The Healthstyle Doctor

The Healthstyle Doctor Empowering you to take control of your health- whatever wellbeing means to you.

As a Certification Lifestyle Medicine doctor, I want to inspire sustainable personal and planetary vitality through delicious recipes, online resources and consultations

01/06/2026

Pumpkin seeds are an amazing plant-based source of zinc — a mineral that plays a role in supporting your normal immune function, which is exactly what we need more of over these winter months.

These peach and pumpkin seed bliss balls are one of my favourite ways to eat them. They're naturally sweet from the dried peaches, no refined sugar, and the kids love them.

The recipe is half almonds and half pumpkin seeds, but I often make them with two cups of pumpkin seeds instead of the almonds — so we get more pumpkin seeds in, and because we can't have nuts at our school.

This video is actually an edit on one I made back in 2019, under my previous business name, Plantify. The cool thing is I still make these bliss balls all the time.

If you'd like a free copy of the recipe, comment "recipe" and I'll send you to my free recipe hub.

And if you haven't got yourself a copy of my Winter Immunity Handbook yet, do take a look- comment Immunity.

As for the bliss balls — they're delish 🤤

28/05/2026

The coffee rule for zinc that nobody talks about.

If you're sprinkling pumpkin seeds on your porridge or yoghurt at breakfast and washing it down with coffee or black tea — you might be losing up to half the zinc you just ate.

Tannins in coffee and tea bind to zinc and block absorption. Same with green tea. (Herbal teas are fine — peppermint, ginger, rooibos.)

The fix: leave at least an hour either side of your zinc-rich meals.

You've probably been told this rule for iron. It applies to zinc too — and zinc is doing far more for your immune system than most women realise.

Comment ZINC for my one-page zinc foods guide — it's got the foods and the absorption rules in one place.

If you feel like winter colds just move through your house on repeat — you're not imagining it.One cold rarely stops at ...
23/05/2026

If you feel like winter colds just move through your house on repeat — you're not imagining it.

One cold rarely stops at the person who caught it. A child brings something home, and a few days later it's worked its way through the whole family, taking someone new down just as the last person recovers.

Two to four colds a year is completely normal for adults, and children in preschool can get six to twelve — so across a whole household, a winter of overlapping sniffles isn't bad luck. It's just maths.

Here's the part that actually helps: the goal isn't to dodge every single cold. It's to catch fewer, recover faster, and stop one sniffle becoming a fortnight of it touring the house. And most of what makes that difference is small, early, and free.

I've pulled all of it together — what actually helps and when, for the whole family — into my Winter Immunity Handbook. The launch investment tonight $17-> $27 tomorrow.

**Comment IMMUNITY** and I'll send it over. 🤍

By the time most of us admit we've actually got a cold, the most useful window has often already passed.We spend the fir...
22/05/2026

By the time most of us admit we've actually got a cold, the most useful window has often already passed.

We spend the first day or two waiting to see if it "turns into something" — and that's exactly when the virus is doing its fastest work. The small, early things that genuinely support your body get skipped, because we're busy and we're not even sure it's a real cold yet.

This isn't about powering through. It's about giving your body the right conditions, early — proper rest, real hydration, and the one mineral the research keeps pointing to for this exact window.

I've pulled everything I actually reach for in those first 24 hours — and across the whole winter — into one simple guide. It's the Winter Immunity Handbook, and the launch investment of $17 ends Sunday night.

**Comment IMMUNITY** and I'll send you the link. 🤍

18/05/2026

It's here. The Winter Immunity Handbook is live!

Everything I've learned from hundreds of papers, condensed into a no-fluff, evidence-based guide for keeping your family well this winter. Specific doses. Specific strains. For adults AND kids.

🎁 Launch price $17 — six days only, until Sunday at midnight NZT. Then it moves to $27.

Comment **IMMUNITY** and I'll send you the link.

13/05/2026

Catching every bug your kids bring home this winter? You're not imagining it.

Women in perimenopause have a genuine immune shift — and one of the most overlooked reasons is hidden in a single mineral that most GPs aren't routinely testing.

It's also the most common nutrient deficiency I see in clinic.

Comment ZINC below and I'll send you the top zinc foods my family will be focusing on this winter — a simple way to start supporting your immune system.

Zinc is the most common nutrient deficiency I see in clinic — and food alone can move the dial more than most women real...
13/05/2026

Zinc is the most common nutrient deficiency I see in clinic — and food alone can move the dial more than most women realise.

