I've spent 30,000 hours supporting women to feel healthier, and here’s one thing I wish every woman knew...

0:07Welcome to Motherkind. We are proudly sponsored by Wild Nutrition's Women's Supplements. I am your host Zoe Blaski and this is the show that is going to grab you by the hand and be your guide through the wild ride that is modern motherhood. Every week I bring you world-leading experts and thinkers to give us new ideas, new tools, new support, new inspiration for our lives as mothers. We span everything here from work to well-being to relationships to mental health to healing and parenting and I am very happy that you are here. Well, let's talk about nutrition, but let's make it realistic because let's face it, we need it to be quick.

0:43We need it to be easy and make a massive difference. So today's episode in the September Reset series is how to make tiny shifts in the right direction with your nutrition. That is going to help you feel more energy, less exhaustion, brain fog and stress. And yes, what you're eating has a massive impact on how you're able to handle stress. More of that in the episode. As you know, I partner with Wild Nutrition, a brand I absolutely love. I'm so proud to partner with them. I've used them for nearly a decade. So I asked the head of nutrition at Wild Nutrition to come on. Her name is Isabel Nunn.

1:23She is a registered clinical nutritionist with a master's in pharmacy. she also brings over 15 years of experience in nutrition and healthcare. She's a mother of two, age seven and four and a half. So she knows what she's talking about, both personally and professionally. And I am so excited for you to hear this episode. Isabel reveals the simple swaps we can all make to reset our energy, especially focusing on breakfast and hydration. Did you know that being even 1 % dehydrated can cause you cognitive issues? I'm going to grab a glass of water immediately. We also talk about family dinners that pack in the nutrition, lots of inspiration there and why cutting back on sugar can have such a massive impact on your energy.

2:11And I talk about my own experience. I have been off refined sugar for seven months now. So we talk about that a lot, about how I did that, why I did that and whether everyone should do that. I think we all know what we should quote unquote be doing when it comes to nutrition, but this episode really helps to bridge the gap between knowledge and practicality because let's face it the knowledge is useless unless we actually start making some small changes and that is what this episode is about I hope you love it here it is

2:49isabel i'm so excited to chat to you just have such a brilliant vantage point because you are an incredible nutritional therapist and you speak to thousands of women and mothers as part of your role at wild nutrition i'm just so curious to know what are the big common challenges that you just see coming up time and time and time again? Yes. Hi, Zoe. Well, thank you for having us, first of all. So as you said, we speak to thousands of women and the common challenges that come across include mothers feeling time poor, having that feeling of poor energy and exhaustion really. And I think it's also that day-to-day stress of coping with work, motherhood, just depleting them of essential nutrients that would really support them their energy levels and just feeling their best to carry on so these three are the most spoken about day in day out no matter at what life stage they are yeah I feel like energy is just the big one isn't it because it's so hard when you're in it when you're so time poor and I think most of us intellectually know that we have to be eating better, you know, less caffeine, less sugar.

4:10We sort of know all that, but it's so hard to put it into place when you're on that sort of hamster wheel of like up school run or nursery run into work, you know, maybe no lunch hour, home pickup, kids tea. Often like the mothers that I speak to, you don't sit down till like 9pm and who's going to cook a meal at 9pm? Like you're going to grab a bowl of cereal or a slice of toast, aren't you? So I think it's so difficult almost that cognitive dissonance between knowing what we should be doing and not being able to do it. Do you see that gap as well? Yes, absolutely. And also, if we are generally feeling exhausted and tired, we don't necessarily make the right choices.

4:48We feel that everything is a real drag to plan the meals, to prepare a breakfast or a snack for yourself. You become the last person. Really what we tend to find is also the time poor mothers is that they don't sit down and have something they really enjoy. And we know that digestion, up to 30 to 50 % of digestive processes are actually starting before you eat. It's that cephalic phase that allows the secretion of the right enzymes and to support that breakdown of nutrients. So it's that smell, that taste, that anticipation of a meal. But for you to have all of this, you need to give yourself that time.

