Deanna Trask, Holistic Nutritionist and Metabolic Balance Coach

11/25/2025

If you often feel wired, alert, or tense even when the day is quiet, your nervous system may be running on a loop that hasn’t shut off in a long time.

This is what chronic dysregulation looks like: your body continues to operate in a stress-response state, even when the original trigger is long gone. And while it may not always feel extreme, the long-term effects add up.

You may notice it in small, persistent ways, like trouble falling asleep, a shorter fuse, or digestion that feels off without a clear reason. But under the surface, your body is doing its best to keep up with demands it was never meant to sustain long-term.

Here’s how that ongoing stress load can start to shape health over time:

• Immune response slows down. When the nervous system is activated too often, your body has fewer resources left to defend against illness.
• Digestion becomes less reliable. Stress impacts the gut’s ability to function smoothly, which can lead to bloating, irregularity, or discomfort after meals.
• Sleep doesn’t restore you. Even if you’re exhausted, your system might stay too alert to allow deep, restorative rest.
• Mood and mental clarity shift. When your body stays in protective mode, it’s harder to focus or feel emotionally steady.
• Cardiovascular strain increases. Chronic stress has been shown to influence blood pressure and long-term heart health.

What makes this tricky is that the symptoms often feel subtle. Many people adjust without realizing it: pushing through the tiredness, over-functioning, or normalizing the brain fog.

But over time, these shifts chip away at your sense of self.

Small, steady cues, like deep breathing, clear boundaries, quiet breaks, or cutting down on overstimulation, can begin to remind your system it’s safe to settle.

11/24/2025

When a week has stretched you thin mentally, physically, and emotionally, it tends to leave a residue. By the time Sunday arrives, I often notice it in the way my space feels heavier, my body more tense, and my thoughts harder to organize. That’s usually when I return to a quiet reset ritual.

There’s no script. It’s more of a rhythm I’ve learned to trust.

Clear a little space.
That might mean folding the laundry that’s been waiting all week or wiping down the kitchen counter so the surfaces feel less chaotic. I’m not aiming to transform the house. I’m reducing the background noise so my body has fewer signals telling it to stay alert.

Make one grounding meal.
I’ll usually cook something simple and warm—a pot of soup, roasted vegetables, maybe some rice with olive oil and herbs. Not to check a wellness box -- just to give myself food that feels supportive. That act alone shifts something in me.

Sit quietly and reflect.
Ten minutes with a notebook is often enough. I’ll ask a few questions: Where did I spend more energy than I meant to? What felt restorative? Is there something I want to carry with me into the coming week? I’m not writing a plan. I’m listening for what’s still lingering under the surface.

Rest without a task attached.
This might look like stepping outside for a short walk, reading something I won’t take notes on, or lying down with no intention of sleep. It’s not about escaping. It’s about letting my system settle without needing to produce anything in return.

Some weekends, I go through the whole rhythm. Other times, just one part feels like enough. I don’t treat it as a formula. I use it to remember what helps me reenter my life with more clarity and less tension.

If you’re carrying the weight of a long week, it might help to notice what your body is asking for before you move into another cycle of doing. Not everything needs to be fixed. Some things just need space to shift.

11/23/2025

Cortisol often gets labeled as “bad,” but it’s not the problem. It’s your body’s built-in alert system, designed to help you focus, respond to challenges, and get moving in the morning. When it’s working the way it should, it enables you to stay steady through the day.

The issue is when it stays elevated for too long. That’s when things start to unravel in ways that are hard to name, but easy to feel.

You might be getting sleep, but waking up foggy. You’re trying to stay focused, but your brain keeps drifting. Your patience feels thin, and everything takes more energy than it should.

When cortisol isn’t following its natural rhythm, here’s what tends to happen:
• You lose focus. A short burst of cortisol helps with alertness, but when it stays too high, it disrupts memory and concentration.
• Sleep gets harder. Cortisol should rise in the morning and drop at night. When stress flips that rhythm, you feel wired at bedtime and groggy when the alarm goes off.
• Your mood shifts. Ongoing cortisol elevation has been linked to anxiousness, irritability, and emotional exhaustion.

If you’re feeling scattered, overstimulated, or stuck in a loop of fatigue that rest doesn’t fix, this might be what’s going on underneath.

The good news is, there are small, manageable ways to start supporting your system:
• Get sunlight in your eyes within the first hour of waking, as this helps reset your internal clock.
• Ease up on caffeine after lunch, so your body can wind down more easily at night.
• Add gentle movement, like walking, stretching, or low-impact workouts, especially if your energy is fragile.
• Practice slower, deeper breathing in the evening to help cue your system to relax.

