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Be Better Balanced, Christchurch (2025)

13/06/2023

WEEK 8 - liver and gut health (the last post in the weight loss series)

Your liver works hard to eliminate the toxins that enter your body and breaks down hormones among other things (it is a very busy organ with hundreds of functions). A healthy liver will process fat and toxins easily but if it is over-burdened then your body will be less effective at digestion, balancing hormones and your metabolism slows. A stressed out liver can cause weight gain. The gut microbiome has an important role to play in helping the liver with removing toxins so eating wholefoods and probiotic foods that support gut health are important.

So what can we do?

We can support the liver by eating foods that contain sulphur such as the cruciferous family (broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, kale, bok choy), onions and garlic. Our gut's microbiome play a part in the detoxification process. We can help our gut by eating fiber (wholegrains) and eating lots of different coloured fruits and vegetables (fiber helps us to p**p which is an important part of getting rid of toxins) and by eating foods that contain probiotics such as low sugar yoghurt, kefir, sauerkraut and kimchi (if these upset your tummy then you may need to have some probiotics first - visit a good health store for advice).

07/06/2023

As you age your muscle starts decreasing which has an effect on your metabolism. Some food takes more energy to process in the body than other food which also affects your metabolism. Eating more quality protein has been shown to build muscle and increase metabolism. Even the time of day you eat and the size of your eating window can make a difference to weight and metabolism.

So what can we do?

Start incorporating strength training into your weekly exercise routine 2-3 times a week. Make sure you are using the weights or resistance bands correctly with the help of a fitness professional to ensure you don't harm yourself. Include some protein at every meal and don’t eat late at night.

31/05/2023

Toxins are everywhere nowadays - in the food we eat, the cleaning products we use to clean our house with, in the beauty products used on our skin, in the air we breathe and the water we drink. Toxins can cause a myriad of health problems such as mood disorders, insomnia, fatigue, brain fog, immune dysfunction and also play a role in obesity.

Hormones can be disrupted by some toxins/chemicals called endocrine disruptors. These toxins can mimic estrogen in the body upsetting the balance of your hormones which can lead to weight gain. If your body is unable to eliminate toxins, they are stored in your fat cells, safely away from your organs - fat cells are essentially storage tanks which have the capacity to keep expanding!

So what can we do?

Think about what is going into and onto our body and choose natural body products and cosmetics. We can also look for spray free or organic food (check out the Dirty Dozen and Clean Fifteen online for what foods are ok to eat that aren't organic and what produce is most sprayed so best avoided) and consider choosing meat, chicken, eggs and fish that are grass fed, free range and wild caught. Toxins can also be found in the plastics that you store your food and water in (BPA), so consider using glass, stainless steel and BPA free containers.

24/05/2023

When you don’t get enough sleep, ghrelin levels rise and leptin levels lower – these are both hormones.

Ghrelin is an appetite increasing hormone and often known as the ‘hunger hormone’. It signals to the brain that you feel hungry, and if you are sleep deprived ghrelin levels rise which leads to overeating.

At the same time, sleep deprivation lowers leptin levels. Leptin is an appetite regulating hormone. It sends a signal to your brain to say you are full and to stop eating but lack of sleep reduces the amount of leptin in your body resulting in a constant feeling of being hungry.

So what can we do?

😴 Go to bed and get up at the same time each day

😴 Sleep in a quiet, dark room that is a comfortable temperature (black out curtains are a great investment and using ear plugs and an eye mask are great for when staying away from home)

😴 Diaphragmatically breathing (which lowers our stress levels so we feel safe enough to sleep well)

😴 Exercise during the day

😴 Have a relaxing bedtime routine so your body knows sleep comes next

😴 Avoid caffeine in the afternoon (or at least late afternoon and evening)

😴 Don’t eat 3 hours before bedtime

😴 No light exposure to blue light (electronic devices) at least 1-2 hours before bed

21/05/2023

Coconut Panna Cotta - A healthy version of the Italian dessert

Ingredients (6 servings)

