It is unfortunate that the vast majority of people still think that the best way to lose weight is to eat less and exercise more – i.e. creating a calorie deficit so that you expend more calories than you take in.

While this does work in the short term, the health and diversity of microbiome plays a significant role in whether you will manage to keep off the weight or whether you will put it all back on.

It always makes me sad when clients come to me who feel like they have tried every diet/weight loss program only to find that while they initially lost weight, they cannot keep it off, and often they gain additional pounds.

This strategy for weight loss is based on the wrong calories in vs calories out belief.

But in recent years studies have shown that the microbiome has a significant impact on how we process the macronutrients we consume. Overweight and lean individuals were compared, to show that stored body fat does not actually translate to extra usable energy (i.e. think energy that you have without eating.)

Studies have highlighted that overweight individuals had trouble accessing their stored body fat and converting this into energy, and this problem really lies in the microbiome. This is because their physiological pathways that convert the fat into energy are compromised.

The study also found a clear difference between the microbiome of an obese versus a lean individual.

Fun fact: in pregnancy, the woman’s microbiome during pregnancy changes to that of an obese individual, so that the woman stores more body weight that can then be used for breastfeeding.

Once breastfeeding starts, the hormones like prolactin are released that then change the microbiome in such a way that uses energy more efficiently and burns body fat more efficiently in order to produce energy to produce milk for their child.

Bottom line: calories in vs calories out is outdated and doesn’t work long term!! BECAUSE our microbiome has a HUGE IMPACT on how we USE the food that we eat to make energy (ATP).

Different factors affect the microbiome and impact energy production and fat storage, the most important being the variety of healthy bacterial species.

So on that note, here are some things you can do to boost the diversity and health of your gut microbiome:

• Eat a diverse variety of veggies, not always the same 5. Experiment!
• Eat prebiotics foods e.g. onions, garlic, leek, artichoke, inulin, butyrate.
• Makes sure your north to south of the digestive system is healthy (check out my IGTV on this entitled Gut Health – What People Are Not Talking About).
• Exercise – not to lose weight but to increase your microbiome diversity.
• Eat fermented veggies daily.
• Stabilize your blood sugar.
• Cut out sugar – it feeds the bad bacteria.
• Cut out alcohol.
• Cut down on caffeine.
• Cut out late at night eating.
• Cut out inflammatory Omega 6 oils (canola, peanut, rapeseed oil, soy oil etc).
• Cut out ultra-processed foods (basically anything that has more than 4/5 ingredients in it) and stick to whole foods and homecooked meals instead.

 

All of the above and more are typically what I lead my clients through in order to help them create sustainable and lasting weight loss. The weight loss often happens over a period of months, but given the changes in their microbiome, the changes and new habits last a life-time. Rather than being a quick fix that backfires, their body becomes efficient at using energy and won’t gain the weight back.


If you have anymore questions on this please comment below or send me an email and I'll be happy to get back to you.

 

References:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5867888/

 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5082693/

 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5001554/

 

 

 

Do you constantly feel tired and fatigued, even though you are getting enough sleep?

 

Do you wish you could just stick to your 2021 GOALS but have already fallen off the wagon because you just can’t get motivated?

 

Do you constantly lose focus and feel like you can’t

concentrate as long as you used to?

 

Or when you’ve had a period of focused time, you feel like you just want to have a nap afterwards?

 

Do you feel like you have episodes of depression and anxiety, even though you’re generally a happy and positive person?

 

These are sure signs of an inflamed brain.

If any, or all, of these symptoms describe you, you need to start paying attention to your brain health, in particular, as well as your gut health because the two are so intimately connected through your vagal pathways, which runs from your brain stem right to your intestines, and create a bi-directional feedback loop.

 

How gut inflammation creates brain inflammation creates lack of motivation?

 

There is now a growing body of evidence showing that people who suffer from an inflamed gut (including conditions like IBS, inflammatory bowel disease, ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease, SIBO, dysbiosis, candida) also tend to have problems with brain inflammation, shown by the ‘white matter hyperintensities’ in their brain on MRI scans (i.e. scars in their brain), compared with people who don’t have gut inflammation.

