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Hannah’s Gut Healing Protocol.

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Remove

Removing is the first step: by removing harmful foods, toxins and stresses on the body you give it the best chance to heal. If you imagine your body as a large cooking pot and each toxin, junk food, chemical, truama or stressful day goes into fill up that pot, eventualy that pot will over flow and you can try to put a lid on it (medication) but you are just supressing the inevitable of it exploding and spilling over (disease and illness). Foods like spices, cooked foods, meats and flesh, alcohol, packaged foods, coffee and chocolate are stimulants to the body and will stop it healing. The body can only heal when it has no pressures on the system and is getting adequate sleep.

Below is what you need to remove without cheating or using as a “treat food”

Things in moderation does not apply to good nutrition and healing the body. A small amount of harmful unnatural foods are still damaging for the body. Large amounts are more damaging!

  • alcohol, coffee, cacao, chocolate
  • soda and canned drinks, fruit juices and cartoon drinks, UHT milks and juices and nut milks
  • cooked foods
  • sweets, lollies, candies, pop corn and packaged treats and biscuits
  • chocolate (even raw if you have Adreanal or Chronic Fatigue)
  • spices and spicy foods
  • sugars and natural sugars like agave, maple, honey, coconut sugar
  • trans fat, crisps, chips, fried foods and packaged and canned foods
  • jared, tinned and pre-made foods
  • wheat, gluten and grains (some grains and seeds like quinoa, buckwheat and millet can be added back in once the healing has been done)
  • canned beans, legumes, meats, broths and dairy
  • stress and toxic relationships
  • work pressures
  • the need to be right
  • the need to be perfect
  • badly combined foods
  • eating late meals
  • reducing nightshades like tomatoes, eggplants, capsicum and starchy vegetables like parsnips, carrots, beets and white potatoes some may need to remove completely but can be returned after the skin has healed
  • remove all parastite and yeast over growths by doing cleanses or probiotic protocols
  • tap water and bottled water and drinking when you are not thirsty
  • chemicals, toxins from your skin care and home cleaning products-supermarket supplements
  • moulds from your home
  • stresses and environmental stresses including work and relationships
  • antibiotics, anti-inflammatory medication – ibuprofen, Oral contraceptive pill and thrush medication-all mediation safely.
  • chiropractic adjustments, saunas, vigorous rough massage, excessive exercise that exhausts you and anything else that stimulates the nervous system
  • salt and pepper

This list may seem overwhelming and too much to remove but you will not achive healing if you are still using chemicals on your skin or toxins in your home or having weekend treats of raw deserts, chips, cakes and chocolate or eating foods that are cooked to often in your diet. You must go through a strict removing stage to allow your body to expel the inflammation and re-program itself to start the healing process. It’s not to say if you do slip up (we are all human and life happens) that you have undone all you have worked hard on so far. It’s about getting back on the horse and trying again. Each time you do this your body will recover faster and eventualy it will signal you don’t need those foods anymore and it will show you how to get what you need from natural healthy foods and your environment.

HOW SERIOUS ARE YOU TO GET BETTER? 

For example I used to suffer from migrains and as soon as I felt one coming on I would reach for my migraine tablets and have a chocolate craving. Well what my body was telling me is that I needed magnesium and it was trying to detoxify my system. So now when I feel a mild headache come on I have some almonds or a banana and take double dose of my magnesium powder, or I fast to allow my body to remove the toxins efficiently, I listen to my body instead of supressing the signals it’s telling me.

Your body is very clever, it’s equipt with everything it needs and signals to you what it wants or needs to function. We have become so far removed from our bodies and we are used to suppressing or stimulating it with junk foods or medication we have lost the abilty to read it and understand what it needs. ‘You don’t eat for hunger but to fuel your cells’.

Repair

Repairing is the second but most important step: once you have removed these foods and environmental toxins, it allows the pressure to come off the sympathetic nervous systems which primary process is to stimulate the body’s fight-or-flight response and return to the Parasympathetic nervous system which primary process is to calm and relax the body and allow healing to happen. Healing will not be able to happen if you are in the fight-or-flight response your body does not digest from this state and it can not heal from this state. Eating mindfully is important and eating mono (one food meals) at first will help your digestion repair faster. Having a meal of just one fruit can really help kick the digestion back in.

 How do you repair you body?

These foods below you should be eating daily if possible and be incorporated into your weekly nutrition where possible, try to eat a large amount of organic or low spray greens and vegetables daily and get most of your nutrients and calories from ripe in season fruits. which is our primary source of energy. Nuts and seeds can be added in the right food combinations and depending on your level of leaky gut. Nuts and seeds and the truth about digesting them . . .

“Coffee to a healthy strong body can be productive in small doses sparingly, coffee to a person with leaky gut, stress, hormone unbalances and adrenal fatigue can be a killer and is not a health food.”

Healing healthy foods are essential as is the right environment for healing and repairing cells.

  • bio-individual probiotics if needed until the gut is healed
  • prebiotics rich foods like sweet potato, papaya and lemon
  • bio-individual natural supplements like zinc, magnesium, iodine, glutamine, B vitamins, D vitamins and trace minerals, adaptogens.
  • organic essential oils
  • large amounts of green leafy vegetables daily
  • aloe vera and beetroot juice – for constipation
  • barley grass powder for minerals
  • liquid chlorophyll
  • ripe fruits in abundance
  • sunshine daily on bare skin
  • grounding into the earth bare footed
  • ocean, forest or mountain air regularly
  • silica (diatomaceous earth) -for diarrhoea
  •  activated charcoal – for food allergies or reactions
  

 

  • mesquite powder -zinc, magnesium
  • zinc rich foods like – brazil nuts figs and pumpkin seeds.
  • vitamin A/beta carotene rich foods like- orange root vegetables
  • good natural saturated fats like avocado, walnuts and whole coconuts in small amounts
  • balancing hormones with diet and supplements like maca powder
  • iodine rich foods like seaweed
  • magnesium baths with sea salt and bi-carb to pull out toxins
  • correct food combining is essential to gut health
  • love and friendship
  • mediation daily
  • green juice on a empty stomach
  • only drink when you are thirsty
  • try to stay as raw as possible and only have cooked foods for dinner

The truth about fruit . . . and Carbs carbs carbs . . . good, bad and how many is right for you? may help you too . . .

Renew

This step is the third step: but one of the most important as it seals your new healthy life change and keeps your body able to protect itself and keep growing and healing the cells promoting anti-ageing and high energy levels.

You have done the hard part by removing the foods and making the lifestyle changes. By now you should be used to eating a healthy diet and learning to listen to your body’s signals.

These practices below will help you stick to this lifestyle and allow your body to cope with the everyday stresses that arise:

  • a healthy diet balanced in small amounts of good omega 3 fats, high amounts of natural complex carbohydrates (fruits and vegetables) iodine rich foods like green leafy vegetables and seaweed, nuts, seeds and an abundance of colour from natures foods, and clean filtered distilled water eaten away from food.
  • a daily practice of 10 minutes meditation twice a day will keep your anxiety down and help you think clearly and make decisions in every day life.
  • essential oils to help bring your into your body and relax you.
  • regular soft massage will help remove toxins and help relax your body.
  • Qi-gong or Ti chi or Yoga daily or at least 3 times a week will balance hormones, remove toxins, help with weight loss and distress your mind.
  • walking in nature as often as possible helps ground you (bare foot if you can).
  • practicing mindful-living will help keep you in the present moment and not living in the future or past thus keeping anxiety and worry down
  • setting values up around you and making sure you lifestyle choices are always in keep with these values will allow you to stay on your path.
  • boundaries and communication is vital to your health, if your body feels hard done by or stressed because of others it will show up in physical symptoms. By having open communication to those close to you and always putting yourself first and not over stepping your boundaries you will keep your body feeling safe.
  • chew chew chew your food slowly and spend time appreciating your food. It is fueling your body -do not just throw I down your throat. What does “Mindful Eating” really mean and how can it help your food intolerance?
  • breathing this is the most important thing we can learn as humans and the one thing we all do so badly at because of course we breath or we would be dead right? Well most of us don’t breath deeply enough and shallow breath can cause stress on the body. Take the time to deep breath in for 3 seconds hold for 5 seconds and out for 5 seconds at least 5 minutes of each hour every day. I do this every time I stop at a red light or sit on the toilet. Find a place and time that suits you and make it a daily practice. Mediation and Breathing techniques for beginners!

Regrow

The final step to healing your body:

Once you are at this stage you would have changed as a person, your body will be thanking you with clear skin, sleeping well, no aches and pains and no inflamation, an alert mind and clear thinking – sounds blissfull right!

The final step is to address any of lifes hurts. This stage is the most difficult to overcome and most of us are still on this journey even the most enlightened guru’s have their past hurts or backage to overcome.

Through Coaching or Mickel Therpay or CBT or Theta Healing or your chosen way, I suggest dealing with any pain you have been caused or any pain you cuurently have in your life. This can unblock years of trauma you have pushed down causing your body physical symptoms. This is something I can help you with at a one to one coaching session. What is ‘Theta Healing’ and how can it help you?

Each persons story will be different and at first you might not want to open up about painfull past issues, but if you can make the connection beween you constant neck pain and your issue with your mother then you start to see the importance of doing so.

Have you ever returned from a family lunch with a headche or shoulder pain that you didn’t have before? Or met a friend for lunch and not felt listen to or he/she didn’t ask about your life or how you are and you come away feeling down and then go to the shops or eat something to make yourself feel better and just push that emotion down?

Do you see the connection between supressing emotions and physical pain and do you see that suppressing your body with food will cause more symptoms. Even if you have overcome this as an adult and you no longer let others effect. And you and you don’t absorb their pain or issues as your own (well done you) dealing with your past hurts can be prodcutive for your physical body. A simple guide to understanding Nutrition and the part it plays on your body, and how to heal your own body!

I recommend these books to help with this and to find a counselor or therpist you feel comfortable with:

‘You Were Not Born To Suffer’ -by Blake D Bauer

‘Your Can Heal Your Life’ -Louise Hay

‘Feel The Fear And Do It Anyway’ – Susan Jeffers

 

I leave you with this point that healing the body isn’t just about food or supplements, but about a whole body-mind approach and that the balance of life has to be right to achieve total happiness.

Please contact me if you need more support and guidance through your Gut-healing Protocol as doing it alone can be hard.

What is a ‘Health Coach’ and how can they help you achieve your goals?

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Knowing you have to make changes, but your feeling scared and overwhelmed?

Are you looking for the answer to better health in your self and your family?

Especially if you have a child with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)?

But don’t know where to start or why there is the need for such dramatic changes?

That’s completely understandable, it can mean a massive change to your lifestyle. And if autism is in your family, you’ll know exactly how challenging change can be. or maybe you have become unwell your self and your life is centred around how sick your feel.

A simple guide to understanding Nutrition and the part it plays on your body, and how to heal your own body!

But, if your family is impacted by autism or health issues, you’ll also understand that it’s often the things that make our children (and us) feel the most uncomfortable that bring about the biggest gains in the long run. Nothing that is right is easy.

