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Nutrition

Wellpark / Nutrition (Page 5)

Why you should eat coloured fruit & vegetables every day.

Eat a Rainbow! We challenge you to eat a rainbow everyday… not literally, but good luck in trying! It mean eat  fruit & vegetables  from each colour of the rainbow, every day. Each colour boasts different phytonutrients, which are disease-fighting chemicals. Phytonutrients give fruit and vegetables their colour and provide health benefits. The classification of fruit and vegetables may surprise you! Red fruit and vegetables are coloured by the natural plant pigment lycopene. Lycopene is a powerful antioxidant against toxins and pesticides. It supports your eyes, heart and helps to reduce the risk of cancer. Red vegetables… radish, rhubarb, onion Red fruit… tomato, capsicum, strawberries, cherries, grapes, raspberries, watermelon, apples, pomegranate, guava Orange/Yellow fruit and vegetables are coloured by carotenoids. Beta-carotene is a well-known carotenoid found in carrots, pumpkin and kumara. Beta-carotene...

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Summer Health Tips

Your Health Loves Summer!!! Welcome summer! Here are Olivia Kennedy's top 10 reasons to love summer… Olivia is a Naturopath, Nutrtitions and Wellpark College graudate. Vitamin D ~ deficiency of this important vitamin may be the reason you feel SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) during the winter months. Vitamin D enhances immunity, supports gut integrity and builds strong bones, to name just a few of its vital functions.  Our primary source of vitamin D is the sun, small amounts are found in cod liver oil, oily fish, liver and eggs Summer produce ~ summer fruit is hydrating, and full of vitamin C, antioxidants and fibre. Enjoy berries, cherries and stone fruit while they are at their peak.  Make fruit salads, fruit platters and fruit kebabs as fun ways include...

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When does normal eating become disordered?

  When does normal eating become disordered? There is a lot of focus on the two extremes of the eating continuum; overeating leading to obesity and undereating to the point of anorexia nervosa, but where does everyone else fit in? Are we all ‘normal’? Normal eating is considered to be flexible and balanced. You eat when hungry and stop when full. You can eat healthy (nutrient rich) and unhealthy (nutrient poor) foods. There are some constraints so that you do not over indulge all the time but you are not too overly strict either. If this sounds like you then you have it sorted….. However, what I’ve noticed is, that when it comes down to it many people suffer from disordered eating or at least crossed into disordered eating at...

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Are you Insulin Resistant? Diet tips that might help.

Insulin Resistance Top 10 Tips A condition in which cells fail to respond normally to the hormone insulin.  Insulin is produced when glucose is released into the bloodstream.  Signs and symptoms include extreme thirst and hunger, hunger after eating and increased urination.  If left untreated, it may result in diabetes. Balance carbohydrates, protein and fat at every meal/snack Eat a balance of macronutrients to stabilise blood sugar levels.  Protein, fat and fibre slows the release of sugar into the bloodstream.   Eat natural, whole and unprocessed foods Fruit, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts, seeds, eggs, meat and seafood.  Eliminate white foods e.g. bread, rice, pasta and potatoes.   Omega 3 Eat salmon, mackerel, sardines, anchovies, flaxseeds/linseeds (and oil), chia seeds and walnuts.  Omega 3 ensures healthy cell signalling and insulin sensitivity.   ...

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Could I be Anemic? Considerations for Anemia.

Could I be Anemic? Considerations for Anemia… Anemia is defined as deficiency of red blood cells/hemoglobin in the blood.  It is commonly caused by dietary deficiencies of iron, vitamin B12 and folate (vitamin B9).  Anemia is the most common nutrient deficiency, particularly in women. Signs and symptoms include tiredness, fatigue, low energy, pallor, breathlessness and feeling faint. Diet Liver is one of the highest sources of iron, vitamin B12 and folate.  Make liver pate or disguise it in mince dishes.  Animal sources of iron include meat (especially red), seafood and eggs.  Plant sources of iron include leafy greens, beetroot, legumes, soy, dried fruit and molasses.  Vitamin B12 is only found in animal foods e.g. meat, seafood, eggs and dairy.  Folate is found in a variety of foods including vegetables,...

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What and when to eat to optimise sports performance?

What and when to eat to optimise sports performance? “What should I eat before, during and after exercise?” is a question I am asked a lot. The other question is “What supplements do you think I should be taking?” I’ll cover supplements in an upcoming blog but getting your overall nutrition sorted first is the key priority!                     Sometimes in sports there is a focus on macronutrients (proteins, carbohydrates and fats) but little emphasise on vitamins and minerals but these are essential! For example iron is an essential component of haemoglobin which transports oxygen to your body cells, magnesium acts in the enzymatic conversion of intermediate substances during ATP (energy) production, and B vitamins such as thiamine (B1), riboflavin (B2), and niacin (B3) are essential in generating large amounts...

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The GAPS Diet

The GAPS Diet - A diet that can treat Autism, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Depression and Schizophrenia? Wellpark College, Nutrition Tutor Sharon O' Brien investigates. (Follow Sharon's updates Click Our Food Karma) I am currently researching diet strategies used in the management of different gut issues. This has come about because I have been asked to present at the NZ Society of Naturopaths and Naturopaths of NZ combined annual conference in Auckland in September. My presentation title is “Demystifying diets for functional gut problems” so here I am reviewing diets relating to gut problems! Recently I wrote a blog on low FODMAPs diet for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) Low FODMAP foods for IBS. In this blog I am going to focus on the Gut and Psychology Syndromes...

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Top 5 Behavioural Weight Loss Tips

Top 5 Behavioural Weight Loss Tips If I were to ask you “what do you need to do to lose weight?’ I think you would be able to tell me several things that you need to do in order to achieve this. But why is it that most people do not actually carry out the things required to make a long-lasting change? I am going to give you my top 5 behavioural tips that will help you achieve your weight loss goal. They require effort but with persistence they will become habit with much less effort needed. Only recently I was at the gym and I weighed myself. I was 55kg and I had a moment of reflection and just thought “I’ve come along way”. In University I...

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Toxins lurking in your Food

You are what you eat, and we all try to eat healthily but how aware are of you of Food Toxins.   We all know at least some of the basics in food safety and hygiene…. ‘wash your hands’, ‘rinse your vegetables’, ‘don’t eat green potatoes or raw kidney beans’… and more recently advice to soak nuts.  BUT do we know why we do these things and are there other things we should know about naturally occurring  food toxins? This blog introduces five toxins that  we may encounter in our foods, so is by no means an exhaustive list… and spoiler alert!! - watch out for upcoming blogs looking at different aspects of food safety.  My aim here is to give you some basics to be aware of...

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Fat Adapted

  Get Fat Adapted for weight loss and sport performance. Weight loss is one of the most challenging topics because we live in an obesogenic environment with unhealthy and as much as I regret to say this, often tasty foods around us! No wonder everyone wants a quick fix because to lose weight takes long-term discipline and quite frankly it can be extremely hard. What works for one person may not work for someone else. This is why I want to discuss fat adaptation; it may be a good option for one person and not for another, and I’ll explain why. I’ll also share my own experience in becoming fat adapted. Likewise, I’ll discuss why becoming fat adapted may be a useful tool in sport and I’ll also...

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