 

This produces an inflammatory cascade through the vagus nerve, which connects the gut to the brain, where inflammatory chemicals released in the gut travel up the vagus nerve and turn on the microglia cells in the brain (the brain’s immune cells). This produces an inflammatory response in the brain, which disrupts neurotransmitters which then impact mood.

 
But it also causes inflammation which just impacts normal neuron signaling (making you feel like you have brain fog, as well as slow or varying mental speeds).  And as this inflammation goes on, the energy powerhouses in the cells (mitochondria) start to shut down and the brain loses endurance. The result, you can’t drive as long as you used to, you can’t concentrate as long as you used to, you can’t finish the chapter of that book, you feel like you need to take a nap after doing a few hours (or worse a few minutes) of mental work.

 
These are all signs that the energy production pathways in the brain are shut down. This is very common when there is an inflammatory response in the brain.

 

As a health coach, it’s common to see people who would like help implementing new lifestyle strategies. But when I see someone who tells me they feel like 'they just can't implement it, even though they know what to do', that tells me that I need to change my approach to start bringing down that person's brain inflammation first, and very often this starts in the gut. (Of course, it goes without saying that other emotional factors and circumstances may play into this too, but it is interesting to note that stress in itself is inflammatory to our bodies.)

 

People like this usually have labelled themselves as 'unmotivated', when they don't realize that their brain’s dopaminergic receptors aren’t functioning and need support. These are not personality issues they are physiological!!

 

But the big problem is, if you’re on your own with this, making any sort of changes, even to improve your brain health will be extremely difficult on your own if you have an inflamed brain. You need to have someone fighting your corner.

 

This is why working with a health coach who knows how to support your brain and gut health is so important in such cases to avoid prolonged suffering.

 

With the right help, things can turn around quickly. So if this is you, why not book a consultation today. I would be happy to help you restore balance in your body and wholeness in your life.

Do you constantly feel tired and fatigued, even though you are getting enough sleep?

Do you constantly lose focus and feel like you can’t concentrate as long as you used to?

Or when you’ve had a period of focused time, you feel like you just want to have a nap afterwards?

Do you wish you could just stick to your 2021 goals but have already fallen off the wagon because you just can’t get motivated?

Do you feel like you have episodes of depression and anxiety, even though you’re generally a happy and positive person?

These are sure signs of an inflamed brain.

If any, or all, of these symptoms describe you, you need to start paying attention to your brain health, in particular, as well as your gut health because the two are so intimately connected through your vagual pathways, which runs from your brain stem right to your intestines, and create a bi-directional feedback loop.

How gut inflammation creates brain inflammation creates lack of motivation.

There is now a growing body of evidence showing that people who suffer from an inflamed gut (including conditions like IBS, inflammatory bowel disease, ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease, SIBO, dysbiosis, candida) also tend to have problems with brain inflammation, shown by the ‘white matter hyperintensities’ in their brain on MRI scans (i.e. scars in their brain), compared with people who don’t have gut inflammation.

This produces an inflammatory cascade through the vagus nerve, which connects the gut to the brain, where inflammatory chemicals released in the gut travel up the vagus nerve and turn on the microglia cells in the brain (the brain’s immune cells). This produces an inflammatory response in the brain, which disrupts neurotransmitters which then impact mood.

But it also causes inflammation which just impacts normal neuron signalling (making you feel like you have brain fog, as well as slow or varying mental speeds).  And as this inflammation goes on, the energy powerhouses in the cells (mitochondria) start to shut down and the brain loses endurance. The result, you can’t drive as long as you used to, you can’t concentrate as long as you used to, you can’t finish the chapter of that book, you feel like you need to take a nap after doing a few hours (or worse a few minutes) of mental work.

These are all signs that the energy production pathways in the brain are shut down. This is very common when there is an inflammatory response in the brain.

As a health coach, it’s common to see people who would like help implementing new lifestyle strategies or begin changing their diet for better health outcomes. But when I see someone who tells me they really want to improve but fail at implementation, then that in itself tells me that I need to change my approach to start bringing down that person brain inflammation first, before we can really get to making other changes in their life.

I always feel for people like that because they have labelled themselves unmotivated when really it’s just that their brain’s dopaminergic receptors aren’t functioning and need support.

