Doctor Verena PHD, MSc Nutritional Sciences

08/08/2022

Please help me report this FAKE account that is copying all my content 🙏

Thanks lovelies 🧡

20/03/2021

My absolute favorite afternoon snack is a small handful of activated nuts with crunchy seaweed loaded with minerals and some Goji and Inca berries high in antioxidants and vitamin C.

This little protein rich snack helps to balance your blood-sugar levels, boost your energy levels, mood and makes you feel full.

As a result, you will not graze, feel more in control of your choices at dinner time, and will be less likely to give in to that post-dinner sweet tooth 😜

Happy Sunday 🤍

23/01/2021

Want to receive this scrumptious salad recipe in your inbox?

06/08/2020

I truly love supporting mums in their ability to breastfeed to set up their child’s microbiome for life and create a strong foundation.

This week being the International Breastfeeding week, is the perfect time to share Akari & Erin’s wonderful success story with you 🧡

Akari came to me when she was six months old, as she struggled with putting on weight and severe abdominal pain due to a weak digestive system. She reacted to almost everything her mum ate through the breastmilk.

Erin, being a passionate, dedicated and resilient mum, was not satisfied with the doctor’s answer of her low milk supply being the root cause of Akari’s problems. Putting her child on formula without giving breastfeeding a chance was not the solution for Erin.

Once we started to work on Akari’s digestive system, tailoring Erin’s diet and resolving Akari’s mental and emotional stress due to her trauma experienced in utero, she started putting on weight and her microbiome became strong. Akari changed from an insecure and fearful little person to a confident and resilient girl.

And look, how amazing!

Erin still breastfeeds Akari twice a day.

Don’t get discouraged, there is help & support!

02/08/2020

Have you had a moment in your life when you suddenly back flipped and completely changed how you manage your health and fitness?

For me this point occurred three years ago when I changed from academia to becoming self-employed. I realised that I created a lot of unnecessary stress due to overly high expectation. I put my business first which took a toll on my nervous system, mineral balance, liver and gut health 🤪

Yes, me, the PhD in Nutrition 🤷‍♀️

It was the mental, emotional and physical stress that I put on myself that contributed to a gut dysbiosis (= an imbalance between my beneficial and harmful species of gut bacteria), affected my magnesium and zinc levels, weakened my liver detoxification, compromised my oestrogen detoxification and caused adult acne and dermatitis 😅

Well, all this took me on a long journey of exploring my work-life balance and my underlying motivators and concepts of success 🧐

I set stronger boundaries for myself, started meditating twice daily and took more time out for self-care, corrected my mineral imbalance, supported by gut, while addressing my emotional stress.

It was a challenging balancing act but I did it 😆

Did you have a moment or period in your life where you back flipped and changed how you manage your health?

Let me know in the comments below ⬇️ 🧡.
📸

30/07/2020

Did you know that you have a gut elimination system for oestrogen?

Cool, ha?

If you are challenged by digestive problems, brain fog, depression, anxiety, insomnia, skin issues, fatigue, allergies or have a low immune system, the chances are that your gut is out of balance.

When your microbiome is compromised, your gut bugs will not produce enough of the enzyme called ß-glucuronidase, breaking down oestrogen in its active form. This results in less circulating active (useful) oestrogen and more bound (ready for excretion) oestrogen.

If your elimination pathways such as liver and gut are not working efficiently 😳 , that bound oestrogen will re-circulate, resulting in an imbalance of oestrogen in your body.

Oestrogen excess can lead to:
- bloating
- cold hands and feet
- difficulty sleeping fatigue
- hair loss, headaches
- mood changes
- low s*x drive
- negatively impacting heart & bone health
- and all the way to contributing to obesity.

To effectively eliminate excess oestrogen, it is important to support your liver health and gut health. Most importantly ensure that you p**p 💩 daily to eliminate that oestorgen 💃

Happy gut = Happy hormones 😀

If you want to know how to support your liver & gut health, give me a "YES" in the comments below 🧡👇

26/07/2020

Did you know that s*x and stress hormone imbalances can be directly linked to your gut health.

Cortisol, your stress hormone, can impact your gut health profoundly by altering the balance of your microbes and damaging the gut lining.

High levels of cortisol also suppress the immune system making it vulnerable to pathogens and infections. Digestive health can also impact your oestrogen levels through the oestrogen-gut-microbiome axis.

So reducing your stress levels is vital for your digestive and hormonal health.

What is your number one tool to reduce your stress levels?

Let me know in the comments below ⬇️.
*xdrive

23/07/2020

Did you know that that an imbalance between your beneficial and harmful species of gut bacteria (called gut dysbiosis) and gut inflammation may cause anxiety and depression?

The communication system between your gut and brain is called the gut-brain axis.

