Best Recipe Websites for Inspo!

If you are seeking me out to hand over endless customised meal plans, you have come to the wrong person. A few years back I dabbled with starting a recipe blog. At the time there weren’t as many options as there are now. But it all ended very quickly when I started feeding the chickens too many times with my failed recipe attempts. I just couldn’t handle throwing my creations into the chook pen anymore (coconut flour is a real pain in the arse to work with).

I LOVE cooking and I also enjoy eating too! But with so many recipe websites available now, it can get a little overwhelming to know what is right for you and what also tastes good too.

Over the years I have noticed that I generally recommend the same websites over and over. So now is the time to share these websites with you!

If you are anything like me, I often go to a recipe and adjusted it if I don’t have the ingredients or I would rather choose a different ingredient.

The list you have been waiting for!

Quirky Cooking

Minimalist Baker

My New Roots

Hetty McKinnon

Primal Alternative

Kristen Pavez

Deliciously Ella

The Healthy Chef- Teresa Cutter

Jude Blereau

My Darling Lemon Thyme

The Healthy Gut

You might notice that many are Australian and a few that live in Perth, Western Australia…

If I have forgotten any, I will update this again (or if I discover new ones!)

Enjoy!

Living with SIBO

It was back in 2014 when I took my first Hydrogen breath test to see if I had SIBO (Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth) or not. And sure enough I was positive for both Hydrogen & Methane gases.

I immediately started to treat and eradicate my SIBO by following Dr. Jacobi's Bi-Phasic diet. During my herbal treatment, I noticed instant results. My skin began to improve (SIBO and acne rosacea are linked- and the initial reason for testing), my bloating decreased and my bowel motion improved.

Looking back on the determination in following the diet and finally knowing the cause of my acne rosacea was the end of years of frustration and embarrassment.

If you have ever had to follow a restricted diet you will understand how difficult it is to live a 'normal' life that doesn't impact you and the ones you life with.

But considering my main problem had been eradicated, I began to slowly add the foods in that I was eating previously (It is also strongly advised that you should not follow any restricted diet long term).

Low and behold.....my skin didn't get effected!!!

Sure, the obvious items would cause a flare, such as alcohol and wheat. But I had never had an issue with onions or any other high FODMAP foods.

But slowly over time, even though my skin never returned back to its acne state (thank goodness!), my bloating returned and my bowels also decided to slow down too...….

Bring in test number 2 in 2017. And yep, I tested positive yet again for both Hydrogen and Methane gases. SIBO was back with even more bite!!

So what did I do???

Nothing.

I certainly felt disheartened with a capital D, but after treating so many others for SIBO in my practice I had noticed a trend...….

it comes back!

Knowing the cause of your SIBO is imperative!

The thing about SIBO is that you need to find the cause, and if you don't find the cause, it WILL come back.

What's my cause?

Most likely poor gut motility and a leaky gut to match.

But I didn't want to go in with the big guns (anti microbial herbs) to get rid of the unwanted bacteria and Archea. It didn't want to go on the super restricted diet for months on end.

Nup.

By this stage I had a fair idea of what would cause my bloating. I mentioned a couple of them previously- wheat and alcohol. You can add potatoes, rice and refined sugars onto that list too. But do I avoid them? No. I just know that I should keep potatoes down to once per week and if I am going to eat wheat, it will be with good quality sourdough stuff.

And what about legumes?

Yes, they can cause havoc with SIBO and make anyone look 6 months pregnant in seconds. But once again, I have identified the ones that cause more symptoms than others (for me it's kidney beans and chickpeas).

But I still eat them, because I know how beneficial they are for me and they provide fuel for all of the anti-inflammatory bacteria that live in your colon.

And I have also noticed that by keeping my fibre up that my bowel habits improve (it's not rocket science!).

So lets go back to the cause again.....

The cause of your SIBO is a big clue if you are going to get rid of SIBO once and for all. Unfortunately for some, the cause can be due to adhesions and scar tissue in the pelvic region due to past operations. Constant visceral manipulation is required to reduce the scar tissue within the area. With this comes a very long time frame of healing...….

I discovered that I also have umbilical hernia (another causative factor for SIBO). But after I had met with a surgeon and understood what was involved in the operation, I decided to not go ahead. I felt that the scar tissue post op was going to be far worse than my little sticky outy belly button.

So its not all doom and gloom, and I certainly don't want to put you off in treating your SIBO. For some, it can be a simple cause such as post infectious IBS (just a little bit of gut dysbiosis and a teeny bit of inflammation). But the main take home point is that EVERYONE is different. And yes, it's worth exploring what is causing your unwanted gut symptoms and take the necessary treatment from there.

I just felt that I wanted to share my journey with living with SIBO. I have accepted it (that doesn't mean you should have to too). But I do know that my overall gut microbiome is a lot happier and healthier by me including a high variety of foods into my daily diet.

I also keep my symptoms down by adding movement into my life (yoga) and by keeping on top of my stress levels by ensuring my nervous system is supported and making sure my cup is always full (well 3/4 anyway!)…..

If you would like to listen more about my SIBO story, you can on The GUT GURU podcast.

If you would like support in your gut journey, you can by joining the FB group- Happy gut, Happy you

Do you still have a question?

Send me a message below.....

