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Category: I Tried It

I Tried It: Giving Up Sugar For Lent

 

It’s spring and it’s time for change and renewal.

 

For me, this is the time of year when I take stock and look at what’s working and what isn’t.

 

Sugar wasn’t working for me. My moods were up and down, my skin was breaking out and I started feeling bloated a little too often.

 

So I broke up with sugar for Lent.

 

The first 10 days were the hardest. I realised that I was using sugary foods, especially chocolate, as a fix when I was stressed out. And the first week and a half was especially hard because I had a lot of things happening in my life that were causing me to feel stressed.

 

Identifying stress as a trigger for my sugar cravings was huge for me. I realised that I needed to find something else to do in these stressful moments.

 

I decided that I would drink water instead of eating chocolate.

 

And honestly, I’ve never been so hydrated in my life!

 

In the first ten days, I had to think consciously about this.

 

Breaking an unwanted habit takes a lot of mental energy and the first couple of weeks require a lot of mindfulness for the change to become real.

 

Eventually, it became easier and I didn’t need to think about it as much.  My new ‘water for chocolate’ routine became a habit and I managed to break my sugar / stress connection.

 

What were the results of this experiment? Well, my skin is clearer, I’m less bloated, I have fewer headaches and I’m less moody. The biggest result is knowing that I have the power to break a habit that simply isn’t working for me any more.

 

I can’t say that I’ll never eat sugary foods again. Come on, I have to live in the real world! What I know for sure is that it makes me feel terrible, despite tasting oh so good.

 

Are you ready to give up sugar?

 

Check out my free guide to giving up sugar in 21 days for actionable ways to reduce the amount of sugar you eat. Click here to download it!

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I Tried It: Alternate Nostril Breathing

Have you heard about alternate nostril breathing?

 

This is an incredible way of shifting your nervous system from fight or flight stress mode to rest and digest, relaxation mode.

 

You’re essentially breathing consciously, taking in more air and reducing your blood pressure.

 

I decided to try it after reading so much about it. Here’s how you do it:put your thumb over your right nostril and take a deep breath in through your left nostril. Hold, covering your left nostril with your index finger. Release the breath through your right nostril. Repeat, taking the breath with your right nostril.

 

I found that I was much calmer after doing this and any anxiety I was feeling started to drift away.

 

Try it and let me know how you feel!

 

I Tried It: The 4-7-8 Deep Breathing Method For Better Sleep

sunset in richmond

Do you ever have nights where your mind is whirring and it’s tricky to drop off to sleep? I do.

 

I’ve been trying the 4-7-8 deep breathing method to help me get to sleep and it’s been really helpful! Pioneered by Dr Andrew Weil, the technique is designed to calm the mind and relax the muscles. If you’re one of the 30% of Brits who suffers from poor sleep, anything is worth a try, right?

 

Not sleeping well doesn’t just affect your blood sugar balance, make you tired and unable to concentrate – it also puts you at risk of more serious health issues including obesity, heart disease and diabetes and even reduces your life expectancy.

 

The 4-7-8 deep breathing technique comes from yoga breathing, where you have to keep the tip of the tongue behind the upper front teeth. You breathe in through your nose quietly and blow air out forcefully through your mouth making a whoosh sound.

 

Here’s how to perform the 4-7-8 mindful bedtime trick:

1.    Exhale through your mouth making a ‘whoosh’ sound.

2.    Close your mouth and inhale quietly through your nose to a count of four.

3.    Hold your breath for seven seconds.

4.    Exhale through your mouth, making a ‘whoosh’ sound to the count of eight.

5.    Inhale again and repeat the cycle 2-4 times or until you feel yourself drifting off.

 

According to Dr Weil, this technique works by filling the lungs with air, allowing more oxygen into the body, which in turn promotes a state of calm. Dr Weil advises doing the breathing during the day as well as it can also be used to improve digestion and stop the ‘fight-or-flight’ response in the body, reducing stress.

 

Even if you decide this stress-relieving technique isn’t for you, it’s worth exploring other ways to reduce your stress levels. Stress plays such a huge part in how we feel about ourselves, and that in turn has a knock-on effect on how motivated we are to eat well and take proper care of both our physical and mental health.

 

It might seem like a luxury to practise mindfulness or indulge in any kind of self care but you know what they say when you’re on a plane: you’ve got to put on your own oxygen mask before you can save anyone else.

 

The same is true for healthy eating. In my clinic, people often come to me feeling unmotivated and exhausted by life and it’s my job to help you feel inspired to make positive changes for yourself. And once you feel motivated again, it will help to inspire the whole family and others around you.