150ml boiled filtered water
3t gelatine (you may need more depending on the brand you are using - read the gelatine instructions)
350ml coconut milk
25g protein powder (I used vanilla Nuzest)
A few stevia drops (or 2T monk fruit)
Toppings such as fruit, coconut yoghurt, nuts, seeds

Method

Boil water in a jug and pour into a mixing bowl
Add the gelatine and stir until dissolved
Whisk in the coconut milk, stevia, and protein powder
Pour the well combined mixture into moulds or wee dessert bowls
Place in the fridge for around 3-4 hours until set
Add toppings when serving

16/05/2023

Our Circadian Rhythm is our internal body clock (which is key to many aspects of our health) and it uses the light and darkness to tell us when to eat, sleep and wake up. When it gets disrupted (eg. light in the middle of the night or changing time zones) you are essentially forcing your body to do things at a different time to when it would expect to, which can cause health problems. Studies show that a dysregulated circadian rhythm can have an impact on our metabolism, sleep and mood as well as increase our risk to chronic diseases.

Time restricted eating (TRE) is limiting eating to a specific number of hours during a day (an eating window). It isn’t reducing the number of calories you eat in a day, rather it is reducing the number of hours in which you eat. When we eat is important. Having a consistent time when you eat breakfast, and have your last meal of the day is also important for our circadian rhythm, metabolism, digestive health among other things.

Studies have shown that when participants eat in a window of 10-12 hours per day, they lost weight. Giving our body a good amount of time of rest from eating and digesting, allows it time to rest, repair and rejuvenate itself. Eating in a 10-12 hour window (most of this time will be while we sleep) as well as getting our circadian rhythm balanced has been shown to have positive effects on our metabolic health, weight and cognitive health. Having a smaller eating window means we have less time with higher insulin levels (see last weeks post to why this is important).

If you normally spread your meals over 15 hours a day, which research suggests many of us do, then slowly reduce this eating window down to 12 hours so your body gets used to it.

10/05/2023

When eating unbalanced meals (little protein, healthy fats, fiber) we find ourselves on a blood sugar roller coaster and have insulin flooding our body.

When you have insulin flooding your body you are in fat storage mode rather than fat burning mode. Insulin is the fat storage hormone. It puts a block to fat burning. So having stable blood sugar all day long from eating balanced meals (healthy fats, good quality protein, fiber and wholefoods at each meal) reduces the amount of insulin in your body allowing your body to start burning fat.

Not only is stable blood sugar levels good for your energy levels and mood, it also reduces your stress levels - the high spikes followed by a fast drop of blood sugar levels is stressful on the body. What you are eating, when you are eating and the order you are eating your food in, affects blood sugar levels which can all play a role in weight management.

So what can we do?

Eat balanced meals to balance blood sugar. Balanced meals don’t consist of just carbohydrates (eg rolled oats for breakfast, or an apple for a snack). Ensure all meals consist of quality protein, healthy fats, fibre and wholefoods (eg for breakfast try eggs and avocado on toast with sauerkraut, or a green protein smoothie along with some nuts and seeds), and snacks consist of some protein or healthy fats along with that carbohydrate (eg some raw nuts and an apple).

Also, reduce sugary and processed foods and drinks which cause spikes in blood sugar levels.

When possible try and eat the sugar/starch component of the meal last (eg eat salad/fiber, fats and protein before eating kumara/rice/pasta) as research shows this will reduce a spike.

Be aware of stress in your life – this also spikes blood sugar levels.

03/05/2023

When chronically stressed, your body goes into survival mode. This is how your body keeps you safe until the threat/stress has gone away, but in todays modern world of constant busyness where we can constantly feel anxious, stressed and worried, the threat doesn't retreat so we have continuously high cortisol levels (our stress hormone). Your body wants you to be safe so goes into survival mode which means holding onto fat (it does this to keep you safe and alive whether the threat endangers your life or not – a physical or perceived threat is the same to the body) and less important things such as digestion are reduced (there is no point digesting food if your life is in danger!) This is great if the threat/stress is short lived (like a tiger chasing you), however in our modern way of living this threat/stress is often constant. As a result when you are constantly feeling stressed your body is in fat storage mode and the food you are eating, no matter how healthy, isn't digested very well so the nutrients aren't able to be easily absorbed. Additionally, being stressed can prevent you from sleeping well due to being on high alert. Some examples of modern day stressors include the ping of a text or email notification, busyness, not eating enough calories, negative self talk, running late and over-exercising.

