Kind Nutrition Co.

31/10/2025

CHOLINE 🍳

We need choline to make cell membranes. If we don’t have healthy cells, the downstream effect is unhealthy tissues > organs > body systems > unhealthy individual. It all starts with healthy cells!

We need choline to produce acetylcholine which plays a role in neurotransmitter production (think our happy and reward hormones, serotonin and dopamine), for gut health and motility and for brain development. Choline is also required for memory and muscle control.

Post menopause we need more choline due to oestrogen loss. If there’s not enough folate in your diet (leafy greens and veggies, legumes), choline will step in and act as as methyl donor in the methylation cycle, a crucial chemical process that’s happening constantly in the body.

Impaired cognitive function, brain fog, ADHD, depression states all need adequate choline in the diet, it’s SO important!

For women we need 425mg/day, for men 550mg/day of choline . The best sources are eggs (147mg each), but swipe to see more sources to include in your daily diet to ensure you’re getting enough 😊

16/10/2025

Impact of long-term medication use on the gut microbiome. It’s not just antibiotics that ruin the gut. Common medications negatively impact our microbiome diversity as well, some worse than antibiotics, and often for years after we’ve stopped taking the medication 💊

Beta-blockers, benzodiazepine derivatives, glucocorticoids, PPIs (Nexium and others used for reflux), biguanides (metformin).

Hot off the press: For the first time, researchers have systematically assessed the impact of long-term medication use on the gut microbiome.

This 2025 retrospective study, "A hidden confounder for microbiome studies: medications used years before sample collection," found that multiple medicines affected the gut microbiome for many years after use.

Typically, we think of antibiotics as the primary medication that alters the gut ecosystem in the long term. However, this study found that beta-blockers, benzodiazepine derivatives, glucocorticoids, PPIs, biguanides (metformin is the most widely prescribed drug in this class), and antidepressants affected the gut microbiome for several years after discontinuing use. And for many of them, the effects at the microbiome level are additive.

Overall, of the 186 drugs analyzed, 167 were found to be associated with the microbiome—affecting alpha diversity, beta diversity, or the abundance of at least one bacterial species—and 78 of those exhibited long-term effects on the gut.

Of note, benzodiazepines—nervous system depressants commonly prescribed for anxiety—impact the microbiome even more than several broad-spectrum antibiotics. The impacts of benzodiazepines and broad-spectrum antibiotics were detectable even when the drugs had not been used for over three years prior to microbiome sampling.

Read the full study at PMID: 40910778

07/06/2025

Some good things are coming out of America…

03/05/2025

When I started on this holistic journey of nutrition I soon realised it’s not just about what we eat but also about our wellbeing in terms of mind, body and spirit. There are so many facets to our health and it can be a huge journey navigating them all. It helps to have people who can guide and empower us with the tools we need to live a healthy and fulfilling life. Emma is a beautiful and knowledgeable soul (also a dear friend!) who I highly recommend. Please reach out to her if you need some guidance 🌸

When we talk about parenting we often go straight to the child. We observe our children’s behaviours and actions as a measure of our success. This is highly problematic as children learn from an early age unhealthy coping strategies that help them receive positive validation.

To really understand how we’re going as parents we need to look beyond the behaviour to how they’re feeling. They will not always tell you so we observe with curiosity. We must also keep ourselves in check so we can respond rather than react to what we might find.

Being a parent is the most valuable job you will ever have the privilege of doing. Also most likely..the hardest. 😂

My work with parents begins with a strong emphasis on identifying strengths, followed by creating a meaningful relationship with oneself that will benefit you and your kids. ❤️

If you would like to learn more about how we can support you on your journey of parenthood reach out to us at The Family Well-being Centre. We’re here to help. 🌟

02/05/2025

I’m into rucking now! That means I’ve upgraded my walks with a weighted vest.

It has been said that osteoporosis is a disease of childhood, because we reach our maximum bone potential by our late teens or, for men, early 20s. Most people have finished growing bone by the time they’re 30. So if you weren’t active in your childhood and teen years, or your nutritional status was subpar back then, it may just be about preventing further decline in your latter years.

Resistance/strength training, weight-lifting, impact exercises like jogging, dancing, tennis, jumping and stomping are recommended to ward off osteoporosis, but you can also build muscle strength and improve bone mineral density by wearing a weighted vest.

That extra weight increases the load on the skeletal system > greater bone strength and density. It also offers you cardio benefits as your walk/workout is intensified with the added weight. Burn some extra calories too! I have also found it’s been helpful for my posture as the positioning of the vest helps to pull your shoulders back, great for those who sit at a desk all day. You can even wear it around the house while you do housework!

27/02/2025

Have you heard of resistant starch? This is a chemical change that occurs in certain foods when you cook and cool them, such as potatoes, pasta and rice. Normally these simple carbohydrate foods can illicite a blood sugar spike, but when you cook and cool them, they develop a resistant starch which helps even out the blood sugar response and also feeds our good bugs lower down in our gut, which in turn produces favourable health benefits for the rest of the body. So did you know that freezing bread also produces this chemical change? And then toasting the bread can break down some of the starch molecules, also helping to lower any blood sugar spikes. It’s not just what we eat that’s important, but also how we prepare our food that can really deliver health benefits 😊

13/02/2025

The Metabolic Balance Kitchen recipe book is out! This is a great addition to your personalised plan, to help you create delicious and nourishing meals. It’s available on Amazon and Booktopia, as an e-book and softcover. You can also order through me 😊

For those of you who have done the program with me, I encourage you to take a look at this book. There may be meals you haven’t even thought of making, and it’s very adaptable to your unique plan.

