Elemental Nutrition, Unit 1, 1 Moomba Street, Sunshine Coast (2025)

24/03/2022

an update from me to my followers regarding what I am up to, my current studies, passions, offerings and style of practice.

18/10/2021

In my last IGTV video, I mentioned the addition of collagen a few times, mainly to sweeter breakfast options that aren’t naturally rich in protein.

Collagen is a form of protein, my favourite is marine collagen sourced from wild caught Alaskan cod fish. This type of collagen is a type 1 collagen, the most abundant protein in the human body and is crucial for healthy skin, muscles, joints, tendons and bones. It is the substance that holds our bodies together, providing strength and structure. Marine collagen is abundant in the amino acid proline, the main component of keratin, the protein that makes up hair skin and nails.

As it is a naturally sourced supplement, it is highly bioavailable with 90% absorption, meaning the body can utilise the nourishment. The brand I use is , it is sourced exclusively from sustainably sourced fish and it is tasteless and odourless, making it an easy addition to a variety of meals.

I thought I would share how I used this collagen this morning to increase the nutrient profile of my smoothie.

1/2 cup frozen blueberries
1/2 frozen banana
1 TBS cacao
1 TBS tahini
2 TBS marine collagen
1 TSP 12 mushroom tonic
1 TBS coconut cream
1/2 cup filtered water

I blended this all up until it was thick and smooth, and then I topped with bee pollen for a whole food source of B vitamins.

This recipe made more than what is pictured in the glass, I was just so excited to drink it that I didn’t think to use it for social media until half way through! 😆

14/10/2021

It’s been a busy few weeks in the Elemental Nutrition world, as I have been working on bringing one of my passion projects to life. I have found over the last few years that the biggest challenge for my clients with healthy eating practices was not having the time to prepare their food, leading them to making poorer food choices when eating takeaway food.

I also have got a passion for food, yeah it’s pretty typical to think that to have studied a health science degree in nutritional medicine, that there would need to be an underlying interest in food, right?! Well, for me, I studied nutrition with the intention of opening a health food cafe at the end and serve nourishing food to my community. I didn’t quite make it there as I loved clinical practice so much that I went straight into setting up Elemental Nutrition and supporting many clients towards better health.

The salad bar concept of Dandelion Wild came through a conscious connected breath work practice. I got the pen and paper out and started brand developing pretty quickly, the sparks of excitement in my heart and the sleepless nights from the adrenaline have been pretty clear signs to me to flow with this passion.

I’d love for you to join me over on as I share the journey towards the first market set up. I feel this business has a lot of potential and I can’t wait for it to be a part of the local, health conscious community.

14/10/2021

As a part of being a health practitioner, I always take time to reflect on the health outcomes of clients on their journey with me.

The reality is that I am only part of the picture, I am an external resource for my clients. I can see and hear their story, their lifestyle and what they are experiencing, then I move on the analyse, systemise and identify patterns in their health. With this information, I then proceed to breaking down in to basic steps the best way to regain balance, in a manageable and sustainable way, meeting them where they are at. I like to figure out what language to use that will resonate with the client, so that when I explain what is going on and why it is important to make the changes, they hear it in a way they understand. This is through identifying their passions, what makes them feel happy, excited and fulfilled.

By taking the time to understand where the client is coming from, delivering the information in way that they engage with, empowers them to take control of their health and action the treatment plan. Really, I am a vessel for them to better understand themselves and give them a bit of a manual as to how to best nourish their body.

Essentially, it is the client that does the work. I hold space and facilitate the process of them better understanding their body, it is up to the client to take action.

Whilst I am transitioning my practice to be whole food supplement based, with a focus on mineral balancing, I am also putting a lot of emphasis on food therapeutics. As you will know, I do believe in supplementation, although the truest foundation to health is the food we eat. No matter how many supplements you take, if your food is not nourishing for your mind, body and soul, then you might be facing a life of progressive health decline. Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food - Hippocrates.

12/10/2021

Wow, so I feel that I am getting towards the end of the Nutrition Foundation series. There is nothing more foundational to nutrition than the actual meals of the day, specifically breakfast.

Break-fast is by far the most important meal of the day as the name suggests, it is the meal that breaks the over night fasting period. There are a lot of trends with fasting, if you know me by now, I try to stay either ahead or away from trends.

