Nourished By Sandra

Nourished By Sandra Melbourne-based Dietitian. Areas of focus: Women's Health & Hormones, Gut Health, Sports Nutrition

Last night’s dinner at Spice Temple 🥢One point I always like to make when creating a meal plan for someone is to enjoy t...
12/09/2022

Last night’s dinner at Spice Temple 🥢

One point I always like to make when creating a meal plan for someone is to enjoy the process and maintain a healthy balance between eating clean and enjoying a night out, especially on the weekend. Maintaining a healthy diet works wonders for you physically & mentally, but balance is key! That’s why I will always take a holistic approach to health, focusing on nutrition as well as movement, sleep cycles and stress management to support clients in living their healthiest and happiest lives.

"In all aspects of our lives balance is key. Doing one thing too much can cause upset, like the old saying goes, everything in moderation is the secret!" Catherine Pulsifer

Dietitian consultations with me are still open for the month & can be made via the link below 🥰

https://linktr.ee/Nourishedbysandra?utm_source=linktree_profile_share<sid=3c70582d-43dc-4cf4-8036-0b5cc04ee04f

Insulin Resistance — Diabetes & PCOSIn light of Diabetes Day, I thought it would be a good time to clear up some misconc...
15/11/2020

Insulin Resistance — Diabetes & PCOS

In light of Diabetes Day, I thought it would be a good time to clear up some misconceptions regarding insulin resistance and the small steps you can take to help reverse & prevent insulin resistance (yes it can be reversed)!

Insulin is the hormone that helps control our blood sugar levels. Insulin resistance is when the body’s cells don’t respond normally to insulin; glucose (sugar) can’t enter our cells to be used for energy & builds up in the blood. This eventually leads to Type 2 Diabetes. Insulin Resistance is also common in women with PCOS and is the main cause for weight gain & hormonal imbalance; this is why PCOS is a risk factor for developing diabetes. In some women, insulin resistance causes PCOS.

The good news — Type 2 Diabetes can be prevented or delayed (in pre-diabetes) in up to 58% of people following a healthy eating plan & maintaining a healthy weight (and as mentioned can also be reversed)!

The question I commonly get asked is if keto is the way to go for treating diabetes. Short answer is no. Low-carb diets can actually worsen insulin resistance if not done right. All carbohydrates are not created equal; you want to stay away from refined carbohydrates but not from whole carbohydrates that decrease chronic disease risk.

It isn’t carbohydrates or sugar intake that cause insulin resistance (although refined carbohydrates play a role in this) but a build-up of fat inside muscle & liver cells.

A high intake of saturated fat causes insulin resistance & impairs insulin production whilst monounsaturated & polyunsaturated fats can prevent this. In the same way, all fats are not created equal.

Saturated Fats ->
✖️ Animal fat & dairy (fatty meat, cheese, butter)
✖️ Processed & packaged food
✖️ Coconut flesh/milk/oil/cream
✖️ Margarine

Recommended Fats ->
✔️ All nuts & nut butters (except peanuts as this increases Testosterone in women with PCOS)
✔️ Seeds (i.e. pumpkin, sunflower, flaxseed, chia)
✔️ Avocado

The right way of eating can contribute to disease prevention & suppress progression, especially if you have pre diabetes, PCOS or a family history of type 2 diabetes.

Short & Irregular Periods —If you have a cycle less than 21 days (you get your period every 3 weeks) or a period less th...
04/11/2020

Short & Irregular Periods —

If you have a cycle less than 21 days (you get your period every 3 weeks) or a period less than 3 days, it could indicate: low estrogen, low progesterone, under-eating/over-exercising, hypothyroidism or nutrient deficiencies. Short & irregular periods are also a symptom of PCOS (which would require further testing to confirm) as opposed to Endometriosis that is characterised by longer cycles & heavier + painful bleeds.

A normal cycle is between 27-29 days and a period bleed 3-7 days (although the I like to aim for 4-5 days). If you’re experiencing shorter period cycles due to low estrogen or progesterone, you need to look deeper into nutrient deficiencies, stress levels & thyroid function. If you have nutrient deficiencies, you may not have the building blocks needed for healthy hormone production. This is particularly exacerbated by a low-fat diet as our reproductive hormones are made from lipids (fats). Not consuming enough healthy fats (I.e nuts, seeds, olive oil, avocado) = not enough building blocks to create necessary hormones, leading to a hormonal imbalance.

