Nutritional Zest

10/09/2025

Metabolism and fat storage aren’t just about what you eat—they’re about when you eat. Even a healthy breakfast at the wrong time can slow your metabolism and signal your body to store more fat.

Many studies suggest that eating breakfast earlier (e.g. around dawn to ~8 AM) aligns better with circadian rhythms, improves glucose tolerance, boosts fat oxidation, and supports weight loss.

If you eat too early (while melatonin is still high):

👉 Blood sugar swings (spike + crash)
👉 Brain fog instead of energy
👉 Sluggish metabolism

If you wait too long (especially if already stressed):

➡️ Cortisol rises too high
➡️ Cravings and rebound eating later
➡️ Risk of belly fat storage

The sweet spot:

✅ Eat 30–60 minutes after waking
✅ Pair protein (30–40 g) with healthy fats + seasonal carbs

This stabilizes blood sugar, regulates appetite hormones, and sets metabolism for the day.

Are you more of a first-thing breakfast eater or a late-morning eater?

10/08/2025

Your metabolism isn’t only driven by food and exercise—it runs on a circadian clock. When melatonin doesn’t drop and cortisol can’t rise at the right time, your body shifts from burning fuel to storing it.

At night melatonin leads the way so your body can repair, restore, and prepare for a new day. By morning it is meant to step back so cortisol can rise. Cortisol is not the villain it is often made out to be. It is your morning signal that flips your metabolism on.

When this rhythm flows your energy is steady, fat burning is more efficient, blood sugar stays balanced, and your workouts actually feel effective.

When melatonin lingers too long cortisol cannot do its job. You feel groggy, cravings take over, and your body stays in storage mode instead of burning energy. The truth is that lasting results are not only about calories. It is about working with your hormones and timing them well.

✨ Want to learn how to reset this switch so your body wakes up ready to burn fat instead of store it? Drop RESET in the comments and I will send you my favorite tips.

09/29/2025

If you’re waking up tired, foggy, or craving sugar before the day even begins, it might not be your coffee’s fault—it could be leftover melatonin keeping your body stuck in night mode.

Melatonin is your nighttime repair hormone. But if it lingers into the morning, you stay in “night mode.”

That means:

👉 Insulin resistance (harder to handle carbs)
👉 Grogginess
👉 Sluggish metabolism

Simple ways to clear melatonin in the morning:

✅ Step outside in natural light (5–10 minutes)
✅ Drink water (keep your water bottle next to your bed)
✅ Gentle movement (walk, stretch, lymph work)
✅ Cold air or a splash of cold water
✅ Optional: barefoot grounding

Start your day with signals that say “It’s time to wake up and do your thing!”

Do you already do any of these in your morning routine?

09/28/2025

At Nutritional Zest, we believe your body was designed to thrive — and healing begins when we uncover the real reasons it’s not. Our mission is simple: to help you reclaim your energy, balance, and confidence by getting to the true root causes of your health challenges.

Instead of quick fixes or confusing trends, we focus on personalized functional nutrition, daily rhythm alignment, functional lab testing, and supportive mindset practices. These tools allow us to see what’s happening inside your body on a deeper level — from gut health to hormones to nutrient status — so we can create a plan that’s not just effective, but truly tailored to you.

We look at the whole picture — gut health, hormones, environment, nervous system, mindset, and everyday habits — because they all work together. And since no two people are alike, every plan we design is personalized with care, compassion, and practical steps you can actually follow.

With Nutritional Zest, you don’t just get a plan — you get a partner in your health journey.

✨ Want a personalized plan instead of another quick fix? Comment or DM me "health” and I’ll share the details to book your complimentary call.

09/27/2025

🦠 Your Microbiome = Hidden GLP-1 Controller 🦠

Your gut bacteria don't just help digestion - they actively influence your GLP-1 production!

🔬 MICROBIOME-GLP-1 SCIENCE:

Gut bacteria have circadian clocks affecting GLP-1

SCFA production from fiber peaks with GLP-1 surges

Different bacterial species active at different times

Microbial diversity directly impacts hormone release

⚡ HOW BACTERIA BOOST GLP-1:

Ferment fiber into GLP-1-triggering compounds

Produce metabolites that stimulate L-cells

Support intestinal barrier function

Coordinate with circadian rhythms

💡 MICROBIOME SUPPORT STRATEGIES:

Diverse fiber sources (30+ plants per week)

Fermented foods for beneficial bacteria

Prebiotic foods to feed good bacteria

Meal timing that supports bacterial rhythms

🚫 MICROBIOME DISRUPTORS:

Antibiotics and medications

High sugar/processed food diets

Chronic stress and poor sleep

Irregular eating patterns

A healthy microbiome = better GLP-1 = improved metabolism and appetite control!