 

If you know you need a diet and lifestyle upgrade, but are not sure exactly what that would look like for you, get in touch. Looking forward to talking to you and helping you take the first step towards a new you.

I Tried It: Hot Yoga

Photo by Aral Tasher on Unsplash

I just completed 30 days of yoga and I’m hooked. I love how yoga calms and relaxes me, how it’s increasing my flexibility and how much stronger I’m becoming.

 

I’ve started another Yoga with Adriene 30 day challenge, but last week, I decided that I wanted try a hot yoga class to mix things up a bit.

 

I found a hot yoga class in central London that looked interesting, although admittedly, I was a bit skeptical of my ability to actually complete the class. Not because I was worried about being in a group setting, it was more about my ability to cope with the heat of the room. Real talk: I’ve had low blood pressure since I was pregnant with my son, so being in really hot places always makes me feel a bit light headed.

 

I decided to give it a go and registered for a lunchtime class at Another Space with the lovely Ellisif.

 

So here’s the thing about hot yoga that makes it different to the vinyasa yoga I usually do.  The class takes place in 32° infrared heat, so you’re doing vinyasa yoga at the normal high intensity, and the heat raises your heart rate even further.

 

In a nutshell: it’s very hot and you will get very sweaty.

 

The next time I do a hot yoga class, I will definitely wear fewer clothes. I thought I was being smart, wearing just cropped leggings, a tank top with lots of wicking capability and a sports bra. But even that was too much: there were men wearing only shorts and women in sports bras and short shorts in order to beat the heat.

 

For me, it was a bit of a mental transition going from doing yoga at home in an airy room with a draft to doing yoga in a very hot room, surrounded by people wearing as little as possible. And I won’t lie: the first five minutes of the class were tough, as I struggled to get to grips with the heat. And then just like that, something in my brain clicked into place and I was finally able to relax into the heat and the vinyasa flows.

 

The 45 minutes class was a very dynamic, with vinyasa yoga flows and very few breaks.

 

Reader, I loved it.

 

I left the class very sweaty but feeling full of endorphins, calm and very focused. And a little happier.

 

A little note: I wouldn’t recommend a hot yoga class to a complete yoga newbie. My view is that it would be a lot to learn the poses and flows and try to cope with the heat. So if you’re a seasoned yogi or have been doing yoga for a little while, I highly recommend trying a hot yoga class for a little variety.

 

Do you do hot yoga? Any tips and tricks to share?

 

Get in touch for to book a free, no commitment 20 minute health coaching call to find out more about how you can improve your health & wellbeing and reduce your stress.

I Tried It: 30 Days of Yoga

sunset yoga

Do you do yoga? It’s something I always recommend yoga to my stressed out clients. It’s incredible for reducing cortisol, the major stress hormone, and getting people to focus on the quality of their breathing. In addition, a recent study shows that yoga and meditation can significantly improve brain function and energy levels.

 

Personally, I used to favour high intensity exercise like spinning or HIIT. I love the feeling of being sweaty and full of endorphins after a good workout. I’ve done yoga over the years, but always tended to favour ashtanga yoga, again for that feeling of having done a great sweaty workout.

 

Then at the end of July, my right knee really started to bother me and I ended up spraining it after doing a particularly vigorous HIIT session full of jump lunges and squats. I didn’t want to stop working out, but I knew I needed to find something that was gentle on my knees and could help the healing process.

 

Enter yoga.

 

I have friends that are yogis and I’ve always watched their Instagram posts of their various poses with a mix of joy and awe. Then when I got injured, I thought: ‘I should actually try this now’.

 

And so I did. I had heard a lot of good things about the 30 day introductory programme from Yoga with Adriene, so I fired up the YouTube app and off I went.

 

You might be asking why I didn’t just head to a local yoga class? Well, I’ve always preferred to workout at home. I did the Kayla Itsines’ programme at home last year and loved being able to do a workout in the morning and then quickly get on with my day, rather than schlep to the gym. Rest assured, this isn’t about gym shyness, but rather my own scheduling choice. If I can schedule it, I still love doing a spin class at Psycle or Another Space for the community and camaraderie.

 

And I digress. The first few days of my yoga challenge were tricky, as I realised how tight my calves, hamstrings and upper back were. In the downward facing dog pose, my feet were virtually in 45 degree angles. I then made it a goal to not only finish the 30 days, but also get my heels further to the ground in downward facing dog and start to build towards doing a proper crow pose.

 

I also decided to create a bit of a ritual in my yoga practice. I light a lovely candle, get a big glass of water and set my intention of making my practice a moment of self-care.