Symptoms of Low Estrogen:
- Night Sweats
- Anxiety/Depression
- Trouble Sleeping
- Mood Swings
- Infertility
- Poor Memory
- Low Libido
- Achy Joints

Symptoms of Low Progesterone:
- Heightened PMS
- Cyclic Headaches
- Irritability
- Anxiety
- Bloating
- Poor Sleep
- 1st Trimester Miscarriages

Some of these symptoms stand out and others are similar which is why I always recommend getting a blood test to see which hormonal imbalances you’re dealing with, as well as checking for nutrient deficiencies, stress & DHEAS levels, free testosterone & thyroid function.

Choosing the Right Protein Powder —When choosing a protein powder, there are a few things to look out for. Unfortunately...
28/10/2020

Choosing the Right Protein Powder —

When choosing a protein powder, there are a few things to look out for. Unfortunately, supplements are not well regulated so it’s important to know how to pick the best from the worst.

Questions to ask when comparing protein powders:

Does it Contain All 9 Essential Amino Acids? Amino acids are the building blocks of Protein. There are 20 in total but 9 of these the body can’t make & must be obtained from our diet. Complete proteins include: H**p, Pea & Soy.

What is the Leucine Content? Research shows that a Leucine content of 2-3 g per serve is the amount that maximally stimulates muscle growth.

What’s the Protein Content per serve (not per 100 g)? You want to be aiming for 25-30 g per serve

Does it Contain Stimulants (i.e. coffee)?
These are better avoided, especially if you’re caffeine-sensitive, anxiety-prone or a night-time trainer as this will disrupt your sleep cycle & affect recovery.

How many ingredients are in the list? Less is more. For Protein Powders, up to 10 is a good amount. Protein should be the first ingredient listed as the ingredient list follows a descending order, meaning that the first ingredient is always the one with the highest content.

Is it Non GMO/Organic? You want to look for ‘certified’ organic as this label is regulated. Some products that don’t have the ‘certified’ organic label are still organic, however the only way to ensure that the protein is organic is by checking the ingredient list for ‘100% organic’ next to protein.

Kale Chips — A Quick Snack to Support Hormone BalancingOne of my favourite snacks! High in Antioxidants, Vitamin A & C, ...
25/10/2020

Kale Chips — A Quick Snack to Support Hormone Balancing

One of my favourite snacks! High in Antioxidants, Vitamin A & C, B6, Magnesium, Iron & Calcium, it‘s a powerhouse of nutrients & makes for a great snack for good skin health, hormone balancing & keeping you feeling full for longer without the extra calories. I season mine with a dash of extra-virgin olive oil, lemon juice, celtic salt & pepper, in the air fryer for 10 minutes.

How I prep Kale to avoid ingesting harmful chemical pesticides: Remove the stem & rinse with diluted apple cider vinegar, then pat dry with paper towel. This is an effective way to clean your veggies, especially those on the Dirty Dozen list without having to buy organic ☺️

Another reason I love kale is it’s incredibly helpful for Endometriosis as it reduces excess Estrogen circulating around & helps prevent new cysts from forming & growing (as Estrogen triggers cell growth). This is true for all cruciferous vegetables: Broccoli, Brussel Sprouts, Cabbage & Cauliflower.

Cruciferous vegetables contain a compound called Indole-3-Carbinol (I3C) which improves liver detoxification, including detoxifying excess s*x hormones. This can be beneficial for conditions such as Endometriosis, Adenomyosis & PCOS as all are affected by high s*x hormones (Estrogen & Testosterone, respectively). I3C has also been shown to regulate blood sugar levels which may be helpful for PCOS & diabetes.

Simple additions to your diet can make a huge difference to hormonal health. It’s not always about removing food but about adding the right ones in!

Your cycle is more than just your period —The health of our cycle is a powerful indicator of our overall health and horm...
18/10/2020

Your cycle is more than just your period —

The health of our cycle is a powerful indicator of our overall health and hormone balance. Each month the female body transitions between two phases: Follicular and Luteal Phase. Both stages are characterised by different hormones that affect our energy, appetite, mood & libido. This means the female body is releasing hormones daily during our reproductive years – an experience unlike the male body.

When looking into female health, it’s important to assess period health: regularity, flow, pain & PMS to look out for underlying hormone imbalances, blood sugar irregularities, post birth control syndrome, high cortisol, adrenal fatigue, nutrient deficiencies, thyroid, hormonal or inflammatory disorders (i.e. PCOS, Endometriosis, Adenomyosis).

In a culture that dismisses severe period pain, irregularities, fatigue & PMS as normal, it is no wonder many females aren’t getting the support or treatment they need.