Take their therapies for example. By challenging our kids, bit-by-bit, they start to make inroads and soon we’ve shifted to a new normal – a better normal that, at the start, we didn’t think possible.

The same goes for our changing your family’s diet. And, perhaps the key to making the change is to think that starting a raw vegan diet as just another necessary therapy needed on your path to better outcomes for your child, allowing all the therapies to work better and give you your lives back, as it did mine.

For our family, starting changes in our nutrition didn’t feel like a choice, it felt much more like a necessity. Does it feel like that to you?

WHY RAW LIVING FOODS! For Healing Diseases and Autism. . .

Our eldest child’s behaviours had been challenging, even when he was tiny and long before his ASD diagnosis. And it was early on that we began to realise that foods were impacting on his little body and his behaviour.

 

I had worked in the organic health food industry prior to having children, so I felt I had great knowledge about foods. But even foods that I had previously considered healthy, like carrots, were causes obvious tummy upsets, and I was at my wits end.

It was only after months of research and trying different approaches at home did we land into the world of the GAPS Diet and then moved to Raw Vegan where we found most of our gains and continue to thrive getting cleaner and healthier each month. We had already removed gluten and dairy and seen great improvements in William’s health and behaviour, but still we faced the daily tummy upsets, as well as challenging behaviour. Raw vegan lifestyle gave us our sons health back. And mine!

Autism needs advanced nutrition and full focus to heal. It is not an easy road nor short but you will be rewarded beyond your dreams, if you work hard on their nutrition, your mindset and create a clean, chemical free healthy environment.

But when we came across dietary changes and learned more about the ‘leaky gut’ syndrome, it all started making sense. We then made a choice, and for our family, and it has been the best choice we could have made.

Choosing a positive mindset

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But – I know for some it may seem too hard, too restrictive and too much work. Let me reassure you, the first weeks are tough, but once you discover your routine – both preparation and tastebud wise – it gets much, much easier. Theres is no cooking and it is so easy!

And you don’t have to go cold turkey. You can start by ‘crowding out’ the unhealthy foods and replacing them with healthier options. That way, you can make the change little by littlest using the right food combinations. Food combining and why is it essential for health!-chart.

So before you put the ‘Raw Living Vegan Diet’ in the too hard basket. Think about the possible outcomes – healthier children and who begin to calm as the diet starts to heal the gut and toxins are eliminated from their bodies. Healthier parents, happy family?

What is a ‘Health Coach’ and how can they help you achieve your goals?

And isn’t that the whole point? Isn’t that what you’re looking for? A healthy child that has the emotional space to live, learn and experience life?

That’s what I was searching for, and I’m proud to say that’s where we’re headed now.

I am here to help you achieve this x x

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Choosing a positive mindset

When life isn’t going to plan it can be easy to slip into feeling that things are just not going to get any better, especially when you’re faced with issues that seem out of your control, like the health of your children or yourself.

After our son William was diagnosed with autism, aged 2, I experienced a deep depression.

It wasn’t just the result of William’s diagnosis and the grief I felt for the loss of the future I’d imagined for my family and the diagnosis came after two years of struggling every day in what felt like battle zone.

For two years William’s behavior had challenged us, even when he was tiny he screamed every day. Add to this a difficult pregnancy with my second child, and my onset of chromic fatigue and fibromyalgia, and then our second son Edward was diagnosed with a global developmental delay.

I lost all hope. I felt that nothing good was ever going to happen for my family. I felt completely overwhelmed, i lost the will to live.

But, somehow, amongst the chaos that our lives had become, I chose to let go of the negative mindset I had developed and instead tried very hard to see my world with a positive mindset.

I chose to see the good in our lives. I chose to look past the negatives and appreciate each of the gains my boys made – no matter how small they were. I chose to investigate ways to live a healthier lifestyle. I chose a positive mindset, and I haven’t looked back each day I get stronger and more positive. I am now strong in my mind and live each day asa happy confident woman with a healthy family. That is somewhere back then I could never see happening.

Mindset is definitely a choice. Anyone can choose to focus on the positives and anticipate happiness, health and success – and be much better for it.

A positive mindset can give you the feeling that anything is possible and allows you to look forward with hope. It also gives you freedom to look innovatively at the challenges you face and find solutions that a negative mindset may have not allowed you to see.

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Thinking positively also gives you an opportunity to see the help being offered by others, and to embrace it.

Alternatively, by choosing to think negatively you can be left feeling that the world is against you, people are there to hurt you, that there are no positives on the horizon and you may find yourself drawn to conflict or combative situations.

For families with autistic children, your day-to-day struggles will continue to overwhelm you and you may not have the strength to help you family make the best of every situation.

Is it time you chose a positive mindset and gave yourself permission to feel happy, recognise your achievements and look forward to the future with hope?

You can do this and I’m here if you would like me to help you and your family along the way.

Please contact me for a free consultation on how I can help you on your pathway to health. Mindset is the key!

 

Blessings x x

Hannah@nourishtohealth.com.au

0414967763

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Mediation and Breathing techniques for beginners!

My journey with meditation and the power of mindset began about 5 years ago when I needed techniques and changes in my life to cope with health issues and the health of my children. I saw very quickly how strong being mindful was and how I can overcome physical conditions with just my mind. I use mindfulness and mediation in each and every day and today I have a strong sexy brain!

Mediation is one of the biggest tools in my healing and our family’s healing and that I now bring to my clients as it is the key to bring all their health goals together. The science of this ancient art form is that breathing deeply and slowly through your belly helps the vagus nerve (running from the neck down through the diaphragm) to send a signal to your brain to turn up your parasympathetic nervous system i.e. (relax and repair) and turn down your sympathetic nervous system i.e. (fight or flight).

