Ewelina Sadzik Nutrition

27/01/2022

20/01/2022

😔Women’s fluctuating emotions at different points of their cycle often get trivialized.

🤷‍♀️This is a big problem.

Because your emotions, no matter where in your cycle you are, are valid and they should not be dismissed by anyone as you being ‘hormonal’.

Whether you’re experiencing depression, anxiety, irritability or you find yourself crying a lot - your body is asking for attention.

Whilst it might seem that your hormones are to blame, it’s not exactly the truth…

💗Your oestrogen and progesterone are actually beneficial for your mood.

👉Before ovulation, oestrogen boosts serotonin making you feel pretty epic!

👉After ovulation, progesterone is here to bring calm and focus.

So what happens to those hormones that affect our emotions so much?

🤍You might have not ovulated and so there’s no progesterone…

🤍You might have ovulated and produced progesterone, but not enough to buffer high oestrogen…

🤍Or your oestrogen levels are simply too high (for example after coming off the pill or because of poor liver and gut function)...

Oestrogen being the dominant hormone in your luteal is a problem because the higher its levels, the further it falls just before period, bringing down the feel good hormones (e.g. serotonin).

😔This has a massive effect on your mood, motivation and emotions.

💪Improving your PMS symptoms requires a WHOLE BODY APPROACH, taking into consideration what’s affecting your hormones: gut microbiome, liver detoxification, inflammation, nutrient deficiencies, stress levels, sleeping patterns (aka, circadian rhythm), relationships, work environment, nutrition and movement.

👉In the next post I’ll be sharing with you some tools I’ve been implementing for my struggles with depressive moods before periods in the recent couple of months.

P.S. If you’re looking to discuss your PMS struggles and get personalised support, you can now book a one-off session with me that will leave you with personalised and practical tools to put into practice to start feeling in flow with your hormones each month.

🙏Go to the link in bio to book your ‘Ready in 5’ Nutrition Review.

Evie x

08/01/2022

🙏In a world that encourages women to put everyone’s needs above their own, it’s even more important to say that it’s OK to choose your own healing.

Prioritizing your needs and health isn’t being selfish.

✨Because when you feel great in your body, wake up with good energy, flow with your fluctuating hormones every month with ease and have a deep self-awareness - this is when you’re at your best.

👉 & It’s when you’re at your best that you’re better able to support others.

Your loved ones want you to feel great. To not let your PCOS symptoms run your life.

🙏I’m here to tell you that this is possible for you.

🕊And that you have permission to put yourself first.

Some ways I encourage women to do that…

💗Spend 5-10 minutes each morning to come back to your body and set intentions for the day. This could be a short meditation, a few sentences written in your journal, or simply taking 10 deep belly breaths. Then try to go outside to get some natural light and reset your master clock.

💗Plan 1 thing you’ll do that day for your own healing - that could look like choosing to have your breakfast at home vs on the go to support digestion, a 15 min yoga session to stretch your body and calm your mind, or an Epsom salt bath - for stress relief & additional magnesium to support your hormones.

💗Ask for support. If you’re feeling overwhelmed by the advice out there when it comes to what’s the right approach for your PCOS symptoms, find a specialist who will help you get to the root cause and guide you on your journey to self-awareness and healing. It will make you feel so empowered and in awe of what your body is capable of with the right approach for you.

🌟What will you be focusing on this weekend?

I hope you enjoyed the past 3 days and the new tools you now have to begin healing your PCOS for good.

🕊If you’re ready to get bespoke support to regulate your periods and heal acne, without hormonal birth control 👉 book a free hormone health chat with me via link in bio and let’s chat about how my 3 or 6 month programs could help you.

Evie x

07/01/2022

When I talk about detox, I don’t mean water fasts or laxative pills. Your body detoxes naturally every single day - 24/7.

👉But what we can do is to support the organs that do the work through avoiding harmful things or adding in extra support.

🙏Today I wanted to focus on the AVOID part by looking at hormone-disrupting chemicals.

These are substances that we consume or use in our everyday lives that have the potential to affect our hormones and seriously burden our liver - making it work overtime, reduce its detoxifying efficiency and disrupt hormonal balance.

The main toxin to be mindful of is BPA in plastics, canned food and even cash register receipts.

There are so many ways that BPA can worsen PCOS, and apart from burdening the liver it has been linked to higher testosterone levels in women (already an issue with PCOS - hello lack of ovulation and acne) and can have oestrogen-like effects - the synthetic form which can for example worsen PMS symptoms and lead to other serious oestrogen-dominant conditions.

😩Plastic is everywhere and whilst initially it might be hard to get rid of it for good, I would start with things like removing plastic water bottles or plastic tupperware that you use to store or heat up your food in.

🧘🏼‍♀️As for the mind detox, focus on doing less of things that make you stressed or anxious (and of course more of what makes you happy and calm!). Think of things that you CAN actually reduce, like not following accounts on Instagram that make you feel anxious, or not hanging out with people who don’t support you.

Why?

🙏To reduce the daily chronic stress load.

Chronic stress = chronic cortisol production = disrupted hormones (esp. insulin and testosterone) = worse PCOS symptoms.

💗Of course, there are wayyy more tools to support daily body & mind detox but it’s all about taking small but consistent steps.

❓Share with me: what action have you taken so far this week to support your PCOS symptoms?

Evie x

06/01/2022

Did you know that you need carbohydrates for a healthy ovulation?!?

🥯Firstly, carbs provide energy for this main event of your cycle. It IS the main event because it's only once you’ve ovulated that you get your actual period (vs. an anovulatory bleed).

🥯Carbs also help to soothe your nervous system. That’s important because upregulated stress hormones can lead to even more testosterone produced by ovaries, disrupting your monthly flow and worsening other symptoms like acne or hair loss.

There is a reason why removing carbs from diet or going Keto (which is a very low carb diet) have been the most common advice for women with PCOS so far.

It’s to reduce insulin resistance which is the most common type of this syndrome, affecting menstrual cycle, skin, hair-loss, weight loss, low energy levels and intense cravings.

However….

😩Reducing carbs often means starting another diet and we know diets don’t work.

🙅‍♀️Restrictions don’t work and are never the solution.

Managing PCOS goes wayyyyy deeper than cutting out / reducing carbs so if you’ve been told that’s the only way - you can relax.

A gentle way you can start with to reduce insulin resistance with PCOS through nutrition is to change the way you’re looking at your plate.

🤍 I always suggest building each of your meals around a source of protein - whether that’s animal based like meat or fish, or plant based like chickpeas or tofu.

Once you’ve got your protein, then add in a handful of carbs, half a plate of veggies and some healthy fats (like olive oil or seeds).

In this way, you’ll naturally start increasing the macronutrients that keep your blood sugar levels stable (protein, healthy fats + fibre) whilst including carbs to still provide you with all the benefits for your menstrual cycle, nervous system etc.

❓What’s your relationship with carbs like? Have you ever been told to cut them out or tried to? I’d love to hear from you below.

Evie x

05/01/2022

🌟Save this post - it’s an important one!

If you suffer from polycystic ovarian syndrome, there probably were many, many times when you felt frustrated that others can eat anything they want and never put on weight….

😟 Whilst it takes you one look at a cake to gain extra pounds!!

🤍If that’s you - you’re not alone!

Many women with PCOS were led to believe that they need to be even stricter with themselves, and ended up severely under-eating and overexercising!

But instead of getting the desired results, it often leads to further dysregulated hormones: putting back any weight you lost and more, worse acne, further loss of period and often hair loss too.

🤔So - why is this happening and what’s the solution here?

The thing is, undereating and over-exercising puts your body in a state of survival, constantly wondering:

❓When will we eat next…will there be enough?

❓Or should we hold onto the nutrients and resources we have now, in case there isn’t enough later…

👉This state slows down your metabolism (impacting weight loss progress) and increases stress hormones levels, affecting your ovaries and the hormones they produce.

🙅‍♀️Think even less fertility-friendly, hunger-suppressing estrogen and more acne-causing, period-disrupting testosterone.

So instead of focusing on cutting down calories, give your body what it needs, what makes it feel safe and nourished:

1️⃣ Eat nutrient rich foods - your body needs those to function optimally and ovulate! Include foods rich in magnesium, iron, B vitamins, zinc, vitamin E; and also don’t forget to include healthy fats for s*x hormone production and carbs for ovulation.

2️⃣ Eat your main meals at regular times each day - this will help you body feel safe, knowing that food is coming, reducing stress hormones and improving thyroid function.

3️⃣ Find a form of movement that you enjoy and helps you build muscle. Yoga, pilates, weight lifting, walking or swimming are great options.

🕊Want to manage your PCOS symptoms, without restrictions and confusing advice? Book a free 30min chat with me via link in bio to discuss ways I can support you ✨

Evie x

04/01/2022

🤔Did you know that PCOS is an ancient syndrome (more than 50,000 years old!!) that actually gave our female ancestors a lot of advantages to survive harsh times?

⚡️The mildly increased testosterone meant more muscle mass and strength.

⚡️The ability to store fat better, without being much heavier than average women, meant they did much better during famines.

⚡️The mild inflammation helped fight off disease better.

So...what the heck happened since then?

Why is PCOS causing YOU such severe symptoms and it feels nothing like what it seemed to be then?

Well, many things changed like our food, stress levels, environment but also…

🤷‍♀️we started living out of tune with our master clock!

The master clock has one (big) job really: it senses light and dark through retina and passes that information around your body to establish your body’s circadian rhythm (sleep/wake cycle).

It uses hormones to set the rhythm for every cell, organ and system in your body which is approx 24 hours. This is suuuper important because when this rhythm is off beat…

AKA. you stay up late at night scrolling Insta ( 🙈), wake up late and have no natural light exposure in the morning, staying in artificial light most of the day…

👉it starts affecting your digestion, increase inflammation and insulin resistance (leading to s*x hormone disruptions) - all the things that are already an issue for women with PCOS.

👉Don’t worry- here are some easy and quick things you can start with to make a real difference:

✨Develop a regular sleep / wake routine, e.g.start with getting natural light exposure first thing in the morning and go to bed at the same time.

✨Eat your biggest meal for breakfast (that’s when your body is primed for digestion)

✨Avoid blue light exposure from electronic devices after the sun sets and wear blue light blocking glasses if you have to use your phone / laptop / watch TV)

P.S. Don’t forget to book a free chat with me via link in bio to discussed your personalised PCOS healing plan 🤍🕊

Evie x

04/01/2022

Here’s what you need to do 👇

🌟Save this post for later and revisit it the next time someone tells you there’s nothing else that can be done about your PCOS symptoms (other than going back on the pill).

🌟Check back in over the next 5 days as I’ll dive into the 5 ways to start managing your PCOS symptoms naturally in more detail and give you the tools to get started.

👋Both here and on stories.

We will be covering ways to:

✨Reset your master clock.

✨Count nutrients not calories

✨Focus on adding in protein vs cutting out carbs.

✨Ways to introduce daily mind & body detox tools (no juice fasts here!).

✨Help you accept the invitiation to put yourself first.

🕊We’re kicking off with ways to reset your master clock and why it’s such an important yet very underrated tool in managing PCOS.

P.S. If you’re ready to get personalised support with acne, irregular periods and other symptoms as a result of your PCOS diagnosis, book your free hormone health chat via link in bio. I offer 1:1 programs ranging from 6 weeks to 6 months long to best support you on this journey.

Evie x

30/12/2021

Are you a motivated, open-minded woman ready to take back control of your skin and hormonal wellbeing?💪

If you’re reading this, I’ll take that as a YES! ✨

🌟You know it's time for you to finally start enjoying clear, acne-free skin and heal from within.

🌟You'd love to restore healthy, regular periods post-pill.

🌟You’re soo ready to take control over your stubborn PCOS symptoms and improve your fertility.

🌟You also can't wait to start feeling full of energy, enjoy healthy weight and feel in flow with your monthly cycle.

Getting there 'the natural way' sounds amazing doesn't it, but where do you even start?

👉Let me help you cut through the noise of all the confusing advice online about restrictive diets and expensive skincare or supplements.

Instead, I will show you a bespoke to YOU way that blends both the holistic & scientific approach to healing YOUR skin and hormones.

Together, through one of my programs, we will create YOUR plan that is based on YOUR test results, YOUR goals, YOUR health concerns, YOUR schedule, and YOUR food preferences.

👩‍💻Go & check out all the details of ways I can support you in 2022 (starting in January) on my website and book a free consultation via link in bio.

🥂I’ve still got some spots left to chat with you next week but these are booking up fast so don’t miss out ☎️

Wishing you the most amazing start to 2022! ✨💃🏼🥂

Evie x

29/12/2021

✨When it comes to healing your acne for good - food restrictions and expensive skin care just aren’t the answer…

👉Whether your acne is a result of having PCOS, coming off the pill or you’ve had skin breakouts for years, we always, ALWAYS have to get to the root cause. We need to know what’s going on within, what imbalances are leading to spots that just won’t go away.

I wanted to share with you my top 3 ways you can get started with to heal your acne for good!

1️⃣ Balance your plate to support your blood sugar levels! This is where I start with almost all of my 1:1 clients, because when your master hormone, insulin, is constantly out of balance as a result of spikes in your blood sugar levels - it causes havoc among your s*x hormones, leading to acne.

P.S. You don’t need to cut out all carbs or go Keto 😉

My #1 advice is to always build your meals around a source of protein. Make it a star 🌟of each meal because this will slow down the impact your meals have on your blood glucose levels, meaning less insulin needed = better hormonal balance = less spots!

2️⃣Include 6-8 portions of different veg a day! Yep, I know it sounds like a lot but you can start building up to it slowly. Vegetables are rich in fibre which is key to helping you detox used up hormones and toxins that can contribute to skin breakouts. Also, by eating a wide variety of vegetables each week you feed different types of good bacteria in your gut 🦠 - this in turn helps keep your skin clear and glowing.

3️⃣Ditch the inflammatory fats! Fats are sooo good for us, for our skin and menstrual health. However, some are better than others. Instead of processed vegetable oils, opt in for: extra virgin olive oil, avocado, flaxseed oil (for salads), nuts and seeds.

These tips are just the top tip of the iceberg when it comes to ways we can approach acne healing naturally 🙏

💪If you’re ready to get bespoke support to heal your skin, including ongoing coaching, book in a free chat with me via link in bio. I cannot wait to support you and help you finally enjoy clear skin in 2022 ✨🥂✨

Evie x

22/12/2021

Let’s tackle each myth, one by one, shall we!
(P.S. Save this post for later)

MYTH 1️⃣All carbs are bad - stay away from them! Or go Keto…
I see this (terrible!) advice everywhere! And it makes me feel so sad because eating a low carb diet isn’t only unsustainable, but it can cause nutritional deficiencies, worsen your relationship with foods and increase stress hormone levels - actually making your PCOS symptoms worse!

I show my clients how to eat for balanced hormones so that they can be in charge of their symptoms but without cutting out their favorite pasta dish or never touching a cake again...

P.S. if someone tells you that your only option is to go Keto...distance yourself from them and then message me 😉

MYTH 2️⃣Restricting calories is the only way to lose weight!
If only it was this simple you wouldn’t have spent years dieting only to continue struggling with weight…

Instead, we need to get to the root cause of your PCOS by looking at areas like:
✨Your master hormones: insulin and cortisol
✨You digestion and gut microbiome
✨Inflammation
✨Hormone detoxification pathways
✨Thyroid health
✨Environmental stressors

And as your body is getting back to balance, it will feel safe enough to release the additional weight - a transformation I Iove seeing my clients experience during out time together.