Gut dysbiosis and gut inflammation compromise the gut-brain axis which impacts the production of neurotransmitters such as serotonin (your happy hormone) or GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid), both helping to reduce anxiety, stress and improve sleep.

Although anxiety and depression are complex, nourishing your gut microbiome and reducing inflammation may be a helpful part of the management protocol.

Do you want to know if you have dysbiosis?

Let me know in the comments below ⬇️🧡

20/07/2020

School is back tomorrow and we want to nourish our little warriors with a nutrient dense breakfast!

Home-made granola with hot almond and macadamia milk or sheep's or coconut yoghurt always makes a successful breakfast or after school snack.

Making your own granola has so many health advantages as it is not loaded with refined sugar and cheap inflammatory vegetable oils.

Just click on the link in my bio to access this all time favorite whole food pantry staple.

Enjoy!


Recipe Link:
https://doctorverena.com/homemade-granola

The majority of breakfast cereals in the supermarket are loaded with sugar and do not support your health. Read more about the dangers of processed breakfast cereals and why making your own granola is a game changer for your family health here.

19/07/2020

⚡ SAVE THIS POST ⚡

Are you ready to take your health to the next level?

Let's talk products.

Are your , , and of such high quality that you would put it on your plate and in your mouth to eat?

If not, then it is most likely going to impact your gut, hormone, immune, skin and mental health.

Why?

Researchers have estimated that we may use 9 to 15 personal care products per day, exposing us to 515 individual chemicals being absorbed by our skin.

Artificial and synthetic personal care products contain a lot of toxic ingredients, chemical fragrances, endocrine disrupters, carcinogens and neurotoxins that can seriously harm your health.

They are associated with hormone imbalances, inflammatory skin conditions, headaches, respiratory conditions, Alzheimer and thyroid imbalances, to name a few.

When it comes to your personal skin care it’s important to apply the same rules as you do for your diet: Hunt for unprocessed ingredients, without anything artificial and any harsh chemicals. Choose skin care products that are as natural as possible, certified organic if possible.

Swipe to the left ⬅️ to see the number one to avoid in your personal care products developed by

🤍 Shout out to my favorite non-toxic products & brands:

🌿 SKIN CARE:

🌿 COSMETICS:
🌿 HAIR CARE
🌿 TOOTHPASTE:
🌹 PERFUME: essential oil &
🌿 DEODORANTS:
🌿 SOAP:

I would love to know what your favorite personal care products are?

Let me know in the comments below ⬇️

18/07/2020

Do you want to balance your hormones naturally?

Here are 8 steps for you to start working with:

1. Heal Your Gut: S*x and stress hormone disorders can be directly linked to gut health. Cortisol your stress hormone can impact your gut health profoundly by altering the balance of your microbes and damaging the gut lining. High levels of cortisol also suppress the immune system making it vulnerable to pathogens and infections. Digestive health can also impact your oestrogen levels through the oestrogen-gut-microbiome axis.

2. Top 3 Natural Supplements assisting with hormone health include:
a. Bone Broth
b. Probiotics
c. Vitamin D (get your levels checked)

3. Sleep: Getting 8 hours of good quality sleep is essential for balanced hormones.

4. Relax & Rest: Chronic stress is one of the biggest contributors to high cortisol levels and can lead to changes in the serum levels of many hormones.

5. Swap Refined Carbs for Healthy Fats

6. Use Adaptogenic Herbs

7. Address Emotional Imbalances

8. Be aware of the birth control pill and medications

If you found the above interesting, feel free to access the full blog article on my website. Link below.

What do you want to start working with?

Let me know in the comments below.

How do you know, if your estrogen is out of balance? Here are the nine most common symptoms of estrogen dominance: 1. Abnormal menstrual periods 2. PMS symptoms, such as bloating and breast swelling or tenderness 3. Mood swings, often presenting as depression or anxiety 4. Loss of s*x drive 5. Sl

13/07/2020

Before we talk about natural solutions to balance hormones, we have to look at the causes of hormone imbalance.

For me for example it is stress and a lack of rest that sets my hormones off 😳

Hormonal imbalances are multi-factorial disorders. They can be caused by a combination of factors including medical history, genetics, diet, stress levels and exposure to toxins. Some of the major contributors to hormone imbalances include:

- BEING OVERWEIGHT OR OBESE

- GENETIC SUSCEPTIBILITY

- HIGH AMOUNTS OF STRESS

- LACK OF SLEEP & REST

- TOXICITY (exposure to pesticides, harmful chemicals, toxins, ci******es and excessive alcohol)

- GUT ISSUES: Poor diet and all of the above factors, play a significant role in hormone regulation as they can contribute to leaky gut which makes you more susceptible to hormones problems. When leaky gut is present, there are large cracks or holes in the intestinal lining of your gut wall, allowing partially digested food, toxins, and bugs to pe*****te the tissues beneath it. This may trigger inflammation and changes in the gut flora (normal bacteria) leading to problems within the digestive tract and beyond.

