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Jan 31
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Gluten, should you be eating it?

By | Digestion, Gut Health, Hashimoto's, Whole foods

I am not dogmatic about food, I’ve never been the kind of nutritionist who told allll my clients they had to stop eating dairy/gluten and feast on a diet of sunlight and rainbows. After spending most of my 20s on either the Paleo, low FODMAP, SIBO Biphasic, low Histamine and The Autoimmune Protocol diets in an attempt to feel human again I know a thing or two about how it feels to eat a seriously restrictive diet. It ain’t fun or free. Processed and less than ideal foods will find their way into your eating sometimes. I try to focus on building habits so that most of the time you are eating nutrient rich, anti-inflammatory and delicious foods rather than handing out lists of no-no foods.

Let’s settle the gluten debate for good. Stick with me here, as always an individual approach is required, there are no blanket rules which means I need to explain a few things first.

If you don’t have Hashimoto’s disease keep reading anyway, I know you’ll get something out of this discussion.

Wheat is the darling of the Australian diet, we eat it in our cereal & toast for breakfast, we make sandwiches & wraps for lunch and we eat pasta & pizza for dinner, not to mention cakes, muffins, focaccia, dumplings, pies, pancakes and snot block. It’s a staple.

So there are two things I need you to understand first…

ONE/ Wheat – you’ve changed, you aren’t what you used to be. Literally. The modern wheat we consume today has been modified and cultivated to contain more of some types of gluten and a larger yield per acre. This is to increase profitability and to give us that white fluffiness we’ve all come to associate with the word ‘bread’. Other factors include the additives in supermarket bread and the pesticides/insecticides/fungicides use in the farming of modern wheat which means that the bread hitting our stomach these days is vastly different from bread in the past.

TWO/ Another fact to consider is that broadly speaking our microbiome diversity is dwindling across the generations. Extreme hygiene practices, over use of antibiotics, unhealthy lifestyles and processed food has seen to that. If you’re thinking, hold up what the heck is the microbiome you can read about it here. But basically the gut microbiome is the bacteria that dwell inside our intestines and confer many health benefits. The lower the diversity the more opportunistic, pathogenic bacteria can overgrow. This causes inflammation in the cells that line our gut and a decline in digestive power, gut health and function. This leaves us prone to reacting to foods and developing food intolerances and is a significant part of the aetiology of autoimmune disease, including Hashimoto’s.

So, let’s get this straight. In Australia and most of the western world, you aren’t consuming the same wheat your great grandmother ate and your gut probably isn’t as healthy either. This might be why you feel like more and more people around you are discovering their digestion is a lot smoother when they avoid gluten and why celiac disease has been on the rise since the mid twentieth century. And yes, it’s definitely a bit of a fad too.

There are a few perfectly good whole foods that are higher allergens and more reactive for sensitive people with compromised gut health (most of us if you haven’t been paying attention). Gluten and dairy are at the top of the list that also features foods like soy, eggs and nuts. This is why so many people don’t tolerate them and why some practitioners and Integrative GP’s have come to the conclusion that NO ONE should be eating them. I think it’s a lot more nuanced than that.

Should I be eating gluten if I have Hashimoto’s Disease?
For starters you are at much higher risk of Celiac disease if you have Hashimoto’s and vice versa so it’s essential you at least see your GP to get celiac gene testing (HLA DQ) if you experiencing any digestive symptoms after consuming gluten or any other symptoms you can’t explain for that matter as celiac disease symptoms are broad. If that is positive then you can go from there with further testing.

Molecular Mimicry
Gluten is a protein with a similar molecular structure to thyroid tissue. The theory behind why those of us with Hashi’s feel so much better off gluten, why antibodies can go down and why thyroid function can improve drastically is that molecular mimicry is causing gluten proteins in our system to ramp up the autoimmune attack on our thyroid leading to thyroid inflammation, tissue destruction and stronger symptoms. My personal and clinical experience as well as medical studies suggest that a gluten free diet may improve your symptoms, thyroid function and reduce or stop the autoimmune attack. I find that my clients who adopt a gluten free diet have increased energy, less bloating, reflux and other digestive symptoms, healthier bowel motions, clearer heads, better moods and are able to lose weight much more easily. Because if gluten is keeping you in a state of inflammation then you’ll find weight loss extremely difficult.

