16Apr 2021 by Aidan Muir
Nutrition for Endometriosis: A Dietitian’s Guide

Nutrition for Endometriosis: A Dietitian’s Guide

Health
Endometriosis is a condition where tissue similar to the tissue that normally lines the inside of your uterus (the endometrium) grows outside your uterus. The condition affects roughly 1 in 10 women of childbearing age. It is often painful and comes with a host of symptoms that can impact quality of life. Instead of viewing nutrition as a solution for endometriosis, it makes sense to view it as something that can help to manage some of the symptoms. Symptoms that are typically of relevance for endometriosis are: Painful periodsPain during sexual intercourse.Pain with bowel movements or urination, particularly around the time of menstruation.Heavy bleeding during a period, or sometimes even between periods.Infertility.Fatigue.Intense cramping.IBS – diarrhea, constipation, bloating and nausea. Often worse during periods. There are far more impactful ways of…
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09Apr 2021 by Leah Higl
6 Tests You Should Get if You Are Vegan

6 Tests You Should Get if You Are Vegan

Health
Blood and urine tests can tell you a lot about your general health, including if you are getting adequate micronutrients through your diet. This is particularly useful as a vegan since many vitamins and minerals are more difficult to consume in sufficient amounts. However, these types of test can be done for every single nutrient. For example, testing calcium concentration in your blood does not tell you anything about how much calcium is provided through your diet. This is because calcium in the blood is tightly controlled. If your dietary intake is inadequate, additional calcium is simply taken from your bones. Zinc is another good example. Dietary intake for zinc is an issue for some vegans, particularly men who have very high requirements. But zinc levels from blood tests do…
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09Apr 2021 by Leah Higl
Mindful Eating: A Dietitian’s Guide

Mindful Eating: A Dietitian’s Guide

Health
In a world that is always going 100 miles an hour, it can be easy to get caught up in it all and forget to stop and smell the roses. Or in this case, stop to enjoy that delicious homemade stir-fry or the ice-cream sandwich for dessert. Research shows that those who take up mindful eating practices are less likely to binge eat or eat for emotional satisfaction. They are also more in tune with their body's internal hunger and satiety signals. Mindless eating on the other hand has been linked to over eating and increased stress and anxiety. The Difference Between Mindful Eating & Intuitive Eating Mindful eating and intuitive eating get confused all of the time. This is likely because the essence of these two ideologies is very…
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06Apr 2021 by Leah Higl
10 Facts People Don’t Know About Nutrition

10 Facts People Don’t Know About Nutrition

Health
Nutrition as well as the health and fitness industry in general, can be a very confusing space. This confusion relates to the sheer volume of information available to us at any one time. No matter the social media platform, there is a sea of voices all chiming in on different topics of food and nutrition. Doctors, dietitians, nutritionists, personal trainers, fitness influencers, health coaches and naturopaths all have something to say about nutrition and often there are many conflicting points of view. It’s hard to know who to trust. Anyone can publish information about nutrition and many people do without adequate knowledge. To help to clear up some misinformation, here are the top 10 facts that most people don’t know about nutrition: 1. Nutrition is a science. You’ve eaten all…
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30Mar 2021 by Aidan Muir
What Is Maltitol and Is It Unhealthy?

What Is Maltitol and Is It Unhealthy?

Health
Maltitol is a sugar alcohol that is also a polyol. It is often used in foods as a sweetener, since it is around 75-90% as sweet as sucrose. It is naturally found in small amounts in some foods such as some fruits, vegetables and chicory. Typically, it is manufactured rather than found naturally in food. This is done by adding hydrogen to maltose, most frequently from corn starch. Is it Safe? Maltitol is safe. But there are certain factors to be aware of. One of these factors is that can contribute to gastrointestinal symptoms like bloating, gas and diarrhoea. This is part of why it is removed during a low-FODMAP diet. It can take pretty large amounts to trigger symptoms in most people though. At a >50g dosage, some countries…
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12Mar 2021 by Leah Higl
9 Things You Should Be Doing On a Vegan Diet: A Dietitian’s Guide