Which of the above factors do you have to work on to balance your hormones more?

Let me know in the comments below 👇😉

12/07/2020

How do you know, if your estrogen is out of balance?

Here are the nine most common symptoms of estrogen dominance:

1. Abnormal menstrual periods
2. PMS symptoms, such as bloating and breast swelling or tenderness
3. Mood swings, often presenting as depression or anxiety
4. Loss of s*x drive
5. Sluggish metabolism and/or weight gain (especially in the abdomen and hip area)
6. Fatigue
7. Hair loss
8. Thyroid imbalances
9. Sleep disturbances

Who is interested in knowing how to balance your estrogen levels naturally?

Let me know in the comments below 👇

*xdrive

09/07/2020

You may have heard that is your "Happy Hormone".

Serotonin is responsible for reducing anxiety, increasing trust, lowering the amount of thoughts in your head. It affects gut motility as well as your appetite by promoting satiety.

We hear a lot about gut health being critical for serotonin production as 90% of the serotonin is produced in the digestive tract. However, the following key nutrients are also essential for serotonin production:

1. Zinc
2. Magnesium
3. B6
4. B1
5. Folate
6. Iron
7. Calcium
8. B3
9. Vitamin C

So, if you are depressed, feeling low, unhappy or flat a lot, ensure that you are not deficient on the above nutrients.

For more information feel free to PM me.

07/07/2020

And it's time again for the mid-yearly break!

Surf, swim, read, play, laugh, eat, meditate, sleep...

REPEAT

What makes your cells dance?

04/07/2020

Let's zoom back and have a look what really impacts our health on a large scope.

You may have heard about the , the most sensitive part of your Central Nervous System, located deep in the brain. The pineal gland is best known for its role in producing melatonin, regulating your circadian rhythm, immune function, endocrine system and so many other vital functions.

The pineal gland is highly sensitive to 4 things:
1. Aluminium
2. Glyphosate
3. Fluoride
4. WIFI

These four things were pushed extremely over the last years, leading to more and more people having very calcified pineal glands, impacting their health.

Having glyphosate in our food chain, fluoride in our water, dental products and pesticides, inhaling atmospheric aluminium from air traffic, leads to them combining in the gut and in the blood stream to form 6 different chemical compounds and the end point of these compounds is the pineal gland. What is needed for this compound to reach the brain is to open the blood brain barrier. The current frequencies (e.g WIFI) are exactly doing that. So all toxins can now enter through the blood brain barrier which was not the case before, creating extreme havoc with our health.

SOLUTIONS?

1. Eat organic, chemical, pesticide, GMO-free wholefoods as much as possible.
2. Avoid wheat.
3. Invest in a good quality water filter.
4. Purchase fluoride-free dental products (e.g. toothpaste)
5. Support your main detoxification system e.g. gut, liver, kidney, lymph.
6. Adopt a low-tox lifestyle.
7. Regulate and decrease your exposure to WIFI (e.g. switch off all electronic devices when sleeping).

Let's grow this list!

I look forward to reading your comments below....

02/07/2020

I very often get asked why I do not train in the first 3 days of my cycle.

The reason being, as a women you lose more blood and therefore iron when training while having your cycle which will make you more fatigued, as well as putting more strain on your body.

So when it comes to training, it is really important to not push yourself in times of your cycle or when sick. It is actually more beneficial to either rest during those times or engage in light physical activity only.

The winter is particularly a time to listen to your body and don't let your mind overpower and overrule your body's need rest.

Give yourself permission to recharge!
Wearing

30/06/2020

It is winter here in the Southern Hemisphere which means you should be nourishing your kidney, adrenal and bladder energy according to Chinese Medicine, as the health of all other organs and glands are depending on it.

The kidneys are the "Emperor", if they are strong, it will be reflected in your health. Particularly for women a strong kidney energy is key to fertility and going through menopause with ease and symptom free.

Not sure, if you need to nourish your kidneys?
Are you challenged with any symptoms listed in the picture below?

My personal go to‘s to strengthen and balance my kidney/adrenal, bladder and reproductive system are:
~ Try to have a good work-life balance with consistent breaks and holidays
~ Follow a daily routine
~ Avoid too much multi-tasking
~ Create ME time
~ Yin Yoga
~ No caffeine
~ Limit alcohol
~ Consume a cup of broth daily
~ Hydrate with alkaline, filtered water
~ Enjoy fresh, warm and moist food
~ No sugar and wheat
~ Avoid chemicals and pesticides wherever possible
~ Acupuncture