Breakfast sets our body up for the day. Having a sufficient and nutritious meal of a morning is the ideal way to establish healthy eating patterns throughout the day. The key nutrient that I see is often missed at breakfast is protein. A breakfast enriched with protein will provide a long burning log on your metabolic fire for the day, this means that your satiety will be sustained with three wholesome meals and energy slumps, sweet cravings and binge eating can all be swayed.

Ensuring that you are eating breakfast before 10am reduces your bodies shift in to a state of physical stress, where the liver starts to generate glucose from non-carbohydrate carbon substrates. This process is called gluconeogenesis, it is a survival mechanism the body has adopted over our ancestral years of hunting and gathering. This isn’t a process we want to put our bodies through daily. Even when intermittent fasting, ensuring that the fast is broken no later to reduce the inflammatory effects of this process.

I understand how busy mornings and life can be that breakfast is often overlooked or undernourishing, so will do a video on breakfast and some ideas that could inspire you to kick start your day, the best way you can for sustained healthy eating practices.

16/09/2021

The beautiful part of being a nutritionist is hearing how well a client feels after implementing the treatment plan recommendations.

Do you feel off track with your health? Not sure where to start? Seeing a nutritionist is one of many great natural health options.

I truly believe that nutrition is the foundation for health, what we fuel our bodies with will have a direct impact on how our life is fuelled.

Yes, nutrition is physical, scientific and analytical. I also see it is emotional, vibrational and spiritual. It is also a subconscious routine that our days are structured around, it is a practice and it is a lifestyle. There is so much more to nutrition than just eating. There are philosophies, beliefs, energetics, ethics, values, seasons. There is also traditions, either with preparation styles, recipes and cultures. It is an intimate interaction between the outside world and our internal world.

In appreciation of how much depth there is to nutrition, the advantage of seeing a nutritionist is that we can help to work out what is best for your body given your current state of health. We can put it in order of where to start, where you are going and be there to educate and empower you along the way.

If this resonates with you, send me a DM and we can find a time for you to come in and develop an individualised plan to get you feeling better.

14/09/2021

Have you ever wondered what does refined sugar free (RSF) mean? As a part of Nutrition Foundations, I wanted to go through what this means and what the differences are.

RSF means that the sweet ingredients in the product are not refined. Is refined sugar any different to natural sugar? Yes in some ways, no in others.

Sugar, in all forms is a simple carbohydrate, the body utilises the sugar and converts it to glucose for the body to use as energy. How the body metabolises refined vs. natural sugars is different depending on its source. Natural sugars such as fruit/milk sugars when consumed as a whole food (apple / milk) contain fibre/fat, the absorption of these sugars in the small intestine is slowed down. Refined sugars (white / brown ) are straight up sugar molecules that have been processed, these are absorbed rapidly in the small intestine.

The matter of similarity between both natural and refined is that once absorbed through the intestine, the body does not know the difference, it all stimulates insulin to be released to absorb the glucose in to the cell.

If you have a lot of sugar, whether its natural / refined, your blood glucose regulation may be under the pump and not functioning the way it should. This can lead to increased sugar cravings and energy slumps soon after eating.

What about natural sugars such as maple syrup, honey and coconut sugars? These are all simple sugars, containing no fibre or fat, so they are absorbed quickly. The difference between these and regular refined sugars are that these contain vitamins, minerals and active constituents that can benefit health when consumed in moderation.

Natural sugars can be an ally to your health if consumed as a special treat or in moderation as a part of a balanced nutritional intake. Choosing refined sugar free sweet treats are better choices than regular sweet treats, although I would recommend choosing sweetness that is closest to nature such as fruit. I love chocolate as my special treat and I always go for Green & Blacks, 70% or 85% as it has minimal coconut sugar in it or if I am baking I use maple syrup.

Questions? Comment below for us to explore and learn.

26/08/2021

What is your relationship with vegetables like? Do you like them, do you eat enough, do you get a variety of them in each day?

I want to chat about vegetables as a part of Nutrition Foundations as they are essential for human health. The Australian Dietary Guidelines suggests five servings of vegetables per day, what is one serving you ask?

One serving of vegetables equates to:
- one cup of raw vegetables
- half cup of cooked vegetables

So what is classified as a vegetable? A vegetable is the edible part of a plant. There are sub-classifications of vegetables:

- leaves (kale, watercress, cabbage, spinach)
- roots (radish, beetroot, carrot)
- tubers (potato, cassava, sweet potato)
- fruit (avocado, tomato, eggplant)
- flowers (broccoli, cauliflower, artichoke)
- stems (celery, asparagus, leek)
- seeds (peas, beans, legumes)
- bulbs (onion, garlic, fennel)
- fungi (mushrooms)

Vegetables are rich in fibre, a nutrient that offers food sources for our gut bacteria. Having a variety of vegetables in your daily food consumption helps to maintain a happy and healthy bacterial environment.

