Upcoming Mother’s day has got me thinking about the type of mum I am.

You see, I’m the type of mum who feels deep empathy with my children. Whatever troubles them, troubles me, whatever brings them joy, brings me joy…DEEPLY.

And their troubles, THEY GET ME BAD.

I’ve no doubt it’s because I live with anxiety, because I’m an empath, a highly sensitive mum… just like my mum.

I marvel and admire those mums who remain strong and stoic in the face of their kids adversities. That’s not to say they don’t care, no not at all, it’s just a whole different vibration.

All the while I’m crying, suffering, solving, waking in the middle of the night, feeling my kid’s pain and imagining them feeling their pain.

Don’t get me wrong, I am grateful for this gift of experiencing life, and all it has to offer in this heightened state.

But it ain’t easy.

Especially those times when everything seems to comes at once. That’s when life feels like it’s going to break me, just like it did before.

But these days, life doesn’t break me. I pick myself up everytime.

Which got me thinking about why and how I do this now?

The answer was right there. It was nothing profound.

But it made me see myself, and all the things I do, to keep me stable and able to cope with life’s challenges and realities.

The little habits and rituals, non-negotiables, my little self-care box which helps me cope with life, in light of who I AM and how I vibrate as a person.

These rituals help me cope with those sleepless nights, to show up most days with a smile on my face, to find the strength to allow my children some space to unravel the complexities of life and build resilience.

So I thought I’d write a little poem to myself this Mother’s Day, acknowledging all those things I do, which help me show up each day in the best way I can.

THANK YOU ME

Thank you nature, you give me so much – your healing sun, fresh air, silence, reflection and earthing all uplift my soul keeping me grounded and centred

Thank you body for moving daily, exercising, keeping me strong and releasing my happy hormones

Thank you food for flooding my body with goodness with every bite and sip, cleansing and detoxifying, nourishing and healing

Thank you me for not trying to do it all, knowing all too well that burnout is at bay

Thank you work for fulfilling my soul and connecting me to my purpose each day

Thank you friends for the dinner catch ups, the laughs, love and cocktails recharge me

Thank you me for creating solitude and space which I desperately need to replenish and refresh my soul

Thank you breath for slowing me down, bringing me back to the moment, keeping me alive, I’d be totally lost without you

Thank you family for your uncondtional love, trust and forgiveness, snuggles, kisses, pure joy and everything you teach me

Thank you healers for keeping me balanced and in touch with the inner workings and needs of my body

Thank you me for striving to be the best mum you can be, ever evolving, changing, growing and loving

Happy Mother’s day mums.  I know motherhood can be such a struggle for so many. Perhaps the best gift you could give yourself for Sunday is a little thank you acknowledgement too.

I’d LOVE to hear the things you can thank yourself for, please go ahead and write to me in the comments.

Bren x

Connection has been something he as craved, but has found difficult to find outside of his family. Sometimes connection is even hard to find within your own family, but as parenting author and educator Maggie Dent says, “the great memories of our childhoods play an important role in our outlook on life….building memories that last occurs simply when we repeat significantly positive experiences“.

Through the ritual of cooking, a major point of connection for Orlando and I (I do not, and will not, play golf!) is the kitchen. For us, it’s a place where we can talk about life’s problems and stresses and fritter them away into the ether, to replace them with a sense of peace, joy and fun.

In the kitchen it’s just me, my son … and food!

Pic: Banana-Choc Cinnamon Icecream from Real Food For Hungry Teens

Everything just feels all right when we are in there together. It’s our own little club where we can relate and speak on the same level, try new approaches and create different taste sensations. I have the extra sense of smell, but he definitely has the highly evolved taste buds!

Sure, we’ll disagree on recipes from time to time (and can’t he put his foot down?!), but for the most part, our time spent together here is a very grounded and deep.

Food and nutrition has been an important part of my life since before he was born. I suppose it’s only natural that some of this will rub off on him, and he has certainly grown up to embrace my love of good food.
Pic: Hearty Black Bean and Sweet Corn Quesadilla

He trusts me enough to tell me when he’s indulged and made some poor choices (which happens more often as he gets more freedom and autonomy), even though he knows I won’t be that happy about it. I guess he feels he can confide in me because he knows the reason I won’t be happy is simply because I love him. I think he trusts me because he doesn’t feel judged, or that he’s let me down.

