#105: Kat Chan

"I’m no longer a time optimist and it’s freed me."

Jun 14, 2026

Kat Chan is a London-based nutritional therapist and founder of Full Serving, a practice for whole-body health. On her newsletter, she takes a practical, fuss-free approach to all things health and wellness, considering the intricacies of people’s real lives rather than striving for total optimization (see: her case for breakfast soup and a sweet treat, or her guide to eating out).

Those interested in working with Kat 1:1 can schedule a consult here.

#105: Kat Chan
Aries/Gemini/Taurus
London, UK

What does health, or being healthy, mean to you?

Being healthy means feeling good most of the time, for a long time. Energized in the day, relaxed at night, and having enough strength, discomfort, joy, or sadness relative to what the experience calls for, rather than chasing an unrealistic state of constant perfection. When you’re healthy, you can do “imperfect” things and still feel good.

It relates to the idea of being adaptable, which to me is a key tenet of health. The opposite is rigidity — inflexibility with ideas, inability to deal with friction, body feeling all stiff. Not great.

If I can feel good in a packed morning train, stay resilient during challenging times, and feel great sunning on a beach…that to me is a good indicator of health. Healthy most of the time rather than hoping and waiting for the right conditions.

How would you describe your current lifestyle?

Instinctive. A bit hodgepodge, in a good way. My lifestyle is really a mashup of being super present for short spurts, then allowing space for creative projects, spontaneous socializing, and whatever unexpected thing lands on my plate. I’ve learned to trust my choices without constantly questioning them when it comes to health — that alone has lightened the cognitive load considerably. I also live and die by my Google Calendar; everything that matters to me goes in there. I’m no longer a time optimist and it’s freed me. Get real, do what you say, stop overcomplicating it.

How do you start and end your days?

Open the curtains so daylight can stream in. Head to the kitchen to boil the kettle so I can rehydrate with hot water — I’ll go for about half a liter first thing. While that’s happening, I brush my teeth, light an incense cone, and send a “morning” emoji to my parents who are halfway across the world. Then I’ll eat a couple of bites of something before heading out for a walk with my boyfriend. I tend to leave my phone at home.

We take a loop of the park — I like seeing all the runners and checking on the herons that hang out by the lake. There are a lot of great dogs, which always lifts the spirits. We grab a coffee during the walk, sip it while we chat, and by the time we’re back it’s been 5,000ish steps and I usually feel nice and warm. Then either lift some weights or get in the shower before enjoying a big breakfast. Having time in the morning to do something nourishing — for free — is a real blessing. I don’t take it for granted.

I’m interested in health that integrates into real life, not a fantasy version of wellness.

That’s what I’ll do most days in London. I’m currently writing this from LA, and I do basically the same thing: curtains, hydrate, emoji, walk, chat, sweat, breakfast. The routine is so simple I can do it anywhere.

If time allows, I also end my days with a walk after dinner. Otherwise, I crack on with my wind-down routine. Most days, I jot down a quick recap of what happened in my diary. There’s no pressure to write something poetic; usually, it’s just a series of “I did this, then saw this, tried this, and ate this…”

Then I’m off to wash my face. I’m big into face massage. Never go a day without it. All I need are my fingers and knuckles. I love a tool or a gadget, but I like that if the airline lost my suitcase, I’d still be able to do the things I need to keep a routine. I’ll wash my face with an oil balm, really getting under the cheekbones, jawline, around the eyebrows, and then follow up with a gentle face wash to rinse off any remaining residue. Brush my teeth. Face cream, eye cream. Then get into bed to read for between 15-30 minutes. Lights out.

Can you recall a moment when you became more aware of your health, or your relationship to it changed?

I can think of a few. I’ll start with when I realized I had a crustacean allergy as a kid — I think I was maybe five? — after sitting down and eating what felt like fifty shrimp in a row. It was at a big family get-together in Hong Kong. I remember everyone peeling shrimp and tossing the shells onto newspaper laid out on the table. I reacted pretty quickly: lips went dark, I got super itchy, and my throat started closing up. It taught me early that food can be extremely powerful. It also taught me the importance of advocating for myself. It’s not up to other people to keep me safe from shrimp!

Even knowing this from a young age, it took years of treating my body poorly — lots of partying, restrictive eating, “sleep when you’re dead” type of thinking — for me to return to ways of being healthy that work for me. I had a phase when living in New York in my twenties that led to burnout: full-body hives, blinding migraines, painful periods. I was extremely cranky, which is interesting to think about now because, in general, I’m a pretty upbeat person. This wasn’t so much a moment as a multi-year phase, but it definitely changed my relationship with my health — and also how I thought of myself.

I think all of this shapes how I work as a practitioner now. I’m interested in health that integrates into real life, not a fantasy version of wellness. I understand what it feels like to be ambitious, overstimulated, social, creative, exhausted, and still wanting to feel good.

What’s your relationship to self-healing?

Committed and pragmatic. It’s something I value and prioritize. I also know what I’m capable of and, where needed, I seek expert help. I know my limits.

Do you work with any practitioners, texts, or modalities on a regular basis?

I do a lot of self-study. Professionally, I stay engaged with nutrition research. It’s important to know what’s happening and to stay engaged with the topics my clients are going to bring in, plus it’s required for my certification and insurance as a registered nutritional therapist.

Personally, I’m devoted to reading in general — print whenever possible. I love having a paperback or a fave magazine. I go to the theater. I go to the movies. I listen to the radio. I count these as modalities I rely on for health.

I’ve had periods of acupuncture, therapy, and bodywork at different points in my life depending on what I needed. I think it’s all brilliant. There isn’t a huge functional massage culture in London, which I do miss from living in Hong Kong and NY. Give me a row of massage beds separated by a curtain and I’m happy as a clam.

And I see a personal trainer. He’s got me doing a mix of boxing, calisthenics, and weight lifting. We do it in the park and it’s really fun.

When do you feel the most nourished?

After jumping into a body of water under baking sun. If that’s not available, a good laugh with someone I love will do the trick.

How do you reset?

Take a walk, drink lots of water, move my body, get in the sauna, have a shower, cook meals, have a poo, go to sleep. I find that if I go too many days without reading a book, I can feel “off,” so I try to avoid that.

I’m not a fan of big overhauls and try to do things consistently so I don’t need to fully reset.

Do you have a favorite meal?

Hong Kong-style fish ball noodle soup. Fresh fish balls with flat rice noodles in a chicken stock, blanched choy sum and lots of chopped spring onion on top. Fried fish skin on the side (if you’re unfamiliar, it’s like a crackling) to dip into the soup. I’m salivating typing this.

In terms of what I’m drawn to: simple, whole foods. I love naturally vibrant, colorful foods. I usually make meals that don’t require a lot of ingredients and assemble easily. I leave the elaborate cooking to the pros. Love a good chew. And fruits that start with the letter P.