I encourage you to witness how many vegetables you are consuming currently and if you are close to your five servings. If you do, yay, that’s amazing. If you don’t, now we know and have a great goal to work towards.

It’s interesting that mushrooms are classified as a vegetables although they are not classified as plants, they are a part of the fungi kingdom.

26/08/2021

What is your relationship with vegetables like? Do you like them, do you eat enough, do you get a variety of them in each day?

As a part of the Nutrition Foundations series I thought that I’d chat vegetables as vegetable intake is an important aspect of health. The Australian Dietary Guidelines suggests five servings of vegetables per day, what is one serving you ask?

One serving of vegetables equates to:
- one cup of raw vegetables
- half cup of cooked vegetables

So what is classified as a vegetable? A vegetable is the edible part of a plant. There are sub-classifications of vegetables:

- leaves (kale, watercress, cabbage, spinach)
- roots (radish, beetroot, carrot)
- tubers (potato, cassava, sweet potato)
- fruit (avocado, tomato, eggplant)
- flowers (broccoli, cauliflower, artichoke)
- stems (celery, asparagus, leek)
- seeds (peas, beans, legumes)
- bulbs (onion, garlic, fennel)
- fungi (mushrooms)

Vegetables are rich in fibre, a nutrient that offers food sources for our gut bacteria. Having a variety of vegetables in your daily food consumption helps to maintain a happy and healthy bacterial environment.

I encourage you to witness how many vegetables you are consuming currently and if you are close to your five servings. If you do, yay, that’s amazing. If you don’t, now we know and have a great goal to work towards.

17/08/2021

Do you hear the terms processed, refined and whole food a lot amongst food banter? I definitely use these words a lot and I thought they fall under the umbrella of Nutrition Foundations.

Processed food is a very broad term as there are many processes that food can undergo to become the final, consumable item. Basically, processing is altering the food from its natural state. This can be done at home using a very basic whisk / food processor, it can also be done on mass scale using machines, chemicals and heat. The latter is the more concerning as using these processing tools, alters the chemical structure of the food and therefore it alters the way in which this food interacts with our body and our bacteria.

Refined food is generally good that has gone through multiple stages of processing such as hulling the shell off a wheat grain, then grinding the wheat grain and bleaching it to end up with white flour. This depth of processing completely alters the natural constitution of the wheat grain and actually takes away any nutritional value of the wheat and ends up making it quite harmful on the body.

Whole foods are foods in their natural state, unadulterated, containing all the nutrients that it was grown with- fibre, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants. Some whole foods, such as chickpeas, need to go through a processing phase in order to be edible, soaking and boiling, this removes anti-nutrients the chickpea has to survive the growth phase in nature, and makes them easier on digestion by softening and absorbing the water.

Processing really is part of food preparation, it is not detrimental at all stages, it is just to what extent is a good processed before it starts becoming refined.

Take home message is to avoid highly processed, refined foods wherever possible to ensure the food you are consuming is working with you, not against you. These foods include refined oils, standard white bread, fast food,flavoured items such as BBQ chips, twisties, shapes, lollies, a lot of chocolates, sauces. These items can be sometimes foods if you really love them, although I think there are better alternatives to try.

Cucumbers can be naturally processed into pickles.

11/08/2021

The last macronutrient to cover for the series is protein, do you think you are getting enough protein in a day?

Macronutrients (macro = large, nutrients = food constitution classification) are the major sources of fuel in the diet. Protein is the building block of the body and is required for cellular structure and function. It is the most common nutrient deficiency I see in clinic, especially amongst women.

Protein profiles vary across animal and plant based sources. Animal sources are complete proteins, this means that they come with a profile of amino acids (smaller protein units) that the body can utilise directly. Plant sources are incomplete, this means that the amino acid profile is not complete, for the body to utilise the proteins, it needs to make them from different sources of proteins from the diet. Amazing the body can do this, although it does mean that a variety of protein sources need to be consumed to provide the amino acids and also for the body to make the profile complete, it uses more nutrients such as zinc and B vitamins, so there is a greater demand on those body.

Animal sources of protein include red meat, poultry, eggs, fish, chicken broth, dairy products including cheese, yogurt, milk.