These are not personality issues they are physiological!! But the big problem is, if you’re on your own with this, making any sort of changes, even to improve your brain health will be extremely difficult if you have an inflamed brain.

You need to have someone fighting your corner. This is why working with a health coach who knows how to support your brain and gut health is so important in such cases and will avoid prolonged suffering. With the right help, things can turn around quickly.

So if this is you, why not book a consultation today. I would be happy to help you restore your health to a place of wholeness and happiness.

 

 

 

Fact: Concussions change our brains! For most of us, “head bumps” thankfully don't produce many symptoms, but even mild concussions can show up symptoms years later. They should not be ignored and below I explain why.

 

Personally, I experienced 4 concussions in my life (and many other big-ish head blows that were not quite concussion level). Each time ‘recovery’ took only about 1 – 7 days before I largely felt normal again. Only for 2 out of the 4 was I checked out by a doctor and, since I could remember key facts,  I was discharged and told to rest and take pain killers. Phew… nothing major… I thought…

 

My latest concussion happened just over 5 years, during a cycling rally from London to Paris in 3 days. On day 3, 70 miles from the finish line, I fell and passed out briefly. My helmet cracked and I passed out for a couple of minutes, but after having a member from the support team patch up my bloody wounds, I just kept going all the way to the Eiffel Tower, while probably doing myself a huge disservice. While the scars on my body are still visible 5 years later… I can’t see what it did to my brain. Although I did not feel any different in the days or weeks following the accident, it will have changed my brain, because all concussions do. And, in hindsight, years later I have felt the impact.

 

How to concussions change the brain?

 

The brain doesn’t heal the same way as our other body parts.

 

You see our brain has immune cells (microglia, among others) like the rest of our body. But the brain’s immune cells work differently to that in our body. Our body’s immune cells switch on to fight infections and repair wounds and then, when everything is repaired, they turn off again.

 

By contrast, the immune cells in our brain, once they are switched on, they NEVER turn off.

 

 And that mechanism of switching on (i.e. glial cell priming) usually happens as a result of a concussion or a traumatic brain injury (but this can also happen for a number of other reasons like chronic stress, drug and alcohol abuse, chemical exposure, severe malnutrition among other things).

 

Imagine for a second a boiled egg… can it ever return to being in its liquid state…? So it is with our brains…

 

Now, we all have subtle neuro inflammation from the head bumps we’ve had as kids, as well as other environmental insults. And for the vast majority of us it’s just part of life and we need not be overly worried about the level of our brain inflammation, although a healthy diet and exercises goes a long way at supporting good brain health.

 

But when brain inflammation becomes too much, we can start to lose function. This is because the brain’s immune cells (microglia) are no longer doing their important role of maintaining homeostasis, clearing neurotransmitters out of synapses and ensuring neuron conductions speed. Rather, they have turned into soldiers and attack surrounding brain matter producing localised inflammation.

 

This can lead to loss of function in various forms. Depending which part of your brain is impacted. For instance, if you have inflammation in your prefrontal cortext (the front part of your brain), planning, organisation, concentration and focus may become increasingly difficult. If you have inflammation in your cerebellum (the back part of your brain) balance will be an issue. Brain inflammation may be localised but in severe cases it is brain wide and will affect a person so much that they lack the energy, motivation and, even, ability to participate in normal everyday life. Other symptom any of the following: chronic brain inflammation include chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, chemical sensitivity (e.g. sensitivity to fragrance), leaky gut, struggle to speak, lack of ability to concentrate for long periods, food sensitivities, autoimmunity.

 

But thankfully there is hope. While it is not possible to change the microglia back to their original state, it is possible to dampen the inflammatory cascade they are causing in the brain, by switching them from an M1 (inflammatory) response to an M2 (anti-inflammatory) response.

 

A protocol that addresses brain inflammation must always be specific and includes both functional brain rehabilitation as well as targeted diet, lifestyle and nutraceuticals interventions. With these things in place, people can significantly improve their brain function, which allows many people to return to normal life.