Skeptical? Try removing gluten for as little as two weeks, that is enough time for you assess whether it is playing a role in your symptoms. Clinically, I’ve never had a Hashimoto’s client not improve when they go gluten free, to the point where they are convinced it is not for them and require no further encouragement to stay off it. If going gluten free feels impossible, I get it. I’ve been there and I cried a lot. Then when I found out my son was also gluten intolerant, I cried some more.

What should I do next?
My best advice is to look to protein as the basis of your meals to keep you satiated and don’t rely too heavily on gluten free breads and alternatives from the supermarket. I only eat GF Precinct bread because it’s wholegrain, low Glycemic load and won’t contribute to weight gain and fatigue due to disregulated blood sugar. So for example, if you normally eat a chicken & salad white bread sandwich for lunch, ditch the white bread, increase the chicken portion, keep the salad, add satiating fats like an olive oil dressing and have a slice of GF Precinct bread or a small serve of brown basmati rice on the side instead. It just requires a shift in perspective and I promise it gets easier with time. Check out my Healthy Weight Hashimoto’s free guide, it has a food list and meal planner that makes it easy to assemble a yummy, GF, Hashi’s-friendly meal. If you join my Thrive Method program your personalised meal plan will automatically be gluten free. My clients have remarked how easy it makes the transition when they have a plan to follow that they can trust is uniquely right for them.

Should I be eating gluten if I have Celiac disease?
I went to a beautiful bakery cafe for lunch recently that pride themselves on their three day sourdough fermentation process. The waitress informed me that the gluten content was so low that they have many celiac customers who eat is regularly – no, just no, and a hell no for good measure. If you have celiac disease you must avoid all gluten, traces of gluten and go so far as to remove it from your home entirely if possible. In the very least a seperate toaster for gluten containing bread is necessary and you must be very selective about where you eat out; a dedicated gluten free restaurant is safest. It is life threatening to continue to expose yourself to gluten if you are positive for celiac disease. If you have a family member with celiac disease or have an autoimmune disease (like Hashi’s) then you are more at risk of developing celiac disease.

Should I be eating gluten if I have non-celiac gluten intolerance or suspect I do?
The majority of Hashimoto’s gluten sensitivity falls under the non-celiac gluten intolerance umbrella which means that your immune system is most likely responding with IgG antibodies. This is not an allergy or a celiac response but a slower inflammatory response. Symptoms may take hours or the next day to develop and while it is very uncomfortable and inflammatory, it is not life threatening like a true anaphylaxis allergy. However, even if it is not life-threatening it will still be feeling the slow burn of inflammation and most likely exacerbating the autoimmune attack on your thyroid. The good news is that you don’t have to worry as much as the celiacs amongst us about things like sharing toasters or chopping boards.

It’s important to note that wheat is also high in FODMAP’s, particularly fructans. So in fact you could be struggling to digest the sugars in wheat rather than the proteins – gluten. You may suspect this if you have strong digestive symptoms shortly after eating like gas & bloating high up under your ribs, burping, reflux, urgent bowel motions and even constipation. If you have been breath tested and are malabsorbing fructose or you have tested positive for SIBO then decreasing wheat until you’re able to improve gut function and digestion will make your life a lot more pleasant. BTW you are at higher risk of Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO) with Hashi’s in which case the sugars and the proteins may be posing a problem for you.

Side note for those without Hashimoto’s
I would recommend temporarily removing gluten if you have identified it as a problem food for you. In the meantime you can work on your gut health and repair your gut lining to improve tolerance to foods like gluten. The GEMM protocol is my favourite method to do this. When you reintroduce wheat, stick to easy to digest, unmodified forms of gluten containing grains like spelt, khorasan, rye and einkorn. They are generally a lot easier to tolerate and often baked with traditional sourdough methods which breaks gluten down even further. Fun fact, rye contains one third the gluten than modern wheat varieties! And grains like spelt contain different gluten proteins that are known to be less inflammatory and less likely to cause gluten intolerance.

