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Tag Archives: WEIGHT LOSS

Categories GENERAL HEALTH

THE METABOLIC BALANCE® RECIPE BOOK

There has been a lot of interest and support in my ‘little’ project to create a Metabolic Balance®  recipe book (the constant mess in my kitchen suggests this project ain’t that little…). All the support has been lovely, but I thought I’d clear up some of the confusion around what to expect. While many of the recipes may be tasty and easy for those of you simply looking for ‘healthy’ wholefood meals, the Metabolic Balance®   program is extremely specific. Here are some of the  hurdles that I have to account for in creating suitable meals and a taste of what to expect from the book….

1, Metabolic Balance®   is strictly food.  I mean… literally, food only. No sauces, no packets, nothing processed, not a drop of soy sauce here or a touch of mustard there. So flavor must come from basic spices, dried and fresh herbs, salt, pepper, garlic, ginger and very clean broths only. On the upside, this is one of the reasons I do love Metabolic Balance®  – it teaches people to cook with real, basic ingredients. And one of the reasons why it works too – far too much of what we put in our mouths these days is not actually ‘food.’ Its chemicals – made in a lab. Not grown in a field. These fake foods are wreaking havoc with our hormones, our gut, our immune system, our metabolism, our health and as a result our LIVES.

2. It is completely individual. This is not a lie. There’s not say, 100 templates that exist and every person is ‘matched’ to one of them. No two plans are the same. Each individual receives a list of recommended proteins, fruits, vegetables and starches and from this list they create their meals. Each individual is also designated ‘quantities’ of each food group to consume. In general, the more complicated the case (i.e. someone with multiple medical conditions and / or ‘poor’ blood test results’) the more limited the food plan. While someone with less complicated pathology is likely to get a less restricted plan. So when writing a recipe book, this makes things rather hard… would you not agree? In putting the book together, I am trying to provide recipes based on all possible proteins that may exist on a plan and then build in a couple of different options  as accompaniments based around different vegetable combinations. I am also including substitutions wherever I can so that the recipes can be ‘adapted’ to suit most people’s plans. Further to this, each week I am pulling out a ‘different’ plan to base my culinary creations on for that week. My own personal Metabolic Balance®  plan had lots of options so if I wrote all the recipes based on that, the book wouldn’t be a very helpful resource to those with restricted options*.

3, Metabolic Balance®   is not a ‘dairy free’ ‘gluten free’ ‘soy free’ ‘egg free’ ‘grain free’ ‘fat free’ vegan program. See point 2 above. Some people… get milk on their list! Some people will be able to eat gluten on their plan! Some will have more vegetarian options, others will feature beef, some won’t have red meat. You get the point. I hope if you have been following me for a while you have ‘gotten the gyst’ that I am not a namer and shamer of food groups that are ‘bad.’ Personally, I take creamy cows milk in my coffee, I eat gluten everyday and sometimes I’ll take chickpeas over a steak but other days it just doesn’t cut it. I LOVE this point about Metabolic Balance®. Again, its about the individual. Not about the latest craze.  Further to this point, the blood tests on Metabolic Balance®  do NOT test for allergies, however these can be ascertained separately and then excluded from a plan. Many people I see in clinic are convinced they may have certain ‘intolerances.’ Intolerance testing is expensive and not always helpful and in my experience, signs of ‘intolerances’ tend to sort themselves out on a Metabolic Balance®  program.

4. Although not entirely relevant to the recipe book discussion, Metabolic Balance®   is a highly supported program. Anyone on a Metabolic Balance®  plan must be guided by a degree qualified Nutritionist consistently through the program. Its not a ‘quick fix’ program. Many of the people who embark on a Metabolic Balance®  may have had health issues for many years. Its a restoration process – back to good health. Sometimes it concerns me that people who have complex pathology will try short term fad diets or shake programs or be guided on the topic of their health and nutrition by someone with absolutely no professional qualifications. Having a serious medical condition and / or being overweight does require professional support. Its a physical, mental and emotional journey back from this state. And yet, we still search for the magic pill….