I do my best not to create fear around food, and the key (to me) is to not be judgmental. Who needs it, right?! It’s about teaching the right lessons and our kitchen experiences allow opportunities for explaining why good, real food is so beneficial. I find that accentuating the positives naturally draws us to positive habits. In doing so, I’m comfortable that I have given him the right set of tools to make the right choices, and can trust him to do so, even if he goes through the inevitable period of rebellion.

My son is big, bustling, sporty, developing and HUNGRY and needs as much nourishment as he can get. It’s critical for his development, but even more important is making sure it’s the right kind of nourishment – the kind that his body requires for sustainable, long term development.

So, this is why we decided to write a recipe book together. And it’s one of the most important things I’ve created in my work because my son and I created it together.

I know I will cherish the memory of this experience forever, as well as all our special moments in the kitchen. I have a feeling he will too.

When I tell him that one day his future wife will thank me for teaching him how to cook, and how lucky his own kids will be having a Dad who knows how to nourish them, he shoots me his proudest grin.

REAL FOOD FOR HUNGRY TEENS is the eBook we created together. We hope you love all the recipes and maybe even create beautiful long-lasting kitchen memories together.

About the eBook: Created by certified health coach, Brenda Janschek, and her hungry and creative son Orlando, this eBook contains a rich variety of over 20 nourishing, real food recipes designed to satisfy the tastebuds and growth requirements of developing teenagers.

Teenage years place a great burden on the body as it transforms into adulthood. These tasty recipes are designed to help our growing kids through this period of physical, emotional and intellectual upheaval with food that actually supports their accelerating growth, without simply resorting to a loaf of bread at each sitting.

You can purchase it here.

Simone is a veritable encyclopaedia on all things to do with fussy eaters, and in our expert interview for THE FUSSY EATING BUNDLE, she shares some very insightful and extremely helpful effective strategies to combat fussy eating.

I’m so thrilled to have her on the blog sharing some of her expertise here for you all as well.

Family Meals and Fussy Eating- Guest Post by Simone Emery from Play with Food.

First thing first, I want to thank Brenda for having me here today! I love Brenda’s honest approach to health and wellbeing for the entire family.

Here’s a quick and succinct guest post all about conquering fussy eating stages with your child. My experience and studies in children’s feeding almost make it too hard for me to quickly tell you in a nut shell what to do about fussy eating. However, I can endorse one tool that is essential to get you on track, the family meal.

To effectively have a family meal we need to clearly set up a definition for it.

A family meal does not mean an elaborate roast joint with a million vegetable-laden side dishes, a painstakingly crafted dessert and everyone you are related to over 4 generations sitting down and eating together.

It can simply be just 2 people (you and a child) having a toasted sandwich together at the table.

I consider that the majority of my meals with my kids are family meals. Even if we only sit together on a picnic rug at the park to have a yoghurt that is still a family meal. Your role at the family meal is to be the provider but your children have control over pretty much everything else from the toddler years going forward – how much they eat, what they eat, how they clean themselves, how they motor plan getting the food into their own mouth. Yes, you provide it all but try and let them control it.

A family can, by understanding and playing out their roles effectively in family meals, raise children to be competent, healthy and joyful eaters.

If your child is particularly fussy with a smell, texture, temperature, sound, colour or any other visual aspect of a food increasing their exposure to it via the family meal will help you iron out the root cause.

Here are my tips for holding a successful family meal that appeals to even the fussiest of kids.

Engage the child in some movement before the meal to help them organise or reset themselves.

• Everyone should sit with a 90 degree angle at the hips, knees and ankles. (Special chairs, foot rests or booster seats may be required).
• Decide on the environmental cues that will help your child concentrate on eating (eg. turn TV off, sit in a well-lit area, use a familiar placemat).
• Family style meal serves where everyone takes something from each plate provided – they can put it on their plate or onto their learning plate. Do this instead of plating up for the child in advance. It also saves on waste!
• Try to offer a preferred food, a carbohydrate, a dairy, a fruit, a vegetable and a protein.
• Use this time as a great chance to connect with your children. Eat with purpose and concentration.