You don’t need a perfect routine. You just need small daily cues that help your system remember how to settle. When cortisol can follow its natural rhythm again, many things start to fall back into place.

11/21/2025

Autumn has its own tempo. The light changes. The mornings cool. Trees begin to loosen their hold and let go of what’s no longer needed. Everything around you starts to exhale a little more deeply.

This seasonal shift often stirs something in the body, especially if you’ve been moving through life in a heightened, hurried state. It offers a more grounded rhythm -- one that doesn’t demand, but invites. For a nervous system that’s been operating on urgency, that invitation matters.

You don’t have to rebuild your routine to respond. A few adjustments can be enough to help your system register safety and start to unwind from a prolonged stress state.

Here are a few ways to work with the season instead of against it:

Breathe with more attention.
You might already be breathing shallowly without realizing it. Choose one or two moments in your day to inhale more fully and extend your exhale. A slightly longer out-breath can begin shifting your body toward rest, especially when practiced consistently.

Move without a goal.
Consider walking slowly, stretching for sensation rather than range, or swaying with music that feels steady. These kinds of movements bring awareness back to the body without triggering performance mode.

Step outside, even briefly.
Fresh air and daylight support your internal clock and help regulate energy and sleep. Let your body feel the temperature shift. Let your eyes register what’s changing in the trees or sky.

Savour texture and temperature.
Warm drinks, soft fabrics, grounding foods -- these sensory experiences support regulation. Noticing them with intention provides cues of safety that your nervous system can register, even when your mind is elsewhere.

There is no need to force rest or prove its value. Your physiology is built to recover, and this season often reinforces that truth. As the pace around you begins to slow, you may find that your body already knows how to follow.

11/20/2025

There are days when a bowl of soup feels like exactly what your body is asking for. Maybe your energy is low, your cycle is shifting, or you just want something warm and grounding. In those moments, soup can do more than comfort. It can help support your system in quiet, steady ways.

These two recipes are simple staples -- nourishing, easy to digest, and built with ingredients that offer what your body often needs most during different phases of your cycle.

For lower energy or heavier days:

Red Lentil, Sweet Potato, and Spinach Soup
• 1 cup red lentils, rinsed
• 1 medium sweet potato, peeled and diced
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1-inch piece of ginger, grated
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 2 handfuls baby spinach
• 1 tablespoon tahini (optional, for topping)
• Olive oil, salt, and pepper to taste

Sauté the onion and garlic in olive oil until softened. Add the ginger, turmeric, and cumin, stirring to release their aroma. Add the sweet potato and lentils, then pour in the broth. Simmer for about 20 minutes, or until the lentils are soft. Stir in the spinach at the end, season to taste, and top with a swirl of tahini if you’d like.

This one is rich in iron, magnesium, and grounding starches -- especially helpful during menstruation or times when you feel depleted.

For lighter days or when digestion needs extra care:

Calming Coconut, Lemon, and Chicken Soup
• 1 cooked chicken breast, shredded (or substitute with chickpeas)
• 1 can full-fat coconut milk
• 3 cups broth
• 1 carrot and 1 celery stalk, thinly sliced
• 2-inch piece of lemongrass or a strip of lemon zest
• Thumb-sized piece of ginger, sliced
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 2 cups baby spinach
• Fresh cilantro, optional

Simmer the coconut milk, broth, carrot, celery, lemongrass, and ginger until the vegetables soften. Add the chicken or chickpeas and heat through. Remove the lemongrass or ginger pieces before stirring in the spinach and lemon juice. Finish with cilantro if you have it.

This version offers protein, calming herbs, and healthy fats -- good for easing tension, supporting detox pathways, and calming inflammation.

11/19/2025

When stress becomes your baseline, it’s easy to stop noticing how much effort it takes just to function. You might not feel panicked or overwhelmed. You might just feel tired, reactive, or disconnected. This is often how long-term dysregulation settles in. Not loud, just constant.

Healing in this context doesn’t have to mean a full reset. What your body often needs is consistent evidence that it’s okay to come out of high alert. That it can start to rebuild -- quietly, gradually, and with support.

Here are a few ways to start offering that signal:

Choose movement that restores, not depletes.
A short walk. Gentle stretching. Dancing in your living room. None of it needs to be intense to be effective. Let movement reconnect you to your body rather than becoming another task to measure or push through.

Nourish consistently.
Chronic stress uses up your body’s reserves. Nutrient-dense meals with protein, leafy greens, and healthy fats don’t need to be complex, but they do need to be regular. Feeding yourself with care helps rebuild what stress has quietly worn down.