5:31So are you able to just make one small shift, like prepare a nutrition snack per day for the week, and then the following week, you could try and implement something else. And when I think of snacks, I mean, we want them to be nutrient dense. Obviously, no one has the perfect diet, but we know that, for example, omega-3 fatty acids that you'll get from your oily fish, your avocado, your nuts and seeds are incredibly important for brain function. They're incredibly important for hormonal production. When we are in that fight or flight mode, so that body's reaction that, oh, I've got to do this, I've got to drop the kids, I've got to go back and start work on my laptop, we tend to generally release cortisol and adrenaline.

6:13Now, this is something which, you know, animals also experience and it's a natural reaction. But what tends to happen is when it continues on a chronic basis, we then experience a real period of exhaustion and lack of energy. Women who tend to be quite low in energy may present with low iron levels, low vitamin D levels, they might experience low magnesium. So we would always recommend that it's really important for you to actually have some of those tests done regularly. With vitamin D, we know that one in five adults will be deficient. It's important for bone and muscle function. That is incredibly important as we age before we reach that premenopause, perimenopause and menopause stage.

7:02But also for pregnancy, vitamin C has a huge importance in healthy fertility, pregnancy, and also menstrual disorders. Other than that, iron is also incredibly seen on a regular basis to be quite low in many women, especially in menstruating women, but also pregnant women. And that can have consequences on if you are deficient in iron during pregnancy, as well as once you have your baby, consequences such as low birth weight, for example. But it also drags to the point where you don't have the time to recover. So that deficiency then leads to you feeling again fatigued, lack of motivation and the lack of will to even exercise and look after yourself.

7:49So where do you think someone should start? You mentioned having tests. Is that where someone should start? They're feeling exhausted. They've got no energy. They know they need to improve their diet. Was the first step getting a test and where does someone access those? Can we get them free on the NHS? How does that work? Yes. So you can have a thyroid checkup. You can have a vitamin D checkup and iron checkup. You generally have to ask your GP and suggest, you know, I'm not feeling great. I'm feeling tired. I'm feeling lethargic or I sleep well, eat well. But yeah, I'm still experiencing those symptoms because we don't necessarily offer the test routinely.

8:30You do have to go and ask. Okay, so that's really good advice. So the first step, if you're feeling exhausted, is to go to your GP and know that you can advocate for yourself and request one of those tests. Yes, absolutely. Wild Nutrition offers a free consultation, doesn't it? Yes, absolutely. So a free 15-minute consultation to anyone who would like to book through the website. We have a team of nine nutritional therapists and each have different expertise, but they will all be able to guide someone starting with the basics, diet, lifestyle, tests, and help understand what do we do next. It's not all about, you know, fixing it the same way for everyone because it's all very individual.

9:21Okay, great. So we've got two really practical things that we can do. The first one is you can request those tests from your GP. And the second one is I say to everyone, just get the wild nutrition consultation because you guys are all, I know from behind the scenes, incredibly qualified. And it's just, and it's free. It's just absolutely incredible. So I'd encourage everyone to do that. I wanted to talk about hydration and breakfast because these are two things that I see in my own life and in, you know, my mother kind community of things that we can really let slip. And yeah, I know from chatting to you and others at Wild Nutrition how important those two things are for how our day goes.

10:02Like if we start our day dehydrated and we haven't had breakfast or we've had a kind of sugary breakfast, that can just impact everything. So can you tell us some simple things that we can do on those two fronts? Yes, absolutely. So again, the first thing you do when you wake up, it would be idea that you start with some water. You then move on to your coffee or your tea, because like you said, hydration can really impact everybody's system. You know, if you're just mildly dehydrated, one to two percent, you start experiencing cognitive troubles. So the memory, the brain fog, we know that hydration will also support your hormones as well.

