Nutrition

Do You Have A Food Allergy or Intolerance?

Food allergies are increasing at an alarming rate. Did you know that Australia has one of the highest reported incidences of food allergies in the world? Today, 1 in 10 babies born in Australia will develop an allergy to food.
Food intolerance is even more prevalent, with surveys indicating that 25% of Australians experience symptoms of a food intolerance. In clinic I successfully treat so many clients for food intolerances and they always feel so much better afterwards.
Both allergies and intolerances are extremely common, but what is the difference between food allergy and food intolerance? They sound as though should be very similar in meaning though they are in fact very different.
Food Allergies
It involves the immune systems reaction to a food which forms IgE antibodies. The immune system responds to the protein in a food that it mistakenly registers as a threat to the body. This reaction often presents itself with immediate symptoms such as itchiness, rashes, and swelling. Other symptoms can include

low blood pressure, dizziness, faintness or collapse
swelling of the lips and throat, nausea and feeling bloated
diarrhoea, and vomiting
dry, itchy throat and tongue, coughing, wheezing and shortness of breath and a runny or blocked nose
itchy skin, hives and sore, red and itchy eyes

A food allergy can also be so severe that it triggers anaphylaxis, which if left untreated, can be fatal. There are more than 170 different foods that are known to have triggered an allergic reaction. Generally the most common are:

Crustaceans
Milk
Eggs
Fish
Peanuts
Sesame seeds
Tree nuts and,
Soybeans

There is currently no cure for food allergies, and the only way to prevent a reaction is by avoiding those foods.
Food Intolerance
Unlike a food allergy, a food intolerance is generally not life threatening. It involves the inability to digest a […]

By |May 18th, 2015|Children, Health & Wellbeing, Naturopathy, Nutrition, Research|0 Comments
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Emma’s Empirical Evidence (part 1): Nutritional foods

In this 6-part series, I look into some recent science in the field of health and wellness. As a clinical naturopath I read so much research and want to share with you some highlights. Happy Reading!
The World’s Richest Source of Vitamin C!
Eating foods rich in Vitamin C will help stave off colds and flu in cold weather. The Kakadu Plum, also known as Billy Goat Plum or Gubinge, has been identified by scientists as the world’s richest source of vitamin C. The Kakadu Plum contains 3,000mg of vitamin C per 100g of fruit. To put this in perspective, a 100g orange contains roughly 53g of vitamin C. We would have to eat 56 oranges to match this! Read more >

Seaweed Promotes Health, Beauty and Longevity
This study looks into the potential role of marine algae (seaweed) on female health, beauty and longevity. Seaweed is a fantastic source of nutrients that are not just great for boosting immunity and protecting against illness, they will also leave you looking and feeling gorgeous!
Sea vegetables are packed full of nutrients and minerals like iron, iodine, calcium, Vitamin A, B, C, manganese and magnesium. Sea vegetables are great for your teeth, bones, hair, skin and nails and help to keep your thyroid in good health. Read more >

How Food Can Help Protect Against Breast Cancer
Certain foods can act as “aromatase inhibitors” – aromatase is an enzyme, which converts androgens into estrogen. Synthetic aromatase inhibitors are used to treat breast cancer in postmenopausal women.
This study talks about the search for new aromatase inhibitors that don’t have the nasty side effects of the synthetic version – yes there are natural compounds, and they are found in certain foods! By adding these therapeutic foods to […]

By |May 1st, 2015|Health & Wellbeing, Nutrition, Research|0 Comments
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How to Easily Give Your Child a Supplement

I posted the blog article below nearly 18 months ago and wanted to update you. Over the last year Sophia has been through an extensive gut protocol as she had Strep gut, a parasite and consequently gut dysbiosis. This was causing her terrible constipation and no matter what she ate, her bowels weren’t getting better. After extensive stool testing with Bioscreen Medical we were able to identify her bacterial colony counts. And it was astounding – no Lactobacilli despite taking this probiotic every day!
I have long held the belief that gut health is at the seat of both chronic disease and optimal wellbeing. Despite all my efforts to keep Sophia well, we weren’t getting good results until I looked further into her gut health. With the intensive protocol complete, Sophia no longer suffers constipation and she is no longer getting tired patches.
Throughout all of this, jelly vitamins have been a staple. I now use a tablespoon of Great Lakes gelatin for every 250ml liquid, its the only one that is clean and free from nasty chemicals. I also use chemical free Hoppers food colourings to make them colour coded. Toddlers are so visual and Sophia loves this part! This week I am using some herbs in Sophia’s jelly vitamins to help clear a residual cough. Every day she has three which can contain anything from vitamin D to zinc to probiotics. All I know is that without them, I wouldn’t be able to get half of the supplements in!
Key Message – Using jelly vitamins as a vehicle for herbs and supplements is super easy!
Action Point – purchase some Great Lakes Gelatin, a silicon mini muffin tray and some  Hoppers food colouring and get started!       […]

By |April 13th, 2015|Children, Gut health, Health & Wellbeing, Naturopathy, Nutrition, Recipes|0 Comments
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Woolworths Menu Plans – Disclaimer

