Nutrition Archives - Whole Naturopathy

If you had a day to yourself, would you spend it in bed?

April 15, 2025

People often come into my clinic for fatigue, and this is one of the questions I ask, as it tells me some important information: if you had a day to yourself, would you spend it in bed? Fatigue can present in so many different ways, and understanding the nature of it is the start of understanding exactly what is going on in your body. Some people start their day with fatigue, and it improves as the day goes on. Others start fine, but can hardly stay awake after lunch, and others get progressively more exhausted as the day goes on. For these people, when It’s bad enough, their ideal day is a day in bed, as they are just too tired to enjoy other activities. Adrenal fatigue If...

Should we eat butter and saturated fats?

Saturated fats – friend or foe?

March 12, 2025

Metabolic health, Nutrition

To watch this as a video, click here. When I was young, the messaging was that butter hardens your arteries, leading to cardiovascular disease, and it also makes you fat. I found an interesting research article that explains where that information came from and why it’s faulty. If you’ve been around a while, like me, you will remember the song from the ‘Life be in it’ TV ads, “Eat more breads and cereals…” At time where we were told to fill up on the carbs, and to limit our fat intake. Interestingly since then, we have seen an increase in cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and obesity. The 2014 research article titled " The Questionable Benefits of Exchanging Saturated Fat With Polyunsaturated Fat” explains where much of this...

How to look after your liver

December 5, 2024

Liver, Metabolic health, Nutrition

To watch this as a video, click here. Your liver is one of the major detoxification organs in your body. But not only does it work in detoxification, it also plays an important role in hormone regulation and blood glucose metabolism. It’s commonly known that too much alcohol is bad for your liver. But did you know that overeating, too much sugar or white flour products, as well as prescription medications (and recreational drugs) can increase the detoxification load of the liver? Some common signs of reduced liver function: Fatigue (especially after lunch or mid-afternoon) Brain fog Headaches Nausea Irritability, frustration, or anger Dry skin The good news is that the liver is an organ that can repair itself (at least at this point), and there are lots of...

A by-product of sugar can reduce sugar cravings

December 4, 2024

Metabolic health, Nutrition

To watch this as a video, click here I find it so interesting that one of the minerals that is removed from the sugar cane as it is processed is the same mineral that helps prevent sugar cravings, which is just another reminder that we should be eating foods in their natural form. When sugar is made When white sugar us made, the juice from the sugar cane is stripped of all its nutrients so that we're left with just the simple carbohydrate. Raw sugar has a tiny bit added back in and brown sugar a little bit more. The problem here is that if the nutrients were never removed, we wouldn't be constantly craving the sugar, so let’s look at adding them back into our diet. Molasses Blackstrap molasses,...

Lose weight with intermittent fasting

December 4, 2024

Metabolic health, Nutrition, Weight loss

To watch this as a video, click here. Intermittent fasting is where you use fasting for part of the day, rather than a longer term fast. It’s actually something we do each day, we finish eating at the end of the day and then we don’t eat again until breakfast (when we ‘break’ the ‘fast’). With the exception of small babies who need to eat around the clock, your body stores energy to keep you going through the night without any food. Digestion time It takes 5 hours to digest a meal, sometimes longer if it was a large meal, so what we generally do is space our meals that far apart to ensure we have a regular supply of energy throughout the day. Then overnight, your body...

If weight loss is a simple formula, why do we struggle?

December 3, 2024

Lifestyle, Metabolic health, Nutrition, Weight loss

To watch this as a video, click here. Part of it is due to poor diet advice. To some extent it is because sugar is highly addictive, as well as the fact that eating can be strongly driven my emotions. We’re all basically wired to avoid pain and seek pleasure. After all, to some degree, it keeps us alive. If we’re used to short-term gratification, then why wouldn’t we go for chips and donuts rather than kale and hemp seeds (Ok, so I don’t eat kale or hemp seeds all that often 😊). Rather than first focusing on your diet failure, let’s look at what’s going on at a deeper level. Are you stressed and your brain is looking for quick fuel? Are you sad and memories of...

The importance of diet in controlling diabetes and insulin resistance

3 foods to avoid for diabetes

August 3, 2024

Lifestyle, Metabolic health, Nutrition

To watch this as a video, click here. Did you know that some foods can be keeping your blood sugars in the diabetic range, and contributing to the disease, whilst there are others that can help to balance your blood sugar? Here is an explanation of what each of the foods are and why they make a difference to your diabetes. The principles here are aimed at type 2 diabetes, but should also be helpful in type 1, gestational diabetes, and insulin resistance (or prediabetes). Before I get into the details, make sure that your diabetes is being monitored by a doctor and if you do make changes to your diet, be sure to monitor your glucose levels, so that your blood sugars stay within the safe range. Firstly,...

The other kind of Liver Disease

April 3, 2024

Lifestyle, Liver, Nutrition, Weight loss

Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) is on the rise and is caused by poor dietary choices. But just like anything that is caused by a poor diet, it can be improved with a good one. If you would like to know more about Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (AFLD), see my article from last month, but for NAFLD, read on. Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease Unlike AFLD, NAFLD isn't primarily linked to alcohol consumption. Instead, it results from factors such as poor dietary choices, sedentary lifestyles, and insulin resistance. The liver, faced with an influx of refined sugars and unhealthy fats, undergoes a process where excess glucose is converted into fat, leading to the accumulation observed in NAFLD. Diagnosis NAFLD is diagnosed the same as AFLD, by a blood test,...

Nutritional support for alcoholic fatty liver disease

What is Fatty Liver Disease?

March 3, 2024

Lifestyle, Metabolic health, Nutrition, Weight loss

Historically, Fatty Liver Disease (FLD) was associated with excessive alcohol consumption, but now has evolved into two distinct categories: Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (AFLD) and Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD). Next month, I’ll delve into NAFLD, but for now, here’s the breakdown of ALFD. Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (AFLD) AFLD was first seen in prolonged alcohol abuse, where the liver struggles to metabolise the excessive intake of alcohol. This led to the accumulation of fat, impairing liver function and paving the way for inflammation. This is diagnosed with a blood test, but usually if you have FLD, you will find that you don’t metabolise alcohol well and will take a longer time to recover after drinking than your friends, or than you used to. You may also...

Cholesterol – friend or foe?

November 1, 2023

Metabolic health, Nutrition

Cholesterol plays a vital role in our bodies, serving as an essential part of our cell membranes and helping to regulate various bodily functions. It acts like a building material, providing structural integrity to cell walls and allowing them to function properly. Additionally, cholesterol is essential for the production of hormones like estrogen and testosterone, and fat-soluble vitamins like vitamin D, which control various bodily processes, including growth and reproduction. So, without cholesterol, our cells would not be able to maintain their integrity, and we wouldn't have the necessary hormones to keep our bodies functioning correctly. HDL (High-Density Lipoprotein) and LDL (Low-Density Lipoprotein) are two types of cholesterol carriers in your bloodstream, each with distinct roles, and are seen as the following. HDL cholesterol is often called...

Nutrition

If you had a day to yourself, would you spend it in bed?

Saturated fats – friend or foe?

How to look after your liver

A by-product of sugar can reduce sugar cravings

Lose weight with intermittent fasting

If weight loss is a simple formula, why do we struggle?

3 foods to avoid for diabetes

The other kind of Liver Disease

What is Fatty Liver Disease?

Cholesterol – friend or foe?

Trouble getting your iron levels within range?

Springtime allergies

Vitamin D for a strong immune system

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