A good breath practice to start with is:

  • Breath in for 3 seconds
  • Hold the breath for 5 seconds
  • Breath out for 5 seconds
  • And repeat for as long as you can.

This breath work can be increased to 5 seconds and 8 seconds when you have become comfortable with the first stage.

What ever way works for you be it, Mickle Therapy, Theta Healing, Mediation Apps, Yoga, Meditation, chanting, reading healing self help books like ‘The Power Of Now’ or walking in nature. Finding your key to unlocking your spiritual practice and calming your ‘chattery’ mind, breathing deeply and calmly will help every aspect of your life.

What is spirituality?

My interoperation is that you become aware that you are your body, mind and energetic body, and that they are all connected and that we are connected to each life force in the universe. And that we are all made from the same atoms and molecules or “star dust” and that nothing happens without a reason as we make out won destiny! it can have everything or nothing to do with religion . . .mediation can help you see and feel this.

A few ticks I have been taught along the way and things I’ve found that help me are:

When you meditate it’s not about having a blank mind with no thoughts, more when a thought arises and it will. Don’t pay it any attention just let it drift through your mind or sweep it away. When you pay attention to thoughts aniexty arises as you live in the future or dwell on the past. Over time your thoughts will be less crowded and you’ll let them pass without any attention. If you can hold a positive clear thought for 17 seconds another positive thought will join it and you will feel happier very quickly. The same goes for a negative thought and downward spirals . . .

Finding time for mediation practice can be hard and I’ve learnt not to make it perfect. It’s better to learn this practice in the noise of work, kids, a play ground or whilst the kids are screaming and running around, learn to be mindful in each day. For a long time I sort perfection to be able to mediate the cables and chants and the incenses . . . ha well that never happened. There will always be noise distractions and “life” Mediation is just to be aware of your body, breath and thoughts. It does not need to be hard . . .stop over thinking it!

Practising in a perfect calm yoga studios or mediation rooms has it’s place and is brilliant for healing and others who are in a higher vibration to you can help lift you up, but if you cannot keep that practice space up once your at home you loose that feeling and get despondent. Which stops mindful-living and being present from becoming a daily life choice.

Instead learn to breath and calm you mind with all that is around you and your practice will be stronger.

I few places I like to mediate or concentrate on my breath are:
mediate in the car before school pick up.
Breath deeply and slowly at the traffic lights.
Lying on the floor while the kids watch movies and meditate.
In the garden even when the kids are screaming and attacking each other with water finding a space to sit with my breath.
Putting on an App just before bed or in the bath.

Raising my legs up the wall and being still is the latest way to get out of my head!

Mediation can be done whilst walking or running or cycling too. Anything that allows your mind to be calm and thoughts to drift in and out without giving them any momentum or power. To walk slowly in the grass noticing the feel on your feet and the sounds and the air on your face can be just powerful as chanting in a circle with enlightened hippies! -I can say that am a chanting hippie at heart hahah!

I hope these tips help you see you can strengthen you practice anywhere at any time.

Blessings in your day and let me know if these techniques helped you x x

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The Hairdresser that lost her hair . . .

As an ex Hairdresser and trained Tricholgist, when I started to loose my hair and my eyebrows I was so alarmed and it caused me massive self esteem issues. I’d always had thick curly hair and most of my life I wished for thinner hair and spent hours straightening and flattening it so it wasn’t so big. Suddenly I was adding volume and putting rollers in to to make it seem big . . .

At the same time I and lost a lot of weight and was very malnutritioned due to by body failing me with Hypothyroidism, Adrenal Fatigue and Mast Cell Disease so it was not a surprise.

But recently as I’m returning to health my weight is equalising,  my body and cells are healthy so my hair has started growing thick and strong and my eye brows are there!!

It made me want to share with you all why this happens and how you can stop or prevent it if it’s happening to you. It can range from the simple and temporary issue like a vitamin deficiency, to the more complex like an underlying health condition.

Firstly I think the best way to look at it is your blood carries nutrients to each cell in your body, and if your under stress or have inflammation the body concentrates on the vital organs and fighting inflammation. So the hair, skin and nails are not as import and and tend to be the first thing the suffer. Which is why ladies when you are pregnant your blood supple increases and you have thick luscious hair and your nails grow like crazy and then you have baby and the body goes into repair and feeding mode and your hair nails and skin suffer. It’s not far I know . . .

Your hair goes through life cycles too and will not always be the same, for example hair has a programmed life cycle, a growth phase, rest phase and shedding phase. It also sheds more in the Autumn/Winter again due to the blood supple, and as does your skin loose more layers. But if outside of these normal stages you are thinning and its not normal you may want to look at the following to see if you have an underlying issue that may be causing your hair loss.