 

I found something addictive in doing yoga everyday. Perhaps it was was the ritual, perhaps it was knowing that I was building towards something. I don’t usually exercise every day, but managed to do yoga every day during the 30 day challenge, bar two. Towards the end of the challenge, I started to crave my daily yoga ritual. I really noticed it if I missed out my morning yoga session and would try to do something after J’s bedtime.

 

So how did I feel at the end of the 30 day challenge?  The physical, emotional and spiritual benefits are undeniable. Physically, I am more flexible and toned. Emotionally, I am calmer, more centred & focused and my anxiety has been kept at bay. Spiritually, I am more open and truly grateful to have had this opportunity.

 

Do you practice yoga or any other bodywork, such as pilates? What are the benefits for you?

 

Get in touch for to book a free, no commitment 20 minute health coaching call to find out more about how you can improve your health & wellbeing and reduce your stress.

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I Tried It: The Berkey Water Filter

If you live in a big city like London, you’ll be familiar with the annoyances of limescale and the need for some kind of water filter to reduce the hardness of the water.

 

Our lightbulb moment came when we had friends over and saw that all of our glasses were streaked with limescale stains. It was then that we decided that when we bought our house (we were renting at the time), we would get a water softener installed.

 

And so we did. We live an aggressively hard water area in London, so decided the best course of action would be a water softener solution that would soften all the water in the house. We got a Harvey’s Water Softener system plumbed into our water system, which has been great. We could immediately feel the difference in the softness of our skin, hair and clothes and of course, no more streaks on our glasses.

 

But then we decided to have a child. And because the Harvey’s water softeners uses cylinders that are made up of microscopic beads that form a resin that traps magnesium and calcium and replaces them with the sodium from the block salt that is part of the water softener, we needed to find another solution for drinking water. The sodium levels are fine for adults, but are slightly too high for young children.

 

For the past three years, we been buying 10L boxes of Harrogate Spring Water for J to use as drinking water, which has never sat well with me as the most eco-friendly or economical solution.

 

big berkey

Enter the Berkey water filter. This is an eco-friendly drinking water solution that removes pathogenic bacteria, parasites, herbicides, pesticides, organic solvents, radon 222, VOCs and trihalomethanes. It also removes chlorine, fluoride and arsenic, as well as reduces lead and mercury.  Another benefit of the system is that it removes pharmaceuticals such as antibiotics, BPAs, triclosan, progesterone and ibuprofen and reduces synthetic oestrogens from the filtered drinking water. This last element was really important to me as I do everything I can to reduce my hormone load and the pressure on my liver.

 

It was delivered on Friday and took 5 minutes to put together.

 

At £253, the Big Berkey is definitely an investment. For us, the math works out: we’ve been spending £4.29 a week for the past three years, buying 10L boxes of water, so the cost of our Big Berkey works out to one year of buying 10L boxes of water. The Big Berkey holds 8.5L of water at a time, however they also sell 12, 17 and 23L solutions for larger families and offices. 

 

The water is really delicious. Sounds bizarre to say that about water, but it’s true – I already notice the difference compared to bottled and tap water.

 

Do you have a water softener? Has it made a difference in the quality of your drinking water?

 

Do you want to talk more about your hormone health? Get in touch for a free 30 minute hormone & menstrual health review.

 

Le’Nise Brothers is a nutritional therapist, women’s health coach and founder of Eat Love Move.

 

Le’Nise works primarily with women who feel like they’re being ruled by their sugar cravings, mood swings and hormonal acne & bloating.

 

They want to get to grips with heavy, missing, irregular & painful periods, fibroids, PMS, PCOS, endometriosis, post-natal depletion and perimenopause. 

 

Her mission is for women to understand and embrace their hormones & menstrual cycle!

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I Tried It: Whole30

springtime at kew gardens

I haven’t felt like writing much about food and nutrition recently. There’s been a lot going on, personally and professionally. New job, a heavier course load at school and loads of political distraction (every morning, I wake up and think, ‘what now?’. Don’t you?). It’s times like these when it’s tempting to throw everything to the wind and drink and eat whatever I want.

After some reflection, it truly feels like an act of subversion to take care of what you put in your body, to nourish yourself with intention. Small acts of subversion matter, more than ever.

To me, it feels subversive now to give a shit about the things I put in my body, to take care not to treat it like a garbage can. To eat organic, to be mindful about the type of meat and fish I buy, to really think about the amount of sugar my family consumes.

There are so many (things) trying to grab me away from eating well; from working long hours, cartoon branded food grabbing my son’s attention while shopping, my own yearnings and desires.

I have been doing the Whole 30 this month, in an attempt to get myself back on the right food path. Not that I was eating particularly badly. I just found that I was eating without thought or intention and letting my cravings drive my nourishment. And I tend to crave things like sourdough pizzas, greasy, salty fries and sharp, cold ice cream. All washed down with lots of red wine and gin and tonics.

