Let's start with introducing yourself and sharing a simple summary of your ethos as a nutritionist, and your clinical/personal approach to eating and living well?
Hey! I’m Jess, a Registered Nutritionist and Mum of 2 (age 2 and 6) in Papamoa. Outside of work most of my time is spent at the beach with the family, surfing, keeping fit and hanging with our mates. I started my business Eatwise Nutrition so I could offer nutrition and lifestyle support for clients with a range of health concerns and goals. My speciality areas are digestive and gastrointestinal issues, weight management and nutritional support for clinical conditions. I also love helping women throughout all the stages of pregnancy, children's nutrition and helping Mums increase their energy, reduce cravings and feel amazing. Health has been so over complicated and I believe its important we get the basic foundations with nutrition and lifestyle sorted first.
What are come common ailments or concerns that you work with and are there any common threads in treatment success?
The most common theme I see in clinic are meals for both children and adults that are low in nutrients and protein which can contribute to a vicious cycle of cravings and feeling ‘hangry’ all the time. Changing this up for clients and families is an absolute game changer to their energy, cravings, mood, weight management, stress, hormones and sleep to name a few.
In your experience, what are the pros and cons of vegetarian vs. plant-rich + meat eating and how has this shown itself in clinic?
The ongoing debate that fires up the keyboard warriors! I think what many people forget is how much these two diets actually have in common, lots of unprocessed, whole-foods. Switching from a highly processed diet to one that is mostly plant based will see a huge improvement in health. Taking the next step and including animal protein ensures you are getting optimal amounts of nutrients that aren’t found in plants or less available to use such as B12, heme iron, pre-formed Vitamin A and EPA/DHA (long chain essential fatty acids).
People are generally familiar with muscle meat, with organ meats raising some hesitation, what's the difference? Should we be consuming organ meats too, and why?
The most popular meats are the muscle meats eg chicken breast and steak. Nose to tail eating includes the whole animal in your diet. Homemade bone broth or Mitchells Bone Broth and Protein Powder contain more collagen than muscle meats so its important to mix it up much like you would eat the rainbow with fruit and vegetables. Eating nose to tail also includes offal such as beef, chicken or lambs liver which are jam packed with nutrients and very affordable. My favourite way to include liver for our family is by grating it partially frozen into recipes where it is easily disguised eg mince based meal and making a delicious chicken liver pate. For anyone who finds the taste too strong, the new Mitchells Liver Capsules are an easy way to get these nutrients into your diet.
Beef Liver is known to be one of the most nutrient dense foods on the planet, what are the benefits?
Beef liver is one of the most nutrient dense foods on the planet with high amounts of B12, Iron, pre-formed Vitamin A, Choline, Folate and Copper. If you are low in any nutrients, in particular Vitamin B12 and Iron which can leave you feeling fatigued, low immunity and mood I recommend including liver in your diet. At around 6 months old babies demands for iron increases, adding liver to their diet is a wonderful way to ensure they are getting everything they need to support growth and development. When my children were babies I used to make chicken liver pate and mix it through their puree when they started solids.
Are there any concerns when it comes to consuming beef liver?
A common misunderstanding with eating liver is that it is high in toxins because of the livers role as a filter. The liver does not store toxins, instead it stores essential nutrients that are used to process the toxins. These essential nutrients include vitamins D, E, K and A, B12, Folate, Iron and Copper. The nutrient profile is so concentrated you only need small amounts for optimal nutrition. Beef liver is a wonderful source of protein and nutrients to support a healthy pregnancy, however eating liver is often cautioned during pregnancy due to its high concentration of Vitamin A. The real risk here is overdosing with synthetic Vitamin A taking too many supplements without proper guidance.
What's the difference between fresh vs. dried beef liver?
The real difference between fresh vs dried is simply convenience and taste. If you are happy to cook with fresh liver its an affordable way to optimise your nutrition. But having a food derived supplement like Mitchells Liver Capsules makes it easy to consume traditional foods in the modern day hustle of life.
What are your top three nutrition tips?
Eat meals that support blood sugar balance. Diets high in sugar, refined carbs and low in protein and fibre leaves us on a rampant roller coaster ride and feeling ‘hangry’. Chronically elevated levels of blood sugar stimulates too much cortisol putting our bodies into fight or flight mode. Over time this can impact our hormones, energy and weight to name a few.
Cook from scratch as often as possible. Make simple meals using whole-foods, in-season vegetables and shop for meat on special to reduce costs. Buy different cuts of meat and save the bones to make a simple homemade broth or enjoy a cup of Mitchells Bone Broth which can also be added to meals. Cook larger meals so you have leftovers and prepare simple foods like frittatas, boiled eggs, meat and vegetable patties that you can use for meals.
Eat more food and up the protein and fibre for the first half of your day. This is a game changer for so many of my clients who unintentionally don't eat enough food and/or protein due to the morning hustle of work and Mum life. Prioritise this first meal and you will see a big shift in your health.
As a mumma of two, how do you apply these to what your little ones eat, and why is this so important to you?
As a Mum of 2, eating well is a big priority in our family. The best thing we can do for our children is to use mostly whole foods, cook from scratch as often as possible and learn how to create balanced meals with adequate protein, healthy fats and carbohydrates. We always prioritise a high protein breakfast in our house (often a cooked breakfast or Mitchells Bone Broth Protein smoothie) for better energy due to stable blood sugars and high protein leaves you feeling satisfied for longer. The more sugar and refined carbohydrates we eat, often the more we crave and the same goes for our kids too.
Interested in following or working with Jess? visit www.eatwisenutrition.com