  • Thyroid Function (Hypothyroidism or Hyperthyroidism: Hair, nails, and skin may become more brittle and break more easily if your thyroid is producing to many hormones or not enough hormones. 90% of hair loss in women is to do with their thyroid. A blood test will determine this and i’d advise that if your have more than a few symptoms of either Hypothyroidism or Hyperthyroidism, but your test result come back in the ‘normal range’ to take them to a Naturopath as you can be out of range but still have issues.
  • Iron Levels: Women who have heavy periods or don’t eat enough iron-rich foods may be prone to iron deficiency especially after child birth. This is because the blood doesn’t have enough red blood cells and red blood cells transport oxygen to cells throughout your body, giving you the energy you need which is why it can cause extreme fatigue, weakness, and pale skin. You may also notice headaches, difficulty concentrating, cold hands and feet, and hair loss.  Ask you Doctor for a blood test to measure ferritin, the protein that stores iron in your body, is usually needed to diagnose iron-deficiency anaemia. By eating iron-rich foods such as beef, pork, fish, leafy greens preferably, along with foods rich in vitamin C, which enhances iron absorption. And steering clear of food that prohibit iron being absorbed like dairy, alcohol, coffee and black tea, soy, and eggs (not to say you can’t eat these but just don’t pare them with iron rich foods have them as stand alone foods.)
  • Inflammation: Inflammation on the body can cause each cell to be under stress and causes scalp and skin issues like seborrheic dermatitis (dandruff), psoriasis fungal infections. By healing your gut you will reduce inflammation in the body and repair your scalp and skin. See my post of healing Leaky Guts.
  • Iodine, zinc and magnesuim levels: The thyroid gland relies on iodine to make the hormones necessary for the growth of healthy hair, teeth and bones. When we are deficient in these nutrients, such as iodine, magnesium and zinc the health of our hair can suffer, leading to hair weakness or total hair loss. Taking a safe nascent iodine supplement recommended by your Naturopath or Doctor and eating iodine and zinc rich foods may boost hair health and growth, and may event prevent or reverse hair loss. it has been a massive help to me.
  • Fat Malabsorption: If your bodies not absorbing important nutrients and fluids like proteins, carbohydrates and espically fats your skin and hair will suffer. The problem may be caused by inflammation or an auto-immune disease. Sometimes, the condition may be the result of the body’s failure to produce enzymes needed to digest some foods and taking digestive enzymes can help along with healing the gut lining. Talking to your doctor about taking a stool test to see if this is happening is the best choice here.
  • Your diet: plays a massive part, and of course if you are not putting the good stuff in your body will not be able to function and your hair will suffer. A diet rich in greens, protein and good healthy fats is essential for good hair growth. Supplementing with iodine, magnesium, grass fed collagen and MSM will help boost hair and nail growth.
  • Low B vitamins but high vitamin A: A deficiency or excess of any vitamin will upset the balance of the body but vitamin B-12 plays a big role in many parts of the body, including the liver, eyes, skin and hair. One possible symptom of vitamin B-12 deficiency is hair loss, because cells need to divide constantly to produce new hair, a process that requires production of new DNA. Without enough B-12, hair grow slows or stops and existing hair starts to fall out. Hair loss that is accompanied by symptoms of malnutrition and gastrointestinal disorders should be checked for deficiencies of several vitamins and minerals, including vitamin B-12. On the flip side to much synthetic vitamin A can cause hair loos too.
  • Stress: Any kind of physical trauma, surgery, a car accident, emotional stress or trauma or a severe illness, even the flu can cause temporary hair loss. This can trigger a type of hair loss called telogen effluvium. as I said hair has a programmed life cycle, a growth phase, rest phase and shedding phase. When you have a really stressful event, it can shock the hair cycle, (pushing) more hair into the shedding phase. Hair loss often becomes noticeable 3-6 months after the trauma. Which is why mothers loose hair 3-6 months after giving birth. But if this is your case your hair will go full cycle and grow back to be thick again. Mediation and self care will help balance your life and allow your body to equalise and repair.

If your hair is failing out your body is not nourished and is in need of proper nutrition. Part of the detoxification stage you may also loose hair and this is normal as your body sheds and rebuilds, it will regrow as mine did. Please contact me and I can guide you through changing your health!

 

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Good fats and bad fats and how to use them in your detoxing…

Fats are good for you . . . yes you heard right fat fat fat!!

But are you eating good fats like avocados, coconut, some nuts and seeds, or bad fats that harm your body?

Good fat does not make you fat alone, simple carbohydrates like pasta and breads, bad fats like oils, chemicals and refined sugars, flours and bad food combining makes you fat. Good saturated fat is nourishing and gives you energy and keeps you fuller for longer . . .when eaten in the right food combination away from fruit and proteins. Fats also slow down detoxification as they put stress on your kidneys, so if you are trying to move your lymphatic system I do suggest limiting your fats to below 5 % of your nutrition plan or temporally avoiding them.

Good fats and are essential for the brain and body. Without good fats your body starts to break down and health issues arise. Fat is essential for growing children’s brains and they need more as they grow and then can even out later on. Fats are essential in preventing ageing concerns like Dementia and Alzheimer’s and Depression. The increase in health issues has arisen through low-fat chemical foods and getting away from traditional nourishing foods. But the amount of fat to eat is often over exaggerated. We do not need spoonfuls daily, or the amount we find is raw desserts and nut laden treats.  And we do not need for each meal to have fat in it. All whole foods have protein and fats in them alone side carbohydrates like a banana. Each person will need a different amount of fat depending on the individual and on how toxic they are and how much thy need to detoxify.

  • if they are a child before 7 years old they will need more for there growing brain so let them eat avocados and coconut galore.
  • a teenager going through puberty will need more to cope with neurone changes.
  • if your are ill you will need less until your body has cleansed out the virus, disease or build up of waste as fats slow down detoxification.
  • if your are pregnant you again will need an adequate about to support you and baby in the second and third trimesters.
  • if you are old you may need a small daily amount of fats but be guided by you digestion.
  • if you have candida which will show up in psoriasis or eczema you will need to go 0-3% fat until your body has cleansed the waste out then you can slowly add in a small amounts again.

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I can’t stress strongly enough about good fats and children on the spectrum as it’s been proven that a good levels of omega 3 fatty acids can improve the brains function and repair neural pathways. Supporting depression and anxiety and healing the gut.