Signs you need to rethink your gluten intake:

  • If you have autoimmunity, particularly Hashimoto’ disease
  • Keratosis polaris (chicken skin), eczema, psoriasis and general skin rashes, dryness, bumps, acne and flaking can be red flags that gluten is not your friend
  • Any abnormal GI symptoms, particularly after gluten consumption of course! That includes bloating, excessive burping, reflux, gas, abdominal pain & cramping, disordered bowel motions (anything other than 1-3 smooth sausage painless bowel motions daily). Make sure you rule out celiac disease with your GP first, especially if you are higher risk due to Hashimoto’s
  • Low mood, mental confusion, brain fog, loss of hope, depression
  • Joint pain
  • Stubborn weight gain

If you know you need some help with what to eat with Hashimoto’s disease download my guide or book a free Thrive Method Health chat so we can see if I can help you mange you autoimmunity, shift stubborn weight and inflammation and reignite your energy.

Mar 29
0

One woman’s Metabolic Balance journey (and her amazing results!)

By | Client Results, Hypothyroidism, Lifestyle, Metabolic Balance, Mindset, Whole foods
One woman’s Metabolic Balance journey (and her amazing results!)

I often to speak to potential clients who are curious about Metabolic Balance but want to see some real results from women just like them.

So one of my client’s, Sarah, has stepped forward to give you some inspiration and motivation.

Sarah’s story…

In 2019 Sarah had suffered with postpartum Graves disease, a thyroid autoimmune disease after the birth of her third child.

Since then Sarah’s weight had crept up, she was exhausted, sleeping poorly, menstruating heavily and was concerned about her PMS affecting her parenting & family life.

Sarah had daily brain fog and she felt inflamed and lacklustre. Her joints were “crunchy” and sore, particularly her knees.

Sarah’s digestion was causing issues for her with daily bloating and irregular bowel motions every 2-3 days.

Sarah’s goals were to regain her energy, balance her hormones so PMS wasn’t disrupting the household, know which foods suited her body, improve digestion and release 10kg of weight.

Sarah started Metabolic Balance on the 4th August 2021.

Day 8:

  • Starting to notice an increase in energy, 6 or 7/10, no longer needing a 3pm nap which have previously been a daily occurrence.
  • Bloating has decreased, stomach doesn’t feel hard & distended any longer.
  • Clothes are fitting more easily.
  • Struggling to drink the required water content though.
  • Missing the ritual of snacking.
  • Day 2 of period, PMS greatly reduced despite high stress.

Day 15:

  • A lot of stress this week and felt tempted to comfort with food but resisted and stuck to the plan.
  • Knees are feeling less ‘crunchy’.
  • Brain fog decreased and able to concentrate more easily.
  • Released 2kg, 3cm off waist, 7cm off hip, 3cm off thigh.

28 days:

  • Energy 7.5/10.
  • Brain fog is gone.
  • Mood and emotional resilience greatly improved despite being in lockdown again.
  • Menstrual cycle lighter and previous severe PMS now mild.
  • No longer experiencing joint pain in knees or shoulders. No longer feeling ‘crunchy’.
  • Sarah has noticed that she can see collarbone again and is fitting into pants she hasn’t worn in a long time.
  • Released 6kg, 7cm off her waist, 8cm off her hips & 5cm off her thigh.

8 weeks:

  • Packing house to move, high stress.
  • Family member had surgery, high stress and very interrupted sleep with children waking her regularly.
  • MB has “helped me stay level headed and clear”.
  • Released 6.9kg, 10cm off waist, 11cm off hips and 7cm off thigh.

10 weeks:

  • During move had more takeaway for a couple of weeks and felt awful.
  • Energy 8/10 despite the move.
  • Released 7.9kg, 10cm off waist, 11cm off hip, 8cm off thigh.