 

I always look for signs of brain inflammation in my clients as part of an overall protocol, which always helps my clients actually put into practice what I am teaching them. In my opinion, a well-functioning brain is at the heart of being able to make healthy choices. But more recently, I have completed a training course on neuro-inflammation, and am excited to help more people in the future who struggle with this awful invisible sickness.

 

 

 

 

Brain inflammation is a real problem. While we usually associate inflammation in our bodies with acute injuries or chronic arthritis, that can be felt physically. The vast amount of inflammation in our bodies is not felt physically, this includes inflammation in the brain.

Brain inflammation can cause brain fog, difficulties concentrating, mood disorders, depression and more.For more information on this topic read my precious blog posts. Now let’s discuss some things you can incorporate into your diets to combat this inflammation.

(The below is not intended to be an exhaustive list. Remember sleep and exercise are just as important, if not more important, than the below!)

Here we go! Things to include in your diet!

 

1. Oily fish – rich in omega-3 fatty acids that build membranes around each cell in the body, including the brain cells. They can, therefore, improve the structure of brain cells called neurons.

A 2017 study found that people with high levels of omega-3s had increased blood flow in the brain  - a key factor in good brain health! The researchers also identified a connection between omega-3 levels and better cognition, or thinking abilities.

 

2. Blueberries – blueberries contain flavonoid antioxidants. Research suggests that these may make the berries good food for the brain. Antioxidants also help by reducing inflammation and oxidative stress. The antioxidants in berries include anthocyanin, caffeic acid, catechin, and quercetin.

A 2014 review notes that the antioxidant compounds in berries have many positive effects on the brain, including:

• improving communication between brain cells;
• reducing inflammation throughout the body;
• increasing plasticity, which helps brain cells form new connections, boosting learning and memory; and
• reducing or delaying age-related neurodegenerative diseases and cognitive decline.

3. Cruciferous vegetables - including kale and broccoli, may support brain health. These contain glucosinolates, antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals. Glucosinolates, when broken down, produce isothiocyanates, which may reduce oxidative stress and lower the risk of neurodegenerative diseases.

Broccoli also contains vitamin C and flavonoids, and these antioxidants can further boost a person’s brain health.

Other cruciferous vegetables that contain glucosinolates include:

brussels sprouts
bok choy
cabbage
cauliflower
turnips

4. Eggs - protein-rich foods like eggs can improve your overall brain health. The egg yolk contains choline which is important for memory. Eggs also contain folate and B12 that help fight inflammation and the buildup of homocysteine. Homocysteine is an amino acid that disrupts communication between brain cells by triggering cell death

 

5. DARK CHOCOLATE – ABSOLUTE YESSS!! For 4 more foods that boost brain health and why follow the link in my bio to the blog on my website – not enough characters here!!

Cacao flavonoids seem to be good for the brain.

The flavonoids in chocolate gather in the areas of the brain that deal with learning and memory. Researchers say these compounds may enhance memory and also help slow down age-related mental decline.

Further studies suggest that eating at least 70 percent cacao dark chocolate may improve brain plasticity, which is crucial for learning, and may also provide other brain-related benefits.

 

6. Water – (yes, that’s not a food – glad your brain is still switched on and reading) Our brain requires a balance between water and other minerals to operate.  Dehydration causes your brain to lose efficiency, impair short-term memory and the recall of long-term memory. If you don’t stay hydrated you’ll have difficulty concentrating.  A study from Ohio University found people who were hydrated scored significantly better on tests of brainpower.  Try to drink six to eight glasses throughout the day.

7. Turmeric -  and its active compound curcumin have strong anti-inflammatory and antioxidant benefits, which help the brain. In research, it has reduced symptoms of depression and Alzheimer's disease.

 

 

When you think of inflammation you’re likely to think of joint pain, like a sprained ankle, or arthritis. But did you know your brain can become inflamed too?

 

The problem is an inflamed brain won’t hurt. The inflammation will show up in other ways, including, brain fog, slow thinking, fatigue, and depression.

 

Brain fog is a hallmark symptom of brain inflammation. Inflammation slows communication between neurons, which causes you to feel foggy, dull, and slow.This is serious because it means nerve cells in the brain are dying - brain inflammation is causing your brain to atrophy and age too fast.

