What is it about the holiday season that gets us all in a tizzy? Buying gifts, parties, Christmas shopping, preparing feasts, visiting family, one-too-many wines, road trips…. Although it is an exciting time of the year for celebration, joy and getting together with those we love, the holiday season can bring with it a lot of stress and some bad habits that can be hard to kick in the new year. Surviving the holiday season with your health in-tact starts with planning for success and being prepared for what may get thrown your way. I have put together “ A Naturopath’s guide to hacking the holi ..read more

Stew season is upon us my friends. The rain, cold and cosy fires, at this time of year nothing beats coming home to the delicious aroma of cooking stew. I love stews because you can prep the morning of or night before, stick it all in a slow-cooker, and then come home to a yummy ready-to-go meal. You can load it full of whatever veggies you have available and beans or lentils for fibre. It’s also handy to freeze some potions for another time. We are lucky enough to know hunters, and have plenty of wild deer here in New Zealand, and happen to have a freezer full of venison (that I helped carry ..read more

From skipping breakfast, to 5am HIIT workouts, the internet is filled with trends that claim to be good for us. Unfortunately, many of these so-called “healthy” trends are the cause behind many issues I see with women in the clinic, mainly effecting hormone health. I know it’s confusing right! With so many outside sources giving their two cents, how do we know who and what to trust? Firstly, my main recommendation is to be mindful who you listen to for health advice. Look for the crediticals and qualification. Influencers on instagram may mean well, but unless they are qualified to be giving ..read more

Brassica vegetables, also known as cruciferous vegetables, are my all time favourite foods to incorporate into the diet as nutritional medicine. Its includes vegetables such as; Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, collard greens, kale, turnips, radish, horseradish, wasabi, watercress, bok choy and mustard greens. They are known to help combat a range of health concerns, including hormone imbalance, PMS, skin concerns, cancer, and contain an array of nutrients including like vitamin C, vitamin K, folate, maganese, beta-carotene, potassium and glucosinolates. Brassica vegetables a ..read more

These guilt-free spicy gingerbread men are gluten-free, vegan, refined sugar-free, delish and will get you in the festive spirit. My sister and I decided to make ginger bread men this year to give as gift and had so much fun making and decorating them. Great to do with kids or as a big kid :) Ingredients 1 1/2 cups of almond flour 1/4 cup of arrowroot or tapioca starch 2 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg 1/4 teaspoon cardamom 1/8 teaspoon salt 2 tablespoons of melted coconut oil 1/4 cup of pure maple syrup 1 tablespoon of blackstr ..read more

It's NZ Naturopathic Medicine Week ? I thought it would be a great opportunity to explain a little bit more about naturopathy, and why I choose to be a naturopath. Firstly, What is naturopathy? Naturopathy is a holistic healthcare system that takes into account the whole person, their lifestyle, as well as internal and external factors. It is a personalised approach to health care. It recognises that one size does not fit all and we all have individual factors in our lives which can contribute to health (or ill-health).  In a naturopathic consultation we uncover those factors, in order t ..read more

This frittata is a great excuse to get your daily veggie intake, in a delicious way that the whole family will love. You can use pretty much any vegetables you have lying around. The eggs make it high in protein and it is also gluten and dairy free. Frittatas are my go-to when I need to prepare meals for the week, it freezes well, and can be eaten for breakfast, lunch or dinner! Ingredients 1 small kumara 1/4 of a pumpkin 1 carrot 2 cloves of garlic 1/2 onion 1/2 cup mushrooms 4-5 broccoli florets (including stalks) 8 eggs Handful of spinach or silverbeet 1 Tbspoon of chickpea flour 1/2 cup ..read more

It's a biggy! Sleep hygiene is the practices and time leading up to sleep and also includes the set up of your sleep environment or bedroom. Your sleep hygiene should be go the highest priority, as proper quality and amount of sleep can determine your health and wellbeing. I can't stress this enough. Too often we take herbs or supplements to assist us with sleep, without first making sure our sleep hygiene is up to scratch. Your bedroom should be a relaxing sanctuary for only two things (sleep and being intermit). Here are the top "sleep sins" I commonly see in the clinic that create unhealth ..read more

Healthy functioning detoxification pathways is essential for the body. The liver plays a crucial role in detoxifying toxins, as well as a range of other essential functions. It is the largest organ in the body and arguably one of the most important. Many signs and symptoms seen in the clinic come back to sluggish or compromised liver function. The liver metabolises and excretes waste products such as toxins, drugs and hormones through the process of detoxification which involves filtering and neutralising toxic substances to be removed from the body. Liver detoxification has two phases, each ..read more

Sunday morning’s mean pancakes for breakfast in our house. We all love this weekly ritual and treat, especially my step-sons. The best part is, they are super healthy, packed with fibre, and contain no wheat, dairy or sugar! I changed up the recipe from week to week, depending on what’s in the house. E.g. I may add spinach, buckwheat, notes or other seeds…you can’t really go wrong with this one! As long as its well blended to a smooth constituency. Toppings are always fun, and we normally set the table with lots of options and let everyone pick their own. Toppings include tahini, peanut butte ..read more