Plant sources include lentils, legumes, nuts, seeds, grains, tofu, tempeh, pseudograins including buckwheat, quinoa.

A general guide for protein intake is to have a source with all main meals and snacks. Having protein enriched meals helps to maintain energy throughout the day and avoid binging at the end of the day.

08/08/2021

Okay, so what about carbohydrates? Such a trivial topic with trends of ketogenic diets and low carbohydrate diets, do healthy carbohydrates fall within Nutrition Foundations? Absolutely.

Carbohydrates come in many forms, refined sugars and refined grains are processed carbohydrates that due to the process of refining them, have lost most of their nutritional value such as fibre, vitamins and minerals. Typically, food types include white bread, breakfast cereals, lollies, desert foods, white pasta.

Whereas whole food sources of carbohydrates offer a lot more nutritional value, including whole grains, lentils, legumes, fruits and vegetables. These foods contain fibre, vitamins and minerals that all contribute to health. Due to the fibre contents, blood sugar levels do not spike and detoxification is supported by keeping bowels regular and a feeling of fullness is experienced.

Having a variety of whole food carbohydrates throughout the day, with main meals or snacks is ideal for most people. Main meal ideas are pesto pulse pasta (lentil based pasta) or a side of root vegetables with dinner. Snack ideas are hummus with carrot sticks or a handful of berries.

If you can work towards removing refined, processed carbohydrates that can be your first step towards improving your diet.

Ketogenic and low carbohydrate diets are therapeutic for certain individuals and you should work with a natural healthcare provider to work out of this is right for you.

05/08/2021

I feel like I should have started this series with water, it is by far my most non-negotiable consumable. Despite not being a source of food, it is paramount that the water you consume is clean and filtered.

Research has identified that 60% of the human body is water, so it makes sense that we should only consume clean water.

Most importantly the water needs to be filtered to remove fluoride and chlorine.

It is well documented that fluoride blocks the absorption of minerals, specifically magnesium. Magnesium is essential to health and is required for over 300 body functions. Without bioavailable magnesium, our bodies are in a state of stress and it hinders the balance the body is constantly working towards for our physical survival.

As chlorine is killing the bacteria in the water it is also altering our bacterial environment in the gut. Given that 90% of the human body is made up of bacteria and only 10% human cells, this consumption of chlorine can lead to health imbalances.

I suggest looking into water filtration systems that remove these chemicals specifically, you would be surprised if you saw how many other chemicals are in local tap water supplies, when I last looked it was at least two pages full. I use an alps water filter system, it is counter top and I fill it up daily. There are also reverse osmosis systems available that you can choose a set up that’s suits your household.

When it comes to water consumption, two litres for an adult is a general rule. In hot climates or for someone who has done a lot of exercise / sauna then requirements increase. Be mindful though, you can drink too much water and end up diluting electrolytes. If you are thirsty and can’t seem to quench your thirst through water intake, there may be something going on a little deeper and I suggest working with a natural healthcare practitioner to investigate.

Buying a stainless steel or glass water bottle that you love and is practical for you to carry around with you is the key to consuming enough clean, filtered water. I always have two, one insulated one for the car and one for my handbag.

05/08/2021

I’m feeling like I should have started the Nutrition Foundation series with water, it is by far my most non-negotiable consumable. Despite not being a source of food, it is paramount that the water you consume is clean and filtered.

Research has identified that 60% of the human body is made up of water, given this high percentage, it makes sense that we should only consume clean water.

Most importantly the water needs to filter out fluoride and chlorine. These chemicals are put in to water due to public health initiatives, fluoride for strong teeth and chlorine to keep the water clean from bacteria.

It is well documented that fluoride blocks the absorption of minerals, specifically magnesium. Magnesium is essential to health and is required for over 300 body functions. Without bioavailable magnesium, our bodies are in a state of stress and it hinders the balance the body is constantly working towards for our physical survival.

And what about chlorine killing the bacteria in the water? Given that 90% of the human body is made up of bacteria and only 10% human cells, this consumption of chlorine alters the gut bacteria and can lead to an imbalance of bacteria that effects overall health.

I suggest looking into water filtration systems that remove these chemicals specifically, you would be surprised if you saw how many other chemicals are in local tap water supplies, when I last looked it was at least two pages full. I use an alps water filter system, it is counter top and I fill it up daily. There are also reverse osmosis systems available that you can choose a set up that’s suits your household.