Two months later:

  • Sarah had moved house so I didn’t see her for a couple of months, she was feeling confident with her daily eating. By the time we caught up next Sarah had reached her goal weight and was maintaining it well.
  • She was still enjoying all the changes to her mood, cognition, menstrual cycle, joint health and digestive function too.
  • Sarah was in tune with her body and very confident with a whole foods diet. She had been experimenting with different foods and discovering which foods served her and which didn’t. She notes that she felt “free from emotional eating” and had learned a lot during the house moving stage when she ate a lot more takeaway and lapsed into old habits, noting “you realise how toxic processed food is”.
  • Bowel motions daily without the need for added fibre supplement and no bloating. Sarah had realised through trial and error that gluten caused digestive symptoms and was having a lower gluten diet, consuming rye instead of wheat. She had also discovered that dairy made her gassy and was contributing to her digestive discomfort. Through experimentation Sarah discovered she could still have A2 milk in her tea without any issues.
  • Sarah was now finding it easy to drink enough water.
  • Through Metabolic Balance Sarah had learnt a lot about her own nutritional needs and it was informing how she fed family too, family dinners were fully integrated with her own heathy eating now.
  • By the completion of her Metabolic Balance program after seven consults Sarah had released 10kg, 11cm off waist, 9cm off hip, 10cm off thigh and reached her goal weight.

I asked Sarah a few questions about her journey with Metabolic Balance, you can read what she wrote here….

Where were you at (health wise) before you started Metabolic Balance?
I was at a bit of a cross roads with my health and knew I needed to change what I was doing. I had recently been diagnosed with Graves disease and after several months of cutting out sugar, dairy and gluten I was in remission. However, 2020 came and I slumped back into old habits and ended up bloated, tired, irritable and 10kgs heavier which made me feel uncomfortable.

What tangible improvements had you had now after completing your program?
– no longer bloated
– less brain fog and more clarity
– more energy and no need for the 3pm nap
– feeling full and satisfied
– no hayfever symptoms
– less inflammation in my body, my knees aren’t as sore, no need to crack my knuckles
– change in taste buds
– weight loss consistent all over my body
– better posture
– less gassy and more predictable bowel movements
– more predictable periods and much less pain and irritability
– awareness of what will fuel and benefit my body
– less headaches
– no coldsores
– much better sleep
– becoming more disciplined
– making better choices and feeling confident in myself.

How would you describe MB to your best friend?
It’s something you need to choose to do for yourself, because at times it can be hard, especially in the beginning. It is something that will help you for the rest of your life and change the way you approach food in general. It has helped me in ways I wasn’t expecting and I’m grateful I had a coach who could walk through this with me and help me. It’s a total investment in your health, and a way to avoid all the drugs and symptom suppression that western medicine is reliant upon. With Metabolic balance, food is the medicine!

Are there any surprising or unexpected benefits you’ve found through the program?
I’ve tried new foods that I wouldn’t have normally chosen and it’s made me consider all the ingredients in processed food.
After having some of my highly desirable foods, I’m more aware of how it negatively affects my body and I will avoid them now.
My children have watched me with keen eyes throughout the process and they’ve noticed a lot of changes and how I talk about food.

What are you able to do now that you couldn’t before MB?
Fit into size 8-10 clothes!
Stop myself from eating too much and then feeling bloated and uncomfortable.
Think about how each meal will affect me in the long term and how to better equip my body for all the changes it will face as a woman!

It’s such a pleasure to play a part in someone’s health journey.

It is my belief that all women deserve to feel amazing like Sarah so they can show up in every area of their lives with vibrancy & joy.

And guess what? It’s possible!

Get in touch if you want to want to chat about whether Metabolic Balance is right for you!

 

Mar 15
0

A helpful visual

By | Mindset, Whole foods

What does a jar have to do with achieving your health goals?

Have you heard of the jar story?

The jar represents our time, our life or even a representation of our day and the sand, pebbles and rocks inside of it can represent our priorities.

Now if we fill it full of sand first, we are going to have a hard time fitting rocks and pebbles (our priorities) inside of it.

So let’s reverse it.

Add in those rocks and pebbles first.

Now these rocks – our priorities – are all the things that are important to us, and can often represent our family, children, partner, religion, or even career.