Want to raise healthy eaters who eat a wide variety of food? Grab The Fussy Eating Bundle for just $49 by midnight 31st July Sydney time and get your  5 Amazing Bonuses for FREE! FIND OUT MORE HERE.

Simone is a mother of 2 little girls and lives in Sydney. She runs Play with Food. Play with Food offer food experiences to children and their families that aim to delight the taste buds and imagination. Her aim in these is to help families have happy mealtimes. Get her guide “The ABC’s to happier and healthier family meals” via her website.

The Hubby Cleanse – Stages and Realisations

Sorry I didn’t recap the results of my first week of cleanse. I could feel in my bones how worried you all were, but frankly, I was far too busy strutting around with the pride I usually reserve for completing a rudimentary home handyman task.

This cleanse thing was easy! Brought it to its knees, I did.

It’s been just over 4 weeks now, which makes a mockery of my intention to provide weekly updates, and which is a little longer than the typical Break Through! program. But remember I’m using this cleanse to address some health issues, meaning not only will it take longer than 3 weeks .. or 4 (gulp), but that I reintroduce food groups as I go.

The results have exceeded my expectations by a considerable margin. Quite frankly, I feel terrific, and it’s noticeable to both myself and those around me. It’s almost like I’m seeing the world in colour for the first time in a while. I’ve even begun to notice these cute little creatures with wings that fly about, and colourful plants with pleasing aromas! The transformation has been quite amazing. I’ve almost literally gone from looking and feeling like this

… to this:

I’m sure you’d agree that’s pretty dramatic!

By committing to a more regular training routine at the same time, as well as getting more sleep, I’ve managed to shed a few kilograms into the bargain. This wasn’t my real objective at all, though I knew it would be a natural consequence. In the meantime, if you know anyone with a belt-hole puncher, send them my way, will you?

Although making adjustments to my diet turned out to be far easier than I thought (I can still pack it away), it hasn’t been without its fair share of help from my lovely wife Brenda. Without that assistance, which has mainly involved cooking and preparation (and gentle reminders to do it myself occasionally), this little cleanse update might have had a different and slightly ashamed tone.

And it’s not like the cravings haven’t ebbed and flowed along the way. I can readily identify a few distinct stages I’ve experienced so far, and I’m sure many people would agree.

Stage 1:

The first couple of days are always the hardest. For me, it’s usually the first couple of minutes before I wipe my brow and claim that I really, really tried. But the reason I think these early days are difficult is that you haven’t built up any ‘time capital’ at this point. Because you’ve only just begun, it’s very easy to just cave in and begin again. What’s the loss, right? A day or two?

I’m pretty sure as I stared into the eyes of the cream-filled biscuits in the work kitchen in those early days, dressed so fetchingly in their smooth, tight-fitting, sealed glass jar, that I could hear them singing “Hello, is it me you’re looking for…?” It took all my strength to keep myself from lunging at them, and it had only been a day! But the last time I did that I ended up with a wife and two kids, so I inserted my knuckle into my mouth and backed away.

Stage 2:

Once the initial two days were safely out of the way, it was fairly easy to relax into a routine of preparing and taking meals to work, nuts to chew on, and some fruit for snacks in between. The siren call of all manner of cookie and lolly jars became but a murmur, and I was beginning to wonder if it could really be this straight forward.

Stage 3:

Moving well into the second week was a bit more jarring, however. And it was unexpected, as well as difficult to navigate safely. The old routine wanted to come out to play, but working in my favour though was time capital I’d built up. I had reached a point where I just didn’t want to start again! Even for the $1 chocolate specials at Woollies.

Truly, there is an element of psychology in making change, and I’ve found that the further you journey into the task (usually), the easier it is to mentally cope with the change.

So what have I learned so far?

The importance of an objective

– If you have a target in mind (health, weight, whatever your fancy), it’s far, far easier to commit to a routine, then stick to it.

The importance of an objective – If you have a target in mind (health, weight, whatever your fancy), it’s far, far easier to commit to a routine, then stick to it.

How much I actually ate – constant grazing for no other reason than something to do (and I do love food!), and often on sugary snacks, is not a great relationship to have with food. I know … my body rebelled. No wonder I felt bloated – my stomach never got a rest!

Lack of side effects – Not only do I feel fitter and more vibrant, but no headaches! Not one, and not even close. Perhaps that’s fortunate given stories I’ve heard from those with heavy addictions to things like sugar and caffeine, but I’m not going to argue. I’ve had more than my share already.

