SB Nutrition

SB Nutrition Helping busy women improve their health and feel better from the inside out
- no fads, just simple, science-backed support.

Gut Health, Women's Health and Nutrition for Kids
| MSc Human Nutrition | 1:1 Coaching I can help with individual consultations, as well as seminars and cooking demonstrations for groups and employee wellness programmes. I also provide nutrition consultancy services for businesses.

I’m in a festive mood, so I’ve decided to have a little Christmas giveaway!I’m giving away a spot on the next round of m...
21/12/2025

I’m in a festive mood, so I’ve decided to have a little Christmas giveaway!

I’m giving away a spot on the next round of my group program, Restore-Balance-Thrive, which will be starting in early February.

To enter the giveaway, just comment below with your favourite food emoji 🍓

Winner will be drawn 26 December.

The lead-up to holiday periods can be stressful, with an endless to-do list of end-of-year work, events, gift shopping, ...
10/12/2025

The lead-up to holiday periods can be stressful, with an endless to-do list of end-of-year work, events, gift shopping, and possibly even travel — all squeezed in around everyday family life and routines. It’s easy to let your healthy habits slide when life gets busy. But this is exactly when the fundamentals of wellbeing matter most: they support you and help keep you healthy during hectic, stressful periods.

I’ve learned that when I don’t take care of myself or keep up with my basic healthy habits, I lose out in the long run — especially at this time of year when so many illnesses are going around!

⭐️ Over the next couple of weeks, I’ll be sharing a few of my best tips to help you support your wellbeing during stressful times.

And I’d love to know — what are your non-negotiable health habits during busy and stressful periods?

Have you ever been super motivated to start a new habit, but after a short time your motivation drops and you end up bac...
05/12/2025

Have you ever been super motivated to start a new habit, but after a short time your motivation drops and you end up back in your old patterns?

It’s completely normal for motivation to come and go, which is why I always encourage my clients to focus on consistency and creating small, easily achievable habits they know they can stick with - even when life gets in the way.

But I don’t just believe in setting goals or handing you a plan and sending you on your way: just as important as creating a plan for your health goals is having a plan for how you’ll get back on track if you lose motivation and your new habits start to slip.

Most of us have slip-ups and moments where life gets in the way of our positive habits, but without a plan to get back on track, it can be all too easy to just give up.

I also like to check in with my clients between sessions (also those who haven’t booked a follow-up) - just in case a little extra motivation or support is needed.

What helps you stay motivated when life gets hectic?

🫁 You’ve probably heard about the gut-brain connection, but did you know your gut and lungs also communicate?Your lungs ...
25/11/2025

🫁 You’ve probably heard about the gut-brain connection, but did you know your gut and lungs also communicate?

Your lungs actually have their own microbiota - a community of microbes which is dynamic and constantly renewing. These microbes support respiratory health by regulating immune responses and protecting against pathogens.

Like the gut microbiota, the lung microbiota develops over the first couple of years of life. This may help explain why young children experience more respiratory infections: their lungs are still building up their microbial defences.

As with the gut-brain connection, the gut-lung axis is bidirectional: this means that disturbances in the gut microbiota can increase susceptibility to lung infections, and viral lung infections (like the flu) can also impact the gut microbiota, and trigger gut symptoms in some people.

Researchers have also found links between altered gut microbiota and a number of conditions that affect lung function, such as asthma, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and cystic fibrosis.

This is still an emerging area of research, so there’s still a lot to learn. But early evidence suggests that, just as with other aspects of gut health, diet and lifestyle may also influence respiratory health.

📷: Unsplash/Sara Bakhshi

05/11/2025

There’s been a bit of focus lately on whether oats (or oat porridge) are as healthy as we think, because of the effects they may have on blood sugar - but is this actually something you should be worried about?

Plain oats contain primarily carbohydrate, and if you’re eating a bowl of porridge with sugar or another sweetener, you’re likely not going to feel full for very long, and won’t really be getting many other beneficial nutrients from the meal. But that doesn’t mean that oats themselves are unhealthy.

Oats are a great source of fibre - which is important for gut health and function, and helps keep you full for longer. They also contain a special type of fibre called beta-glucan, which helps reduce cholesterol in the blood, and may also improve blood sugar control (and reduce risk for diabetes).

There are also differences depending on the type of oats you choose - less processed versions (ie. steel cut or whole rolled oats) will take longer to be broken down during digestion, so will have more favourable effects on fullness and blood sugar response compared with more processed options such as quick-cook or oat flour.