We then can fit smaller pebbles into the jar, wedging them between the larger rocks. These smaller pebbles are our hobbies, acquaintances, perhaps our job.

Lastly, the sand we pour in acts as the filler of the gaps between our rocks and pebbles. It fits and molds around these bigger priorities, and automatically shifts and adjusts its position if a rock or pebble is moved.

Now the sand is our time spent in between – often this can mean watching TV, cooking, commuting, moving our bodies.

But what I’ve found is that clients who are committed to themselves and who achieve their health goals long term actually view their meals, the cooking of them and the nourishment of their bodies, as a rock rather than the sand that needs to fit around everything else and is often not given much conscious thought.

Food and nourishment is foundational to not only health goals, but to leading a happy and healthy life.

Are you currently looking at your food as a rock or the sand?

Please share this along to someone who may need to reframe their own jar of priorities.

Mar 01
0

The 5 foundations of radiant health

By | Lifestyle, Mindset, Whole foods

*image by Serkan Bayraktar

Well hello!

I’m coming to you from not-so-sunny Byron Bay. After a weekend of anxiety over the invasion of Ukraine I flew to Byron Bay for a work retreat just in time for the worst floods this region has seen in decades. My distress over Ukraine has been eclipsed somewhat by the tragedy unfolding much closer to home. It reminds me of the time my husband, baby son and I were stuck in Christchurch during the earthquake in 2011 knowing that people were trapped so close to us and there was nothing we could do. Heartbreaking.

I was going to write about something completely different in my blog this week but instead I wanted to share about one of my core beliefs when it comes to health.

I believe our heath is built on a foundation of five factors:

  1. Good nourishing food (no surprises there!)
  2. Clean & purified drinking water as nature intended
  3. A safe and clean environment in which to live
  4. Community & belonging
  5. Spiritual health & purpose.

With so many people suffering so close to where I now sit typing in safety and comfort in the heart of boho chic Byron Bay, I’m reminded once again of these five foundational cornerstones and how much each of these are threatened during times of tragedy as we are seeing in Northern NSW and South East Queensland this week.

Naturally, a sense of community and belonging can be strongest at these times when trials draw us closer to one another. A strong sense of belonging can extend a net of protective grace over the physical, emotional and spiritual health of a person just as much as isolation & loneliness can ravage their sense of wellbeing as we saw during lockdowns. In this way, the community factor is arguably the most influential over our health while probably also being the most underestimated.

After two years of division & isolation it is my hope that we can all reconnect with the power of community as we are witnessing in NSW & QLD right now. You might be seeing images of those using their recreational boats to rescue their neighbours & community from roofs and flood waters. In what ways can you lift anchor? What waters can you traverse to reach your family, friends and community to strengthen or reestablish their sense of belonging and safety? Whether you are affected by the flooding or not. Maybe I’m pushing the metaphor too far but we can’t thrive on an island, the wellbeing of your community is yours also.

If I can do anything to support you, let me know.

Feb 01
0

5 kitchen hacks that save you time and energy

By | Lifestyle, Metabolic Balance, Mindset, Recipes, Whole foods
5 kitchen hacks that save you time and energy

Does it feel like you’re spending waaaaaay too much time in the kitchen and when you’re not in the kitchen you’re thinking about what to cook? Feeding ourselves and our family can take up a lot of brain power and add to our mental load significantly but with a few strategic habits you can cut that time and mental load in half.

1. Stop snacking

Plan three nutritious and filling meals per day. The only exception is if you’re an athlete, child or are pregnant or breastfeeding. The snacking mindset has you going back to the kitchen every couple of hours checking the fridge, checking the pantry, checking the fridge again. Instead, plan three main meals around a protein source and be amazed as you don’t even think about food for a few hours. This is a key concept that my Metabolic Balance clients work through and gain big results from, too.

2. Meal plan

As mentioned before, the brain power and mental load it takes to actually think about what to have for dinner every day can really suck the joy out of being in the kitchen. Leaving meal planning to the few hours before you’re to eat can lend the process to be rushed, stressful and actually push us into that sympathetic nervous system state (fight or flight). If we are in this state, we are not absorbing and metabolising our food as we should be.