3️⃣There’s one way of eating that’s right for all PCOS cysters
There isn’t - as you’ve already seen from myth number 2, there are so many factors to take into account when looking at nutritional support for PCOS. We also need to add in to it your current lifestyle, your routine, what you like / don’t like eating, how much time you’ve got to prep foods etc

That’s why my approach is very personalised and teaches you an intuitive approach to managing your PCOS symptoms.

Find out more about how nutritional therapy can help you get long term results with PCOS by booking in a free hormone health chat chat with me via link in bio.

Evie x

20/12/2021

I want you to know that 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝗼 𝗺𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗱𝗼 to support your body through nutritional and lifestyle changes - even if your hormones are currently causing you acne breakouts, irregular periods, fatigue or weight gain.

👉The pill or other meds aren’t your only options!!

So what are the first steps on your hormone balancing journey?

That’d be supporting your 2 master hormones:

ℂ𝕠𝕣𝕥𝕚𝕤𝕠𝕝 & 𝕀𝕟𝕤𝕦𝕝𝕚𝕟

👉Insulin is a hormone that regulates your blood sugar levels.
👉Cortisol is produced as a response to various stressors on your body - and it’s also the one to naturally wake you up in the morning.

🤷‍♀️ But… when these master hormones are out of balance, they disrupt other ‘lower priority’ hormones, such as your s*x hormones responsible for keeping your cycles regular, your skin clear or preventing those nasty PMS symptoms.

For example, too much insulin being released after meals can impact which hormones are being produced by your ovaries, e.g. instead of making oestrogen to support regular ovulation, your ovaries make more 𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗼𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗲 (male hormone) that suppresses ovulation.

P.S. too much testosterone is already an issue in women struggling with symptoms of PCOS or post-pill acne!

At the very beginning of our journey, I show the women I work with how to make the foods on their plate work for their hormones.

The great news is…

Oftentimes, it’s straightforward changes that can be implemented right away and make the biggest impact on your hormonal wellbeing!

AND provide long term results vs being on the pill 👉 when you only see results for as long as you’re on it.

So...if you’re tired of the side effects of the pill and want to give the natural approach to your hormones a go - then one of my nutritional therapy programs is going to be perfect for you.

You can book in your free hormone health check in with me now via link in bio to discuss the best option for you. DM the word ‘INFO’ and I’ll send you the link to book.

Evie x

16/12/2021

Let’s be honest - the advice that’s out there for women who struggle with PCOS is not only unhelpful most of the time, but also very concerning.

I see women desperately searching for ways to navigate:

👉missing periods / long cycles
👉lack of ovulation, not knowing if they’ll ever be able to conceive naturally
👉acne breakouts that seem to only respond to hormonal birth control or meds
👉extreme fatigue
👉uncontrollable food cravings
👉mood swings and feeling emotional
👉weight gain and inability to lose it, no matter how little they eat and how many HIIT workouts they do a week

…

The advice?

😣Go keto
😣Cut down calories to 1200 a day (pls don’t!)
😣Do HIIT 5 x a week
😣Avoid carbs at all costs!
😣Go on the pill
😣Meds for life

And if it’s not working? You must be doing something wrong, right….

🙅‍♀️🙅‍♀️But that’s NOT true.

The REAL reason why you’re not seeing results with the above is that they are just temporary bandaids over the root causes of your symptoms.

💥INSTEAD, opt in for personalised support that will help you identify those root causes and give you tools to address them and heal.

That includes:

✨Adding in hormone supporting foods
✨Replenishing missing nutrients
✨Supporting liver detoxification with the right nutrients
✨Reducing inflammation
✨Loving up your gut microbiome
✨Supporting your master hormones: insulin and cortisol
✨Working on thyroid health
✨Learning to work with your natural hormonal flow

🎉Do you want to be in charge of your PCOS and heal your hormones? Book your free hormone health check in via link in my bio and let’s chat about ways I can support you. starting in January.