When it comes to water consumption, two litres for an adult is a general rule. In hot climates or for someone who has done a lot of exercise then requirements increase. Be mindful though, you can drink too much water and end up diluting electrolytes. If you are thirsty and can’t seem to quench your thirst through water intake, there may be something going on a little deeper and I suggest working with a natural healthcare practitioner to investigate.

02/08/2021

Next part of the Nutrition Foundations is going to focus on whole food sources of healthy fats.

Do you commonly hear the word whole food and wonder what it actually means. I could do a whole post on this and I probably will but for the purpose of this post I will put it simple as foods in their whole form, not processed, just as nature delivered.

Healthy whole food sources of fat can be both plant and animal based. Plant fats are nuts, seeds, fruits and vegetables. Animal fats are just that, come from and animal source such as eggs, fish, poultry, red meat, bone marrow and and organs.

Fat needs to be consumed with every meal and should not be demonised for its high calorie profile.

Nuts and seeds are great plant fat sources although they contain higher levels of polyunsaturated fats, meaning they can promote inflammation if not consumed in moderation amongst a healthy diet.

Animal sources contain full spectrum of fats from saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated. Chicken and pork having higher polyunsaturated fat meaning they can promote more inflammation than red meat, organ meat and bone marrow. Fish is famous for its omega 3 fats, a polyunsaturated fat that is anti inflammatory, but the cooking process can hinder these oils.

Main taking from this is to have a variety of whole food fat sources with each meal, diversity is the key to a healthy gut bacteria and meeting your daily requirements. Importantly though, ensure that across whole food fats and healthy oils to avoid too many nuts and seeds as they can dysregulate the inflammatory processes in the body.

29/07/2021

To start the ‘Nutrition Foundations’ educational series I am going to start with healthy fats as for me it is the most non-negotiable and essential to get it right.

Without getting too chemical / scientific in terminology, it is important to understand that each and every one of our 30 trillion cells is made up of a double layer of fat around the membrane. This is why it is so important to consume healthy fats and use fats appropriate to their structure as these fats we consume end up forming this cellular structure. For cells to function properly electrically, chemically and physically these fats need to be optimal.

As always, minimally processed fats are best.

Butter / ghee is a good stable cooking oil. This means real butter, not spreadable butter or butter alternatives. Nuttlex or olive oil based butters are full of processed oils that promote inflammation and oxidation.

Extra virgin, cold pressed olive oil is a healthy choice and can be used when cooking as well as salad dressings. Avoid light olive oils or refined olive oils as these have been processed and all the nourishing constituents of the oil have been destroyed.

Coconut oil is very stable for cooking, as is it’s sister MCT oil, a liquid variant of coconut oil that can be added to hot drinks such as bullet proof coffees or hot cacao.

Other plant based fats, macadamia and avocado oils are stable for cooking too and can be used as salad dressings.

Tahini and nut butters are healthy when consumed in moderation, these do have higher levels of pro inflammatory fats in them hence the moderation.

What to avoid though? Avoiding processed fats such as canola, sunflower and vegetable oils, rice bran, rapeseed, high oleic oils wherever possible. This is hard as they are in most processed, packaged foods so unless you are cooking everything from scratch, being mindful about how much of it you consume is key.

Fat is a huge topic, I haven’t mentioned whole food sources of fats as that’s another post.

Keep your fats clean and if you have any questions, comments or fun facts, please comment.

27/07/2021

I have been taking some time to review my system for delivering therapeutic treatment plans.

I struggle with how much information to give a client in the first consult. It is a balance between value for money and meeting the client where they are at.

My nature is to dissect things, fix things, get to the core of things and improve, evolve and regenerate. So naturally I am dissecting my practice and what stands out to me is what I call nutrition basics. Firstly, I need to change the phrase to nutrition foundations, as what is basic to me and my community of like minded, health conscious people, may not be basic to the client that walks in my door.

It just came to me that I should do a little series about nutrition foundations, that way I can use this little halt in my process as an opportunity for valuable information I can share on social media as an educational tool.

I feel inspired to do every day, staple cooking ingredients and see how it evolves from there.

21/07/2021

It truly amazes me how therapeutic food is. One of my passions is to inspire people to utilise the magic that food offers, magic in the sense of chemical interactions that happen unconsciously within the body.

Paw paw or papaya is an enzymatic food. This means it helps to break down our food in the digestive process. The enzymatic function of the papain enzyme is proteolytic, meaning it works on breaking down proteins.

Having paw paw or papaya as a post meal finisher is a beautiful way to use food therapeutically.

Elemental Nutrition

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