The crucial personality characteristic that can save you from medical tragedy
After reading Gretchen Rubin’s book The Four Tendencies last year, which lays out a conceptual framework for how people tend to respond to both inner and outer expectations, I began asking clients to take the quiz that Rubin developed to help people identify their tendency, before their initial appointment with me. I took this step…
Is the ‘Health At Every Size’ movement helping or hurting?
As a Lifestyle Medicine Practitioner who sees primarily women, as a woman myself, and as the mother of a teenage daughter, I have both empathy and sympathy for the fraught relationship that many girls and women have with their bodies. Like so many of my clients, I was intensely self-conscious about my weight, and consequently…
Veganism – risk factor or protective factor for eating disorders?
As a practitioner specialising in plant-based diets, and with a counselling background in addition to my nutrition and Lifestyle Medicine training, I frequently see vegans who are battling with eating disorders. It’s actually quite heart-rending to listen to them describe the almost universally terrible experiences that they have when seeking treatment for their eating disorder…
What’s wrong with ‘everything in moderation’?
One of the well-worn adages that I hear most frequently from people who are resisting making health-promoting changes to their eating habits is “It’s OK to eat anything, as long as it’s in moderation”. People who are struggling with their weight insist that they only eat chocolate or chips “in moderation”, so that can’t possibly…
Hot Cross Buns
I’ve had several cracks at making hot cross buns, but previously they’ve always turned out like rock cakes :(. This time around, I decided to try substituting aquafaba, the cooking liquid from chick peas which seems to have a thousand different uses, for the oil that the Thermomix recipe book called for. Eureka – perfect…
Anxiety and the gut microbiome: How your gut bugs can chill you out or stress you out
Anxiety is a modern epidemic. In the last major population study of mental health conducted in Australia, the 2007 National Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing, anxiety disorders were found to be the most common psychological conditions affecting Australian adults. In fact, 14% of all people aged 16-85 years reported that they had experienced an…
Mushroom Lentil Burgers
Ingredients: 1 onion, diced2 cloves garlic, minced350 g mushrooms, sliced 1 tsp miso2 tsp dulse flakes2 tsp cumin2 tsp paprika 25 g sunflower seeds25 g pepitas50 g rolled oats470 g cooked, drained black beluga lentils or other small lentils Method: Preheat oven to 180°C. Line a baking sheet with a silicon baking mat or baking…
New study shows vegans have the healthiest biomarkers
One of the most common concerns that I hear from people who are contemplating adopting a plant-based diet is, “Will I be able to get enough nutrients if I don’t eat any meat, fish, eggs or dairy products?” Many of my clients have been urged by well-meaning family members, and other health and nutrition professionals,…
The evidence is in: Eating better relieves depression
I’ve written extensively about the link, documented in research published in peer-reviewed medical journals, between what we eat and how we feel (see my articles Beat the holiday season blues – with broccoli and berries!, Good mood food, Want to feel happier? Change what’s on your plate! and Eat your way to better mental health?,…
Food to die for
As I discussed in last week’s post, The one question you need to ask yourself if you want to get healthy, I am fascinated to the point of outright obsession with the complex dynamics of behaviour change, and the role that beliefs play in our willingness to change – or the lack thereof. One belief…