Preparation – You really have to be organised to maintain a strict routine, otherwise it’s too easy to scrape by with snacks that undo all the good work. Just as bad is going without a meal because you haven’t prepared food. The best thing about a bit of preparation is that it generally takes the same time as preparing one meal, but can last you days.

Lack of alternatives – Where I work in the city is not well known for cuisine. That’s a kind way to put it. And the options are limited, mostly carb or grain-loaded, and not really ideal from a health perspective. It takes quite a lot of groundwork just to locate even a half-healthy shop, which never seems to be within an accessible distance as well.

Lack of cravings – OK, I did miss coffee, but the way I used to attack chocolate made me think abstinence would be torture. Surprisingly, it wasn’t at all.

The importance of sleep – I do actually know and appreciate this (I’m reminded constantly by you-know-who) … it’s just that I never got around to going to bed early. Making a concerted effort to do so has definitely helped my moods, energy levels and alertness.

When I think about it, it makes a lot of sense to make some more permanent changes to my diet once the cleanse and food reintroduction are completed. If it makes me feel this good, why wouldn’t I?

Adrian Janschek

And luckily I’m one of them!

Last week I had the pleasure of attending the 10th annual ‘Happiness & Its Causes’ conference which saw the world’s brightest minds in psychology, science, education, business, religion and the arts come together to educate and inspire thousands of people at Sydney’s beautiful Luna Park. I also had the good fortune to hear the Dalai Lama speak those inspiring words above and so many more.

On reflection, His Holiness took me back to when I was 18yrs old and and had decided that my life’s course would see me striving for love, connection, compassion, empathy, purpose and happiness. Without doubt, this path has been circuitous, and continues to experience curve balls, but his words reignited my trust and belief in human nature and what we can collectively achieve. And just maybe that means happiness too!

Charlie Scudamore, principal at Geelong Grammar is another exemplary human who is fighting for happiness. He has introduced Positive Psychology to his school and is passionate about finding what he and other teachers can do to improve the lives of children.

Mr Scudamore says.

“We would like to make the world a more peaceful and kinder place,”

In our affluent nation, there are so many young people with eating disorders, depression, anxiety, stress.

However, there are many schools around the world who are beginning to embed positive psychology in their curriculum. “We teach it as a subject, alongside mathematics and history,” he says. Thinking back, I reckon I could have used one of his positivity classes after a double period of maths!

He believes, and I agree, that education has been hijacked by too much assessment. He states that while it’s good to have academic success, the ‘developed countries’ have lost their way by focusing too much on outcomes and less on positive well being. Mr Scudamore’s focus is on creating  positive communities through our schools, classrooms, families and organisations by focusing on wellbeing. Specifically, he believes these 5 things can help shape positive communities:

• Trust
• Compassion
• Integrity
• Forgiveness
• And above all else, HOPE

He believes that if our children leave school with a developed sense of co-operation, kindness, and doing good things for other people, the world just may end up being a better place.

Both speakers believe that modern education has a strong orientation towards materialism and that we  need to question whether this will result in positive human beings and bring happiness to people.

“A materialistic life is no guarantee for inner peace or inner happiness, yet inner peace is the ultimate source of a happy life”

And one of my biggest a-ha! moments occurred with the realisation that self-care and self-worth wasn’t some new-age indulgence at all. It makes a whole lot more sense to regard taking care of oneself as something we owe to ourselves, to society and our communities.

“Micro moments of connection are not just about our own health, but also about the other person we are connecting with…..Working on yourself is not hedonistic, rather self-improvement will ripple out affects to the next person and then the community”

So it seems the secret to happiness for us and our children doesn’t lie in the latest iPad or Netflix (as fun as they can undoubtedly be), but rather lies in being loving and compassionate human beings, connectedness, self improvement, service to society, mindfulness and love.

Bren x

Resistant or stubborn weight is such an emotional and frustrating subject for many, due to the fact that women have been trying to lose the extra 5-10 kilos for years and are failing miserably. When something is not working, then it is time to try a different approach. If your body is in perfect hormonal harmony, thyroid, adrenals and all systems balance. You should be able to have 2 to 3 healthy meals a day, exercise moderately, and feel fantastic in a body you love.

