Category: News

Food is the one thing about us that makes all so very unique. No two eating patterns are the same because of our likes, dislikes, choices, affordability, accessibility, and cultural influences. It can bring us joy, bring people together and keep us energised but it can also be very confusing, distressing and painful.

In my time as a dietitian, I have found that food is one of the most personal things about us but also something that everyone has an opinion on. This makes it hard to know what is right, share experiences and sometimes enjoy food in the best possible way.

A dietitian can help enjoying food and eating easier. They help to navigate the pages and pages of nutritional advice out there and use personalised nutrition advice to help you optimise your life and health. Accredited Practising Dietitians are the gold standard of nutritional information in Australia. They know the best and newest ways to help you manage your conditions, foods and behaviours to create and promote positive wellbeing. They understand how nutrition affects the body ad they use this knowledge plus your personalised experience with food to help treat you. Due to this, they are also the only nutrition credential recognised by Medicare, the Department of Veterans' Affairs, and many private health funds.

The conditions a dietitian can help with are:

• Diabetes – carbohydrate awareness, counting, label reading and switches
• Heart disease – high cholesterol, hypertension
• Food allergies and intolerances – lactose intolerance, coeliac disease, IBS
• Gastrointestinal diseases – Chron’s disease, coeliac disease, IBS
• Malnutrition
• Fussy eating and feeding difficulties
• Eating disorders or disordered eating
• General nutrition information
• Renal disease
• Life stage nutrition – planning pregnancies, pregnancy, paediatric nutrition, menopause and ageing.

The first session with a dietitian is always the scariest because of food being so personal. There is a fear of being judged or ridiculed but what you need to know is that discussing food and your concerns with a dietitian is a safe space where you will not be judged, told off, ridiculed or belittled. You don’t need to be a perfect eater because nothing about nutrition is perfect, there is no magic foods or perfect diets and every day, we are still learning something new. When you have your first session with a dietitian it is all about you, you tell us your back story, why you need our help, what you biggest struggles and fears are and we, the dietitians listen. We ask questions here and there to get more information and not because we are judging you but because the more, we know about you the better we can help you.

Subsequent sessions vary from person to person. They may include nutrition education, nutrition activities, recipe developments, sensory challenges, or shopping and eating out guidance. The number of sessions and how often is also different from person to person. the common theme amongst the sessions though is support. You will always have support from your dietitian, they are you biggest cheerleader. So if this article has resonated with you book an appointment today.

This women’s health week, 5th – 11th of September, I want to shine the light on nutrition in reproductive health as 1 in 10 women of child bearing age, suffer from a condition known as Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).

Polycystic what?

Polycystic ovary or ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is a common health problem that affect many women throughout Australia. PCOS is caused by an imbalance of reproductive hormones which causes problems to occur with a woman’s ovaries. The main role of the ovaries are to make and produce eggs ready for fertilization. In PCOS, high levels of androgen (commonly a male hormone), can cause issues with the development of these eggs and ovulation.

Symptoms of PCOS

Not every presentation of PCOS is the same just as not every body is the same but here are some common symptoms that may occur. If any of these symptoms related to you, make an appointment to see your doctor for further investigation. It may not be anything but better to be safe and take care of your reproductive health.

• Irregular menstrual cycles causing cysts and infertility
• Insulin insensitivity causing high blood sugar levels with no history of diabetes
• Excess hair in places where men normally have hair (chin or face)
• Acne (face, chest, upper back)
• Thinning hair or hair loss
• Weight gain
• Darkening of skin
• Skin tags (small excess flaps of skin normally in armpits or around neck)

Nutrition for PCOS

A common misconception when it comes to PCOS is that you should avoid Carbohydrates, WRONG! Here is the theory behind this myth:

• In PCOS, the high levels of hormones not only affect the ovaries but can also affects insulin (another hormone) sensitivity.
• PCOS decreases insulin sensitivity which can cause high blood sugar levels.
• Normally, insulin is a hormone that is released to help your body bring sugars into your blood to give you energy.
• When sensitivity of insulin is decrease, it means insulin doesn’t work as well so therefore the sugar in the blood stays there instead of being used by the body causing the high blood sugar levels.
• Avoiding carbohydrates was once thought to help this scenario as carbohydrates (breads, pasta, fruit, cereal, rice etc.) when broken down create the sugars in our blood that the insulin is suppose to take up.
• So therefore, the thought was, no carbs = no sugar in blood = no high blood sugar levels.

The theory is very black and white thinking though and nutrition is a very grey science. An example is that in this black and white theory, the liver was forgotten. One of the roles of the liver is to store excess sugar and in times when there is no sugar for energy (i.e. cutting out carbs) the liver’s role is to release its stored sugars to help give your body energy. So sugars are released and insulin is also released but in PCOS, the insulin still doesn’t work well so sugar levels in the blood remain high and therefore the problem is still there.

Take home message

Don’t cut out carbs to help your PCOS. Instead include Low GI carb foods such as multigrain breads, brown long grain rice, lentils or legumes and whole grain cereals to name a few. Low GI foods are digested slower therefore giving the insulin time to work better. If you’re looking for more detailed support, talking to an accredited practicing dietitian is always a great place to start. They can help you understand your condition better and individualise nutrition recommendations to suit your lifestyle. Book an appointment to day with Jess to start your journey.

The pelvic floor muscles are a supportive basin of muscle attached to the pelvic bones by connective tissue to support the vagina, uterus, bladder and bowel. The main group of muscles providing this support is called the ‘levator’ muscles. There are also nerves that relax or squeeze these pelvic muscles as needed.

Between the levator muscles there is an opening that allows the urethra, vagina and back passage to exit the abdomen. This is called the ‘levator hiatus’.

What Happens to the Levator Ani During Childbirth?

During a vaginal birth, the baby needs to pass through the ‘levator hiatus’ in the pelvic floor, and the muscles, connective tissues and nerves can be damaged in the process. The levator muscles are stretched by 1.5 to more than 3 times their normal length as the baby passes through, depending on the size of both baby and pelvic floor muscle opening.In many women, these muscles return to normal but in 10-30% of women the muscles are overstretched or sometimes torn off the bone. This injury is called a ‘levator avulsion’

Risk factors associated with Levator ani avulsion: