At Funky Forest Health & Wellbeing we offer evidence-based dietetics, nutritional therapy, naturopathy, and body inclusive yoga classes in the beautiful
Sunshine Coast Hinterlands.
We operate from a Non-Diet, Body Acceptance, Health at Every Size® philosophy which values people for who they are.
We prioritise physical and mental wellbeing over weight.
If you're looking to get skinny or "lean" at any cost, then we
probably aren't the right fit for you.
But if health, fitness, strength and vitality are what you're after,
we might be exactly what you need!
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Funky Forest Health & Wellbeing acknowledges the Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the first inhabitants of the nation, and the traditional custodians of the lands where we live, learn and work. We pay our respects to ancestors and Elders, past, present and emerging.
LOVE AND DARKNESS: DITCHING HEALTHISM, SPIRITUAL BYPASS & TOXIC POSITIVITY IN YOGAMay 15, 2022
WHY CAN'T I LOOK LIKE AN INSTAGRAM FITNESS MODEL?April 5, 2022
WHY AM I LOSING MUSCLE MASS?April 4, 2022
ARE YOU SLOWING DOWN YOUR METABOLISM?April 3, 2022
HOW TO RESPOND TO WEIGHT LOSS "COMPLIMENTS" IN YOGA AND FITNESSNovember 22, 2021
10 WAYS DISORDERED EATING SHOWS UP IN YOGANovember 15, 2021
WHAT IS DISORDERED EATING, ACTUALLY?November 8, 2021
WHAT YOGA TEACHERS NEED TO KNOW ABOUT NUTRITION & BODY IMAGENovember 1, 2021
CUTTING + BULKING + MACROS, OH MY!...October 12, 2020
15 BENEFITS OF STRENGTH TRAINING THAT HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH HOW YOU LOOKAugust 20, 2020
performative activism: feigned anti-racism & white supremacy in yogaAugust 9, 2020
CHICKWEED MAGIC & MEDICINE: SOOTHER OF FIRES, MAIDEN STRENGTHMay 10, 2020
RED-S, LOW ENERGY AVAILABILITY, AND AMENORRHOEA IN FEMALE ATHLETESApril 29, 2020
April 12, 2020
INTRODUCING THE NON-DIET YOGI PODCAST!December 13, 2019
THE PALEO DIET: PROS + CONSNovember 18, 2019
THE MAGIC & MEDICINE OF MUGWORTOctober 29, 2019
ESSENTIAL OIL INGESTION: JUST DON'T DO ITOctober 6, 2019
FIRST MONTH ON OUR HOMESTEADOctober 4, 2019
THE ALTERNATIVES TO DIETINGSeptember 30, 2019
THE CALL FOR WISE, OLD WOMENJuly 31, 2019
THE WELLNESS DIET CYCLEJuly 17, 2019
BODY PEACE & PERMACULTURE: THE PARALLELSMarch 4, 2019
THE LAID-BACK parent's GUIDE TO BABY'S FIRST SOLIDSFebruary 13, 2019
CAN VEGANS GET ENOUGH DHA FROM FOOD?February 4, 2019
DON’T CALL ME YOGI.January 27, 2019
The Bitter TruthJanuary 11, 2019
CALLING OUT BS IN THE MAMA, YOGA & WELLNESS SPACESOctober 15, 2018
7 ways to boost your fertility with foodOctober 9, 2018
Witches don't diet.September 7, 2018
I'M NO EARTH MAMA, AND IT'S OKJuly 12, 2018
Is it really food sensitivity?July 6, 2018
BARBELLS and BREASTFEEDINgMay 29, 2018
The ‘sexy, spiritual, successful woman’ ideal – why it hurts usMay 14, 2018
BEYOND PITTA, KAPHA & VATA:
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When used with wisdom, Ayurveda and TCM can be doorways into intuitive eating. These systems offer concepts and ideas to experiment with, and can provide you with the courage needed to depart from diet culture tenets like "eat mostly raw salads". They can help you to curiously explore whether or not a concept applies to you. But first, you must get into your body...
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AYURVEDA & TCM:
INTUITIVE EATING OR dietary DOGMA?