10:40causing headaches, tiredness. So hydration can be in the form of liquids, obviously, but you can also think of it for your meals. So for example, having a soup contains plenty of fluids, having a smoothie as well, making sure you're also checking in on what your level of activity is, where you are in the time of a month, because if you're menstruating or you're pregnant, your needs are even higher. If you've got a greater physical activity level, you would need to top up on those. I would suggest always if water is not your main source of hydration, you can definitely flavor the water with mint leaves or do it the way you really enjoy it.

11:23But try and focus on herbal teas. Tea is also helpful in terms of hydration. Coffee will provide you a form of fluid. However, coffee also has a slight dehydrating effect. So there needs to be that right balance there. Sometimes people will be like, oh, I've drunk many cups throughout the day, but what does that represent? And is it the right level for you? And also some fruits and vegetables are really high in water content. So cucumber, watermelon, obviously throughout the summer, we might enjoy these a lot more, but I do find something like a broth or a soup can be a way of topping up. And we know that also bone broths are incredibly nourishing for the skin, collagen production, healthy connective tissue support, especially if you're exercising.

12:11So all of these, yeah, matter incredibly. And to your point around breakfast, I think the idea of eating first thing in the morning is not to someone's priority, especially if you're on the go on the move. And ultimately, I'd say, you know, it's not important the time of day you have your breakfast, as in we're not very strict on the fact of having it at 6 or 6.30 or 7.30, but it's more ideally you would align your breakfast with your body clock. This supports your metabolism. This supports your production of hormones and also gets you ready to kickstart the day with that nourishing breakfast.

12:52It doesn't have to be a lot. It could be a banana and a couple of nuts. It could be a cake with some peanut butter or for some others who have a bit more time, it could be eggs, which give you that protein or some porridge, for instance. So again, I would suggest sometimes that time poor element comes back in. So a little bit of prep ahead would be ideal. Lean on the community that surrounds you too. I mean, you obviously talk to many experts on a weekly basis, and I'm sure they've got great tips to offer there. What are some really good prep ahead breakfast? Because I think that's probably the key to this, isn't it?

13:31That you can just grab something out the fridge. What are some of those that people could try? Yes. So we can often suggest something like bircher muesli, which you can do perhaps on the weekend, soaking your oats, adding fruit, adding nuts. And you can make a batch of those and just have it ready to go. If you're commuting and that bircher muesli is not really your your favorite, I mean, boiling eggs the night before and having that with some crackers. I mean, a lot of people will not put a toast in the toaster ready to go. It will go all cold and not ideal. Other suggestions would be soaking chia seeds as well with flax seeds.

14:10Flax seeds have a brilliant effect on hormonal balance. Chia seeds will also provide you with the essential fatty acids, the protein and the fiber. And we know that also supporting your gut microbiome with all that lovely fiber really supports the gut brain connection. So helping those who tend to experience feelings of anxiety or overwhelm can be really useful. We know it can also support sleep. So it will help produce the right neurotransmitters. So the right brain chemicals to help induce calmer states so that sleep is a little easier for that person who's just wired over time and finds it hard to switch off yeah I love those chia seed puddings I think that I really like the taste I really love that you could just pile loads of different stuff on top and I make them ahead and they go in the fridge and you can just grab them the kids won't eat them but you know I don't mind I'm sort of making breakfast for them and then sort of literally shoveling yeah and I think that works really well and exactly and you don't even need to make a lot of it I mean you must have found it yourself.

15:17You soak it overnight and gosh, it really swells up. And with chia seeds in particular, it's really important to stay well hydrated because it really forms that binding, exerts that binding effect in the gut. So it has that mucilage, which is really soothing on the intestinal lining, but we need to have a lot of water to make sure everything supports the digestive processes properly. Other things that some individuals enjoy is like a frittata or some sort of muffins with egg, spinach and tomatoes. I mean, I tend to be a bit more like you. Something like chia seed pudding is easier on the go for me, but there are so many options for those who really seek it.

