Low B12? Why it matters and what to do about it

I have seen so many vitamin B 12 levels from clients lately that are just so low that is mind boggling. Vitamin B12 (cobalamin) is essential for several key functions in the human body, including: Normal reference range for B12 is 110-600pmol/l here in New Zealand (and similar in other Western countries). Interestingly, and for reference, in Japan it

Should you track your food?

Tracking your food can feel confronting. Suddenly there is no hiding from the habits and behaviours that we can easily avoid if we don’t think about it. That’s why it is one of the most valuable tools that you have at your disposal for understanding what’s stopping you from meeting your nutrition related goals. When research

Ran up a mountain, broke a bone, here’s what I’m doing (TL;DR the kitchen sink)

I started 2023 on the top of Crater Lakes, toasting the beginning of what is going to be a great year. About 20 minutes later I was using my poles to walk 5h out of the Tongariro Crossing after a misstep resulted in skidding and landing heavily on my left leg, the result of which

Why your body changes as you age

Does it feel like you’ve done nothing differently, yet your body is changing? If you are north of 40 years, then you’re likely not imagining it. I’ve just put together a bunch of information from studies that have looked at changes in body composition and health risk during the perimenopause and menopause stages. I think

Why I’m anti anti-diet culture

The anti-diet culture movement. It’s a tricky one to navigate as a nutritionist who helps people lose weight. Using a diet that creates a calorie deficit diet. I had a conversation with a couple of my close friends and colleagues this week who are in the same position. It seems that my personal IG feed is full of messages that we

Navigating the festive eats

While I agree with sentiments around being relaxed about food and not stressing too much, sometimes people benefit from having structure around how to be more relaxed … as paradoxical as that might seem. Being relaxed within a framework means you’re less likely to view a disruption to your plan as a major catastrophe to

Reverse dieting 102

Last week I introduced the concept of reverse dieting – if you need a reminder on that post, click here. Here’s some more information about who would most benefit from it. The first is anyone who needs to (or wants to) improve their day-to-day energy levels which are low due to a sustained period of

Body recomposition: two more strategies

In a follow on from a previous post, I have two other strategies (food forward, and tracking calories) that may appeal to you to help shift body fat and improve body composition. The other information I shared can be found by clicking here. Focus on a food forward approach This is making changes to the foods