April 12, 2018
Ancient systems like Ayurveda and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) seem a lot more accommodating to the seasonal fluctuations in food cravings that I experience. But does this mean I should cast aside my intuitive eating principles and rest easy in the comfort of eating according to my dosha (Ayurveda), or whether I'm ruled by the metal or the wood element (TCM)?
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3 WAYS TO ROCK YOUR Golden Month
April 3, 2018
Going through pregnancy, labour and delivery demands a lot from a woman - physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. Our recovery from childbirth is an extremely important - yet overlooked - time for new mums. We have a desperate need, both as individuals and as a society, to nourish the mother during this time more than any other...
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3 THINGS YOU MUST KNOW ABOUT POSTPARTUM NUTRITION
March 29, 2018
What you eat during the month after you give birth has the power to radically improve your strength and recovery. It is said in Chinese medicine, that what you eat and how well you take care of yourself during this crucial time has the power to impact your health decades down the track. Here are the three big nutritional principles to follow in your Golden Month.
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Baby Kairi's Birth Story
January 12, 2018
This is the story of the home birth of our second child, beautiful baby girl Kairi. It was the birth I felt I needed to have to heal from the trauma of my first childbirth experience. Although I had already worked through much of the trauma, disappointment and self-induced guilt, I still needed to know that yes, I could do it. I did the work. And amazingly, it happened.
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Why "pre-baby body" is a Bullshit concept
December 30, 2017
Diet culture is relentless in sending new mothers messages about needing to "bounce back" and lose the baby weight within weeks of giving birth. Sadly, the way many new mums attempt to live up to this impossible standard is through restrictive dieting and over-zealous exercise. Neither of which are in the best interests of mum or baby, especially if mum is breastfeeding...
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THIRD TRIMESTER update
December 29, 2017
We've been camping, unexpectedly moved house, I've sat uni exams, finished work for the year, written a bunch of articles, and I was a guest on a cracking anti-diet podcast! And at 38 weeks pregnant, I'm on the homerun and finally sliding into rest, nap and birth preparator mode after what's been a bloody exhausting third trimester full of ups and downs...
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Superfoods: Worth your money?
December 27, 2017
The marketing of certain "superfoods" reeks of false advertising. Think photoshopped women in bikinis laughing at acai bowls. And I think they're overpriced. If you genuinely dig the taste of acai, maca and chia they might be worth the money, but there are definitely cheaper alternatives that are just as (if not more) nutritious, and don't necessitate thousands of food miles...
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I'M RECOVERING FROM AN EATING DISORDER: CAN I STILL BE VEGAN?
October 18, 2017
I work with a lot of yoginis and yogis, alternative lifestyle leaders, animal rights activists, and environmentally conscious folk. I also work in the field of disordered eating. So naturally I often find myself in the situation where I'm chatting with somebody who is very keen to heal their troubled relationship with food... but they don't want to budge on their vegan ideals. Is this a problem?
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SECOND TRIMESTER Update
October 13, 2017
I'm glad to say that this time around things have been refreshingly different. In this blog I share my thoughts on being a "nasty" woman, my pregnancy self care regime, gentle nutrition, herbs, movement, real life emotional stuff, toddler breastfeeding agitation, bump shots (of course!)... and yes, a gender reveal.
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Treating allergies naturally
October 10, 2017
Do you dread high pollen count days? Is spring a season of antihistamine overload, soggy tissues, and hiding indoors? Treating seasonal allergies naturally is straightforward with the right know-how. When working with patients to become allergy-free I get them to picture a pyramid with three levels: a base, middle and apex...
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HOW I FAILED AT POSTPARTUM YOGA
September 20, 2017
After I gave birth to my first child, my personal yoga practice was feeling spiritually unfulfilling, and physically depleting as hell. The yoga I knew and loved just no longer worked. It was not giving me the vitality, peace and stillness it once did. It has taken many painful mistakes, and a near-complete abstinence from yoga for me to come out the other side. Here's what happened...
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WHY I QUIT YOGA (AND WHAT BROUGHT ME BACK)
September 19, 2017
For the last year and a half I have not taught yoga.
Why? Partly because I've had a gutful of how WANKY yoga culture has become. For some time, the joy I once derived from my practice disappeared - and the social injustices I see interwoven into western yoga culture have been a huge part of that. I want to share my taboo thoughts with you... |
"I stopped DIETING - BUT NOW I've gained WEIGHT AND I HATE MY BODY."