What's your favorite way to support your gut bacteria?

09/26/2025

Ever feel like your GLP-1 journey started strong, but now the scale just won’t budge? You’re not alone. Plateaus are normal — they don’t mean you’ve failed.

Most people on semaglutide, tirzepatide, or similar medications notice quick progress in the beginning, followed by a frustrating stall. Why? Your body adapts. As weight comes off, your metabolism slows and your calorie needs shift. Appetite can creep back in. Sometimes, habits loosen without realizing it.

Here’s how you can move forward:

✅ Reassess your calorie intake — log meals for a week to spot patterns.

✅ Prioritize protein and fiber — they’ll keep you fuller, longer.

✅ Change up your exercise — resistance training is powerful here.

✅ Review your medication dose — check in with your provider.

✅ Celebrate non-scale victories — more energy, better sleep, greater confidence.

Plateaus aren’t dead ends. They’re checkpoints. A chance to adjust, refine, and recommit. And often, it just takes a few small tweaks to see momentum again.

If you’ve hit a wall with your GLP-1 results, comment “PLATEAU” or DM me. I’ll share a free troubleshooting guide with strategies to help you get back on track.

09/24/2025

GLP-1 isn’t just a gut hormone—it’s a full-body circadian symphony with every organ playing its part. When these rhythms are aligned, metabolism works with you instead of against you.

🧠 BRAIN (Your Body’s Conductor)

The suprachiasmatic nucleus sets the master clock, while the hypothalamus and vagus nerve sync GLP-1 activity with your natural alertness cycle.

🥖 SMALL INTESTINE (Your Food Factory)

L-cells are most nutrient-responsive during the morning cortisol rise. Peak enzyme production and light exposure help trigger the natural GLP-1 surge.

🩸 PANCREAS (Your Energy Manager)

Beta cells respond most strongly to GLP-1 in the morning/midday, syncing insulin release with your body’s natural rhythm.

🫘 LIVER (Your Metabolism Support)

Bile production and glycogen release cycle with GLP-1 to keep energy balanced and metabolism steady.

🦠 MICROBIOME (Your Hidden Helpers)

Your gut bacteria run on circadian clocks too—fiber fermentation and SCFA production peak in rhythm with hormone surges.

⚡ The Magic: When your GLP-1 system is in sync, metabolism feels effortless—whether you’re on medication or going natural.

🚫 The Problem: Eating against your circadian rhythm throws the whole orchestra out of tune.

✨ Question for you: Which part of your GLP-1 system do you think needs the most support right now?

09/23/2025

If you’ve ever felt like your body was working against you, please know you’re not alone. ✨

For years, I chased diets, rules, and “shoulds” that only left me exhausted, bloated, and disconnected from myself. What I didn’t realize was that my body wasn’t the enemy… it was speaking to me the whole time.

The turning point? Learning to actually listen.

When I began nourishing my body with the food it needed (it’s different for everyone and changes as we heal), moving in ways that felt good (goodbye Orange Theory!!), getting to the root of my imbalances, (thank you lab testing) and showing myself compassion, I finally found the health and vitality I thought I’d lost forever.

Healing isn’t about perfection. It’s about finding what works for you and creating a life where your body, mind, and spirit can thrive. 💫

👉 I help women and men just like you uncover what their body truly needs so they can stop chasing quick fixes and start living in alignment with real, sustainable health.

💌 Ready to feel like yourself again? DM me or book your free Discovery Call today.

✨ What’s one thing your body has been trying to tell you lately?

05/17/2024

Hi Friends, I just opened registration for my small group nutrition program focusing on GUT HEALTH. Early Bird Pricing is good through Tuesday May 24.

This program will give you a plan and all the tools you need to get started on your health journey to a healthy gut.

It’s budget friendly so if you’ve ever been interested in working with me but were afraid to jump in or invest a lot of money, then this is a perfect starting place.