So start to increase your good fats daily starting small and building up to about a 1/4-1/2 avocado daily or 1–2 raw coconuts a week or 1 glass of raw nut or seed milk daily depending on your bio-individual needs and weight, if you are trying to loose weight do not eat too many fats and always in the right food combinations. I do not recommend cooking with ANY oils as when you heat them, they change and become more volatile and carcinogenic rendering them toxic and unable to be digested by the body. Nuts and seeds should be eaten raw to get the good saturated fats from them and to keep them as a rich nutrient dense food. NEVER COOK/ HEAT NUTS!

Of course avoiding all the bad poly- unsaturated and trans-fats that cause many health concerns and are toxic and rancid like:

  • Borage oil, Canola oil, Corn oil, Cottonseed oil, Evening primrose oil, Rapeseed, Safflower oil, Peanut oil, Sunflower seed oil, Vegetable oil, Olive oils, Avocado oil, Coconut oil, Sesame oil, Nut and Seed oils.

These are not fresh and become rancid within hours. They are not in there whole food state and can not be digested and used by the body!

When you make an oil from a plant or whole food is no longer is a whole food and looses all its nutrients and life force even organic. 

  • And that means processed and home cooked food that these oils are in too:
    ALL– crisps, crackers, chips and frozen foods and meals, corn chips, biscuits, lollies and sweets, chocolate, Processed meals, sauces and jarred products, pastas and noodles, bakery products, veggie burgers, patties, meats and deli meats , hams and sausages ect

Eat fats in the right food combinations so they can digest efficiently and send that goodness to the brain, so its not stored as waste in the body!

If you are new to increasing fruits for detoxification and health, you may feel a little tired if you have lots of fat in your system then you eat fast digesting fruits. I suggest as you increase your fruit you reduce your fats for optimal digestion and energy…

Check out the truth about fruits here: The truth about fruit . . .

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How your thoughts can heal your body.

Your mindset can heal your body beyond what food and supplements can do. It has taken me a long time to really connect to this thought but i have seen it over and over with clients. We often put a lot of effort into taking the right supplements, green juices and organic foods that is what our bodies need for fuel and to heal. But with every negative thought or judgment of yourself or others you counteract all that good work you’ve done. Don’t get me wrong eating junk and loving your self is not the road to health but eating well and not looking after your mind allowing ‘chatter’, doubt and self criticism that arises daily is not the answer either.

I use to think it was ok to talk to myself and beat myself up in my head. Tell myself I’m not pretty enough, slim enough, talented enough i’ve done it my whole life – hey we all do it, we are all stressed its normal right? . . . but it is not ok and we all do it and we all think the other person has an easier life clear of stress and negative thoughts. Well ladies we all have insecurities and we all think we are not good enough! WHY?

In my dream world we would all celebrate each other, support each other’s dreams and love our differences. We would not look at the girl across the street and think I wish I had her car or her hair or I wish my legs looked like hers or my job was as well paid full of envy and jealosy.

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But we have all heard this before right? Well did you know that every negative thought about you or someone else surges Cortisol through your body and it can take up to 1 hour to process that and disperse it out of the body. It uses up vital minerals and nutrients and stops your body using your fat cells for energy and it therefore runs off of glucose instead which is needed for healthy brain. Meaning it keeps you in that “fight or flight’ state we hear so much about. The mind looks to the past for happy memories to release happy hormones making the future an anxiety fueled place to be. So ladies don’t do it. Live in the now!

Stop that ’chatter’ in your head and stop the negative banter and worry especially what others think of you. Live from your heart not your head, be truthful to yourself and your loved ones. We are all in a vulnerable state and need love. If you have someone in your life who judges you and does not give you what you need . . . maybe now is the time to shed yourself of him or her. You don’t need that in your life so only surround your self with those who make you feel great, support your life and when you come away from them feel secure in that relationship. You need to be surrounded by loved ones who get you without judgment and need things in return. It sound tough but in the long run of your life it is best for you.

Choosing your mindset is as easy as dropping guilt for an action you did in the past – hey you can’t change it and you can’t re-do it, so let it go . . . . I personally held that over myself for years, flogging myself with guilt, self hate, blame and hating the decisions I’d made. But at the time I just did my best with what knowledge I had. A big part of my healing was to forgive others and myself and ‘let it go!’

You choose your actions, mindset and path not your parents, lovers or friends so stop blaming them for your life. Yes others actions and your environment may have influenced you, but you have the choice of how you act or respond to life situations. You can either turn a bad situation in to a positive or let that toxic situation eat you up and make you unwell. Been there done that – no thanks!

When William was diagnosed I fell in to deep depression after struggling to cope for 2 years it was enough to break me. After hitting rock bottom and I mean rock bottom, with the amazing support of my husband a few great friends I worked my way back up and saw all the positives that can come out of out of our new life path. Like a chance to learn and grow and change, to clean up our lives from chemicals and toxins, eat cleanly, live within our means with joy and simplicity. Not to take material things for granted and to stop climbing ladders and striving for goals that are unreachable and unimportant and to share my journey and help others. I had to go through an element of grieving for the life I thought I’d have but now every decision we make or step we take we ask ourselves is this best for the boys our family and in line with our values. This has led us to set up our businesses and we have met some truly beautiful friends on our journey to health who have shown us what’s important.

We are told often to ‘let it go’ and my dearest girl friend and I often laugh at what that means when you’re stressed, up to your eyeballs and exhausted. But over time we have both learnt it means to forgive ourselves, to be kind to ourselves and to let the small things, like a clean floor or perfect makeup or being on time go. These things are all surface things. The true importance is love, health and wellness of mind and compassion for each and every person. The rest you can ‘let go’ really you can let it go and that comes from a control freak with OCD for a clean house haha, you should see my house now!