September 17, 2017
SUMMER BODY WOES ARE MADE IN WINTER
August 15, 2017
In late winter when we hear an escalation of mantras like, "Summer bodies are made in winter" - along with increased pressure to buy services and products that employ this rhetoric - I say, "Body shame is perpetuated by sayings like 'Summer bodies are made in winter.'" Your body is not the problem. Your belief that your body is the problem, is the problem.
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MY FIRST TRIMESTER... AGAIN!
August 8, 2017
Ok, so this blog comes a little late. I'm now 17 weeks pregnant, meaning I'm well into my second trimester. With a wedding, a honeymoon, a not-really-weaned toddler, recommencing uni, and the busiest spell I've had in clinic EVER, I've been a bit slack on the personal blogs! But I'll do my best to recount things from those first three lunar cycles of this pregnancy, my second...
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WEDDING! + 1 MORE EXCITING ANNOUNCEMENT...
July 30, 2017
Yep, it's official... Andreas and I are finally married! On the morning of Saturday 8th of July, we enjoyed a fantastic day surrounded by our closest friends and family. We were wed by amazing celebrant Rachel Harwood of Fire & Earth Ceremonies in a picturesque park in Currumbin, then had a lunch time feast down the road...
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Are you DIETING YOUR SEX DRIVE AWAY?
July 21, 2017
Any form of dieting that (however temporarily) dwindles away crucial female body fat, wrecks havoc on hormones, destroys healthy body image, and is a fast track to not feeling in the mood... and not comfortably being able to get it on even if you do somehow feel up for it. To ask women to become unnaturally thin is to ask them to relinquish their sexuality...
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PREGNANT? DON'T TAKE THIS CELEBRITY TRAINER'S DIETARY ADVICE.
July 20, 2017
With grossly incorrect caloric recommendations coming from everyone from celebrity trainers to practitioners seeking to profit from the hCG weight loss diet, it can become very confusing to know just how much women need to eat. So let's set the record straight about how much food we need to maintain optimal health - including our fertility and sex drive...
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AVOCADO HONEY & LAVENDER FACE MASK
July 18, 2017
Check out this recipe for a homemade avocado-based face mask featuring lavender essential oil. If only for the novelty of not having any MLM brands name-dropped and shoved down your throat. A great way to use ripe (read: frustratingly over-ripe) avocados, entertain your kid for a brief moment, moisturise, and feel like you're indulging yourself... all at the same time!
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THE SSSW IDEAL: WHAT IT IS + WHY IT HURTS
July 3, 2017
It's a female sexuality course, a yoga training, or a detox program that teaches you how to be the "right" kind of female: Sexy, Slim, Successful, and let's not forget the one caveat that makes it all cool: Spiritual. For years this has bothered me. As a yoga teacher and health professional, I've innately felt that there's something really icky about this kind of marketing...
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HUNGER, darkness & the WILD WOMAN
June 20, 2017
Hunger and fullness attunement is a wonderful tool for everyone to learn. But beyond helping you to reconnect with your body and heal food issues, this work can activate long withheld desires, instincts, intuition, and inner knowing: your inner Wild Woman. As the Winter Solstice approaches, there is no better time to embrace the darkness and...
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5 ways to turn shitty diet rules into gold
May 25, 2017
You may no longer be dieting. You may look in the mirror and recite your body positive affirmations every morning, religiously. You may have read all the non-dieting books, unfollowed those diet-y social media accounts, and shunned diet culture. "So why," you may be wondering, "do I still obsess about food?" Here I share my 5 top tools for...
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LABNEH: HUNG YOGHURT CHEESE
May 3, 2017
Autumn is traditionally a time to make fermented foods and preserves for winter. Labneh is a beautiful addition to any autumn meal, or just as a moreish snack with crackers and veggie sticks to keep you powering through a chilly afternoon. It's irresistably delicious, creamy, salty and tangy. This recipe is ridiculously easy and nearly makes itself, all you need is...