What you eat with oats or porridge also impacts your blood sugar response: adding protein- and fat-rich toppings like nut butters, greek yoghurt, nuts and seeds, berries or fruit not only adds flavour, but also nutrients.

So oats or porridge can be a great option for breakfast or a light meal, but it’s important to include nutritious toppings and if possible, choose an alternative where the grain is intact as possible.

I love to top my porridge with peanut butter and banana. What’s your favourite topping?

I’ve been including soup recipes in our weeknight dinner rotation now that we’re well and truly into the colder seasons ...
31/10/2025

I’ve been including soup recipes in our weeknight dinner rotation now that we’re well and truly into the colder seasons now 🍂

My all-time favourite is pumpkin soup, but lately I’ve been making a Thai-style chicken soup with noodles that’s been quite popular (I think it’s mainly the noodles the kids are interested in though! 😆).

Here are a few other soup recipes I’ve got on rotation at the moment 👉🏼

• Carrot and kumara (sweet potato)
• Parsnip and cauliflower
• Easy tomato soup

You’ll find all these via the “Recipes” link in my bio 👆🏼

I want to try some new soup recipes in the coming weeks, let me know if you have any suggestions for me!

Did you know that stress can impact your gut?So many of us (especially women!) are living in a constant “go” state, jugg...
29/10/2025

Did you know that stress can impact your gut?

So many of us (especially women!) are living in a constant “go” state, juggling endless to-dos, running on adrenaline, and rarely switching off.
This doesn’t just directly impact your health and weight, but your biological stress response can also affect gut function and worsen gut symptoms.

When you experience stress, whether this is real or perceived (for example, when all those work emails pile up in your inbox!), your body produces stress hormones (cortisol and adrenaline). If these remain elevated over longer periods, this can:

☞ Disrupt digestion and gut motility, leading to bloating, diarrhoea or constipation
☞ Alter stomach acid and enzyme production, and affect nutrient absorption
☞ Increase gut permeability (leading to “leaky gut”)
☞ Reduce diversity of gut microbes, promoting growth of bacteria linked with negative health effects

This can make your gut more sensitive, and can worsen gut symptoms and even impact your mental health during particularly stressful times.

So while food is powerful when it comes to gut health, stress management also plays an important role. As well as eating a diet of minimally-processed foods and plenty of plants, here are a few other things you can do to manage stress and promote good gut health:

🧘‍♀️ Try taking some deep breaths before meals and incorporating calming activities in your day
🚶‍♀️ Include some movement each day
🛌 Prioritise rest and sleep
☕️ Be mindful of how much caffeine you consume - this can also influence your stress response

We’ll go deeper into the link between stress and gut health in my new gut health program, which starts next month!

Why is it so tricky to figure out what’s really behind uncomfortable gut symptoms?If you’ve been dealing with random blo...
23/10/2025

Why is it so tricky to figure out what’s really behind uncomfortable gut symptoms?

If you’ve been dealing with random bloating, cramps, or that “off” feeling in your gut, you’re definitely not the only one.

Here are a few things I hear often (and have been through myself):

👉🏼 You’ve cut out foods — but the bloating still comes back.
👉🏼 Some days your gut feels fine, other days…not so much.
👉🏼 You’ve Googled everything, but it all feels contradictory.
👉🏼 You’ve tried probiotics, new diets, tracking your food — and still no real answers.

And no one really explains how sleep, stress, and your nervous system play a role in gut health.

Gut health is about so much more than what you eat. And trying to figure it out alone can be so overwhelming.

If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone.
This is exactly where so many people start — and it IS possible to finally understand what your gut’s been trying to tell you.

I’ve been working on something special to help support you on your gut health journey, so you don’t have to struggle with figuring it out alone.

Stay tuned! 😉

Address

Dunedin

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when SB Nutrition posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Practice

Send a message to SB Nutrition:

Share

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on LinkedIn
Share on Pinterest Share on Reddit Share via Email
Share on WhatsApp Share on Instagram Share on Telegram

Category

About SB Nutrition

There is so much conflicting and confusing nutrition information around these days, it’s my aim to help you navigate this complicated advice so you can take charge of your own health and make healthier lifestyle choices.

I’m a qualified nutritionist (BSc Public Health Nutrition) providing both tailored nutrition advice for individuals, as well as presenting seminars, workshops and cooking demonstrations for groups and corporate wellness programmes.

I have a particular passion for gut health, and believe in sensible, evidence-based nutrition advice.