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A few things that have helped me and still help when I fall off the mindset train of living from love and when I go back to my head and live in fear and with ‘chatter’ are:

Mediation: there is a common misbelief that to meditate you must have a totally blank mind. If you can achieve that, then that’s amazing. But you still get the benefits if you just slow down . . . breath deep belly breaths -In from your nose belly expand and out from your nose belly falls. Even 10 deep breaths will calm your nervous system down. If you find clearing your mind difficult focus on one thing like a candle flame or a tree and hold that thought for a long as you can. If stuff enters your mind sweep it away with a big brush and start again. Laugh at your thoughts and keep trying. Your ego wants to be “chatting” all the time. Don’t let it take over who you are. We use apps on our smart phones to start our mediation off each evening and they are handy if you are in the car before school pick up or a big work meeting. Yoga can help with this too and walking in nature daily.

Mickel Therapy: which is talking based therapy about taking action when an emotion arises and moving through it fast to clear you physical symptoms.

www.mickeltherapy.com/what-is-mickel-therapy/

Homeopathy: which works on lowering your level of stress building your nervous system and supporting you whilst you heal. I have used Dhanvanatari Collage and also more recently Michael Higginson in Geelong to support me.

http://www.geelonghomeopathic.com.au/about.html

http://dhanvantaricollegeofhomeopathy.com.au

A gratitude diary: I write 3 things I am grateful for each night in my phone. This helps me see the positives in the day, even if there were more negatives. So that last thing I think about are positives. We do this with the boys each night too, we talk about their day and pick 3 great things that happened and not dwell on what they may have done wrong or if they were upset.

Debt Clearing: no matter how hard it is if there is something upsetting me or someone had said something that has hurt my feelings I clear the debt by talking it through and not going to bed on it. This means setting boundaries and protecting myself first. It does not mean confrontation or stomping back in to a shop because someone was rude to me. Just simple clearing the air so it does not fester and become a physical symptom.

Happy list: each week I look at my dairy and decide if the tasks in it are + or – and if I have more – than + I plan a trip to the movies, yoga or catch up with a friends or get my nails done to balance up the week. This is putting joy into my life. Making sure I don’t get bogged down with the task of mother hood and running a house or running a business and not going without joy and fun for my being. Its unrealistic to think I can spend my time just in the + zone but if I have a few to look forward to it keeps me from feeling a lack of joy. The body is amazing it likes joy and fun and if it doesn’t get enough it makes you go back in the mind to find it. So feed it joy and fun and show it love and it will keep you in the now and physically strong.

So . . .

When you feel you’re self ‘chatting’ in your head STOP be aware – take action – and practice – clear your mind and start again.

When you have a week of – plan some + joy and fun!

Write down your gratitude list each evening.

Debt clear every night and set boundaries so your not being hurt.

Put yourself first and remember to love yourself and do your self care daily be that a new nail polish, a cup of tea in peace or a day in a spa to unwind or talking to your best friend.

As woman we put our children, partners or bosses first . . . please stop that we come first!

I find as i’m a visual learner I write positive athermations on my walls, mirrors and on postie notes in my car and keep them on my phone to remind me how to think and act. If you are a kinetic learner maybe you could listen to self help books. Find what works for you. . . and roll with it!

The only person that can heal you is YOU! The only person that can truly make you happy is YOU!

Choose to be happy and to live in the now, not the past or future, as that is where anxiety and fear is bred from.

Namaste beautiful ladies x x x

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To soy or not to soy?

Soy or soybeans, are a type of legume that have been used for 5,000 years in China for food like tofu, tempeh, and edamame beans and also for medicinal purposes. Soybeans are considered a source of protein, and are processed into many meat and dairy substitutes. The main producers of soy are the United States, Brazil, Argentina, China and India. Over 80% of soy in the US is genetically modified, but that’s where almost all of the soy is now grown for our Australian foods, scary huh!!

So many of us have thyroid function issues and so many of us have undiagnosed Hypothyroidism when the doctor’s test comes back fine but we are still having symptoms. This often leaves us wondering why and how we can change this. Dr Mark Hyman has some great tips and advice on his website for this.

Thyroid Disease: Are You Sick, Tired, Overweight?

Studies are showing the connection to the increase in soy in so many of our foods now and issues with Thyroid function. It’s not just your soy milk latte but products you didn’t know it’s in like shampoo, bulking agent, hydrolyzed plant protein (HPP) or hydrolyzed vegetable protein (HVP), gums, soy Lecithin (chocolate) natural flavorings, Additive/emulsifier 322, stabilizer, thickeners, starch, shortening, and vegetable oils. Basically all packaged foods, especially kids foods.

So why is it so harmful?

Soy contains Phytoestrogens and is higher in phytoestrogens than just about any other food source. Phytoestrogens are plant-based estrogens that mimic estrogen in our bodies. Soy also has Goiltrogens that can disrupt your hormones, which can slow your thyroid down. Many foods are goitrogenic (thyroid suppressing) but soy is one of the worst. Goitrogens work by preventing your thyroid from getting the necessary amount of iodine. If you are low in iodine you will likely be suffering from chronic fatigue, adrenal Burnout and a host of other issue that are hard to correct. Trust me I lived on soy as a vegetarian and I’m in that place now.

It also has something called Phytates which are enzyme-inhibitors that block mineral absorption in human digestive tract. They are naturally present in all grains, seeds, nuts, and legumes. But soy is so high in phytates that it’s almost impossible to get rid of them. Simply soaking soy overnight won’t be enough. But this is why it is so important to soak beans and legumes and most grains to stop bloating and cramps.