Evie x

15/12/2021

🎉Imagine if you could finally take charge of your hormones WITHOUT restricting your fave foods!

🎉Imagine if you could clear your skin and no longer worry about every piece of food you have on your plate and how it’s going to affect your skin.

🎉Imagine developing life-long habits that serve your body and hormones so well that you never ever have to go on another diet EVER again!!!

This might sound like an impossible thing to achieve but I’m here to turn the impossible into not only possible, but easily attainable for you.

💥If my clients did it - and continue changing their lives with simple, consistent and personalised changes - so can you! 💪

When Katie approached me to get support with her irregular periods and acne after coming off hormonal birth control, her main worry was that she’ll not be able to handle the diet side of our work.

Katie, like many women, used to diet and do extreme workouts and she was no longer willing to do that. When she learnt about my personalised approach to nutrition and lifestyle for healthy, regular periods and acne-free skin - she was all in!

“I used to force myself to do extreme cardio every day for years yet now all I do is a daily walk and occasional yoga whilst eating a balanced diet and I’m in the best shape of my life. I get so many compliments on how well I look! This has definitely been an added extra that I didn’t expect when starting the programme”.

👉If you're ready to get your hormones and your body in the best shape too, without dieting, I’d love to invite you to work with me 1:1. I’ve opened up 4️⃣ spots starting in January. Let’s discuss exactly how I can help you heal your skin and get your hormones back into balance by booking a free hormone health check in via link in bio.

Evie x

14/12/2021

‘I want to feel confident in my own skin’ is one of the main goals that my clients mention when they reach out for my support.

For every woman I speak to, this desire has a different meaning, including:

🔥Having clear, acne-free skin

🔥Getting periods back after stopping the pill

🔥Feeling in flow with monthly hormonal fluctuations

🔥Having regular, predictable cycles

🔥Reducing PMS anxiety and emotional rollercoaster

🔥Healthy weight control

🔥Stopping constant bloating and tummy aches

🔥Ovulating every month and not having to worry about getting pregnant in the future

🔥Having more energy to do things every day

…

❤️So I would love to hear from you - what would feeling confident in your own skin mean to you?

Evie x

10/12/2021

Are your hormones the last thing you wanna chat to your doctor about? 🤔

I had a conversation with a lovely lady last night who reached out to me to get support with bringing her hormones back to balance.

👉We ended up discussing a very important issue that’s I’ve been noticing: women are least likely to reach out to their doctor when it comes to their hormonal health 😓

You wouldn't wait to see a doctor if you experienced pain or great discomfort in other areas of your health, right? If you have bad migraines, bad tummy cramps or pain in your leg - you’ll likely call your GP. Yet, when it comes to issues with the menstrual cycle - like painful or heavy periods, or mood swings - a lot of women keep postponing reaching out for help.

❓Why?

I feel that there are a few reasons:

👉 Many women worry that their concerns won’t be taken seriously.

👉 They know that they'll most likely be prescribed hormonal birth control to ‘mask’ the symptoms and nothing else will be done about it.

👉When further investigations are being done, these often feel unpleasant and invasive.

Don’t get me wrong, I’ve recently come across so many wonderful GPs and other doctors whilst supporting my clients. I always make sure that their GP is aware of what we are working on and suggest further tests to be done to support the work we do together as they are their prime healthcare provider.

However, I’ve also heard some horror stories - from doctors refusing any tests at all, to offering the pill as the only option, or not knowing that the monthly bleed on the pill isn't a real period… (you don’t have a period if you’re not ovulating, which is what the pill suppresses 🙅‍♀️).

🙏This post is to remind you that you have every right to reach out to your doctor about your hormonal wellbeing just like any other area of your health 🙏

Keep looking for the right doctor who will understand your concerns and is willing to investigate what’s going on.

P.S. If you want to chat through taking a holistic approach to your hormonal wellbeing - fill out a form via link in my bio to arrange a free hormone health check in with me.

Evie x