16:01I mean, a smoothie also could be it with oats. If you feel like building up your protein amount as well, you can include a form of protein powder. A whole food form of protein powder would be most ideal rather than one that has synthetic isolated forms. Just explain that difference because I think a lot of people might not know. What's the difference between whole food and synthetic? So for example, at Wild Nutrition, we follow the principles of food grown nutrients. So we always provide nutrients in a form that has all its cofactors. So your vitamin C, for example, will have its bioflavonoids, will have a routine, will have glycoproteins.

16:46Similarly, when you look at protein and you look at different packs, you could have, for example, options on a shelf of whey protein isolate or P isolate. I mean, there'll be loads of varieties. Isolating a protein can have its benefits, obviously, because you can have a higher potency of that component. Different forms of protein will be effective also for different types of training and needs. However, what we tend to find is that the body is able to respond better to a form that is closer to its original form. So you can then better retain and absorb. So in the protein, for example, that is offered at wild nutrition, we have a blend of mushrooms, we've got pea protein, we've got other nutrients to support energy, to support hormone balance, but you don't have any additives or sweeteners and no synthetic isolated products.

17:44We know that synthetic nutrients as well as synthetically added sweeteners can affect your digestion. So not ideal if you're trying to improve your health and nourish your body and mind for all these processes to get back in tune. And the body recognizes kind of food grown as food. So that makes a huge difference, doesn't it? So I think it's so important because I used to think supplements were supplements, to be honest. And it was only when I started really working with you guys at Well Nutrition, I really understood the differences between how wildly different so many of them are and to always look for something that's food grown.

18:30Because it basically means that your body recognizes it as food and processes it as such, as opposed to something kind of made in a lab that's synthetic.

18:46I wanted to move on so we talked about hydration we talked about breakfast we talk about the big things that you see women and mothers deficient in I wanted to talk about sugar and grabbing sugary snacks because when I was early in my matrescence so when I had sort of a newborn and a four-year-old, that was my go-to. I was just eating nonstop sugary snacks, like, you know, chocolate bars, cans of Coke, all of that, just to kind of keep me going. And then I would experience the crash. And I totally get it because that's, to be honest, it felt like I needed that false energy at that time. But can you talk, if that was something you see a lot of as well, if we wanted to change that relationship with sugar where do we start and are there things that we can have because sometimes we just do need that energy you know it gets to 3 30 you've got three hours till bedtime you're done in you know you sometimes we do need something to push us through and what would that be that wouldn't give us that kind of sugar crash three questions in one yes absolutely okay so rightly so as you explain especially in that post-partum period, a lot of women are sort of depleted in sleep.

20:04So that's your number one, trying to make sure that your sleep hygiene is good, getting your sleep levels right. It's not just about quality, but it's consistency. You will be able to make better choices throughout the day. So when you are a new mother, it's very hard to keep up and have that control over that habit. When we then experience what come across women who tend to have those cravings on a more regular basis and just find that stopping that habit is really hard. Sometimes it could be deficient in certain nutrients or it's just they associate that habit with a comfort. So what else can we do to replace that?

20:45But from a nutritional level, what we've seen is if your meal at night contains a good amount of protein as well as a good source of unrefined carbohydrates. You will help keep your blood sugar levels nice and stable. And similarly throughout the day. So your protein intake and your fiber intake will make a huge difference. So spreading it the way that works for your body with your lifestyle makes a great difference. When you are craving those sugars, I mean, obviously having the odd piece of dark chocolate will not do you harm. It's more the fact that are you able to stop at one or two? And is it a daily thing?

21:26Because as you said, it can cause a blood sugar spike. It can impact your hormones. It can impact your energy levels. And it can also, especially if you're taking it at night, it can impact on your sleep because your blood sugar levels have a huge role to play on sleep, a huge role to play on metabolic health as well, which is what we're seeing with healthier aging now, and especially that conversation around weight loss medication or trying to live healthily for longer. So looking at your metabolic function, metabolism is really important. So your ability to use your body's stored levels of energy to process everything that needs to be done throughout the day.