So I embarked on a Whole 30 as a bit of a reset. 30 days, lots of vegetables, high quality meat, nuts, seeds, fish and fruit. This is my fifth time and it’s like riding a bike. I’ve internalised the rules and know what works and what doesn’t work for me.

And this time, I’ve really enjoyed it. My cooking has improved, so I’ve enjoyed being creative within the parameters of the regimen. And I’ve enjoyed having to be a bit more intentional with my food. The health benefits are there too: I can think more clearly, I don’t get as tired, my anxiety has improved.  Being alcohol-free has made my mornings easier too.

Have you tried a Whole 30? What was your experience?

I Tried It: Dry January

coffee-and-date-ball

Have you ever done a dry January?

After a heavy November and December, I decided that I needed to give my body a break and get on the wagon for a month. And what better month than January, when everyone’s skint, partied out and needing a bit more time at home.

I also needed to regulate my relationship with alcohol. It’s easy, especially with the UK drinking culture and in a hectic city like London, to use alcohol to relax and let a quick drink after work turn into 3 or 4. Knowing everything I know about the effects alcohol has on the body, it was time to put all of my knowledge into practice for myself.  Alcohol is a tricky one for the body – it depletes your B vitamins, which can lead to anxiety and depression, it puts stress on your liver and diverts it from other, more important functions and it can lead to weight gain, poor sleep, spotty skin and dehydration. I decided it was time to take the advice I give to clients in clinic and get a grip on my alcohol intake.

On New Year’s Eve, I drained my last glass of champagne and rang in the new year, ready to kick booze to the curb for a while.

The first few days were hard. No glass of wine at lunch, no cold and crisp G&T while watching TV on the sofa in the evenings. But this was where the foundations for all the hard work of the next month started – breaking the little habits that I had developed and putting better ones in place.

I replaced my red wine and G&Ts with lots of warming cinnamon tea in the evening and sparkling water at lunchtimes. I asked M not to offer me any drinks (except tea or water) in the evenings. I talked about my dry January with my mates, so they knew what I was doing and changed plans to lunch and coffee dates, rather than evening meals, so I wouldn’t be tempted.

By weeks 2 and 3, I started to get in the groove and was enjoying waking up without a hangover and fuzzy brain. My skin was clearer and my jeans a little looser. And the biggest plus? My anxiety levels rapidly decreased.

Last Tuesday 31st January felt great. 31 days without alcohol, a clearer head, deeper sleep at night, more money in my bank account and less anxiety. I decided to carry on through to the end of February, as I have a big nutrition exam at the beginning of March and need all the focus I can get.

What comes after that? I’m not sure. I’d love to be able to get to a place that where I can have one drink and have that be enough. Any advice?

I Tried It: Making Ghee

Have you ever used ghee? Ghee, a clarified butter, is known as ‘liquid gold’ in some South Asian cultures because it comes from the revered cow. The process of making ghee removes the milk solids and water and leaves you with lovely golden liquid that solidifies as it goes to room temperature.

I started using ghee a few years ago when I started eating paleo. It’s a very versatile fat with an exceptionally high smoke point, which means that it’s great for high temperature cooking – frying, grilling, searing, etc.

My bug bear with ghee is that organic, grass-fed versions can be very expensive. Last week, I was chatting with my mother and she mentioned that she wanted to try making it herself, and I thought, hmmm, why don’t I try it as well. And what do you know, it was so easy that I’ll be making my own from now on!

What you need:

2 blocks of unsalted grass-fed butter

A cast iron pan

A ladle

A ceramic bowl

Cheesecloth or fine mesh strainer

A large glass jar to store the ghee

How to make it:

1. Place your cast iron pan onto the stove and put the burner on medium heat.

2. Place the two blocks of unsalted butter into the pan.

3. As the blocks melt, the milk solids will rise to the top. When the blocks have completely melted and the liquid starts to bubble, turn the heat off. This should take about 5-7 minutes.

4. Use your ladle to pass the liquid through the strainer, with the ceramic bowl underneath to catch the ghee. If you end up using a fine mesh strainer rather than a cheesecloth, you may need to strain the mixture twice to completely remove all of the milk solids. Once this step is complete, you should be left with beautiful golden ghee.

5. Let the ghee cool for a few minutes before pouring into your glass container. Stored in the fridge, where the ghee will solidify, it should last for at least a month, if you use clean utensils when cooking with it.

freshly-made-ghee

P.S. When I was making this, I wondered what I should do with the leftover milk solids. I did some quick Googling and found that some people save them and crumble them onto their morning porridge, brown them to add a lovely buttery taste to stewed fruit, pancakes or anything else you would normally use butter in. Some people even spread the milk solids onto toast!