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BOOST YOUR FERTILITY - PART 2
May 2, 2017
Welcome back to part 2 of this three-part series on boosting your fertility, naturally, with minimal stress, and - of course - without weight loss dieting, BS fads, or restriction! If you missed out on part 1, you'll really want to read that one first, it's THAT important. If you're up to speed, then read on.. it's time to cover my other top tips for pregnancy preparation starting with...
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7 FERTILITY-BOOSTING TIPS BESIDES 'LOSE WEIGHT'
April 27, 2017
The number of women I see torturing themselves with 12-week weight loss challenges, meal-replacement shakes, and/or some other form of restrictive dieting after receiving weight-centric medical advice, is both staggering and heartbreaking. And the worst thing is, even if they do manage to temporarily lose weight through these avenues, the hard-won weight loss often...
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7 ways to slay diet mentality
April 25, 2017
Diet mentality, or diet thinking, leads to dieting behaviours. And dieting behaviours build a cage around a person that places serious limits on their capacity to live and enjoy a rich, full, and meaningful life. The mid-autumn moon cycle is known in many parts of the world as the Blood Moon or Hunter's Moon. And it is the perfect time for you to put this diet thing to bed, for good...
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DETOX: so NOT about juice fasts & colonics
April 20, 2017
When you hear the word "detoxification", what springs to mind? Juice fasting and colon cleanses? Coffee enemas and starvation? Health spas and slimming teas? For years, this is what I thought of when I heard that oh-so-sexy-sounding word, and practised, much to my body's distress. For the vast majority of people, these things are totally unnecessary. Here's why...
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The top 3 diets... to avoid
April 18, 2017
"It's not dieting, it's a lifestyle change." Sound familiar? Let's clear something up. Dieting – whether a fad, old school diet, a “detox,” or a “lifestyle” – is not just a verb; it’s an entire way of thinking that pivots on the intention of losing or controlling weight. It is both an individual mentality, and a cultural paradigm. So let's be super clear: Dieting is any approach to food that...
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THE PROBLEM WITH "THE NEW SKINNY"
April 11, 2017
Nowadays it's hard to dodge those stupid memes about "the new skinny". Like "fit or strong is the new skinny." Or even "curvy is the new skinny." But with this new standard of beauty disguised as health, we see the same obsessive, compulsive, unhealthy thoughts and behaviours that "the old skinny" generated: restrictive dieting, dangerous overtraining, and body hatred...
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11 "I'M NOT DIETING" DIETS
April 4, 2017
"I'm not dieting - I'm doing this for my health." Everyone knows that diets fail 95% of the time. But whilst I hear plenty of people declaring "I've given up dieting," a closer look at their eating habits says otherwise. They may no longer be doing weekly weigh-ins or counting calories, but the dieting thoughts remain. Those dieting thoughts look something like this...
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LIVER PÂTÉ RECIPE for the brave
March 27, 2017
When someone comes to me with low iron, one of the first foods I think of is liver. Yes, I know. Gross. But hear me out...
Liver is a true superfood – and you know how much I loathe using that word, so inundated is the health food marketing world with claims of it. So when I use it you know I really mean it. And you know I really, REALLY mean it when... |
Have you hit DIET ROCK BOTTOM?
March 24, 2017
This lunar cycle could be known as the Moon When Barramundi Enter Shallow Waters. In terms of making peace with food and our bodies, it relates to hitting diet rock bottom. Will you seize the chance to make change while the tide is low? Will you take the road less travelled, to finally catch yourself - and diet culture - out?...
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13 MOON CYCLES & INTUITIVE EATING
March 23, 2017
Body dissatisfaction, disordered eating, confusion around diet, and obsession with weight are a relatively modern phenomenon. They are a symptom of disconnection from our selves, and from the natural world. We can learn a great deal from observing nature, and from ancient traditions. Being aware of the 13 moon cycles can teach us about food, health...
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YOGA FOR NON-MYTHICAL CREATURES
March 19, 2017
Mermaids. Unicorns. Goddesses. Walk into a yoga studio these days and you may find yourself swamped in a glittery sea of them, depending on where you are. Self-proclaimed mythical creatures with an incredible yoga practice that makes a beginner want to give up then and there. What I want to know is, Where are the fat people? The trans people? The old people?...