The gist to losing that resistant weight is to stop, slow down, and listen to your body. Create the perfect environment inside and outside your body to enable it to be where it wants to be. Our bodies have the innate power to heal. Give your body and mind the tools they need, and you will get your desired outcome.

Break Through! To Feeling Fantastic in a Body You Love is a formulated program developed  by myself and Health and Lifestyle Coach , Brenda Janschek.

This e-course is aimed at helping you Break Through! your weight and health barriers. We hope to see you there.

Dijanna from Wardrobe 101 was sent on a journey to unlock some of the dark secrets of my wardrobe with the only half tongue-in-cheek warning that there might be more work in there than she bargained for. It was as much a search-and-destroy mission as it was a mercy dash to search-and-accessorise! It’s not that bad, really, but many of my clothes had ceased being an inspiration, and that needed to change. Or the clothes had to! The equation was pretty clear.

Sure enough, when I returned not five minutes later, it was to a heap of clothes that resembled the detritus of the fashion world and the early stages of a bonfire much more than it did a well-maintained treasure. So I guess I didn’t disappoint her .. or maybe I did!

In any case, after explaining why these clothes were headed to the great clothes rack in the sky (which you can see in the video), she softened the blow with some kind words for a cropped black jacket which had survived the cull due to its versatility. Dijanna showed me three easy and gorgeous ways to style it that will see me off to a casual lunch with girlfriends, a more formal meeting with a corporate client, or a movie opening at the Verona.

You can check the outfits out below, but in the meantime, see what was ditched and why.

While Dijanna was working her magic, I had snuck into the kitchen to whizz her up Quirky Cooking’s ‘My Favourite Green Smoothie’. It’s actually my second favourite smoothie, beaten to the no.1 ranking by the Coconut Chai Green Smoothie from her new cookbook (which is one of the prizes in this big giveaway!). It’s a great breakfast option for Dijanna and her family (and quick!), and I’m hoping she will add it into her growing repetoire of nourishing, yet snappy family meals.

Here’s how to make this delicious green smoothie…

GIVEAWAY (This giveaway is closed and winner has been contacted)

I’ve decided to run a fantastic giveaway which includes five amazing prizes valued at over $400!!! Entry details below.

Food versus fashion giveaway includes:

<1 x Wardrobe 101 sustainable eco-friendly T-shirt, making it easier to make smart fashion choices without compromising the planet. It is 100% organic. Value $145.

1 x Chasing Issy one off necklace. Value $120.

1 x Quirky Cooking cookbook that contains over 130 healthy, mouth-watering recipes catering to a broad spectrum of specialist diets. Value $50.

1 x case of Natural Raw C coconut water. Low in sugar and super delish. Value $40

1 x copy of Wardrobe 101, a go-to manual to create your perfect core wardrobe.  Value $34.95

3 simple steps to enter for your chance to win all these prizes:

Firstly like the Facebook pages of:

Wardrobe 101
Chasing Issy
Quirky Cooking
Natural Raw C 
Brenda Janschek Health and Lifestyle

And then sign up to my free newsletter here.

Finally, leave a comment in this blog telling me which cropped jacket outfit  is your favourite (1, 2 or 3) and why.

Terms and conditions:

* This giveaway runs until midnight, 6th of August 2014.
* The winner will be chosen randomly.
* This competition is open to Australian residents only.
* The winner will be announced by email.

Best of luck everyone!

Bren x

PS: Did anyone notice I’m wearing the same shoes and bag in each picture. She’s a clever gal that Dijanna!

As a mumpreneur, my focus had shifted to more immediately necessary  things – raising my family, preparing meals, after school activities and events, creating and building my business. You know how it goes. I used to love fashion, my clothes, and getting dressed for the day. When did it get so hard? Where did that girl go? I miss her.

It was time to call in the expert. Lucky for me my bestie is Dijanna Mulhearn from Wardrobe 101. She is no stranger to my frenzied texts the night before an event desperately seeking styling advice. So we struck a deal: in exchange for her fashion education, Dijanna asked me to show her the easy way to good health through food.

It struck me that if Dijanna and I were having this food/fashion struggle, then possibly you might be too. And when I asked you the question on Facebook, it your replies confirmed my suspicion. It seems to be a universal issue.

