Dietitians - Metabolica Med

29/10/2025

Can your diet help you sleep better?
Absolutely.

When we support our body with the right fats, minerals, and nutrients, we also support melatonin, our sleep hormone.

✨ Here’s how:

A low-carb, healthy-fat lifestyle balances blood sugar and inflammation.

A healthy gut produces serotonin (the building block of melatonin).

Nutrients like zinc, magnesium, and tryptophan help your brain signal “it’s time to sleep.”

Try adding:
🌰 Pumpkin seeds (for zinc + magnesium)
🥩 Red meat (for tryptophan)
🧂 Mineral-rich salt (to restore electrolytes)

Better nutrition → better recovery → better sleep.

Struggling to fall asleep or wake up tired? In this episode, I, Dietitian Alstead — your low-carb and healthy-fat dietitian — explain how to naturally boost ...

20/10/2025

Maltodextrin and Gut Health

Gut healing tip: even “healthy-looking” foods can quietly harm your microbiome. Maltodextrin, a common food additive, has been shown to:

Damage the gut’s protective mucus layer
Feed harmful bacteria like E. coli
Suppress beneficial strains like Lactobacillus
If you’re struggling with bloating, fatigue, or immune issues, this could be part of the picture.

🔍 How to identify it:
You’ll often find maltodextrin in:

Sports drinks and flavored water
“Low-fat” salad dressings and sauces
Prebiotics or probiotics in capsule form
Powdered supplements

When in doubt, choose whole foods, not powder-based or “instant” versions. Your gut will thank you. 💚

17/10/2025

When you read a headline claiming “high-fat diets fuel cancer,” look deeper. Those studies often use refined seed oils and processed fats, not the nutrient-dense, anti-inflammatory fats that are part of a low-carb, healthy-fat lifestyle.

Real food changes the body’s chemistry. By lowering insulin, calming inflammation, and supporting mitochondrial health, we create an internal environment where disease struggles to thrive, not the other way around.

And when we add Berberine to the mix, we can enhance those same pathways through improved glucose control, liver function, and gut balance.

Nutrition should support healing, not create confusion. It’s time to move beyond blanket statements and start talking about metabolic individuality.

15/10/2025

PCOS & Hormones

Struggling with irregular cycles, acne, or difficulty getting pregnant?

These are common signs of PCOS (polycystic o***y syndrome) — a condition deeply linked to insulin resistance. High insulin drives excess androgens, disrupting hormones and ovulation.

A low-carb, healthy-fat lifestyle can lower insulin, balance hormones naturally, and support fertility. I see women regain regular cycles and improve symptoms within months of making the shift.

✨ PCOS isn’t just about “hormones” — it’s about metabolism.

14/10/2025

Your Cells Are Listening.

Every time you eat, move, or rest, you’re sending messages to your cells. The food you choose doesn’t just fill your stomach; it tells your body what kind of energy to create.

✨ Real food (like eggs, avocado, nuts, and fish) signals calm, healing, and repair.
🚫 Processed carbs and sugars signal stress and chaos.

It’s not about being perfect, it’s about choosing the message you send most often.
Even one meal built around healthy fats and clean protein starts to retrain your metabolism and remind your body how to thrive again.

💬 What message are you sending your cells today?

13/10/2025

Maltodextrin & Kids

It’s hidden in baby formulas, flavored drinks, vitamins, and snack bars, but few parents know that maltodextrin acts like ultra-fast sugar in the body.

High maltodextrin intake in kids can:
Spike blood sugar levels quickly
Disrupt gut bacteria balance (favoring harmful strains)
Increase cravings for sweet, processed foods

💡 Check your labels:
If “maltodextrin” appears anywhere, especially in the first few ingredients, it’s best to replace it with real-food alternatives:
🥑 Full-fat yogurt
🍓 Smoothies with real fruit
🍳 Homemade snacks rich in protein and healthy fats

Healthy metabolisms start early. The fewer additives our kids grow up with, the stronger their metabolic foundation becomes.

10/10/2025

Gut Health & Allergies

Did you know that up to 70% of your immune system lives in your gut? That means when the gut lining is inflamed or “leaky,” the immune system becomes confused, reacting to foods, pollen, or even harmless substances as if they’re dangerous.

Poor gut health can make allergies worse by:
Allowing undigested particles to “leak” into the bloodstream
Reducing beneficial bacteria that keep inflammation in check
Over-stimulating the immune system so it stays on high alert

Simple steps to support your gut and calm allergies:
- Eat more fermented foods (sauerkraut, kefir, plain yogurt) for diverse good bacteria
- Focus on real, unprocessed food, avoid seed oils and excess sugar
- Include anti-inflammatory nutrients like omega-3 fats, turmeric, and zinc
- Support gut lining repair with bone broth, glutamine, and collagen
- Prioritize good sleep, your microbiome resets overnight

Remember: treating allergies from the inside out is far more effective than masking symptoms. Heal the gut, and you often calm the immune system too.

08/10/2025

Kids Don’t Need “Kids’ Food”, They Need Nutrients

Mini yoghurts, cheesy puffs, energy bars…
We’ve created an entire market around “kids’ food”, but it’s often just ultra-processed carbs in fun packaging.

Children don’t need their own aisle.

They need:
Real fats to build their brains
Iron and zinc for growth and immunity
B12, choline, and protein for mood and development

🍳 Eggs, 🥑 avocado, 🥩 meat, 🥜 nuts, these aren’t just “adult foods.” They’re childhood essentials.

07/10/2025

Chicken Alfredo Zoodles

Ingredients:
• 2 chicken breasts, sliced
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 cup cream
• ½ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
• 2 medium zucchinis, spiralised
• Salt & pepper
• 2 tbsp chopped macadamia nuts

Instructions:
1. Cook chicken slices in butter until golden. Remove.
2. In the same pan, add cream and Parmesan, and simmer until thickened.
3. Toss in zoodles, cook 2 minutes. Add chicken back.
4. Sprinkle with macadamias before serving

06/10/2025

The Hidden Sugar in “Healthy” Foods

Did you know that maltodextrin, often found in “sugar-free” or “healthy” products, can spike your blood sugar even faster than table sugar? 😳

It’s made from corn, wheat, or rice starch, and is often added to:

Protein powders
Flavored yogurts and snacks
Electrolyte drinks and “energy” supplements
Even some children’s vitamins and probiotics

🧐 How to spot it:
Check your ingredient list, it’ll often appear near the top (meaning there’s a lot of it). If you see maltodextrin, it’s best to skip that product, especially if you’re managing insulin resistance, mental health, weight loss, diabetes, or gut issues.

Real energy doesn’t come from additives; it comes from whole foods that keep insulin stable.

03/10/2025

Healthy eating tips: Breakfast Upgrade

Swap cereal for real fuel.
Most cereals are just sugar in disguise, leaving you hungry within hours.

Instead, start your day with eggs, avocado, and a handful of nuts.
Protein + healthy fats = steady energy, no mid-morning crash.

01/10/2025

Tired but can’t explain why?

Constant fatigue is one of the earliest signs of insulin resistance, even before blood tests show “abnormal" results. When your cells stop listening to insulin, they can’t get the fuel they need, leaving you drained no matter how much you sleep.

The good news? A low-carb, high-fat lifestyle can restore insulin sensitivity, stabilize energy levels, and help your body switch back to burning fuel efficiently. By lowering sugar spikes and providing steady fuel from fats, your body avoids the crashes that leave you exhausted.

✨ If you’re always tired and looking for answers, this could be the missing piece.


https://www.metabolicamed.co.za