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11 essential tips for autumn Health
February 18, 2017
At this time of year, as the sap of the trees and flowers returns to their root systems, we too are preparing to turn inward. In virtually every ancient medicine system, this season of harvest was seen as the time of the year to pull inward and gather together on all levels; a time to plan for the approaching darkness and stillness of winter.
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Heatwave food: Tom Yum Soup Recipe
February 11, 2017
Here's an easy recipe for Tom Yum soup, which is possibly the most delicious symphony of sweet, sour, salty, spicy, and something-I-can’t-describe-in-words, imaginable. All hot people eat spicy food, literally. Think of every traditional cuisine from an equatorial region – be it Mexican, Thai, Southern Indian, Vietnamese, Caribbean. You name it, if you can...
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Clean eating, dirty bleeding
January 30, 2017
Clean eating started innocently, but it has now taken on a new, twisted meaning. The implication is that if you're not "eating clean," then what you're eating is dirty or unhygienic - and YOU, by extension, are dirty. As women this hits a MIGHTY sore spot. We wouldn't embrace eating clean in its current elitist, food- and body- shaming form if we didn't think we were intrinsically...
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YOGA TEACHERS: PLEASE STOP GIVING TERRIBLE DIETARY ADVICE TO YOUR STUDENTS
January 23, 2017
I write this as a yoga teacher, and as a yoga student. I write this as a dietitian and nutritionist who sees the women and girls in clinic at the back end of yet another gruelling 10-day juice fast, or another winter freezing through raw foods; their thyroid, adrenals, and/ or reproductive health just a bit more depleted. Their relationship with food and their body having slid...
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TOP 3 Quick and easy blender recipes
December 19, 2016
Here are my favourite three easy peasy blender recipes to help you feel vibrant over the holiday season in the easiest possible way - they are great to taste. For all of them, you simply blend the ingredients together in a high speed blender and add any toppings suggested or desired. Savoury or sweet, if you're short on time (honestly, who isn't) - I think you'll find a favourite here!
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COCONUT KEFIR RECIPE
December 8, 2016
Kefir is a cultured milk product, very similar in taste to yoghurt. However, you can also make many yummy vegan forms of kefir, as it can be successfully made from the milk of nuts, seeds, coconut, or cereal grains. Kefir confers a wide range of health benefits, from relieving constipation to suppressing the growth of Salmonella, healing ulcers, and strengthening the immune...
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herbs for a hellish week
December 1, 2016
These 4 superfoods and botanicals helped me get through an intense pre-Christmas week. Four days of severe sleep deprivation has gifted me with the under eye bags of an English bulldog with conjunctivitis. This article covers what I did in the last week to help Archie deal with his mild fever (37.8 degrees Celsius at its highest point) and to support myself...
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Pyjama huevos rancheros
Paleo is like a pair of jeans
October 1, 2016
Like any therapeutic diet, paleo must be tailored to fit the individual. Like shopping for a good pair of jeans, there are several things to remember when looking for a paleo approach that suits you. This article is specifically for those currently eating paleo or thinking about it - but it can be easily applied to any food or eating ideology...
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20 SIGNS YOUR BODY CONFIDENCE IS ON THE RISE
September 20, 2016
A war is being waged against women’s body image, at the profit of certain corporations and industries, and at the detriment of women’s self-esteem and self-worth. Here are 20 ways to fight the good fight - things that I’ve noticed in my recovered clients, other body-positive women, and on good days - myself. And even if you don’t feel you’re completely on top of this...
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Why you binge, starve, and purge
August 17, 2016
In my work, I see people overeat, binge, emotionally eat, purge, restrict, starve, diet, dogmatically detox, clean-eat and over-exercise... In an attempt to feel a sense of safety, normality, rightness, and to quell uncomfortable feelings, if only it works temporarily. In my past, I've done all these things and more in my quest for certainty and safety...
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Dismantling diet rules
August 4, 2016
Got limiting diet beliefs? Rules like, "Carbs make me fat, " or "I must not eat after 6pm." The vast majority of my clients have at least a few diet rules, usually many more. I know it's a cliché but I love my work. I work with people experiencing eating disorders AND disordered eating (a.k.a. weight loss dieting). I especially love helping chronic dieters...