So what can we do?

To reduce the feeling of stress we can do some diaphragmatic breathing exercises, meditation or mindfulness and implement some self care. Also add some oxytocin in the mix - this is our love hormone which comes from feeling loved, bonding and being connected. It surges with hugging (people or pets), laughing, playing and giving. Increasing oxytocin can help cortisol levels to drop.

Perhaps consider what modern day stressors might be an issue for you, and what you could do to reduce them.

26/04/2023

WEEK 1 – self talk

If it was as easy as reducing calories and doing more exercise, then everyone who embarks on this formula would easily lose weight. Eating healthy food and exercise are indeed important, however there are other factors at play in the weight loss equation such as stress, self talk (negative internal dialogue), eating window size, blood sugar levels, sleep, toxins, hormones, metabolism, and liver & gut health. If these factors are out of balance then it can be difficult to get excess weight to shift. Over the coming weeks watch out for posts on these factors.

We are all unique, so please don’t compare yourself to your neighbour, best friend or anyone else for that matter. It is better to focus on improving health rather than just focusing on weight loss and what everyone else is or isn’t doing.

This week is a focus on self talk. Many of us are not kind to ourselves. If you were to say out loud to a friend, what you say to yourself, would they be happy with you? Would they still want to be your friend? Our body responds to the messages we give it by how we breathe, move, the food we eat and the thoughts we think. Our body hears what we think! Take a moment to think about that. How is your internal dialogue today? Negative self talk is a form of stress on the body (next weeks post is on stress and how this plays a role in weight). See if you can catch yourself out when you start down the negative self talk road, stop it going any further and instead start thinking of something about yourself that you are grateful for eg. I am grateful for my love of reading which enables me to gain knowledge, or I am grateful for my strong legs which carry me everywhere I want to go.

Do try to be kind to yourself with your thoughts and also perhaps try implementing some self care which might look like a massage, a relaxing bath, sipping on a cup of tea with a dear friend, buying yourself some flowers.

21/04/2023

Salmon and broccoli salad.

One of my favourite picnic lunches is this salmon and broccoli salad, finished with some homemade chocolate and homemade kombucha 😋

The salmon and broccoli salad contains wild caught canned salmon, broccoli, kale, parsley, red onion, leek, goji berries (fresh pomegranate is preferable but that isn't currently available), yellow peppers, walnuts, pumpkin seeds and mixed with extra virgin olive oil. Super quick and easy to make, and super tasty.

If you give it a try, let me know how you find it.

19/04/2023

PROTEIN PANCAKES – recipe

An easy recipe to make which is full of protein. These pancakes could be breakfast, served for lunch after a salad starter, or dessert, or even a snack.

Ingredients: (2 serves)
3 eggs
¼ C almond milk
40g vanilla pea protein (I used vanilla Nuzest protein)
3 T almond flour
A few drops of stevia (or 1T erythritol or monk fruit)
1t baking soda
1T lemon juice (to activate the baking soda)
½ t cinnamon

Method:
Mix all the ingredients together with a whisk until smooth.
Heat a drizzle of coconut oil in a pan.
Pour a large spoonful of batter on the pan and cook for a few minutes until bubbles start to appear on the top and the underside is golden.
Flip over the pancake and cook for a further minute or so until cooked through.
Transfer to a plate and repeat with the remaining batter – makes approximately 6 pancakes.
Serve on 2 plates and pour over cooked berries in lemon juice, some coconut yoghurt or maple syrup.

12/04/2023

Eating a healthy diet can seem hard but you can make easy food swaps to increase the nutrient intake of your diet.

Making easy clean food swaps can have a positive impact on your health as they contain more nutrients, less sugar, fewer additives and more fiber.

Be Better Balanced

13/06/2023

07/06/2023

31/05/2023

24/05/2023

21/05/2023

16/05/2023

10/05/2023

03/05/2023

26/04/2023

21/04/2023

19/04/2023

12/04/2023

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