As I am sure you know, I used to be the expert Nutritionist for the Woolworths Baby & Toddler Club. This was a fantastic platform for me to share my knowledge with thousands of mums across Australia. Many of you have stayed in touch, joined me on Community Cleanse, chatted to me on social media or cooked meals from Sophia Eat’s. I feel it is an absolute privilege to be a voice for optimal health – both for children and adults. I take it very seriously as people read what I write, listen to what I say, and then follow my advice.
It has come to my attention there are menu plans circulating that have been “written” by me. Until this week, these menu plans were up on the Woolworths Baby & Toddler Club website and included in member emails. They include:

7 day health meal plan for busy mums
7 day weaning plan
7 day meal plan for new dads
7 day pregnancy meal plan
7 day conception meal plan for him
morning sickness meal plan

Let me clarify very clearly – I wrote the original menu plans but the ones recently in Member emails and on the Woolworths Baby & Toddler Club were amended by “Woolworths nutritionists”. In these amended menu plans you will find ingredients that I NEVER WOULD RECOMMENDED. For example margarine (in the pregnancy meal plan of all things!), low fat custard, low fat yoghurt, low fat milk, low fat milk, low fat ricotta.

If you have been following me for a while, you would know I do not recommend such toxic (margarine) and low nutrient based foods (low fat = fat soluble nutrients are removed and usually sugar added). For those of you that followed any of these plans in […]

By |April 2nd, 2015|Health & Wellbeing, Nutrition, Preconception & Pregnancy, Recipes|0 Comments
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How To Heal a Broken Bone

Last Thursday I did something so crazily stupid. I walked past the couch, caught my foot on the edge and stubbed my toe. Damn that hurt! But I didn’t think too much of it, just sat down and started working. An hour or so later, I stood up to get a glass of water and OUCH the pain was bad. It was then that I realised I had done something bad to my foot.
After a quick doctors visit, an Xray and then back to the doctors it was confirmed – broken little toe and the instructions “just dont use your foot”. That’s a little hard as I am mum to a very active toddler and run a busy company. For me it wasnt an option to wait 4 weeks until I could get back into action! Check out my Xray – can you see the angle of the little toe at the top?
I then thanked the Universe that I am a naturopath and have so many healing modalities at my fingertips.

First port of call was straight to the homeopathic kit to make up some Arnica. This miracle remedy I have used so many times over the years and even Sophia asks for her “nica” when she bumps herself. It is very effective at reducing soft tissue injury and bruising. I think every household should have Arnica in their first aide kits, for both internal use in the form of drops or external use in the form of a cream.
The other homeopathic I made was Symphytum, which comes from the herb Comfrey. Back in the old days, Comfrey was also known as knit bone or bone set which gives you a good idea of what […]

By |March 16th, 2015|Health & Wellbeing, Naturopathy, Nutrition|0 Comments
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9 Foods That Decrease Your Risk of Breast Cancer

I recently went to a seminar on female hormonal disorders and one of the key tips I took away was a list of research-based foods that can help your body balance estrogen. Estrogen can be highly problematic if there is too much in your body and is linked to breast cancer, fibroids, endometriosis and heavy periods.
Certain foods can act as “aromatase inhibitors” – aromatase is an enzyme, which converts androgens into estrogen. In fact, synthetic aromatase inhibitors are used to treat breast cancer in postmenopausal women.
By including these therapeutic foods in your diet you can improve your estrogen profile, making sure there isn’t too much estrogen to cause problems.  Now it’s not as simple as “eat these foods and all will be ok” but adding therapeutic foods to your diet can go a long way.

White button mushrooms
Oranges
Parsley
Celery
Coriander
Dill
Fennel
Alfalfa sprouts
Green tea

I am off to the kitchen to a big, delicious salad with lots of these key therapeutic foods! If you know any woman with breast cancer please spread the love and share this post with them.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2965731/
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17178902

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By |February 9th, 2015|Health & Wellbeing, Hormones, Naturopathy, Nutrition, Research|0 Comments
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Got Milk? The Dairy Debate

Are you a firm believer in the benefits of milk? Do you believe it is integral to healthy bones, and a healthy life? There have been campaigns promoting milk since the 1940s, so why wouldn’t you believe milk is necessary for a healthy diet. However, you may want to consider this – just because something is accepted as the norm, does not necessary mean it shouldn’t be questioned.
I am a firm believer that dairy is bad for us. I understand that this is still a controversial stance to take, so I wanted to share with you some peer reviewed studies that explores the possibility that dairy consumption could in fact be more harmful than good.
Healthy Bones
The high calcium found in dairy is its most noted nutritional ‘quality’. We know calcium to be important in maintaining healthy bones. Which is true, however, numerous clinical studies question our ability to absorb the calcium from milk, making the high levels of calcium irrelevant to humans. A study published in the Paediatrics journal in 2005 found that milk consumption does not improve the bone health of children, while another study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition involving 72,000 women and conducted over 18 years found that milk had no protective effect on bone fracture risk.
On the other hand, adequate calcium intake from plant based foods such as leafy green vegetables and beans has been proven to decrease the risk of osteoporosis. Exercise is another way of maintaining healthy bones and reducing the risk of osteoporosis.
Cancer Risk 
Dairy consumption has been linked to an increased risk of some cancers. Most notably it has been linked to breast, prostate and ovarian cancers. A Swedish study found that consumption of […]