Enough now. I hope to have the first edition of the book out for current Metabolic Balance clients in about 5-6 weeks time. However, it will be at least 3 months before I properly publish and release it. If you are doing a Metabolic Balance® program then I hope it is an invaluable resource. If you are thinking of doing a Metabolic Balance®  program than it will be a great starting point to ‘feel’ the program. If you simply want to check out some really quick, clean, wholefood meal ideas then it may also be a bit of fun for you.

For more on Metabolic Balance check out this page here. Thanks for reading and keep up to date on the progress of the book via Facebook and Instagram.

*The more restricted plans are necessary for those with complex pathology that have a great deal of healing in front of them to restore health. Remember that Metabolic Balance®  is  designed by Medical Doctors and Nutritional Scientists, and accounts for complex conditions and medications – restricted plans are ‘checked off’ by a team and plans are ‘expanded’ on as a person’s health improves. Healing through food at its best.

Categories GENERAL HEALTH

WHY WAIT?

It’s December. That means 2 things are inevitable. Firstly, people are getting positively pogged on Christmas food and drinks (pogged is currently my favourite word, I find it hilarious). Secondly, the inevitable ‘new year’s resolution’ discussions are going to flow shortly – amongst friends, families and of course the media.

Both of these particular things have something interesting in common. That is, they produce an instant feeling of euphoria which is inevitably followed up by intense disappointment. Take the former. Overindulging at a Christmas party on rich food and alcohol might be fun at the time… but it doesn’t feel so grand the next day. If it happens a couple of times this month and of course on Christmas day than I definitely think that’s fair enough. (I’m all about balance

Balancing coffee in 1 hand and champagne in the other at a Christmas breakfast on the weekend….

and reality as we know – proof to the right!). BUT it’s just an awful feeling when your healthy diet and lifestyle goes completely out the window for the ENTIRE Christmas season. Waking up sluggish, feeling inflamed, sore in the joints, bloated, low in energy, ‘fluidy’ and generally crap is not a good way to enjoy the holidays.

The New Year’s Resolution game generally follows a similar pattern. I found a number of articles written by psychologists on the very subject of ‘why new year’s resolutions don’t work’ available here and here. One reason given was that the act of stating a new year’s resolution requires basically no effort… so there’s no preparation that goes in to work out how to actually achieve it. Secondly, most new year’s resolutions tend to be quite grand and don’t take into account the importance of taking small steps towards a goal and changing habits sustainably.

Since both of these particular issues are related to health (well, most NY’s resolutions are at least) I definitely feel that I can offer a solution here. Firstly, I want you to consider what aspects of your health haven’t been optimal this year. Maybe you are constantly exhausted and sluggish, perhaps you have chronic IBS, maybe you have a skin condition or maybe you really need to lose weight in order to avoid some serious chronic diseases taking hold. Think about what it would mean to you, how you would feel and what kind of life you could lead if these things were better managed. Now, you have really tied some value to a goal and visualized what you want to achieve. Secondly, I want you to consider getting started on this new vision NOW. That’s right, NOW. In December. Scary thought isn’t it? But guess what? This takes care of the first conundrum of drinking and eating your way through the month feeling ‘pogged’ but not actually being present to the really important things this Christmas. Because it’s likely with me by your side you are less likely to ‘let it all go’ and simply enjoy the odd treat here and there without completely writing yourself off. In addition, you won’t really be setting yourself up for a failed new year’s resolution. You will have put far more time and effort into formulating a really important goal for your future and you will be working alongside someone to help you towards it one sustainable habit at a time.

And finally, a big congratulations for those new clients who have come in to see me in the last week and are still booking up for the next few weeks. And the ones that are ready and waiting to begin Metabolic Balance – the hormone balancing / health restoring / weight release program I am now offering. Again, a program that works over time – 3 to 4 months to be exact – requiring consistent commitment, attention to the individual and hard work. These are the types of clients I really like to work with. Thanks for making my December not so lonely :).

Here’s to a FUN, but BALANCED December and the healthiest 2018.