 

A growing body of research links brain inflammation to depression, childhood developmental delays and diseases (ADHD, autisim etc.), and other psychiatric diseases as well as neurodegenerative diseases (Alzheimer’s, multiple sclerosis and Parkinsis).

It is a complex and developing field of neuroscience.  This article is designed to create awareness and educate you about the main ideas involved in neuroinflammation.  

 

2 Types of Brain Cells.

 

90% of the brain is immune cells (glial cells), with neurons making up the remaining 10%. Historically, brain care and rehabilitation always focused on neurons but now, the latest research shows the brain’s glial cells, or immune cells, are necessary for memory, cognition, synaptic function, neurotransmitter activity, and other vital brain function.

 

Once the glial cells are triggered, the central nervous system (CNS) is called into action to protect the brain and body against the harm posed to it. All these events cause immune cells (glial cells) to turn on in order to begin the healing process. But unlike immune cells in the body, the brain’s immune cells do not easily turn off. This means inflammation can become chronic.

 

 What causes the triggering of the brains immune cells i.e. brain inflammation?

 

1. Injury

A knock to the head with enough impact can lead to a concussion or traumatic brain injury, resulting in glial cell activation (the brain’s immune system) generating an inflammatory response.

As a result of head trauma, the immune system begins sending out pro-inflammatory cytokines (such as Il-1β) which can worsen the damage caused by the impact, leading to cell death and DNA fragmentation.

The additional release of TNF-α along with the pro-inflammatory cytokines can sometimes lead to a compromise of the blood-brain barrier, reducing its ability to keep out toxins.

 

2. Infection

 

Certain infections caused by viruses, bacteria, fungi, and, occasionally, protozoa or parasites, can cause encephalitis (inflammation of the brain) or meningitis (inflammation of the meninges - the layers of tissue that cover the brain and spinal cord). Each cause of an infection activates a slightly different pathway leading to neuroinflammation.

 

3. Aging

 

Cognitive degradation is often related to aging, but also neurodegenerative diseases (discussed below) have a higher prevalence in the older population, both of which are related to brain inflammation.

Research has shown that a healthy but aging brain has chronically increased levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines and reduced levels of anti-inflammatory cytokines, demonstrating that the factor of age alone is linked with chronic neuroinflammation.

 

4. Neurodegenerative disease

 

Neurodegenerative disease and neuroinflammation are intrinsically linked. Alzheimer’s disease (AD), Parkinson’s disease (PD), and multiple sclerosis (MS) are all related to neuroinflammation. To begin with, neuroinflammation is considered a major cause of the neurodegradation that is characteristic of AD.

It is believed that those with the disease have an abundance of activated microglia that cannot phagocytose amyloid-beta, which may lead or contribute to plaque accumulation.

 Other common causes of brain inflammation include chronic inflammation in the body, leaky gut, high blood sugar and diabetes, hormone imbalances, hypothyroidism, food intolerances (gluten is a notorious brain inflame that can even cause depression – that has been true for me and many other people report mood disturbances on gluten), stress, and brain autoimmunity — a disorder in which the immune system erroneously attacks and damages brain tissue. It is more common than people realize.

 

5. Depression and brain inflammation

 

Depression is a common symptom of brain inflammation (although different things can cause depression, depending on the person). Immune cells called cytokines that are created by inflammation impair brain function. Cytokines also hamper the activity of serotonin, the “joy and well-being” brain chemical commonly linked with depression.

  

If you have brain fog or other symptoms that suggest brain inflammation, this means your brain is degenerating (aging) too fast. It is so important to take your brain inflammation seriously and take action to save your brain. Below are a few simple ways you can be proactive in saving your brain:

 