I Tried It: Replacing My Amalgam Fillings

When I was a child, I felt like I was always at the dentist. Back and forth, getting filling after filling. The end result was that by the time I entered adulthood, I had a mouth full of metal fillings (10 in total!).

The good news is that I haven’t needed a filling since I was 18. The bad news is that 95% of my fillings were amalgam – you know, metal with mercury.

As I’ve learned more about the body, its systems and the effects of what we put in through my naturopathy and nutrition studies, I decided to look into what I could do about my teeth. It had always bothered me that I had so much metal in my mouth and that I never knew exactly what effect it was having on me.

amalgam-fillings

Amalgam contains a combination of metals, including silver, mercury, tin and copper. And in some cases, zinc, indium or palladium are also used. I didn’t like the idea of having so much mercury in my body. Research has shown that very small amounts of mercury vapour can be released as the amalgam filling wears over time through chewing, biting and in my case, excessive grinding (yes, I grind my teeth at night – my worst habit!).

I booked a consultation with my local holistic dentist, Dr. Batavia, who took me step by step through the process of removing my amalgam fillings and replacing them with composite. Because I had so many fillings, I needed three appointments over three months, which gave me a chance to get my head around the whole process, not to mention, avoid excess jaw strain!

dental-mask

The process of removing the fillings is one that has been created by the International Academy of Oral Medicine and Toxicology, using SMART (Safe Metal Amalgam Removal Technique).  In a nutshell, lots of protective layers on the areas of the mouth that aren’t being worked on, a strong air filtration system and an after care protocol that supports healing and detoxification.

I was given a supplement protocol that included Vitamin C, charcoal, vitamin E and selenium to aid healing and removal of the mercury from my systems.

It’s been three weeks since my last appointment and I’m very glad that I’ve had it done. Not only because the entire process is finished (!), but because I have the peace of mind of knowing that all of the metal is gone from my mouth!

Have you had your fillings replaced? What did you think?

I Tried It: Going To Bed Early

bed

I’ve been burning the candle at both ends for at least seven months now, trying to fit everything in. Being a good mother, being a good wife, cooking, studying for my nutrition degree, doing coursework, working four days a week and trying to fit in some form of regular exercise. I’m exhausted just typing this out.

 

I’ve been cutting corners on my sleep for too long. Going to bed at 11pm, but lying in bed until midnight, on my phone, then expecting to get up at 6:15 the next morning feeling refreshed. It really is no wonder that the past two weeks have seen me going to bed between 9:30 and 10:30pm most nights, absolutely exhausted. Like fast asleep as soon as I hit the pillow exhausted.

 

I’m a big advocate of listening to what my body tells me, but in the case of sleep, I’ve been completely disregarding it. I’ve been acting like I’m 25 again and trying to get by on little sleep, with no consequences. Well, there are consequences – dark circles under my eyes, spots and over reliance on coffee, to name a few.

 

There’s also the little fact that at nearly 3, my son still doesn’t consistently sleep through the night. So going to bed late just compounds the effect of a broken night’s sleep.

 

It’s hard to overstate the healing powers of sleep and how much the body uses the time to repair and heal itself. Looking at the Chinese medicine clock, your gallbladder (11pm – 1am), liver (1 – 3am), lungs (3 – 5am) and small intestine (5 – 7am) are all active at night and use this time to refresh and regenerate.

 

Sleep also has a huge effect on weight loss and maintenance, cognitive ability, body repair and regeneration and insulin sensitivity. It’s fascinating to see studies that show that interventions that reduce sleep time by as little as 2 hours daily can induce a state of insulin resistance in otherwise healthy persons within a week, and halving sleep time to 4 hours or less is able to induce insulin resistance after a single night!

 

So what were the benefits to me of getting some extra sleep? Unsurprisingly, I woke up feeling a little more refreshed than normal, my energy levels were higher, so I could just bounce out of bed, without my usual sluggishness and I was in a far better mood throughout the day.

 

I can’t say that I’m going to continue going to bed so early every night, because I truly need that time in the evening after my son goes to bed to relax and unwind, but I plan to go to bed earlier at least three nights every week. Here’s to positive habit forming!

 

Get in touch for to book a free, no commitment 20 minute health coaching call to find out more about how you can improve your health & wellbeing and reduce your stress.

Photo by Quin Stevenson

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I Tried It: The Specific Carbohydrate Diet

stew

As I go further into my Nutrition degree, we’ve been learning more nutrition theory and practical elements, like clinical practice with patients and specific dietary models. The third assignment this year is to trial one of the dietary models we could potentially recommend to a patient. Anything from paleo to raw vegan to GAPS to 5:2. The idea is that we won’t truly understand how our clients feel until we walk a mile in their shoes.