Getting Real with Reflux

Majority of the people I see in my practice deal with gastro-oesophageal reflux disease on a daily basis. It's reported that between 10-48% of people in Western countries suffer from the disease!The main symptoms of GERD (reflux):

• Heartburn
• Regurgitation of gastric acid into the lumen of the oesophagus (also commonly known as food reflux)
• GIT discomfort

Symptoms can be so bad that quality of life is severely impacted, and also leading to reduced number of days at work.GERD if left untreated, can lead to oesophageal stricture, GIT bleeding, Barrett's oesophagus or even oesophageal adenocarcinoma. There is definitely nothing nice about GERD that's for sure!So what causes GERD?A lot of the research on GERD has stated the major contributors of GERD is lifestyle and nutrition. Other factors are:

• Age
• Body mass
• Smoking
• Physical activity
• Stress

When we start to look at your diet, the main culprits for aggravating reflux are:

• tomatoes
• foods high in fat
• chocolate products
• hot spices
• citrus fruits
• peppermint tea
• coffee
• carbonated beverages
• alcohol

It would be worth noting down your foods that you're consuming and when your symptoms are at their peak. Food diaries are a great way to manage and identify any patterns. You can download one here Food_Mood_Poo_DiaryThe way you eat food can also increase your symptoms. Make sure that you are NOT eating too quickly, big meals, between meals or just before sleep.Other causes of GERD can be physical ones, such as hiatal hernia and Transient Low Esoghageal Sphincter Relaxation (TLESR). These can be identified by an endoscopy; this is a great way to identify gastritis or any other inflammation within the gastrointestinal system.The common treatment for reflux is prescribing proton pump inhibitors (PPI's). This prescription drug is used to decrease stomach acid (therefore reflux). Long term use of PPI's isn't recommended; and other problems can occur such as bacterial overgrowth (very common with Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth sufferers). Eventually, your serum gastrin levels rise and symptoms can flare up again.The most difficult task of coming off PPI's is the rebound effect. This is where symptoms get worse before they get better.There have been numerous studies on the effectiveness of melatonin. Melatonin is mostly known for it's requirement to induce sleep. But did you know that majority of melatonin made is from your digestive tract?Melatonin protects the gastric mucosa, reduces free radicals in stress induced ulcers, inhibits secretion of HCL and pepsin!This makes melatonin ideal for treating GERD!!!Studies found that 3mg of melatonin at night reduced symptoms of reflux. This particular study took 4 weeks to reduce symptoms.If you are experiencing reflux and would like to reduce your symptoms naturally, fill out the contact form below.[contact_bank form_id="2" form_title="show" form_description="show"][/contact_bank]   

Alcohol & Leaky GUT

Australians have a reputation for our excessive alcohol drinking. It's within our culture to have an outdoor lifestyle, BBQ's, laid back attitude, scorching sun.....with a bevvy in our hands.The negative impacts of alcohol consumption is evident. I'm not about to start educating you about the physical and mental effects of alcohol. You can do so here.I see many people within my practice that have a leaky gut. A thorough health history is taken with all of my clients; and all usual suspects of a leaky gut are marked off:

• antibiotic use
• prescription medication
• post-infectious IBS
• stress
• operations
• reproductive health
• diet

But have you ever considered your alcohol intake?

Excessive alcohol intake (binge drinking), causes inflammation and creates gaps within our intestinal wall. Ethanol reduces good bacteria and increases unwanted endotoxins (bad bacteria). Alcohol is metabolised by the liver, and produces free radicals as a result. Which causes oxidative stress within our body.Increased inflammation travels to our brain, and increases depression, foggy thinking and 'sickness behaviour'.Alcohol impairs our nervous system and reduces nutrients such as zinc, Vit. D, folate and SAMe.Due to the intestinal permeability, conditions such as SIBO, Inflammatory Bowel Disease and some colon cancers can occur.

So what can you do to heal a leaky gut caused by over alcohol consumption?

Studies have that supplementing with the following have a positive impact in either inflammatory markers or intestinal permeability measures:

• Zinc supplementation- 50mg per day after a meal
• Vitamin D supplement
• SAMe supplementation
• Co-enzyme A supplementation
• Fish oil (anti-inflammatory)
• Vitamin C (anti-oxidant)
• Magnesium
• Glutamine

Probiotics:

• Lactobacillus LGG
• Bifidobacterium Infantis
• Bifidobacterium bifidum
• Lactobacillus plantarum
• Lactobacillus casei Shirota (yakult)

Prebiotics:

• Oats at 10gm per 1kg body weight.

Ways to reduce alcohol intake.....

• Stay within the 'drinking in moderation' guidelines
• Abstinence of alcohol- replace alcohol with a healthy habit.
• Swap to red wine. Studies have demonstrated that red wine contains polyphenols. Polyphenols are beneficial for gut bacteria.
• Identify the triggers of alcohol consumption. Avoid or reduce the triggers could lead to less alcohol intake.

Useful Resources:

Website- Hello Sunday MorningWebsite- Sexy SobrietySupport- Alcoholics AnonymousSupport- Drink WiseREFERENCESBarve, Shirish et. al. 'Development, Prevention & Treatment of Alcohol Induced Organ Injury: The Role of Nutrition, Alcohol Research, Vol. 28, No. 2 pg. 289-302Bishehsari, Faraz. et. al , Alcohol and GUT derived Inflammation', Alcohol Research, Vol. 38. No. 2 pg. 163-171Engen, Phillip A. et. al. 'The Gastrointestinal Microbiome- Alcohol effects on the composition of Intestinal Microbiota', Alcohol Research, Vol. 37, No.2Leclercq, S. Timory, P de. Delzeme, NM. Starket, P. (2017) 'The Link between inflammation, bugs, the intestine and the brain in alcohol dependence', Translational Psychiatry