22:06What you put in your meals throughout the day is important. Making sure that your last meal is not a heavy meal. It's high in protein, high in fiber, ideally not eating too late as well. So you give your body that rest to digest over a certain period of time. Now, I'm not talking about fasting drastically. I'm just talking about leaving your body that gap. So sometimes, for example, when customers are asking a nutritionist, oh, but I've had my salad or I've had a really healthy meal at six or I've been grazing with the children earlier in the day, that's okay if I still have a piece of chocolate or a dessert at like eight, nine o 'clock.

22:47And actually it's not late, but what tends to happen is that your body is really good at balancing how it's going to break down the food that you're going to put in the body at the right time. So not only sleep consistency makes a huge difference, but also eating at consistent times. So what happens is that your blood sugar levels will spike again at 8, 9. And if it's spiking again at 8, 9, depending on what you've put in the body, it just doesn't help. So when you have that craving, you could also reach out for things like a date with some peanut butter, apples with, again, some nut butter or a cracker if you're really hungry.

23:25But ideally, you're resetting your main meals so that you can keep your blood sugar levels nice and balanced. And the same thing applies to alcohol. We love sometimes a glass of wine in the evening, especially when we're relaxing, the children are in bed, all done, and you're not necessarily eating. But what does alcohol do? It will spike your blood sugar levels, especially if you're having an empty stomach. So I'm always suggesting, and the colleagues of mine are also doing the same, is if you are going out for an aperitif or you're planning to have a bit of alcohol on its own, ideally combine it with your meal rather than taking it separately.

24:04it's the same with a form of sugar or dessert that you're enjoying just have it right at the time of your meal so that the fiber and the protein in your main meal will actually slow down your body's uptake of that blood sugar level and that impact that you have on your hormonal balance so that would be my tip if you just really would like a little piece of something or a treat yeah it's so interesting because i came off refined sugar at the start of the year so i haven't had any for seven months and my energy levels have never been higher why is that why is me not having as much refined sugar improved my energy so much yeah well like you said everything that you put in your body your body requires cellular energy to break it down utilize it and repair.

24:58So sugar, just like an ultra processed food, will require your body more of that cellular energy to utilize and break down. And therefore, it's giving yourself less of that energy to support your gut health, your repair, your skin health and your hormones. So if you've taken that element out, you're giving your body 100 % of the chances to do what it should be doing. it's really interesting that obviously you're experiencing that and that says it all and I think it's really worth for people to give it a go I'm not saying ban it for your entire life but for your listeners out there I think it would make a massive difference to their energy levels yeah I couldn't believe the difference I did it because I was just almost getting addicted to it yeah and I was feeling that that sort of roller coaster cycle And I just could not believe after two weeks, the increase in my energy and also my brain fog really cleared.

25:59I could think clearly again. I was making decisions quickly, clearly, easily. Yeah, sharper. And I was just like, this is all because I'm not having cakes and chocolate. It's actually crazy the impact that it had on me. Yeah. And again, it goes back to the simple changes that you can make yourself, but you need that real commitment. Did you find the beginning quite hard? Yes, I did. Particularly when we went away, we actually went skiing and everyone was having desserts and hot chocolates and I had none of that. That was quite hard. But I am quite a weird person in that when I decide something, that is that.

