Hyperinsulinemia: the condition we are not looking for

Hyperinsulinemia is a condition characterised by elevated insulin levels in the blood. Insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas that helps regulate blood sugar levels by facilitating the uptake of glucose into cells. When insulin levels are consistently high, it can indicate that the body is struggling to maintain proper blood sugar control, which

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

Anxiety and sleep (and supps that might help)

Got called up for Jury service this week. The anxiety! Couldn’t believe how I felt about it – I hadn’t felt so anxious since I had my PhD viva. In reality, I think the anxiety stemmed from not knowing how my week would look, whether I’d be called up, if I had to try to

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

Avoid that holiday weight creep

The problem with holiday weight gain is not the gain, per se, it appears more that year on year, people just don’t lose the added weight they put on. This might be a kilogram in the holiday period for some – could be more, could be less – that is the thing with ‘averages.’. Five

CVD, IR and blackcurrant extract: potential to reduce risk

Full Disclosure: ‘ have partnered with CurraNZ (www.curranz.co.nz), the blackcurrant health & fitness supplement company to do a series of blog posts on the science behind the benefits of NZ blackcurrants. This content is sponsored to the extent that CurraNZ has paid for my time to review the research, the copy/opinions here are my own.  Cardiovascular

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

Myocarditis – some things to consider

All medications have side effects, and some medications are worse than others. Some people are going to be more affected by the side effects than others too. It’s no longer considered sensationalist to talk about the known side effects of the COVID vaccine. Dr Ashley Bloomfield here in NZ sent a letter to all general

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