What an NZ nutritionist and cancer survivor wants parents to know about kids’ nutrition

Hawke's Bay-based nutritionist Gina Urlich was diagnosed with cancer in 2024. Photo / Rachel Burt

Hawke’s Bay nutritionist Gina Urlich has made it her mission to help busy families give their kids the nutrients they need with her line of natural baby foods and meal boosters. Last year, she was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer at the age of 39. Here, she tells the Herald how undergoing treatment “deepened her purpose”.

On Mother’s Day 2024, Gina Urlich woke up in an intensive care unit after undergoing an aggressive 12-hour surgery for stage 4 cancer.

A year later, the nutritionist and mum of four is “incredibly grateful to be here” following her diagnosis with signet cell carcinoma in January last year.

“I was sitting in an emergency room with a pain in my thighs, and then the next, my whole world was tipped upside down,” she recalls.

“I kept thinking that they probably have got it wrong. As a mum of four young children and someone that’s always poured so much into living well and helping others do the same, I was in disbelief for a long time. I just had this deep fear that I’ve never experienced before.

“It was just such a shock. One day I was packing school lunches and putting my kids to bed and then the next I was staring down at my own mortality and absolutely nothing prepares you for that.”

Gina Urlich is the founder of Odi, a line of baby foods, meal and smoothie boosters. Photo / Rachel Burt

In the months that followed, Urlich underwent “a mix of conventional and natural” treatments, including 12 operations, chemotherapy and immunotherapy – which she says left her hospitalised several times due to the side effects – and three weeks of intensive holistic treatment in Mexico.

Her last operation was HIPEC – hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy, a 12-hour operation involving the removal of most of her stomach and her ovaries before filling her abdomen with hot chemotherapy.

“I woke up on Mother’s Day last year in the intensive care unit ... not the place you want to be on Mother’s Day,” she says.

“My surgeon said, ‘I’m a mum as well, and we’re both here doing this together’.”

One of the toughest parts of undergoing treatment for cancer was navigating how to talk to her children about it.

“I’m not going to sugarcoat it. It was heartbreaking, and it still is.

“My instinct was to protect my kids and shield them from the weight of what was really happening, and I’d often burst into tears once they were all asleep at night, and just hold it together through the day.

Urlich says one of the hardest parts of her cancer diagnosis was explaining it to her children. Photo / Rachel Burt

“But at the same time, I wanted to be really honest with them, and we talked a lot about the feelings of uncertainty.”

Urlich says Hawke’s Bay-based The Acorn Project was invaluable in helping her family navigate her diagnosis. The charity offers support and advice for young people, parents and caregivers facing cancer.

“At the time, I had a 17-year-old and a 4-year-old, so how you speak to a 4-year-old and a 17-year-old is very different,” she explains.

“I think the hardest thing [was] when I would see them look at me with their eyes just filled with fear, and they wouldn’t even need to say what it was they were fearful of. I could just see it in their little eyes.”

Now, Urlich is grateful to be in stable health with clear scans.

“I get anxiety with a little pain or a niggle, but my mindset’s pretty strong and I’m in a good space right now.”

Through it all, she says, “I think it’s deepened my purpose”.

Urlich says beating cancer has given her a heightened sense of purpose in her life and work. Photo / Rachel Burt

“I saw firsthand how deeply disconnected the conventional system is from true nourishment and healing, and it still blows my mind that you’re offered cake and sugary drinks while being hooked up to chemotherapy. I feel like that’s a perfect snapshot of how far we’ve drifted from supporting the body as a whole.

“I just feel deeply passionate about health and healing and feel that you’ve got to be really proactive in supporting your health.”

It’s that passion, along with her years of experience as a nutritionist in a hospital setting and her own clinical practice, that originally led her to create Odi, a line of natural baby food, meal and smoothie boosters.

“[My work] really gave me a front row seat to the struggles that many parents are facing when it comes to feeding their kids.

“I saw how hard it was to find convenient options that were also nutrient-dense and aligned with what I knew was best, and I just couldn’t find anything that was healthy and convenient, so I really just wanted to bridge that gap and make it accessible and easy for parents.”

Despite the personal challenges she’s faced, the business has been “going strong”, she says. Odi, formerly known as Norish, recently rebranded to avoid being mistaken for another product.

Urlich's brand of baby food and meal supplements has recently rebranded to Odi. Photo / Rachel Burt

Urlich says she’s grateful to have a team and community to help support her but that the business has also been “a nice distraction”.

“[I’m lucky to] work on something that I’m really passionate about and kind of forget about all the other things that were going on at the same time.”

With the wealth of information about health and nutrition available online, Urlich says there are several misconceptions about what growing children need.

“I think there’s this idea that kids need kids’ food and like beige, ultra-processed, really sweet foods, but children really thrive on whole foods and we just need to teach them that from the get-go.

“I also see a lot of fear around introducing allergens and iron-rich foods, which can then delay important exposures that children need.”

As a mum of four herself, Urlich knows all too well that “feeding a family well in this climate is really tough – especially when you’ve got a teenager that eats like a horse.

“We’re big on education, so sharing tips and recipes, meal ideas that stretch the budget without having to sacrifice quality as well ... it’s not always about perfection, it’s just about doing the best with what you’ve got and feeling supported as well.”

Urlich says the important thing is to get back to basics when considering what to feed your family.

“Trends come and go, but I think that foundational nutrition doesn’t change.

“Look at who’s giving the advice as well ... I think just having a trusted source where you’re getting your information is always good.”