By |January 27th, 2015|Community Cleanse, Gut health, Hormones, Nutrition, Research|0 Comments
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Emma’s Book Booster: For the dieters & cleansers

Toxin Toxout
Written by the same two incredible researchers who wrote “Slow Death by a Rubber Duck”, this book focuses on how to get harmful chemicals out of your body and life. Using themselves as guinea pigs, they get in depth in their experiments and then provide steps you can take to reduce your body burden.

I loved the section on which detox methods actually work!

Fat Resistance Diet
Research shows that losing weight is not about counting calories in and calories out, it’s far more complicated than that. Leptin resistance is becoming more and more common in my clinic and this book delves into the research behind it. Leptin controls your metabolic rate; it is a natural fat loss hormone. But, just like insulin resistance, many people become leptin-resistant, putting them in a fat storage mode. There is a fat resistance diet that is interesting but it’s the research that I loved.

The Leptin Diet
I have done so much research on leptin resistance and how to treat it. Leptin controls appetite, energy and metabolic rate and communicates directly to your brain, telling us how much fat is in storage. This book highlights 5 easy lifestyle guidelines to help balance leptin.  A great and easy read that is a perfect start if you are struggling with weight loss.

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By |December 30th, 2014|Detox, Gut health, Health & Wellbeing, Mojo, Nutrition, Research, Uncategorized|0 Comments
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Emma’s Book Booster: For Foodies and Greenies

Slow Food Nation
This book was written by the founder of the Slow Food Movement, Carlo Petrini, a man who passionately loves food. In this book, he explains his movement of high quality foods, environmental sustainability and social justice. He wants a food system that is good, clean and fair. This is the era of moving away from fast food and the industrial food system in favour of a sustainable food system. It’s a brilliant read, both empowering and hugely passionate.  Ideal for foodies and greenies.

The Great Big Veg Challenge
This is the story of a 7-year old vegetable-phobic Freddie and his mother. She becomes super clever at identifying key strategies to help Freddie learn to love his vegetables. With the A-Z of vegetables and lots of yummy recipes, this is a beautiful book for any parent. The book is a result of Charlotte’s popular blog, The Great Big Vegetable Challenge.

The Root Cause
I treat so many clients for Hashimotos, an autoimmune thyroid condition. What I love about this book is that it looks into the underlying causes of Hashimotos – adrenal depletion, gut dysbiosis, inflammation and poor digestion. As a naturopath, this is exactly what I focus on! Izabella Wentz has written a user-friendly book that covers so many aspects of thyroid health, a must-read for so many people.

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By |December 11th, 2014|Health & Wellbeing, Nutrition, Research, Sustainable and Green, Uncategorized|0 Comments
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Is Your Tupperware Container Giving You Hell?

After attending a recent seminar on Female Hormonal Disorders I delved into the current research into plastics and the chemicals found in them.  The World Health Organizations calls them endocrine-disrupting chemicals and in 2012 stated “disease risk from EDC’s may be significantly underestimated.” There are more than 800 chemicals that disrupt hormone function and the vast majority have never been tested.

These chemicals are most dangerous during developmental periods: conception, pregnancy, early childhood, puberty, and menopause.
They are associated with cancers, behavioral and developmental issues, early puberty and fertility problems.

An EDC is a chemical found outside the body that mimics or alters the endocrine (hormone) system and causes health problems in a person, their offspring and even future generations. Endocrine disrupters exert their effect at levels far below what is considered to be harmful. It is the timing and duration of exposure and not the dose that determines what impact these chemicals have on the body. Often, these health problems don’t become apparent until years down the track.
A 2012 report release by the World Health Organisation1 says many endocrine-related diseases and disorders are on the rise across the world, including low sperm count in men, the incidence of genital malformation such as non-descending testes in baby boys, adverse pregnancy outcomes such as low birth weight and pre-term bubs, behavioral disorders associated with thyroid malfunction, endocrine-related cancers (breast, endometrial, ovarian, prostate, testicular and thyroid), obesity and type 2 diabetes.
EDCs were discussed at the International Congress of Andrology held in Melbourne in 2013 and in particular the link between these chemicals and the negative impact on male fertility and testicular cancer. 
In the last 12 months the amount of research papers published on this topic has doubled! A recent […]

By |December 2nd, 2014|Community Cleanse, Fertility, Health & Wellbeing, Hormones, Nutrition, Preconception & Pregnancy, Research, Sustainable and Green|0 Comments
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How to Heal Your Adrenals Naturally

How to Heal Your Adrenals Naturally

Adrenal fatigue is one of the most under diagnosed illnesses in western society. Download a copy of my free ebook to learn about the symptoms and how to heal your Adrenals naturally.

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