Tira’s blog

Oxalic acid is naturally found in nuts and many fruits and vegetables. During cooking or in the digestive tract, oxalic acid binds with minerals, forming oxalates such as sodium oxalate, potassium oxalate, magnesium oxalate and calcium oxalate. According to Sally...

Diana Rodgers, US dietitian and coauthor of the book Sacred Cow: The Case For (Better) Meat, was in Auckland last week. Check out an article in the Farmers Weekly, Fighting the anti-meat narrative. One policy Diana found troubling during her visit to New Zealand is...

What does ‘Be kind to your mind' mean to you?⁠ Here are some ideas:⁠ ⁠Being patient with yourself⁠ Looking after yourself physically and mentally by eating good food⁠ Reminding yourself that you’re a good person⁠ Catching yourself at the moment negative self-talk...

Do you have a wellness goal? Have you heard of the Be-Do-Have model? Usually when we have a goal, we jump straight to “have”. You might say, “I want to have a healthy, lean and toned body”. Great! But to actually achieve that goal, you have to start at the first step...

For a nutrient to be considered completely bioavailable, it needs to be completely digested, absorbed and utilised by the body. In the case of protein, its bioavailability depends on the quality of the protein, the digestive health of the individual and any other...

Your body breaks down protein in foods into amino acids, which it then uses to make proteins for building muscles, skin, organs, connective tissues, bones, hair and nails. Protein is also needed for healthy immune function and to make enzymes and hormones. Here, I...

Are you being true to you?⁠ ⁠ When it comes to our dietary and lifestyle choices, it can at times be difficult to stay true to ourselves.⁠ ⁠ But when we have found what works for us, and our health takes a sudden dive if we deviate, we reach a point where we must stay...

Do you drink alkaline water? Do you use antacids or baking soda for heartburn?⁠⁠If you do any of these, please STOP!⁠⁠Not only are you impairing your digestion, but you are also lowering your defence against pathogens.⁠⁠Here's why...⁠⁠Our stomach needs to sit at a pH...

Did you know a healthy gut lining is essential for both proper digestion and immunity? ⁠ ⁠ Healthy cells of the gut lining have two main functions:⁠ Act as a selective filter to aid the uptake of nutrients and pass them into the circulation⁠ Keep harmful particles...

For the body’s cells, organs, and systems to function properly, they need to be in constant communication with each other. Such communication systems include blood (carrying hormones, nutrients, and immune markers) and nerves. ⁠ ⁠ Blocking factors (stressors due to...

Up until 2015 (I was in my 40s at the time), I believed that red meat sat heavy in my stomach and that I did better with being mostly vegetarian with the odd bit of chicken and fish.⁠⁠Why did I think this? Well, I was raised on a whole food, mostly vegetarian, diet....

Do you ever feel like a particular situation or person is holding you back from achieving your goals?⁠⁠I'm sure all of us have felt this at some point in our lives. I know I have! ⁠⁠Sometimes, it is hard to make a dietary or lifestyle change when the people you love...

Do you care too much about the number on the bathroom scales?⁠ ⁠ If your goal is weight loss, it is important that you do not get too hung up on what you weigh. It is normal for weight to fluctuate hugely, even when you continue to lose inches. In fact, many women...

Why is this important?⁠ ⁠ There is a common misconception that simply being "physically fit" equates to being healthy. But even the fittest athletes are not immune to cardiovascular disease for example.⁠ ⁠ Physical health includes ⁠ fitness⁠ efficient recovery from...

Have you ever done an attentive eating exercise? Attentive (mindful) eating involves paying attention to the experience of eating. Attention is given to the colours, smells, temperatures, flavours, and textures of the food. It also involves tuning into the body,...

For those of us working in the nutrition space, I would say one of the most frequently asked questions is “What about coffee?” I don’t drink coffee myself. In fact I stopped drinking it at the age of 20 after I had abused the stuff along with caffeine tablets to get...

How well is your body functioning?⁠ ⁠ The body uses nutrients from food in all processes and functions of all cells, tissues, organs and organ systems (digestive, cardiovascular, respiratory, nervous, endocrine, urinary, lymphatic, skeletal, muscular, integumentary...

What is health to you?⁠ ⁠ If you are someone who makes physical fitness a priority in your life, you might think of health as maintaining an ideal weight, feeling fit, and having muscular tone, physical strength and stamina. ⁠ ⁠ Other people you know, however, might...

Do you have issues with low energy, inflammation, irregular blood sugar levels, poor digestion (bloating, diarrhoea or constipation), hormone imbalance or poor immunity? It is my view that the most significant health improvements can be made by eliminating sugar and...

What is wellness? The word "wellness" was first recognised by the Oxford English Dictionary in the 1650s. The term did not gain popularity, however, until the 1950s when Halbert L Dunn, chief of the National Office of Vital Statistics, described wellness as "a...