What is the Specific Carbohydrate Diet?

With that in mind, I’ve just completed  a week and a half on the Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD). This aim of this dietary model is to help heal the intestinal wall and rebalance the good and bad bacteria within the gut. More specifically, it is aimed at those with severe intestinal difficulties, such as those with Celiac, Crohn’s disease or Ulcerative Colitis. To quote the definitive SCD book / website, Breaking The Vicious Cycle:

The allowed carbohydrates are monosaccharides and have a single molecule structure that allow them to be easily absorbed by the intestine wall. Complex carbohydrates which are disaccharides (double molecules) and polysaccharides (chain molecules) are not allowed. Complex carbohydrates that are not easily digested feed harmful bacteria in our intestines causing them to overgrow, producing by products and inflaming the intestine wall. The diet works by starving out these bacteria and restoring the balance of bacteria in our gut.

On the diet, only monosaccharide carbohydrates are allowed to be eaten as all others require extra digestion steps to break the chemical bonds down to monosaccharide carbohydrates. In a nutshell, ‘no food should be ingested that contains carbohydrates other than those found in fruits, honey, properly-prepared yogurt, and those vegetables and nuts listed here.’

There is quite a lot of evidence supporting the efficacy of this dietary model, however because it is so intense, it can be considered a ‘last resort’.

How It Works

The diet is split into two parts; a 2-5 day introductory period to reduce severe intestinal complaints, such as pain, cramping and diarrhoea and then a reintroductory period to slowly introduce foods back into the diet to see how the body reacts. The 2 – 5 day introductory period focuses on plain foods that are known to help heal the intestinal lining, reduce bloating, gas, diarrhoea and pain and rebalance gut flora. Quite frankly, it is the blandest food known to man – foodies look away now!- which is why this dietary model is described as a last resort. Sample foods include dry cottage cheese, eggs (boiled, poached or scrambled), apple cider, homemade gelatine, homemade chicken soup including broth, chicken and pureed carrots, broiled plain beef patty, broiled fish, homemade cheesecake. All food must be homemade so you know exactly what ingredients are in each meal.

Once the intestinal complaints subside, cooked fruit, banana and additional vegetables may be tried. After this, the rest of the food in the dietary model may be introduced.

My Experience on the Diet 

I did one day on the introductory diet, so I could experience what a client might feel on this  part of the dietary model. I intentionally chose a day where I was at work, so I wouldn’t be tempted by anything on offer in my local cafes and restaurants. I’ve laid out my food and drinks throughout the day below.

Breakfast

Lunch

Dinner

Drinks

Day 1

3 scrambled eggs, water

Two plain beef patties, water

Plain chicken legs and breast, nettle tea

2 cups of nettle tea

I am a coffee addict, so by 3pm, I was frantically Googling ‘herbal teas allowed on scd introductory diet’. Happily, nettle tea is allowed so I had a few cups to tide me through the rest of the afternoon. By the end of the day, I was utterly exhausted and went to bed at 8pm – no joke!

Day 2 – 9 were easier in some respects because I could have a wider variety of foods that weren’t too far off the paleo template that I normally choose.

Breakfast

Lunch

Dinner

Drinks

Day 1

3 scrambled eggs, water

Two plain beef patties, water

Plain chicken legs and breast, nettle tea

2 cups of nettle tea

Day 2

Smoothie (almond milk, almond butter, kale, 1 tbsp pumpkin seeds, 1 handful blueberries, 2 tbsp collagen hydrolysate, 1 banana, 1/2 avocado, 1 handful kale), rasher of bacon

Chicken salad with mixed leaves, flaked almonds, walnuts, olive oil, s&p to dress

Red lentil and beef curry

1 cup of coffee, 2 L water, 1 cup ginger tea

Day 3

Smoothie 

Mixed salad with crab, tuna, string beans, cherry tomatoes, cauliflower, rocket, 2 hard boiled eggs, 1 cashew & date Nakd bar