26:41I'm very, very sort of willful, I suppose. Yeah. So, yeah. And I think because the benefits were feeling so good, that's what kind of has motivated me to keep going. So, yeah, I would really encourage anyone to try. Is there anything to be aware of when we're stopping sugar? Is there anyone that shouldn't do it? Or is it quite safe for everyone to experiment with their sugar intake? I mean, it's quite safe. I'd say, obviously, during a pregnancy, we might not want someone to make a drastic change to their health. but if they are planning to cut down on sugar that's one of the things that you know ideally they start thinking of because of a risk of gestational diabetes and we know also chronic sugar intake will lead to cardiovascular markers so that metabolic health piece um cholesterol blood pressure it all is interconnected really it's not just sugar is a bad guy we used to think fat is the bad guy but actually yeah sugar does have detrimental effects on health in the long run and I wondered what are some of your you know you're a nutritional therapist you're thinking about these things day in day out I just wondered if you could tell us what are some of your go-to meals that you do for your family I know you've got two kids just give us a bit of inspiration I actually have no idea what I'm making for dinner this whole week so this is kind of a selfish this is a selfish question what are some of the meals that you just you go to that the kids like you like you know they're packed with you know great nutrition yeah so um there is this salmon recipe I know it might sound like oh everyone does salmon in the oven but it's just delicious and it's a recipe that I got from family kitchen that Natasha Koret wrote um oh yeah and it's just lovely it has tamari it has olive oil and a bit of water and you put it in parchment papers and in the oven and it takes 15 minutes to cook um and I would often do that with maybe some sweet potato and broccoli or carrots.

28:41I mean, that's nice and easy. Everyone loves it. Or with a mash. I mean, my husband loves potatoes. So mash, potatoes in any form, he just loves it. Other meals, we have a coconut dahl recipe that we really enjoy. Deliciously, Ella also has one of her recipes in her book. Again, really quick to make, has coconut milk legumes so your lentils provide you with protein and it gives them that variety as well because sometimes we can be stuck in a rut of spaghetti bolognese or cottage pie and shepherd's pie and all of these pies which can be great because you can pack in a lot of nutrients in there definitely but just to provide that variety and provide them with vegetarian dishes as well So we tend to serve that with a bit of rice or pita bread.

29:28A roast on the weekend, I have to say, that takes longer, but it does mean that you have at least another meal during the week. And we also love doing something like a ramen. Again, people think, oh, it might take forever. And I do cheat. I don't make everything from scratch. I just don't have the time. You can buy packs of bone broth that is organic, if you wish. and you can pack in so much from soba noodles or egg noodles if you prefer, add in greens, add in your chicken or tofu. You can just pack in so much and it's full of flavor. So that gives you that hydration piece. It gives you the protein, the antioxidants, and the children just get used to eating a bit more variety.

30:11Otherwise, I find when you go on holiday, you are stuck. They just want kids' food. We also make our own fish cakes at home and we use tinned salmon. So that's an easy recipe, doing the potatoes, mash them, mix it with tinned salmon. I add a bit of parsley, pepper, salt, and then you can serve that with obviously vegetables on the side. But we also always have a bolognese in the freezer. And we have two versions we like doing, a lentil bolognese as well as meat-based bolognese. So that gives a bit of variety. And they don't notice the difference. I mean, it's just unbelievable. and you'd think you know a bolognese with some lentils might feel a bit awkward with some spaghetti but actually they're fine they love it that's good I think I might try those fish cakes tonight they sound they sound really good and super quick and easy yeah so that thank you for the inspiration I always ask the same question at the end which is if you could give just one gift to all the mothers in the world what would that one gift be and why oh my gosh so I might cheat a little here because I always find like we covered the topic of overwhelm and energy deprivation etc I would offer them a delivery and in that delivery there'd be a personal note from myself a supplement to support their needs at that time a grocery delivery with some recipe cards so really easy but at least just to get them started and having that one day of the week where they wouldn't have had to do the meal planning and the meal shop, which some of us, you know, they just don't enjoy it at all.

31:52And some will really do. So, yeah, that would be my personal touch. And the note would include, you know, something along the lines of they're doing incredibly well. They need to look after themselves. And this is a token of our appreciation for all they do day in, day out. And just take that time out and go and do something else for yourself, hopefully. Oh, I love that. Thank you so much. And where can someone book a wild nutrition consultations? Just through the website, isn't it? We'll also link to it in the show notes. Yes, absolutely. Through the website. And if ever, you know, after your first consultation, you really enjoyed that session, you can subscribe.