It's great for men, women and teens. I’ll only be offering it 2-3 times a year. I keep classes purposely small so that everyone gets time and attention from me!

DM or COMMENT the word RESTORE if you want a link to more details. Or visit www.nutritionalzest/RESTORE

12/01/2023

I am so honored to have been voted in as one of Austin’s top 3 nutritionists in Austin Fit Magazine’s “Best of 2023” poll!!! This marks 4 years that Nutritional Zest has won.
This speaks to my heart so much because of the role nutrition and wellness have played in my life. Honestly, they literally saved my life.
I my health struggle was a long one dominated by eating disorders, chronic stress, substance abuse, working in a career I just wasn’t meant to be in. I was living without a true purpose and in my 20’s I found myself a hot mess.
By using food as medicine and eating the way my body needed me to along with adopting numerous wellness practices, I was able to turn all of these issues around and find myself happy, healthy and thriving.
I repaired my body, my mind, my relationship with food, with myself and I found my true purpose in helping others heal as well.
Honestly, I never understood what it meant to have a purpose before I found myself in this role of a nutritionist.
So, thank you to everyone who has supported Nutritional Zest and continues to do so.
And to those of you who are struggling with your own health issues, please know that you can heal! I’ve been there, I GET IT and I’d love to help you on that journey.
Love and appreciate you all💗

10/15/2022

DIET DOGMA WAS MY DOWNFALL

If you had told me a few years ago I would be jumping for joy over my special delivery of 3 lbs of grass-fed beef I would have laughed out loud. Back then I was a low-fat vegetarian, on-again-off-again vegan, for almost 25 years, and loved every minute of .
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Spiritually at least.
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Physically, vegetarianism failed me, and it took me a very long time to admit it.
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Digestive issues, leaky gut, mineral and vitamin deficiency, adrenal fatigue, hypothyroidism all plagued me starting in my late 20’s and although my stress levels and lifestyle had parts to play, my diet had a starring role.
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I was never one of those vegetarians that didn’t eat vegetables. In fact I was, and still am, in love with them. I love the way they taste, the way they smell, the way they look. -.

But I ONLY ate veggies. There was barely any protein, an insanely low level of fat and I didn’t consistently take the time to properly follow the vegetarian way of eating.
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So eventually my body just started to break down. I wish I could say that I made changes as soon as I started feeling crappy…but I didn’t. I had to hit rock bottom.
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If you have ever had your Ego connected to a diet you understand just how hard it is to break away from that life. I see this happening with all named diets: Keto, Paleo, Vegan, etc. -

The Diet Dogma takes over. You become your diet. I WAS Vegetarian.
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It took a lot of soul searching for me to recognize that the truth was, I was not VEGETARIAN, I was COLLEEN and I had to eat what MY body needed.
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And that was animal products and more healthy fats.
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Spiritually, I sometimes miss being a vegetarian but physically I am so much stronger and healthier than I’ve ever been.
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The way I see it is I was given this one body and it is my duty to respect it and give it what it needs.
And we need to remember that we are all so different. Just because one way of eating is helping your friend thrive does not mean it will do the same for you.
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Can you relate to being trapped in a Diet Dogma? Need help breaking free? Comment below or DM me. I’d love to hear your story. 💗

10/10/2022

It’s time for Austin Fit’s Best of 2022 Poll. If Jade or I have touched your life in any way, either through social media posts or via nutrition sessions, I’d be so thankful to have your vote. It takes all of 30 seconds (I timed it😊). The polls close in a couple of days.

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You don’t have to live in Austin to vote or have worked with us 1-on-1!

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Nutrition and wellness literally saved my life, and if you have connected with me in any way over the past few years, you know that using what I’ve learned to help others heal has become my greatest passion. I honestly never understood what living with meaning and purpose could be before I committed to functional nutrition as my life’s work.

HERE'S HOW TO VOTE:
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-Click here or on the link in the image below: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/CGRQ3G3
-Go to page 3 "Best of Austin Nutrition"

-Scroll to #12 Best Nutritionist- it's the last question on that page

-Enter "Colleen Flynn Nutritional Zest"

-Click through the rest of the pages and hit Submit.

-You are welcome to take your time and cast your vote in the other categories, of course. We have an amazing health community here in Austin.

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Thank you so much! I appreciate you all.

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Much love,

Colleen

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