A Naturopathic diet is not about starving yourself, not calorie counting, not reducing fat intake nor just reduce weight.  The aim of a naturopathic diet is to keep your blood sugar levels stable, your muscle mass stable and feeling happy in yourself.  And generally a healthy weight follows this!  It is more important to reduce your waist measurement rather than your weight.  If you are struggling with losing weight you may have physiological reasons behind it. Don’t blame yourself or give up hope.  Your body is trying to tell you there is something wrong with your system – listen to your body.  Homeopathy, natural herbal supplements and supports, diet, acupuncture and massage can all help to balance your system.

Physiological reasons the body stores fat

• Under active thyroid
• High or low cortisol production
• Inflammation
• Oestrogen dominance in your body
• Liver and gut toxicity (intolerances)
• Insulin resistance
• Excess testosterone in women

If you do not have any of these conditions but still find it hard to lose fat around the middle, the reason might be:

1. Too many sweets or refined carbohydrates (Bread & pasta)
2. Irregular eating patterns
3. Chronic stress ( Big One!!)
4. Lack of protein
5. Lack of exercise and muscle tone

How to reduce fat around the middle:

To decrease the body’s fat production you need to:

• Reduce total amount of carbohydrate
• Reduce stress (supplements, relaxation or meditation techniques, regular massage or any treatments to relax the nervous system)
• Balance your blood sugar levels – eat every 3-4 hours
• Increase energy output (exercise)
• Increase muscle mass and thermogenesis (Protein is important for both)
• Increase serotonin (protein and exercise increase the feeling of happiness)
• Increase insulin sensitivity (Chromium supplement, Essential fatty acid and exercise)
• Learn about the Glycaemic Index (GI) and Glycaemic Load (GL) Get a good book a
• Breakfast is important. Without food, body feels stress and influence on blood sugar level. If you do not have a time, grab a protein shake
• Eat plenty of unsaturated fat and Omega 3 rich in oily fish and flax seed oil reduce HDL (bad cholesterol)
• Up your intake of Protein

A rough guide to how much : multiply 0.8ｘbody weight(kg) = amount of protein (g) a day. Ideally eat protein with every meal and sna

• Keep a food diary – find out your moods and eating patterns, keep track of when you have certain cravings or if you feel tired/bloatedor gassy after certain foods
• Eat plenty of anti-inflammatory and antioxidant – fat stores toxins. When you lose weight, toxins stored in the fat moves and causes headache or flu like symptoms.
• Frequent practitioner contact – whether with a personal trainer, nutritionist, naturopath, physio therapist, massage therapist etc, this can help keep you on track and motivated.  If you can’t afford a trainer then get a healthy food buddy who can come on your jounrey

For more information on controlling your blood sugar levels Controlling your blood sugar levels (pdf)

Next up – Summer detox! I will be talking about how to detox safely and effectively without putting your health at risk.

Other help or questions?

Do not hesitate to grab me and ask any questions when you see me at the clinic!

I can help with diet assessments, advice on supplements, homeopathic treatments, acupuncture, stress reduction and support, detox plans for your gut and liver and much more!

Ayano Izuta, Naturopath