Nutrition and diet
Plenty of people eat well and are still short of something. Eating well and absorbing well are different things, and some diets have predictable gaps that are easy to close once you know they are there.
This might sound familiar
If two or three of these land, it is worth a conversation.
- You eat a good diet and your bloods still come back low
- You are vegetarian or vegan and want it done properly, not talked out of it
- You are pregnant, planning to be, or recovering from having a baby
- You are feeding a family and have lost confidence in what is actually good advice
- You have cut out several foods and are not sure what you have lost with them
What I look at
The first consultation works through all of this.
- What is actually on your plate
- A few days of real eating, not a typical day. The gap between the two is usually where the answer is.
- The predictable gaps
- B12, iron, zinc, iodine, omega-3 and calcium behave differently on a plant-based diet. Each has a straightforward solution once identified.
- Absorption
- Low stomach acid, poor digestion and certain medications all reduce what you take up from good food.
- Life stage
- Pregnancy, breastfeeding, growing children and menopause each change requirements substantially.
How I treat it
Food first, wherever food can do the job — specific additions, pairings that improve absorption, and practical changes that survive a working week. Supplements only where there is a real gap that food cannot close, which on a well-planned vegan diet is usually B12 and often iodine and omega-3.
What to expect, and when
Some things change quickly. Iron stores take three to six months to rebuild properly, so that is the timeline we work to, with retesting rather than guessing. I am a naturopath, not an Accredited Practising Dietitian — for eating disorders, tube feeding, or medical nutrition therapy in serious illness, I will refer you.
Everything above is how I generally approach this area. What you actually get is decided in your consultation, on your case — not from a page.
Not sure if this is your problem?
The discovery call is free and it is fifteen minutes. If naturopathic treatment isn’t the right fit, I’ll tell you on the phone.
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