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11 tips for a healthy winter
July 1, 2016
Does winter leave you feeling congested or cosy? Sick or strong? Does the cold crisp air leave you devitalised, or invigorated? Grab a hot mug of golden milk, rug up and read on to discover how to get through this season flushed with health. Addicts to any kind of doing, many of us have been conditioned to think that if we aren’t moving, achieving, or acquiring, then we are...
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DIETITIAN OR NUTRITIONIST?
June 25, 2016
What is the difference between a dietitian and a nutritionist? This is a common question that I get asked on a near-daily basis. There is a consensus that the two professions draw on different philosophies. Dietitians are usually seen as being conventional practitioners who administer food pyramid-based diet plans. Nutritionists may be perceived as...
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my postpartum fitness regime
June 16, 2016
Since becoming a mum my exercise routine has changed drastically. I no longer have the luxury of spending an hour a day doing yoga, or trail-running 3-4 times a week for as long as I like. Most of my exercise routine incorporates baby Archie. It has to be maximally efficient in the limited time I have. Here’s what I do in a typical week...
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METALLICA & MEDITATION – THE PARALLELS
June 1, 2016
If meditation were a musical genre I dare say it would be metal and all of its sub genres. I love metal music. Mostly good old stuff like Metallica, but also alternative metal, and a little bit of crazy glam metal. I love that it can be dark, gritty, and sinister… or energising and transcendental, depending on which genre and artist you listen to...
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Rock your menopause
May 1, 2016
A full 85% of women suffer hot flushes, vaginal dryness, and emotional turbulence during menopause, and to top it off we are told that our risk of heart disease and of osteoporosis is rising! But does it have to be this way? Most of us know some women who seem to sail through menopause, and come out the other side stronger, wiser, and full of vitality.
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WHY MUMS SHOULD EAT MORE CALORIES & CARBS
April 30, 2016
There are lots of reasons women (and men) under eat calories, carbs, or both. But whatever your reason is for undereating, there is a price to pay for under nourishing your body in both the short and long term. Mamas are especially prone to under eating, and I'm no exception. I am constantly telling my clients to eat regular, well-balanced meals. So I feel a bit hypocritical...
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INTERGALACTIC CHOCOLATE TRUFFLES
April 24, 2016
You know those times when you create something so unexpectedly delicious, so unapologetically radical, so exceptionally epic, that it makes you want to jump up in glee and dance like a Beastie Boy in a Japanese train station?
Well, this was one of those times. The secret ingredient in these truffles is known in TCM to prolong life. |
Read more...
IMMUNE-BOOSTING SHIITAKE STIR FRY
March 11, 2016
Here's one of my favourite vegan autumn recipes, using the principles of TCM, and based on a recipe from my Chinese-malay mum! It's quick, easy, and most importantly, delicious. Shiitake mushrooms (Lentinula edodes) were a favourite ingredient in my mum's Chinese cooking while I was growing up, and I still love them today.
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I'm Casey Conroy,
Non-diet & HAES-aligned Dietitian,
Holistic Nutritionist, Naturopath in-training, Movement Teacher, host of the Non-Diet Yogi Podcast, 80's metal-loving mum + consultant for people who aren't getting the results they hope for, despite doing what is considered "healthy".
I am PASSIONATE about helping folks from all walks of life reach a deeper level of health. My mission is to support people in all bodies, genders, and income brackets to live a life of WELLBEING - free from food, weight and body obsession.
I support my clients in feeling their best with a blend of nutritional counselling, intuitive eating, traditional wisdom, body acceptance, and LOTS of loving encouragement!
You can read more about me here.
I look forward to helping you to nourish your mind, body and spirit!
Non-diet & HAES-aligned Dietitian,
Holistic Nutritionist, Naturopath in-training, Movement Teacher, host of the Non-Diet Yogi Podcast, 80's metal-loving mum + consultant for people who aren't getting the results they hope for, despite doing what is considered "healthy".
I am PASSIONATE about helping folks from all walks of life reach a deeper level of health. My mission is to support people in all bodies, genders, and income brackets to live a life of WELLBEING - free from food, weight and body obsession.
I support my clients in feeling their best with a blend of nutritional counselling, intuitive eating, traditional wisdom, body acceptance, and LOTS of loving encouragement!
You can read more about me here.
I look forward to helping you to nourish your mind, body and spirit!
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