• Increase your flavonoids intake. Flavonoids are plant compounds that have been shown to reduce inflammation in the brain. The best way of doing this is to eat a variety of dark coloured veggies. At least 9 cups a day. try to get every colour of the rainbow.
•  Balance your blood sugar. Low blood sugar, insulin resistance (high blood sugar), and diabete sall inflame the brain. Every meal should contain a healthy source of fat, protein and fibre. If blood sugar is an issue, try to eat more frequently and avoid refined carbs and sugar completely. 
• Take curcumin. a growing body or evidence suggests that curcumin has powerful anti-inflammatory benefits when paired with peperine or ginger. 
• Food sensitivities. Gluten is a common cause of brain inflammation. Rule out a sensitivity to gluten or other commonly inflammatory foods, such as dairy, soy, eggs, and other grains.
• Balance hormones. Low sex hormones (such as estrogen and testosterone) and low thyroid hormones contribute to brain inflammation. But note that females can often suffer from estrogen dominance because of the xenoestrogens found in the chemicals in our food and environment.
• Heal your gut. The gut and the brain profoundly influence one another. An inflamed gut causes an inflamed brain. (see earlier posts)
• Take glutathione precursors. Glutathione is the body’s master antioxidant and can help quench brain inflammation. N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) and Ubiquinol are two great glutathione pre-cursers that will help save you brain. (Always consult with your doctor before starting a new supplement). Sufficient essential Omega 3 fatty acids and vitamin D are also important in dampening brain inflammation.

 

 

 

 

Sources

Bazan, N., Halabi, A., Ertel, M. and Petasis, N. (2012). Neuroinflammation. Basic Neurochemistry, [online] pp.610-620. Available at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780123749475000341
Benarroch, E. (2013). Microglia: Multiple roles in surveillance, circuit shaping, and response to injury. Neurology, [online] 81(12), pp.1079-1088. Available at: https://n.neurology.org/content/81/12/1079.short
DiSabato, D., Quan, N. and Godbout, J. (2016). Neuroinflammation: the devil is in the details. Journal of Neurochemistry, [online] 139, pp.136-153. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5025335/
Pizza, V., Agresta, A., W. D'Acunto, C., Festa, M. and Capasso, A. (2011). Neuroinflamm-Aging and Neurodegenerative Diseases: An Overview. CNS & Neurological Disorders - Drug Targets, [online] 10(5), pp.621-634. Available at: www.ingentaconnect.com/.../art00011
 

I’m stuck on how I should start this post or whether I should write it at all… how do you start a post about 4 years of the most difficult of your life that are not over yet…

Ok, so, let me try... these pretty mountains are basically a decoy to the not so pretty mountain I’ve been scaling in my own life... (How is that for a start?)

This “mountain” has affected EVERY part of my life. I’ve shared little about it on here because i) I don’t feel Instagram and even less, my profile, is a place to complain about personal problems and ii) I definitely don’t want to come across as a hypocrite... advocating a healthy and wholesome lifestyle,

coaching people to feel and live healthier lives, when I myself am facing an insurmountable health challenge.

 

But, in an effort to be more transparent, I will go ahead and share, in the hope that it will resonate with some of you and help you find support and encouragement.

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So, let’s jump right it!

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The last 4 years have been some of the most difficult of my life.

4 years ago, I began to battle with (very severe) chronic insomnia. 4 years ago, seemingly out of nowhere, I didn’t sleep a wink for 7 days in a row! What followed is 4 years + where I only averaged about 2 hours of sleep per night/day, and countless nights spend  lying awake, tossing and turning, basically going crazy... 

 

Let me tell you, sleeping that little literally messes up everything. In some ways, as I’m writing this I’m profoundly aware of how blessed I am to have 0 mental health issues, have had a healthy baby and pregnancy (even though it was especially exhausting on next to no sleep), to be in a loving relationship and to live in a beautiful and peaceful part of the world.  And yet, not sleeping literally robs you of your capacity to enjoy a lot of the blessings in your life…

 

 

This is because NOT SLEEPING FOR THAT LONG becomes a battle physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. It’s a form of torture, because after some time, your body and your brain almost shut down and you would

 

 

.....literally give anything for an ounce of sleep. It is almost unbearably. I can barely describe it, nor do I want to do that.  Unless you’ve been through it, there is no point of reference. It feels utterly hopeless. It makes you question your desire to live. It makes you wildly unproductive. You feel constantly hungry and hungover. Some times you can barely stand for long periods of time. You will almost certainly experience depression and suicidal thoughts, and sometimes I literally felt on deaths doorstep, wondering if my body would hold up.

 

Our body and brain is designed to sleep. In very simplistic terms, sleep helps out bodies and brains recover, detox, build muscle, form memory and rejuvenate. Sleep is basically the bedrock of health and longevity. So not getting it has been frightening in more ways than I can describe.