Finally soy is rich in trypsin inhibitors. Trypsin is a digestive enzyme we need to properly digest protein. Without enough trypsin, you’ll experience many digestive problems including stomach cramps, diarrhea, and bleeding. You’ll also be leaving yourself open to future problems with your pancreas.

There is studies done showing that an infant taking the recommended amount of baby soy formula is consuming a hormone load equivalent of 4 birth control pills a day! Is it any wonder we’ve seen such a dramatic rise in precocious puberty with young girls starting their periods at 6 and 7! Soy is also found in dairy formulas too. But I hear you saying, you said not dairy? There are still safer alternatives. there are recipes for coconut and avocado bases formulas you an make at home which have the right ratio of fats carbohydrates and minerals to be as close to mothers milk…far closer than cows breast milk!

 

 

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From darkness there is light . . .

There is a beautiful light that surrounds our family. It shines with hope, love and promise and it’s there to remind us to keep looking forward to a future of health, happiness and life.

But there hasn’t always been light. Like so many families who live with the uncertainty that Autism and illness brings, our journey to health began in a very dark place.

After our first son was born, we knew something was wrong almost from the start but we were too exhausted and overwhelmed by false information to even see clearly, let alone take action.

We tried to coped with his constant screaming, tantrums that started way before the average toddler age, violent rage that was unbelievable in a young chid. We did this by living day-to-day and numbing ourselves with bad food, alcohol and respite escapes, all the while with others telling us that all parents feel overwhelmed and that our son’s behaviour was normal. Going to health check up and being told we were just like everyone else go home and give him more milk he is a big baby and just hungry. Or parenting classes and told we need to work harder at putting him on the naughty chair.

But in the pit of our stomachs we knew that this wasn’t normal parenting tired . . . we were breaking, we were falling apart, we were not coping.

Somehow in the midst of this chaos we found the strength to begin look for answers. We started removing chemicals from our home and investigated every type of colic remedy before deciding to take our son off diary, thinking that my own diary allergy as a child could be a clue to what was wrong. After more research we also embarked on a gluten-free lifestyle. Life became a bit more settled, but things still weren’t great.

Our idea of what our family was going to be like was shattered. Instead of a loving, happy child ours was not affectionate and only wanted to be touched on his terms like feeding times. From birth he had been in meltdown almost all day, every day. We lived on eggshells. Life was tough and we had little happiness.

Monday 20th February 2012- 12 days before our son turned 2 he was officially diagnosed with High Functioning Autism. I remember my husband and I leaving the office feeling numb and we both fell to the ground and held each other. Life felt like it had stopped. The responsibility and guilt I felt was overwhelming. I felt responsible. Be that right or not it was how I felt for such a long time, I felt that because I didn’t look after myself over the years or that because I had passed on to him heavy toxins and metals during my pregnancy. I felt guilty for feeding him dairy and grains that caused more damage, I felt responsible because I had immunised him on a weakened immune system that contributed to his toxic overload. I’m not saying vaccination or eating dairy caused his autism, it was an accumulation of many factors I was not aware of at the time, so did nothing to change the outcome. Hindsight is a useless emotion and I have had to put all that to rest and move on. If you are reading this and beating your self up about things you could not change please I beg you to stop and be kind to yourself.

Instead I put all my efforts into creating the best life I can and for him to have a better future than the experts were predicting for him.

When he was diagnosed we were told our little boy would never feel empathy, be social or seek our love that life would be tough for us and that we should grieve for the child we wont have. This was my lowest point as I lost hope and did grieve for the boy that I thought I was going to have. But somehow that sense of responsibility kicked in and I researched, researched and researched some more to save our child from what everyone told us was a life sentence.

Gradually we started to understand the connection between the level of toxins in our son’s system, his nervous system and how it was affecting his behavior. We came across the Raw Vegan Diet, Homeopathy and embarked on a clean living lifestyle and removed all toxins and chemicals from our home.

By now were had welcomed our second son, who was tested for Autism at 2-years and was instead diagnosed with a Global Development Delay of 18-months. That meant that although he was a two-year-old, he had the ability of a child aged 10 to 12-months-old. Again, we grieved. Would this little boy ever be able to talk and fit in with his peers?

By now I was determined to heal my boys, and persisted with our lifestyle changes as well as Mickel Therapy and Homeopathy to help me beat the depression, chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia that was a result of years of running the stress treadmill that had become our lives and always putting others first.

Gradually, we began to see our boys blossom, and our family began to feel like the family I had hoped for. By reducing toxins within their bodies, my boys had found a new sense of calm and now had the space to embrace early intervention therapies and for these therapies to be much more effective.

Our boys are now creating their own life sentence instead of following the path that was predicted for them. They are learning, loving and achieving every day. Our older son is clever, kind and thoughtful who loves his family and friends and is coping with kinder really well. Our younger son is a cheeky, funny, social little boy who has healed our family and now has a delay of 2 to 3-months and does NOT stop talking!

So what was the purpose of sharing our story? Our journey shows that there are answers out there and I want to share them with you. Our journey shows that through diet and lifestyle you can get your children back and unlock them from the chains that are Autism.

But most of all, I was to help the amazing mothers and fathers and grandparents who battle a battle each day that others don’t see. I want to help these amazing people look after themselves, so they can look after their beautiful children and live the life they dreamed of.

Your ‘Wellness Warriors’ and you can change your families outcome x x x

contact me for a free consultation of how I can help your family.

hannah@nourishtohealth.com.au

0414967763

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