Author Archives: Arlie Miguel

I’ve had a string of iron-deficient women through the door in the last two weeks and at times I’ve been tearing my hair out with frustration. Not in frustration at these women…. more in frustration that we don’t educate enough around the seriousness of iron deficiency and what iron deficiency does to the body.

You see, most women believe that having low iron will just make you tired and, yes, this is one of the symptoms. This is due to the fact that iron is a major component of red blood cells, which carries oxygen around the body. However, as I continue to remind all of my clients, all of our ‘parts’ talk to each other and nutrients have more than one role within the body.

So, let’s take a closer look at iron and three of the major consequences of long-term iron deficiency:

1. Iron is critical for immune function, specifically the formation of lymphocytes which fight infections. A chronic iron deficient presentation may include recurring sicknesses, for this reason.
2. Iron is required for the formation of and proper functioning of thyroid hormones. So, long-term deficiency places a great deal of stress on the proper functioning of this sensitive little gland. In an individual who is genetically susceptible to thyroid problems, this could be enough to ‘flick the switch’ to a full-blown thyroid condition.
3. The sheer exhaustion and fatigue that accompanies iron deficiency may lead to depressive symptoms. In fact, there are many nutrient deficiencies that may be treated with anti-depressants for symptomatic relief that are in fact caused by underlying deficiencies that may never be addressed (unless you see a Nutritionist of course!).

I’m not going to give you a list of symptoms of iron deficiency because that will inevitable lead to everyone deciding they have an issue with their iron levels, when in fact you MUST have your levels tested to confirm or deny an iron deficiency.

Now for the second part of this update, let’s talk about why it’s more challenging than many may think to maintain iron levels.

It’s actually not that difficult for men, however, most healthy women menstruate monthly which means, not only do we have to meet our daily needs for iron, we also must have good stores to allow for blood lost every 28 days.

The daily recommendation for iron intake, as per the Nutrition Australia website is 18mg or women. Now, a 200g steak, which is a decent serve for a woman, will give you less than half of this… And, I doubt your throwing two of these back a day right?

In fact, go to the website now and check out the iron content of some of the most iron-rich foods. What you will quickly find, and what I spend my days showing clients, is that its quite difficult to meet the RDI with food alone.

Therefore, supplementation of this little mineral that does so much for us is sometimes required (again, a deficiency must be confirmed by a blood test – don’t simply supplement it!). Vegetarians, vegans, pregnant and lactating women, super active women, those with IBS or coeliac disease (who aren’t absorbing much) and those with heavy periods are most likely to require supplemental iron.

In my view, it’s far better to top up on a nutrient from time to time, if you know you are susceptible to a deficiency, than wait until you face more serious consequences like those listed above.

I’d like to address another myth here too: You can not, I repeat, you can not treat an iron deficiency by ‘eating more spinach.’ This is another little one I’m hearing all too often. It’s not going to work guys – again go back and do the math yourself!

Ok, the final hurdle. Perhaps you’ve been told you have a definitive iron deficiency. You’ve made a few changes to your diet to assist with this long-term and short-term you’re taking an iron supplement… but man its yuck! Hello constipation and sore tummies! Don’t give up! You’ve been told to supplement for a reason (again, to avoid consequences listed above) and there are OTHER options that are gentle on the bowels and the tummy that will not cause major blockages in the pipes!

If you want to know more about iron, listen to our podcast dedicated to iron deficiency on The Nourished Wrap.

If you suspect this may be an issue for you, then book in to see us. We’ll run some tests, we’ll sort you out with the right treatment and correct your diet to prevent it from happening again.

This week in the news, we’ve seen:

1. The couple who survive on a diet of fruit and fruit alone (and who do not brush their teeth just to sensationalize that a little more…)
2. The new ‘satiety’ miracle pill that’s soon to be available through GPs and pharmacies (i.e. a miracle pill that stops you from eating so much because it makes you feel full…) and
3. Why you can’t bite into a strawberry anymore without fearing for your life due to needle contamination.

Is it any wonder you are confused? I’ve had a handful of new clients this last few weeks who literally do not know what to eat anymore.