HINT: create two or three different weeks of meals, and rotate them. You’re still getting the variety but without having to meal plan every single week once you’re in this habit.

3. Shop once weekly

Have a plan, then execute. If we spend time writing out the meal plan, don’t drop the ball when it comes to collecting what is needed to follow through. One big weekly shop will save you so much more time and energy (and money, trust me!) than smaller shops throughout the week.

4. Batch cook

Lentil curry one night, lentil curry pies with GF pastry the next yummmm.
Or spaghetti bolognaise morphing into a shepherds pie for the next day.
And a super versatile one: leftover roast vegetables being used for lunch the next day, simply paired with some goats cheese and fresh greens.

This hack is a favourite time saver of mine. So much so that I’ve created a mini batch cooking recipe book – you can grab it for free here.

5.  Keep it simple! 

We seem to way over complicate our evening meals, but in reality you can create a healthy meal that is super simple and quick. In summer we are lucky to be able to get away with a lot more raw and fresh foods so dinner can be as simple as a piece of grilled meat alongside a salad with dressing.

Just make sure that your meal structure contains these key aspects: protein, good fats, complex carbs, vegetables and colour.

Hint: Have quick proteins ready to base your meal around, tinned tuna, salmon or sardines, pre-cooked chicken breast, boiled eggs, goats cheese, yoghurt, legumes, etc. I posted recently about getting a roast chook and making a salad. Nothin’ wrong with that!

We often don’t do these things because we think we don’t have time to be that organised, but in reality you can’t afford NOT to be this organised! And as you can see, with a little conscious thought and preparation, these hacks are super simple and easily integrated into your life.

I would love to hear how you’re putting these kitchen hacks into action! Please hit reply (I absolutely love reading your responses!) or tag me on Instagram and Facebook.

Sep 15
0

Have you lost your cooking mojo?! Here are six tips to rev it up again.

By | Lifestyle, Mindset, Whole foods

Have you lost your cooking mojo?! Here are six tips to rev it up again.

Whether you’re in lockdown or not, it can happen to the best of us. And if you are in lockdown it can feel quite monotonous so I wanted to share some ideas for getting your cooking mojo back, because there’s no faster pathway to health than a good dose of amazing wholefoods three times a day!

Tip #1
Attend a live cooking class. Imagine having a professional chef guiding you through the process? We attended 2 Sri Lankan cooking classes with Kirsty at Journeys Rediscovered and absolutely loved it. Now we are making Sri Lankan food most weekends – way better than takeaway! Some places like Class Bento or Otao Kitchen even send you a cooking kit so the shopping is taken care of!

Tip #2
Sign up for a meal subscription service. I personally used Hello Fresh, especially last year in lockdown. They are super helpful if you’re busy and it exposes you to different ways of cooking and ingredients that you may not have used before. Make sure you keep the recipe cards too as they are great to reuse over and over again.

Tip #3
Get a new kitchen gadget! I have been wanting an air fryer for ages, and am treating myself to a stainless steel one this week. A new gadget or appliance can really get you excited again about trying new things in the kitchen.

Tip #4
Dust off the old recipe books, or check out some new food bloggers. Some of my favourites are Feed me Phoebe (a fellow Hashimoto’s and SIBO warrior who happens to be a chef), Teresa Cutter The Healthy Chef, Jamie Oliver and Quirky Cooking (and don’t forget to sign up for my newsletter as I often send out my own recipes too). Also try googling your favourite protein or herb or veggie and seeing what recipes pop up to whet your appetite.

Tip #5
Create a weekly meal plan. This one is super important for both efficiency and your budget! Get your family involved in the planning too and discuss what everyone feels like eating for the week ahead, cook something special on Friday night and create a meal you can look forward to all week.

Tip #6
Cook with others. Get your family involved in the preparation and the cooking. If you live alone then jump onto a Zoom with mates and cook together, or as mentioned in tip #1, join an online cooking class!

If you need a little extra help, jump onto my website and download the Bye Bye Bloat four day meal plan or head over to my online shop and grab my Six Days of Digestion Recipe Book for just $10. Make sure to tag me in any cooking posts too, I would love to see!