For those of you who haven’t jumped on board yet, what are you waiting for? Please get in touch and we can create a plan for you that takes into consideration your food preferences, blood chemistry, health history and the goals you want to achieve. Your health is your biggest investment and there’s no better time to get started! 💥

04/07/2024

A new study released this month has found patients taking weight loss drugs such as Ozempic and Wegovy could be at an increased risk of an eye disorder that can cause blindness. More research is needed but this is concerning. It’s a pretty serious link and goes to show these drugs are not without adverse effects. They are not a magic bullet, and you will still need to put in the hard yards when you stop taking them. If you are considering taking this medication I urge you to ask yourself, is it really worth risking blood flow restriction (otherwise known as a stroke) to your optic nerve and subsequent vision loss?!

I have had clients come to me after the weight has piled back on after stopping these drugs. With their own Metabolic Balance plan they have been able to lose that weight and keep it off, no drugs required!. Why not use the right foods instead to manage your weight? It’s cheaper, healthier (I can’t think of any negative side effects) and something you will need to do in the end anyway!

Photo cresit

05/03/2024

Interesting article about how it’s actually our brain’s energy that is affected, not our cognition, when we reach menopause.

There are ways to optimise our brain’s energy. As for every mechanism in our body, our first port of call should always be nutrition.

Read on if you're menopausal and think you're losing your mind. Find out why you’re actually not, why your brain, like the rest of your body, is going through an important transition—and what you can do naturally to get back on track

05/09/2023

Carriers of the APOE4 gene are at a much higher risk of dementia. The more common APOE3 gene is considered neutral, while the APOE2 gene is considered protective.

Half of all Alzheimer's patients carry the APOE4 gene and this can affect the brain's ability to carry out certain functions. It changes the way the brain metabolises glucose and lipids and how it responds to stress. I have the APOE3 gene, but there are patients with this gene who get dementia, as well as patients with the APOE4 gene who don’t. Dementia does exist in my family, so I am paying particular attention to any new research that comes out.

A recent study on cells found that supplementing with choline reversed the disruptions in lipid metabolism. Post-mortem examination of brains affected by Alzheimer’s disease show a marked reduction in choline. Interestingly, women tend to develop choline deficiency more than men. Choline is highest in beef liver, eggs, shiitake mushrooms, pork, chicken, fish, beans and nuts. More clinical trials need to be carried out but according to the researchers, APOE4 carriers are more susceptible to choline deficiency and if you are an APOE4 carrier and are choline deficient, the consequences are more dire.

We may not be able to change our genetic codes, but we can change how those codes are expressed in order to positively influence our health. I’m all about a personalised nutrition approach and knowing your genetic profile can be helpful in determining the choices you make with diet and lifestyle and your environment. The DNA report I use in clinic covers 92 genes and 131 SNPs (gene variants). If you’d like to know your own genetic background, discover what implications this may have on your health, and also receive tailored treatment strategies based on your genetic report, please get in touch 😊

04/09/2023

I've had a flurry of new clients booking in to get their own Metabolic Balance program! Super exciting to see so many people wanting to take that next step to attaining their health goals 🙌

Spring is the perfect time to set new goals! 3 months to go until summer. Have you got a health goal you'd like to achieve? Do you need some support, some structure, a nudge in the right direction? Confused about what to eat or how much to eat? Come and get your own plan and start moving forward with your health!💥

28/08/2023

To finish off the series of perimenopause & menopause fatigue tips, here are a few more things you may not have considered:

Essential fatty acids

Called “essential” for a reason, our bodies can’t make these on its own, so we need to include healthy fats in our diet. Especially at a time of life where everything tends to dry out a bit! Fats nourish our body, support our brain health and moods, relieve fatigue and reduce inflammation. Aim to include 3 Tbs of extra virgin olive oil a day in cooking or over salads, eating oily fish 2-3 times a week, adding in flaxseeds and other seeds and nuts, olives and avocado where you can.

Magnesium

I love this magic mineral! It’s involved in hundreds of chemical reactions in the body, one of which is energy production. We also tend to dump magnesium when we’re stressed. When I think of magnesium I think of relaxation: it’s good for relieving stress, relaxing muscles, balancing hormones, regulating mood and optimising our sleep. You can find it in nuts and seeds, dark leafy greens, avocado, legumes, whole grains and dark chocolate. You can also apply it topically as a spray, a cream, or add some magnesium flakes to a bath and soak away.

Last tip: Movement! Even though it’s probably the last thing you feel like doing now, movement actually helps increase our energy levels. It works to get that oxygen circulating around our system but also acts directly on our nervous system to increase energy and reduce fatigue. Research has shown that low-intensity exercise can reduce fatigue symptoms by as much as 65%. It doesn’t have to be much to start with, a gentle walk around the block or even just to the end of the street and back. Don’t think of it as trying to burn calories, this is more about self-care. Whatever you can manage. A good way to get started is set your alarm a little earlier and get your movement in first thing. Don’t even think about it, just have your sneakers by your bed, put them on and start walking! Consistency is the key and before you know it energy levels will have picked up, and you’ll be able to walk a little further, or incorporate other forms of exercise into your day.