Practice simple breathwork.
Just a few minutes of slower, intentional breathing can begin to shift your internal state. Hand on belly. Longer exhales. No equipment, no perfection, just a pause that tells your body it’s safe to slow down.

Adjust caffeine and alcohol mindfully.
These may not be a part of your life, but if they are and your system is already taxed, stimulants and depressants can extend the cycle. A few small swaps can help your body rest more deeply and recover more fully.

Stay connected.
Stress isolates. Even brief moments of genuine connection, like a check-in, a shared meal, a walk with someone who understands, can make healing feel possible again.

Small shifts made consistently are often what create the space your nervous system needs to recalibrate.

11/16/2025

Christmas pudding is a long standing family tradition. Who knew beef suet would become such a hot commodity? It has been a part of this recipe for decades. My grandma taught me this recipe and maybe her grandma taught her!

11/04/2025

Your blood sugar works like a metronome. When it’s steady, your hormones tend to stay more balanced. But when it spikes and crashes, the ripple affects everything from how well you sleep to how often you crave sugar.

Your blood sugar works like a metronome. When it’s steady, your hormones tend to stay more balanced. But when it spikes and crashes, the ripple affects everything from how well you sleep to how often you crave sugar.

10/19/2025

If your mornings feel foggy, your energy dips unexpectedly, or you’re dealing with frequent headaches that don’t have a clear cause, your indoor air might be playing a quiet role in how you feel.

Many everyday household products release chemicals that disrupt the endocrine system. These compounds can build up in your space through cleaning sprays, scented candles, synthetic air fresheners, or even dust. When your body is constantly exposed to low levels of these disruptors, it can add pressure to an already sensitive hormonal system.

You don’t need to overhaul your whole home to create a healthier environment. A few intentional choices can make a meaningful difference.

Try starting with one or two of these:
• Open a window each day for a few minutes to let stale air move out and fresh air circulate in. It’s one of the simplest ways to lower indoor chemical load.
• Let go of synthetic fragrances. Choose fragrance-free products when possible, or create natural scents using citrus, herbs, or essential oils in moderation.
• Switch to non-toxic cleaners. A basic mix of vinegar, water, and castile soap can handle most surfaces without adding hormone-disrupting ingredients to the air.
• Bring in a few houseplants. They add life to your space and support gentle air filtration. Peace lilies, snake plants, and pothos are low-maintenance options that do more than just look good.

These shifts don’t need to be perfect or all at once. Even small improvements give your body a little more ease in the background, which makes a difference over time, especially when your hormones are trying to stay steady in a world full of noise.

10/17/2025

If you’ve noticed more hair in the drain or your ponytail feels thinner than it used to -- and you’re also feeling more tired, colder than usual, or generally off -- it may be time to take a closer look at your thyroid.

The thyroid is a small gland, but its impact is wide-reaching. It plays a key role in metabolism, energy production, and the growth and health of your hair. When thyroid hormone levels shift out of range, even slightly, your hair’s natural growth cycle can be disrupted. You might not see bald spots, but you may notice diffuse thinning, dryness, or slower regrowth.

Here’s what’s important to understand:
• An underactive thyroid can slow many of the body’s systems, often leading to fatigue, dry skin, and increased shedding or brittleness in the hair.
• An overactive thyroid can speed things up in a way that overwhelms the system, and hair thinning can still happen as a result.

Even mild imbalances can have an effect. If your hair changes feel noticeable and persistent, it’s worth asking your provider for a full thyroid panel that includes more than just TSH. Getting a clearer picture can help you understand what your body might be working through.

When the thyroid is supported properly -- whether through nutrition, stress reduction, or medical care -- hair often improves, though it may take time. Hair grows in cycles, and it can take a few months for new growth to show.

This isn’t just a cosmetic concern. Your body is using these small shifts to communicate, and paying attention to them can help guide the support it needs.
Let's talk. >>https://p.bttr.to/3qPa5D3

10/16/2025

At its heart, Metabolic Balance is about helping you achieve long-term health by giving your body the foods it needs in the right amounts and at the right times.
Your Metabolic Balance plan is designed specifically for you. It is based on science and careful analysis of your health, not on guesswork.

Your Blood Test
Your blood test provides essential insights into how your body systems are functioning. Through a specialised analysis, Metabolic Balance can identify potential nutrient insufficiencies and highlight areas that may need additional support. This evidence-based step offers a clear picture of your overall functional health, giving us an inside view of how your body is working.

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