Courgetti bolognaise, 1 cashew & date Nakd bar

1 cup of coffee, 2.5L water, 1 cup ginger tea, 1 cup nettle tea

Day 4

Smoothie 

Leftover beef and red lentil curry, 1 cashew & date Nakd bar

Steak with sautéed mushrooms and kale, 3 strawberries

1 cup of coffee, 2.5L water, 1 cup nettle tea

Day 5

Smoothie, 1 rasher of bacon

n/a

Beef ragu with spiralised carrots

Lemon water, 1 cup of coffee, 1 L water

Day 6

Smoothie 

n/a

Red pepper, green pepper and double Gloucester frittata

Lemon water, 1 cup ginger tea, 1 cup of Dr. Stuart’s Skin Tonic, 1L water

Day 7

Smoothie 

Small wedge of double Gloucester cheese

Beef patty with mixed leaves

1L water, 1 cup of Dr Stuart’s Skin Tonic

Day 8

Smoothie, 1 rasher of bacon, small piece of leftover frittata, 1 scrambled egg

Chicken burrito bowl with guacamole

Apple, two pieces of blue cheese

2L water, 1 large glass of red wine, 1 nettle tea

Day 9

Smoothie, 1 rasher of bacon

Chicken salad with mixed leaves, flaked almonds, walnuts, olive oil, s&p to dress

Chicken cacciatore with spinach

2L water, 1 cup of Dr Stuart’s Skin Tonic

There were two slightly tricky points.

From days 5-7, I had terrible intestinal discomfort, including stomach pain, diarrhoea, bloating, gurgling, nausea and general fatigue and headaches. On the various SCD websites, there is much discussion of ‘bacterial die-off’ (also called herxheimer reactions), where the fuel for the harmful bacteria (polysaccharides and disaccharides) has been removed from the diet, leading to ‘die-off’ of the harmful bacterial overgrowth in the small intestine in large numbers and the release of too many toxins for the liver to be able to process and dispose of at one time.

To put it simply, I was in a bad place for three days, with no appetite, no energy and a lot of discomfort. Interestingly (from a scientific, not a personal perspective), both my husband and son became ill one after the other, with the same symptoms that I experienced, so what I originally thought was bacterial die-off, may have been stomach flu. I’m still not sure.

The other tricky point was eating enough to have enough energy for exercise. After I recovered from the bacterial ‘die-off’, I found that I had to be quite conscious of making sure I was eating enough food throughout the day and in particular, before any workouts. I struggled with a spin class towards the end of my time on SCD, getting through on sheer grit and endorphins.

Final Thoughts

After I recovered from the die-off, I felt great. Full of energy, with far less intestinal discomfort, bloating and gas. I’ve actually continued a modified version of this dietary model for the last two weeks, excluding potatoes and sweet potatoes from my meals.

I’ve lost 3 kgs, my skin is much clearer and I’m enjoying spending more time in the kitchen and taking time over the meals I prepare. The other benefit is the amount of money I’ve saved from eating out less – so many wins!

Photo by Yvonne Lee Harijanto

I Tried It: The Mooncup

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Have you ever tried a menstrual cup? I hadn’t, until recently.

This goop article got me thinking about the implications of the cotton, chemicals and bleach in mainstream tampons. How many tampons do you think the average woman uses in a lifetime? Apparently it’s almost 11,000! That’s nearly 22 every menstrual cycle.

And what are the implications of all that non-organic cotton going into one of the most absorbent parts of your body? Makes you think, doesn’t it?

There are also the effects on the environment to consider. Many women still flush their used tampons down the loo, which puts a lot of pressure on water treatment plants, as tampons do not break down very easily.

After a particularly painful period recently that included a few too many tampon mishaps, I decided to search for alternatives.

Enter the Mooncup.

This is a medical grade silicone cup that gets inserted into the vagina, instead of tampons and is meant to be much cleaner than using pads.

When my Mooncup arrived, I looked at it and I figured, I’ve had a baby come out of there, how hard can this little cup be to manoeuvre?

Well. It does take a bit of practice to get it in, just like it did when I first started using tampons, a long, long time ago. 🙂 And after a while, it becomes natural and effortless. Once you get the hang of inserting and removing it, the Mooncup can be kept in for up to 8 hours at a time, holding up to 15 mL of fluid at a time.

You absolutely need to be comfortable with blood and with emptying and cleaning the cup throughout the day. And that means that menstrual cups just may not be right for some women. Here’s a great primer on how to easily insert and remove menstrual cups (link totally safe for work!).

As for me, I love using the Mooncup and plan to continue using it indefinitely.

And it seems that I’m not the only one looking at alternatives to tampons and pads. The THINX ‘period underwear’ have been getting a lot of coverage recently.

Would you ever try an alternative to tampons and pads?

P.S. If you’re not convinced, here’s a great natural tampon alternative.

Photo by Anders Jilden

 

I Tried It: Juicing

I’ll start this blog post by admitting that I have never really been a fan of juicing. I hate the hype and near-religious devotion to it. I hate the waste – seriously, what do juice bars do with all the leftover pulp? I hate that people were replacing meals with giant bottles of green juice. I’ve seen both of Joe Cross’ films, Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead and its sequel and left both sceptical about how people would go from juicing 100% of the time to eating real food, without any real nutrition education.