Firstly, let’s remember that what you read may… (truth bomb coming) not be the whole story. I know, crazy to thing that newspapers and magazines these days may not print the entire story, right?

Second, let’s remember that you are you. And there is no one else that is youer than you (thanks Dr Seuss). You may ‘do life’ a little differently to me. You may have have different circumstances, health considerations, ethical considerations, activity levels, intolerances, allergies and symptoms from me. So it’s ok if we all eat a little differently. Ok? Just because your friend is following some kind of program that’s making her feel amazing, doesn’t mean its going to work for you.

Third, let’s remember the basics. Real food. Get some protein on the plate. Anything green is ALWAYS a bonus and should be included in at least 2 of your main meals. Some carb – think fruit, starchy vegetables or wholegrains… not chips, lollies and chocolate.  And water. Lots of water. Mainly water… water and nothing else perhaps.

(Side note: Item 1 above, really doesn’t meet ‘the basics’ at all, so I don’t recommend you try that one at home. K?)

And if what to eat is still causing you stress than let’s navigate that together. Come on in. I’ll listen to your concerns. Work out what you need. And tweak it so you feel good. Contact me here for an appointment (I’m now available Mondays too!)

The ‘noise’ that seems to be causing the biggest issues include concepts like: ‘dairy is inflammatory,’ ‘red meat is bad for you,’ ‘gluten is the devil,’ ‘carbs are evil,’ ‘olive oil is out and coconut oil is in,’ ‘veganism is the way.’

Hmmm. Noise is not worth listening too or reading about. Get some professional help. At the end of the day, you could google ‘is broccoli bad for me’ and you’ll find plenty of reasons why it’s actually the devil! The great big world of Google may have solved some problems, but it sure has caused a fair few as well!

Oh… and wondering whether you should do a spring detox? Get onto to our latest episode of the Nourished Wrap and we’ll break that question down for you too!

Anyway. My wish for you today is that you simply sit down and eat. Don’t stress about it. Just have a couple  of good meals that include ‘the basics’ outlined above. And don’t overthink it.

If you can do that regularly, I can promise you will be healthier than 98% of the population. And if the other 98% of the population followed suit, I’d be out of business.

I think lots of people wonder what I actually do every day. I’m sitting here on Friday afternoon reflecting on the week that was and making sure I’ve finished off all the files that have been opened since Tuesday. Here’s a little peep of the action from the last few days:

• A lovely young adolescent with a multitude of symptoms and an autoimmune condition has been with me for about a month now. We have resolved some digestive symptoms and we are working on managing some severe joint pain she’s experiencing.
• I’ve been working with a new client for the last few weeks who has had a lifelong chronic skin condition. There are lots of foods that are aggravating this condition so we are doing some very specific gut work which will allow us to introduce more variety back into his diet over the weeks and months to come so that we can avoid any future nutrient deficiencies.
• This week I’ve sent out half a dozen letter to General Practitioners. Quite a lot of my clients recently had have blood tests done privately (mostly to get started on Metabolic Balance) and if any result comes back out of range, I copy the GP into the tests with a forwarding letter. This means everyone’s in the loop and the GP can scope anything that might need urgently attending too.
• Some clients send me a food and symptom diary each week. I’ll go through this and email back if required in between their appointments. This is not necessarily for weight loss – mostly its where someone is experiencing a lot of digestive discomfort. By logging it in a diary, we can see if its occurring after meals or all the time, what kind of pain it might be, when the symptoms are most severe, if bowel habits are regular etc. We can also start to see if there are any correlations with stress or certain foods. It’s most helpful in really painting the picture of what’s happening and potentially why.
• I had 2 clients reach the end of their first week on Metabolic Balance® this week. Both have had good results with some good weight loss in the first week, but even more importantly symptoms like joint pain and sleep significantly improving.

That was a snippet of my ‘week that was’ and I’m back for more tomorrow. In the midst of this I was creating chaos in my kitchen working on Metabolic Balance® recipes. Some successful…. some not so successful admittedly (they won’t make the book!) How was your week? Anything I can help you with that might make your life healthier and happier?