Simple additions to your diet have the power to help your body detox excess Estrogen, boost Progesterone, reduce active Testosterone and regulate thyroid & adrenal dysfunction.

For overall hormonal balance & symptom relief (not individualised):

🤍 Magnesium: Helps alleviate menstrual cramps. Found in dark chocolate, avocado, dark leafy greens

🤍 Vitamin D & Iodine: Helps regulate insulin & thyroid hormones

🤍 Vitamin B6: Helps alleviate some PMS symptoms such as mood changes and irritability. B12 is also important for energy levels & helps our liver detox which helps detox excess Estrogen. Found in peanuts & bananas

🤍 Vitamin E: Helps reduce severity of menopausal symptoms including insomnia, hot flashes, night sweats & palpitations. Found in nuts (almonds, peanuts), seeds (sunflower seeds), dark leafy greens & vegetable oils

Period symptoms are a telltale sign of your overall well-being and can give a lot of insight on what’s really going on. The best way to identify your hormonal imbalance and start healing is to get your bloodwork checked by a Nutritionist who will treat your root cause and not just the symptoms.

Sugar Cravings: Why do we get them and how can we reduce them?It’s normal to experience cravings from time-to-time, and ...
04/10/2020

Sugar Cravings: Why do we get them and how can we reduce them?

It’s normal to experience cravings from time-to-time, and 1-2 weeks before your menstruation is due as hormones fluctuate. However, if the cravings are often over-powering & intense, here could be why!

Nutrients -> Leptin is a satiety hormone that tells our body when to stop eating. Leptin resistance often co-exists with insulin resistance. This happens when we aren’t aware that sugar and carbohydrates don’t have a strong satiety response (hence why we always have room for dessert). Protein & fats have a higher Leptin response & help us reach that feeling of fullness. Consuming a meal without a balance of protein & fats will keep you in a loop of feeling hungry all the time. This is why a diet that cuts out any macronutrient is not healthy in the long run. It’s important to eat a balanced meal; a calorie is not just a calorie (and fats don’t make you fat).

Gut Health -> Our gut contains trillions of bacteria that control our hormones, cravings & appetite (their purpose goes far beyond just bowel health). When the ratio of good vs bad bacteria is out of balance (gut dysbiosis), or we experience comprised gut health (i.e. constipation), our cravings and appetite are also out of balance.

Hormone Health -> Stress throws everything out of balance, including our cravings. Cortisol (stress hormone) sky rockets and glucose requirements follow. When we are stressed, we also tend to seek balance through food.

Cravings are especially common during ovulation (2 weeks before menstruation) due to the decrease in Estrogen & rise in Progesterone. Progesterone naturally increases appetite. The problem becomes when the fluctuations of hormones is too imbalanced and doesn’t follow a smooth, even curve. The stronger the PMS symptoms (cravings, pain, mood swings), the more imbalanced the hormones.

It’s important to listen to your body & tune into what could be the reason behind your cravings. If something seems like it’s not working the way it should, always dig deeper into why. 🤍

You are what you eat —The food we consume has a direct effect on our health and quality of life. Although healthy eating...
27/09/2020

You are what you eat —

The food we consume has a direct effect on our health and quality of life. Although healthy eating is fairly simple, many factors come into play that hinder our ability (and our appetite) to pick up that apple over the doughnuts. The rise in fad diets and dieting trends has caused further confusion as to what is truly healthy.

The basic nutrition principles are: ensure you’re consuming an adequate amount of macronutrients (carbohydrates, protein and fat) and micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) for your body.

There is nothing wrong with picking up the doughnut — as long as you‘re not over indulging and are meeting your macro & micro nutrient requirements daily. Refraining from ‘unhealthy’ food consumption does not make a diet healthy.

My top 3 tips for healthy eating: variety, plant-based and hydration. The more diverse your diet and the more plant-based food included, the better your gut health will function, your mental health will follow (90% of serotonin — our happy hormone — is produced in our gut, not the brain) and overall disease-fighting nutrients will take precedence (I.e. antioxidants). Hydration goes beyond water intake and includes electrolytes — together they maintain body temperature, improve gut health, lubricate tissues & joints and improve nerve and muscle function.