Jun 29
0

My 3 Principles for Doing Treats Well

By | Lifestyle, Mindset, Whole foods

My 3 Principles for Doing Treats Well

Ever wondered how I approach treats? Did I Quit sugar like everyone else? I’m sharing my THREE principles when it comes to enjoying a special treat in the vlog today. You’ll find it’s a really healthy mental framework for approaching parties and your favourite sweet treats.

Principle One: Make treats an experience by anchoring them in rituals like family traditions and then eating them mindfully, enjoying every, single, bite. It’s not necessary to forsake all sweet foods in order to be healthy. Participate in celebratory treats like birthday cake without guilt if that’s what you want. Unless of course you are chronically ill or you are diabetic, then it’s important to honour your body and find alternatives.

Principle Two: Treats aren’t treats if you have them everyday. You can work out your own limits but for me I usually enjoy treats when we go out to dinner, attend a wedding or birthday party or sometimes just because our family wanted make something special and fun on a Friday night. This ends up being roughly once a week.

Principle Three: Quality over Quantity! Be selective, enjoy higher quality treats indulgently rather than frequently.

Some of my favourite treats as mentioned in this video:

  • Jo Whitton’s Dairy Free Chocolate Mousse (not an avo in sight)
  • Five AM Vanilla Yoghurt with poached apples or pears
  • Handmade Gelato
  • Pana Ice Cream
  • Green & Black’s Organic Dark Chocolate
  • Loco Love Chocolates

Do you feel like you need some help with mindful eating? Check out my Conscious Eating eCourse, 6 Days of Digestion, it’s packed with information that will help you slow down and be better friends with your food & your tummy. The introductory price is ending soon.

In Your Health,

Tessa

Mar 16
0

Healthy Meal Formula Part 2

By | Digestion, Gut Health, Whole foods

Assembling a Healthy Meal: herbs, condiments & additions

I have had so many responses from my last vlog on how to assemble a healthy meal that I needed to do a follow on!

So let’s unpack the herbs and garnishes component of your well-put-together meal. Grab a pen and paper and read on…

Herbs are little boosts of nutrition that also enhance the gut healing power of meals (and bonus that they make it taste even better!). They also pack a punch when it comes to antioxidant activity, as they are rich in polyphenols which are super important for gut health. Cloves, in particular, contain the highest antioxidant activity as per the ORAC score (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity).
Do you have a herb garden at home? It is one of the best feelings to collect some fresh herbs from the garden whilst you are cooking and it also enhances your connection to your food as well. Use herbs to garnish everything! Yes – even coriander!
Hint: you can make any meal have a more Mediterranean feel by roasting a tray of veggies in the oven that are sprinkled with herbs like oregano.

Nuts and seeds are also often forgotten. Toast them up for added texture and crunch to your meals and snacks.
Need ideas? What about toasted pistachios or hazelnuts on desserts, slithers of almonds on fish or chicken or crushed peanuts in curries. You can also toast them with some olive oil and spices like turmeric for an added nutritional boost. And don’t forget about hemp seeds which can be added to pretty much anything – sweet or savoury!

Seaweed is another nutrient booster that people don’t often think about. Sprinkle it on savoury dishes and your good gut microbes will love you! Keep some dulse, nori or wakame on hand in your kitchen.

Good quality salt (like celtic sea salt) – all you need is a pinch to really bring out the flavour in your meal.

Bone broth is another addition that boosts gut health and can be added to so many things – marinades, salad dressings, soups, stews, you can even use it as part of chicken schnitzel seasoning!

Fermented foods for a probiotic boost – if you can tolerate histamines. All you need is between a teaspoon to a tablespoon of kimchi or sauerkraut added to your meal.

Using greek yoghurt as a sauce is another option for a probiotic boost – add a squeeze of lemon and some salt and pepper and some herbs – it is delicious!

If you don’t mind the cost, superfood powders pack another powerhouse punch. Think camu camu, acai, kakadu plum, spirulina – there are so many options!

Even though they can often be classed as unhealthy, certain condiments can be added to really enhance your food flavour and texture. My favourite…pesto! There is also guacamole, tahini, mustard, hommus, nut butters.