After the last few weeks, I like juicing a little more than before. Why, you may be asking?

It all started three weeks ago when my husband reminded me that our Magimix has a juicing attachment. Curiosity struck and the next thing I knew, I was cutting up some vegetables and we had a fun time letting our son feed the chopped veg into the machine and push it down with the plunger. And it was a good result too, for my first try 😄.

Here’s what I put in it:

1 celery stalk

1 fennel stalk

2 small apples

1 medium carrot

1 knob of ginger

After a good tasting session, we decided to lay off the fennel the next time, because it overwhelmed the rest of the flavours.

Then on Wednesday, I was at home with my little guy. He had just finished his post-nap snack and turned to me and said, “Mama, I want to make juice.” I chuckled, gave a little internal hurray for building good nutrition habits, grabbed all of the juice attachments for the Magimix and we set to work.

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This time, we mixed it up and put a bit more veg in:

1 beetroot

1 golden beetroot

1 celery stalk

2 medium carrots

2 small apples

1 knob ginger

1 knob tumeric

1/2 small cucumber

I ended up with enough for two full glasses and a bottle to put in the fridge for later.

homemade carrot, apple and beetroot juice

Here are my top tips for juicing:

1. Always drink juice with a meal. 

Because the juicing process removes the fibre from the fruit and veg, it gets digested VERY quickly and you get hungry again an hour later. Chewing starts the first part of the digestive process (which happens in the mouth!) and just drinking juice bypasses this, which is not a good thing.

If you drink your juice with a nutritious meal, the protein and fat from the food will slow digestion down and you won’t get hungry again as quickly.

2. Vegetables should form the bulk of the juice. 

The fructose in fruit juices can cause insulin spikes, which can lead to energy crashes. Vegetables modulate this process and keep blood sugars steadier.

3. Use the pulp! 

Apparently, the pulp can be used in broths, smoothies, muffins and omelettes. I’m going to figure this out, because it feels almost criminal to throw out all of this goodness!

Do you juice? What are your top tips?

I Tried It: Keeping A Food Diary

 

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My second assignment for my second year of nutrition requires me to keep a food diary. Sounds too easy, right? Copy down breakfast, lunch, dinner and Bob’s your uncle.

For this exercise, we need to record every single element of each meal and put this information through a food calculator to analyse the macronutrient (protein, fat and carbohydrate) and micronutrient (vitamins and minerals) content consumed each day. Then map this against the government’s RNI for micronutrients and do a naturopathic analysis of what could be improved.

It’s fascinating stuff. And very eye opening.

I’ve been recording everything I eat and drink since Monday and it’s verified a lot of what I already know about the way I eat and my intentions for my nutrition. I eat a lot of good fats (almonds, avocado, meat), lots of carbohydrates, in the form of fruit and vegetables and a decent amount of protein. I don’t snack, so I like that satiated feeling I get after eating a meal full of good fats, proteins and lots of carbohydrates from fruits and vegetables.

When it comes to micronutrients, it’s a little bit addicting to see how eating certain foods can push up your daily vitamin and mineral intake. Kale and avocados, are a great example of this. I have them most mornings, in my smoothie, so by 8am, I’m well on my way to hitting the majority of the B vitamin (bar B12) requirement for the day.

My omega-3 intake is not high enough – the perfect excuse to eat more smoked salmon!

I can see how easy it is to become obsessed with this information. Equally, it’s really good for people who may be concerned that they’re not getting enough of the right micronutrients to spend a few days inputting their meals into one of these analysis programmes. I can see how good this could be for vegetarians and vegans, especially. It would’ve been very useful for me in my vegetarian days, when I know my diet was really poor. Think lots of cheese, wraps, bread and chocolate and very little veg. Oops.

Here’s what yesterday’s food intake looked like in terms of micronutrient intake, starting with vitamins, then minerals and then amino acids.

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Doing this exercise on myself is really interesting and it will be even more interesting once I’ve finished my training and I’m out in the ‘real world’.

For some clients, having access to all of this information could be very overwhelming and others, they might benefit from seeing a deeper analysis of their food intake.

It’s all very well having this data, but it’s what you do with it that matters. Based on a day’s worth of data, I can see that I need to work on my Vitamin D intake and look at including different plant based sources of calcium. And one day out of seven is just a slice of the whole picture. Once I have a full week’s worth of data, one of the requirements of my assignment is to do a full analysis of the week to identify any trends and potential insufficiencies. Should be fascinating stuff.

Do you keep a food diary or use a food tracking like DailyPlate or MyFitnessPal? Why do you use them?

Photo by Noah Basle