If you are experiencing chronic acne, fatigue, inflammation, painful periods, compromised gut health or stress/anxiety — look within and inspect your diet with the help of a Nutritionist/Dietitian 🤍

Raw Cacao vs Coffee —Coffee is a nervous system stimulant. It releases cortisol (stress hormone) and initiates the body’...
14/09/2020

Raw Cacao vs Coffee —

Coffee is a nervous system stimulant. It releases cortisol (stress hormone) and initiates the body’s stress response, messing with our hormonal balance. It raises our blood pressure, exacerbates stress & anxiety, inhibits Iron absorption and leaches Calcium from the body. Overtime this can lead to adrenal fatigue. If you have an underlying condition, your immune & adrenal systems are already fatigued, and coffee will make it worse. Just like how for most of us our symptoms flare up in the midst of stress, the same is the case with coffee as it triggers the stress response. Stress disrupts nearly every system of the body. Not good. The benefits: improved concentration, alertness, & wakefulness.

Coffee is often the biggest part of our morning routine — it definitely was mine. A way I’ve found to replicate the experience without the post-ritual jitters is to have a cup of raw cacao with some nut milk.

Cacao is incredibly nutrient dense, as opposed to coffee. It’s rich in antioxidants (higher than green tea & berries), high in Magnesium (reduces stress), Potassium, Calcium & Iron. Most importantly, it contains Theobromine — a caffeine-like substance that has a similar but more gentle effect on the nervous system. Theobromine promotes wakefulness, lowers blood pressure, improves blood flow, mood, and respiratory health. This offers milder, longer-lasting effects with fewer side effects than coffee has to offer. ✨

Goodmorning everyone! Just wanted to shed some light on some barriers that can often cause weight loss resistance or une...
10/09/2020

Goodmorning everyone! Just wanted to shed some light on some barriers that can often cause weight loss resistance or unexplained weight gain. Often there is so much more involved — nutrition, gut health, hormones, stress, sleep, emotions, underlying conditions and lifestyle. It’s important to be mindful of these factors so we don’t get down when the scales aren’t budging, and so we can seek professional help when necessary.

Most of us are taught that eating less and moving more is the guaranteed formula to weight loss. This is true a lot of the time, but not for everyone. Especially if you’re finding you’re losing weight at a much slower rate than you should be. For some, the key to weight loss may actually be getting your thyroid, adrenals & hormones in check, as well as managing stress & inflammation levels.

Getting blood work done to check for nutrient deficiencies, hormone levels (including estrogen, estradiol, T3 & T4) levels, as well as stress levels is the first step in finding the root cause of the problem.

Through blood work we can also assess the extent to which you may experience weight loss resistance I.e where your DHEAS levels are at, how far off range your nutrient deficiencies are, thyroid hormones functionality etc. We would then take a holistic look at your health including: gut health, problems with malabsorption, functionality of your Estrogen detox pathways, stress levels & chronic stressors, inflammation, hormone levels & other secondary symptoms, sleep quality & lifestyle.

Calcium — are you getting enough in your diet? Calcium is one of the most abundant minerals in our body. There is often ...
10/09/2020

Calcium — are you getting enough in your diet?

Calcium is one of the most abundant minerals in our body. There is often the misconception that Calcium is only important for maintaining strong bones and healthy teeth. However, Calcium is a vital mineral for a reason. It is also required for proper neuromuscular function — to allow nerves to relay messages between the brain & body, playing a major role in muscle movement & cardiac function. Calcium also assists the release of hormones & enzymes. This means consuming adequate Calcium intake daily is not only important for the prevention of osteoporosis when we’re older, but to ensure optimal metabolic efficiency & sports fuelling when working out, as well as to ensure the proper balance of hormone levels.

So where can you get your Calcium if not from dairy? Many sources! Although there are many plant-based sources of Calcium, some are better than others in terms of bioavailability. To break it down:

Almonds are my go to! It requires 100 g of Almonds to obtain the same amount of calcium in a glass of milk. This is about 3 handfuls — which is quite a lot. So I love to use Almond Milk as my nut-based milk in cooking & beverages, along with a snack of Almond nuts.

Tofu is another good source of Calcium, however not all tofu is. If Calcium Chloride is used as the setting agent for Tofu, then it will be a great source! Some brands use Magnesium Chloride instead, which is poorly absorbed. Checking the ingredients list & nutrition information panel is super important (although reporting calcium is not mandatory so this might be difficult).

Foods rich in oxalic acid (I.e spinach, rhubarb, beans & broccoli) are not as well absorbed as Almonds, which is why almond nuts are my go to.

Adequate calcium intake is super important for us as adults, especially if you’re working out at high intensities & trying to keep your hormones balanced 🙏🏻 Recommended serve is 1000 mg/day for adults, and 1300 mg/day for women over 50. There is not a higher need for calcium during adult pregnancy.

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