 

...

 It has also been a spiritual battle. I’ve asked Jesus so many times to take this burden off me but he hasn’t answered my prayers the way I wanted or expected Him to. Sure, it has made me doubt my faith. But God is not a vending machine and I know that His ways and plans for me are so much bigger than I can imagine, and sometimes they involve profoundly difficult times. It says in the Bible that He allows us to go through hard times for our good and our growth (see Hebrews 12 and James 1 as examples) we don’t understand it but we need to trust because He promises that He has our ultimate flourishing in mind (Romans 8:28 – “and we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them”). I guess it’s kind of like ‘what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger’+++ and SO much more!!

 

 

While God has yet to answer my specific prayer for healing my insomnia, He has not been absent from me in the past 4 years. It is only by His grace that I have the strength and energy to get up out of bed each day and live, take care of Elleni, enjoy life, have the energy to workout, coach clients, slowly build my business and write my book. He answers my prayers for strength and energy daily. Most people that I tell about this are like: “wait what... I’d never know because you’re so full of energy...” I am by His grace! And yet, there is the side that people rarely see, where I basically resign myself to doing the bear minimum to keep myself and the family afloat.

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While I am still searching for solutions and different ways to help myself, i always try to seek God’s wisdom in it and ask Him to guide me. So far nothing that I’ve tried (sleeping pills, supplements, diets, doctors, acupuncture, chiropractors, naturopaths, CBTI, shrinks).

 

 

I know that God can heal me but that He has chosen not to at this time. I can’t be so proud to assume that I can heal myself. It’s easy to get puffed up on all I know about health and the body, so it’s been a very humbling experience for it all this knowledge not to “work”.

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This has certainly changed the trajectory of my life. It led me to quit my job as a lawyer and seek out the path of becoming a health coach. Ironically, it actually was also what triggered me to start this instagram account, even though through my worst days I could barely look at a screen, never mind produce content. Nor have I ever talked about this... ????

 

 

 

Yes, it is tough, as I said in my first post, it’s the biggest and most terrifying mountain I’ve ever had to scale. And yet, here I am, seeing past it every day and thankful for the wonderful things I can enjoy.

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Covid made many people feel fearful and like they had lost control over their lives, and rightly so, it showed us that so many of the things we take for granted can vanish basically overnight. That is what happened to me- the most basic thing, sleep, suddenly became a rare luxury!

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I’m profoundly aware of how little I can control and that’s a hard reality to embrace for someone who is a bit of a control freak. ???? But knowing that I have a God who loves me so much that he sacrificed his most precious possession to rescue me from a life of pain and suffering because he loves me and wants the ultimate best for me, helps me to relinquish the reigns over my life and trust even when it really really hurts. But I know this life, and even the uphill battle I face today, is only the blink of an eye compared to what He has promised to give me once this life is through.

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In the Bible, Paul, too had some terrible condition too that was described as his ‘his thorn in his flesh’ - we don’t know what it was. He says, he asked God to take it away from him because it was so difficult to live with but God answered:

“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness."

So Paul said:

“Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” - 2 Corinthians 12:9

 

 

Will I always suffer from insomnia? I don’t know. I hope not, but I’m learning to trust in the sufficiency of God’s grace for me more each day while I do.

If you're anything like me, you sometimes just crave cookie dough. 

Before I discovered how to nourish my body, I would actually sometimes whisk up store bought cookie dough package mixes and eat the dough - doesn't sound like 'healthy' me, does it! But I did this quite frequently thoughout my late teens and early 20s.

 

Truth is, I still sometimes crave cookies and raw cookie dough. I have searched and trialed recipes to meet those cravings but nothing really hit the spot like this recipe I created that I'm about to share with you!! It is egg-less, vegan and refined sugar free and RICH IN PROTEIN. So, slightly healthier than real cookie dough, but JUST AS GOOD, I PROMISE!!

 

 And the best thing is... after you're done sampling the dough, you can actually make cookies out of the remaining dough to share with family and friends who think your cookie dough obsession is weird!!