9 Things You Should Be Doing On a Vegan Diet: A Dietitian’s Guide

Health
People adopt veganism for a variety of reasons – for animal welfare, to improve their health, or even due to the environmental concerns surrounding animal agriculture. In any case, a vegan diet can be a difficult thing to navigate without knowing some basics. So, if you are vegan, or have ever thought about going vegan, read on! From a dietary perspective, veganism is the complete avoidance of animal products such as meat, dairy, and eggs. However, veganism as a philosophy, which places animal rights at the forefront, extends to all aspects of living far beyond what is on the end of your fork.  Vegans will also avoid: Products tested on animals such as household cleaning productsAnything made of animal-sourced materials such as wool and leatherAttractions or events that utilize any…
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19Feb 2021 by Aidan Muir
Apple Cider Vinegar and Health – The Evidence

Apple Cider Vinegar and Health – The Evidence

Health
Apple cider vinegar is often promoted as something that can help with a wide range of areas of health. There are some people who tout it as a miracle that can help with absolutely everything, and others who claim it does absolutely nothing. As with a lot of areas of nutrition, the answer is somewhere in the middle. This post will go through a lot of the areas people normally talk about in relation to apple cider vinegar, and whether there is evidence to support those claims. Weight The most frequent thing I have heard people talk about is that they think apple cider vinegar can help with weight-loss. Firstly, understanding the fundamental principles of weight-loss works is an important filter for whether something will help weight-loss. The main principle…
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09Nov 2020 by Tyler Brooks
Is Pink Salt Healthier?

Is Pink Salt Healthier?

Food, Health
A common food trend over the last few years has been the increasing popularity and use of 'pink' or Himalayan salt. Despite the more striking appearance and common perception of it being 'healthier' and 'more natural', does it actually have any nutritional benefits beyond that of regular white table salt? A recently published paper funded by Nutrition Research Australia has shed some light on this topic, but before exploring what they found it is first useful to understand in detail what salt is. Some people use the terms 'salt' and 'sodium' interchangeably but it is important to understand the difference. Sodium is one component of salt. The chemical name for salt is "sodium chloride" and the chemical symbol that denotes table salt is "NaCl". By weight, the salt we eat is typically…
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23Sep 2020 by Tyler Brooks
What is RED-S and What Should You Do About It

What is RED-S and What Should You Do About It

Health, Other, Sports
What is RED-S Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport, "RED-S" or simply "RED-S" is a clinically defined syndrome referring to the impairment of physiological function caused by a deficit in a person's energy intake relative to the energy required to maintain optimal health, homeostasis, growth, the activities of daily living, and sport.  Being in this state of relative deficit is often also referred to as being in a state of low energy availability (LEA). In this state, there is a lower amount of energy than required for the body's normal physiological functions. This can have a variety of health consequences including:  Altered metabolic functionMenstrual disturbances and amenorrhea (loss of period)Amenorrheic athletes have 2 to 4 times greater risk for a stress fractureImpaired bone health (increased osteoporosis risk) Reductions in immune system functionReduced protein synthesis (ie for…
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30Jul 2020 by Tyler Brooks
Is Msg Dangerous or Is It a Safe Flavour Enhancer?

Is Msg Dangerous or Is It a Safe Flavour Enhancer?

Food, Health
MSG There are 5 basic tastes: sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and ‘umami’. Monosodium glutamate or ‘MSG’ is a food additive responsible for the umami taste. You may have heard of MSG being referred to as the ‘flavour enhancer”. This is because the umami taste tends to also enhance the palatability and overall flavour intensity of the food it is added to. What is it? Glutamate is one of the most commonly found amino acids in nature. It is in many common natural plant and animal foods. Just to name a few, this includes tomatoes, mushrooms, broccoli, fish, meat, cheese, and even human breast milk. Glutamate is a non-essential amino acid. This does not mean that we don't need it - it means that the human body can make glutamate itself if…
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