Most of the women I test sit between 7 and 9 on a zinc plasma test. Optimal is 12 to 17. The good news is that the right foods, eaten consistently, can shift that number — especially when you know the absorption rules nobody tells you about.

Plant zinc heroes (per serve):

🌾 Wheat germ — 3.5mg (3 tbsp)

🌿 H**p seeds — 3.0mg (3 tbsp)

🫘 Lentils, cooked — 2.5mg (1 cup)

🥣 Chickpeas, cooked — 2.5mg (1 cup)

🎃 Pumpkin seeds — 2.2mg (3 tbsp)

Plus quinoa, rolled oats, cashews, tofu and tahini all worth weaving in. And if you eat seafood, oysters take the prize with around 20mg for 5!

The absorption rule most women don't know: tannins in coffee, black tea and green tea bind to zinc and can reduce absorption by up to half. Leave at least an hour either side of zinc-rich meals. Herbal teas are fine.

And if you're plant-based, aim a little higher — plant zinc is less bioavailable, so plant-based eaters generally need 25–50% more per day. Soaking, sprouting, and sourdough fermentation all help release the zinc bound up by phytates.

Save this for your next supermarket shop. And if you know someone who's been catching every bug this winter, send it their way — it might be the simplest first thing they can do.

If you picked up your progesterone recently and noticed the packaging looked different — this is why.Pharmac has confirm...
11/05/2026

If you picked up your progesterone recently and noticed the packaging looked different — this is why.
Pharmac has confirmed a supply shortage of Utrogestan 100mg in New Zealand. A UK version is now being dispensed as a temporary alternative, and I want you to know it is the same medicine. Same ingredient, same dose, same effect. The box just looks different.
A couple of things worth knowing if you have a sulfite sensitivity, or you've been given a smaller quantity than usual — swipe through for the details.
Your pharmacist is across this and is the best person to speak to if you have specific questions about your script.
Stock is expected to improve by late May 2026, so hang in there.
As always, this is general information and not a substitute for personalised medical advice. If you're unsure about anything, please reach out to your GP or pharmacist directly.
And if you know someone on HRT who needs to see this — please share it with her.
— Dr Taisia 🤍

10/05/2026

The number one low nutrient I see in clinic — and it's not even on the standard NZ blood form.

Most women I test in perimenopause are quietly low in zinc. Most sit between 7 and 9, when optimal is 12 to 17.

Most have been quietly low for years — not because they haven't been doing the right things, but because nobody has thought to look.

Zinc is involved in much more than just immunity. Over 300 enzyme reactions in your body — thyroid hormone, skin healing, mood, libido, insulin signalling.

A few reasons perimenopausal women are more vulnerable:

— Lower stomach acid (declines with age)

— More plant-based eating (wonderful, but needs more deliberate zinc focus)

— Chronic stress (depletes your zinc through urine)

One simple ask at your next GP visit: a zinc plasma test. Around $70 to self-pay.

Comment ZINC and I'll send you the link to my VIP resource page with my zinc foods guide — a simple way to start supporting your immune system this week.

How much omega-3 do you actually need?Part 2 omega-3 series. This is where things get confusing—because the dose used in...
07/05/2026

How much omega-3 do you actually need?

Part 2 omega-3 series. This is where things get confusing—because the dose used in research is often much higher than standard supermarket fish oil supplements.

A rough framework looks like:
• Brain health support → ~1–2 g/day
• Anti-inflammatory support → ~2–3 g/day
• Triglyceride lowering → often ≥3 g/day
• Specific cardiovascular conditions → up to 4 g/day under medical guidance

Many standard supplements only provide around 300–500 mg of EPA + DHA combined—so it’s important to actually check the label (practitioner-only supplements can be prescribed at higher doses).

And remember, not everyone needs a supplement.

For many people, eating oily fish 2–3 times per week (ideally smaller fish like sardines or mackerel) can be a great baseline for general health.

If you’re plant-based, algae-derived omega-3 supplements are also available (that's where the fish get it from).

A few reasons to be more cautious with higher doses and seek medical advice:
• History of atrial fibrillation
• Blood thinners or bleeding risk
• Taking multiple supplements containing omega-3
• Higher doses without clear reason or guidance

Like most things in health, context matters.

Save this for the next time you are standing at the supplements aisle, feeling overwhelmed 🤍

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