And lastly, don’t forget some basics like lemon, lime and orange zest, vinegars, avocado oil, olive oil,  high-quality grass-fed butter and ghee.

Wow, what a list! Remember, our aim is to ingest around 40 different plant foods per week and the good news is most of the above contribute to this! So just by adding different condiments, herbs and nutrient additions to each meal you are easily boosting the variety of plant foods in your diet which makes your gut very very happy.

I love receiving feedback and seeing what you are adding to your meals so please tag me on social media or leave a comment below.

Mar 02
0

My Simple Healthy Meal Formula Part 1

By | Digestion, Gut Health, Whole foods

My formula for assembling a healthy meal

Today I’m talking about how we can really have an bio-individualistic approach to your diet, which takes into account your genes, your personal response to certain foods, your ethics and your values. I often like to ask my clients what their ancestors ate, or what their great-grandmother would consume.

Question: does your ancestral diet match the cultural diet that you have now?

Now there isn’t one perfect diet for everyone, even though there are some great diet protocols out there. Instead of placing you in a diet box or labelling how you eat, I have developed a process to transition you away from SAD (Standard Australian/American Diet), to a more balanced way of eating.

Actually, my two main rules when it comes to diet are Balance, and JERF (Just Eat Real Food). But I found that people really needed some guidelines that also were doable, flexible for those with food sensitivities, suited to different nationalities and values, and most importantly, it needed to be delicious, filling and make you feel amazing.

I call it The Ideal Plate. It’ll be covered in depth in my Six Days of Digestion mini ecourse, but let’s touch on the main principles today.

  • Half of your plate needs to contain green (or mostly green), non-starchy vegetables
  • A quarter of your plate contains the colourful and starchy vegetables, or plant-based foods such as legumes
  • The final quarter is divided into protein sources such as meat, poultry, fish, tempeh, etc, which ideally needs to be around the size of your palm, and fats such as olive oil, avocado, ghee, butter, and the like
  • Meal optimisation through herbs, spices, nuts, seeds and condiments to really boost flavour and nutrition.

Sounds simple, right? It is. Simple but highly effective, and exactly what goes in those ratios can be tailored to you as an individual.

Know someone who needs this? Please forward on this blog and help them to discover these guidelines that could make all the difference for them.

Nov 30
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My Simple Wrap Recipe

By | Digestion, Gut Health, Recipes, Whole foods

My Simple Wrap Recipe

Today I’m filming from my kitchen to give you a how-to video of how I make my wraps. These will be a part of the wholefoods recipe book I am releasing as part of the launch of my 6 Days of Digestion mini eCourse in early December. The recipe book is full of meals that are easy on the digestive system.

When it comes to food choices I think there are three ways that those suffering with IBS can get themselves into strife.

  • Frankenfoods! Processed and lab made to look and taste like food, but they’re really just imitations. Processed foods like two minute noodles, many cereals and processed grains, vegetable oils and confectionary are so foreign to the human body that it has a lot of trouble digesting it and assimilating any nutrients. Aim for the 80/20 guide, whereby you consume whole foods 80% of the time.
  • Unbalanced meals. Eating foods rich in particular macro nutrients can cause a lot of trouble. The best example that comes to mind are pastries & deep fried food. Meat pies for example are very high in fat & carbohydrates and contain little fibre to help the body with digestion.
  • Food intolerances. Continuing to consume foods that are causing inflammation will keep you stuck on the merry ground of digestive misery.

All three of these mistakes can be contributing to IBS symptoms.

These wraps are an alternative to the packaged and processed ones, higher in protein, tastier (I think!) that treat your body a little better! Download the full recipe here. Fill them full of leftovers for lunches, use in Mexican dishes such as enchiladas (they also make good tortillas), savoury crepes or change it up with some vanilla paste to make a healthier sweet treat crepe dish.

If you give these a go make sure to tag me so I can see you enjoy these too!
And as always, please share this content with someone in your life who could also benefit from some super simple and easy food ideas! And please keep an eye out for my new eCourse.