 

Combine dry ingredients.
Add 'wet' ingredients and combine using a wooden spoon or spatula.
Shape into little balls and put on a baking paper lined oven tray.
Bake for 15 - 20 mins at 180 C. (I recommend periodically checking to make sure they are baked as golden as you like them.)    

So here is the recipe:

Ingredients

1 cup of almond flour
2 tbsps of coconut sugar
1/4 cup of avocado or coconut oil
1/4 cup of cashew butter
1/4 cup of maple syrup
1 tsp of vanilla extract
1/2 cup of chocolate chips
1 pinch of sea salt
1/2 tsp of baking powder
(Optional: 3 scoops of collagen peptide protein powder. Note - this definitely changes the consistency of the cookies) 
 

Directions:

1. Combine dry ingredients.
2. Add 'wet' ingredients and combine using a wooden spoon or spatula.
3. Shape into little balls and ENJOY!

It’s kind of funny, isn’t it, that we spend so much more time worrying about what the dead cells attached to our head (i.e. our hair) look like, than what the important organ underneath is doing.
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In fact, most of us don’t give our brains a second thought, we just expect them to work and that’s it. And when they don’t we usually don’t realise and attribute blame it on something else...
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Why am I interested in the brain?
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I started studying brain health when I began suffering from insomnia 4 years ago (another story for another day) that no sleep doctor or psychologist
could cure. Nothing really helped until I
started looking into the brain (still waiting to see a neurologist at some point!) and while I haven’t completely healed myself, I struck on so much information that applies to ANYONE WHO HAS A BRAIN – so most likely, that includes you. 
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With mental heath conditions and degenerative diseases, (like alzheimers, dementia) on the rise, it is shocking how little attention we pay to our brains today! Early intervention and prevention through lifestyle is definitely key.
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So, over the next few weeks, I will use these info squares to empower you to pay more attention to your brain and live a lifestyle that cares for this vital, powerfully designed, organ that is so central to our wellbeing that everyone ought to pay more attention to it.
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So stayed tuned and look out for squares that look like this. And, in the meantime, I’d love for you to share below how often, if ever, you think about your brain health.
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Often, or not that often? Comment below!

Leaky gut or 'increased intestinal permeability' means that the tight junctions that connect your intestinal cells become damaged.

Your cells sit next to each other like bricks in a building, there shouldn’t be any space between them. When INFLAMMATION is elevated, or there is damage done to the gut lining, that barrier can become breached and result in permeability.

 

SYMPTOMS OF LEAKY GUT

 

• Food sensitivity - when healthy  foods m cause GI complaints like constipation, diarrhea, bloating gas, or stomach upset. (Although this could also be SIBO or parasites)
• Brain fog, trouble concentrating.
• Joint pain.

 

WHAT CAUSES A LEAKY GUT?

 

• Inflammation of any kind can lead to intestinal damage. This can be inflammation from a poor diet, certain medications, obesity, insulin resistance, SIBO, or an imbalance of the bacteria in your gut.
• Antibiotic overuse.
• Other medications that can damage the gut lining include NSAIDS like Advil, Ibuprofen, and Aleve. NSAIDS are irritating to the gut lining and are a well known cause for ulcers.
• Over consumption of alcohol can also cause inflammation and destruction that leads to leaky gut. Alcohol is a direct irritant of the GI tract.
• Bacterial dysbiosis - i.e. when the ratio between good and bad bacteria in your gut is off, (which can happen after gut infections, a course of antibiotics, an inflammatory diet)
• Gran negative bacteria -  are potentially problematic classes of ‘bad’ bacteria that produce LPS, a toxin that can damage the gut lining and the blood brain barrier, potentially exposing the brain to infections and toxins. This is how gut issues can cause symptoms like brain fog, difficulty concentrating, and possibly even MOOD disturbances like ANXIETY and DEPRESSION.
• Chronic stress -  high levels of cortisol reduce the production of sIgA, an immune complex that forms a protective mucus layer in the intestines protecting our gut lining from LPS damage, pathogens, and inflammation.

So, do you suffer from brain fog, trouble concentrating, joint pain, anxiety or mood issues? If so, comment below. 

 

Want to know how to heal your gut for better mental and overall health? Why not schedule a complimentary consultation.