for you anyway. All these snacks are packed with extra protein and fibre to provide you with longer-lasting energy from your carbs. (Keep them handy at all times — lots of them are portable.) KIND bars (but only the kind with 5g sugars or less), Health Warrior Chia or Health Warrior Protein bars (Supermart), low sugar fresh fruit (berries, kiwi, pears especially) with a handful of almonds or walnuts, fresh veg and hummus or guacamole, Sheffa Savoury bars (Miles), rice cakes and nut butter or a small Nutrifit smoothie (Devil’s Isle or Down to Earth).

4. Kick the caffeine

How much are you drinking? One cup a day is probably not doing much harm, but if you keep topping yourself up we need to have a rethink. If you want something hot, try Rooibos tea, which is caffeine-free and packed full of anti-ageing antioxidants. Otherwise, drink more plain water, sparkling fruit-infused seltzers (such as Spindrift from Devil’s Isle or La Croix from Supermart/Lindo’s), or Ultima Replenisher for some natural electrolytes (Supermart).

5. Create a supportive environment

It’s hard to stay healthy at work if your boardroom is stuffed full of juice and soda. Likewise if you have junk at home for the children or for guests, that needs to be rectified too. At work, chat with your wellness reps; at home, get your whole family on board. It’s so much easier if you are in it together. However, if no one will follow your lead, don’t lose heart. Set yourself up as an example and you’ll likely win them over eventually!

•The advice given in this article is not intended to replace medical advice, but to complement it. Always consult your GP if you have any health concerns. Catherine Burns is the managing director of Natural Ltd and a fully qualified nutritional therapist trained by the Institute for Optimum Nutrition in the UK. Please note that she is not a registered dietitian. For details, please go to www.natural.bm or call 236-7511. Join Catherine on Facebook: www.facebook.com/nutrifitandnaturalnutritionbermuda