So this post is the first in a fun series exploring some easy fashion and food fixes, and allows us to remember that it’s healthy to indulge in a bit of self care and self love.

Click on the video as we set up our challenge – Dijanna shares a quick fashion tip and gets a taste of a delicious quick snack for her efforts. (We’ll work on video length and blurriness factor for the next ones!)

You can find the full recipe for Brenda’s Brekky Ball here

Dijanna’s fussy eater 7yr old not only loved Brenda’s Brekky Ball, but shared some with his mates who have sent an order through for some more 🙂

What are your fashion/food woes? We’d love to hear from you and address your stresses!

In the next installment of Food versus Fashion, Dijanna finds a little gem in my wardrobe and proceeds to show me how easy it is to create three different looks with this single piece. And I’ll make sure I supply here with an ultra-tasty, supercharged smoothie to send her on her way to face another busy day without a stop off at McDonalds!

Look out for an awesome giveaway coming up in the following weeks and we’d love it if you shared this post to help other mums in the same boat.

Bren x

It is a commonly held belief that our bodies and minds are two very separate entities, functioning independently of each other. This is unfortunate, as well as being counterproductive to good, holistic health because it could not be further from the truth. In reality, our bodies and our minds are closely linked and are very much co-dependent.

As an experienced clinical psychologist, I have spent many years helping people manage any mental health issues they may face. I have always emphasised to my clients that a healthy mind cannot be achieved without a healthy body, but it wasn’t until I began my own journey into truly healthy eating that I realised just how important it was. It was at this point I realised that purely addressing mental health issues is a limiting exercise.

By way of example, bring to mind an event from your life that has a strong emotion attached to it – it could be anxiety, sadness, joy, anger – now hold that image in your mind and tune into the sensations within your body. Now notice where that emotion exists in your body and how it feels.

Emotions do not exist only in our minds, they live in our bodies. Anxiety, depression, anger, trauma, they all reside in our bodies and it is usually the sensations within our body that are the most distressing parts of these experiences. Think of common phrases we use to describe emotional experiences – ‘gut wrenching’, ‘broken hearted’, ‘like a weight being lifted off my shoulders’ – they all describe sensations within our bodies.

When we aim for overall wellbeing, we need to consider both physical and mental health. You can’t have one without the other. If we are trying to manage and heal mental health problems such as anxiety, depression, stress, trauma, even bipolar disorder or schizophrenia, we will be most successful if we combine some form of therapy (always with someone registered, qualified and suited to your individual needs) with a diet that ensures our bodies are well nourished and functioning optimally (and yes, therapy may include medication).

Poor nutrition and consuming additive-laden processed ‘foods’ (though some barely warrant that description) add an extra burden to our bodies that are already struggling to cope with the issues that we are dealing with. These food choices can contribute to lethargy, insomnia, anxiety, mood problems, headaches and hyperactivity, to name just a few. In short, building from a shaky base is counter-productive, and unlikely to produce best results.

When we choose unprocessed wholefoods, good quality fruit, vegetables, proteins and healthy fats (coconut oil, olive oil, avocado etc) our bodies and brains are comprehensively nourished. It’s no surprise, then, that they function better, which improves our sleep, our immune system, our energy levels, and ability to cope more readily with anger, anxiety or stress.

We can be proactive with our own mental health by controlling what we put into our bodies and noticing how it makes us feel (energetic, focused, anxious, lethargic). We can certainly observe the behavioural changes in our children based on what they have eaten, while recognising that their formative years are crucial to their future physical and mental well being. We need to make sure they are equipped with the solid foundations of health that give them the best opportunity at a long and enjoyable life.

Irrespective of our past diets, upbringing and experiences, we need to recognise there is a lot we can be doing immediately to ensure that our minds and bodies, and those of our children, are working as nature intended – cohesively rather than combatively.

 Monique Phipps is a Clinical Psychologist with 13 years experience and a mum of 3 young children. Her family eat an additive free, wholefood diet.

You can connect with her on her Facebook Page and blog.

Guest blog from Jessica Donovan, The Energetic Mama

I am sure all you women out there will agree that the effects of your hormones can be pretty darn powerful! They can cause havoc to our physical, mental and emotional health! Our hormones can make us tired, moody, teary and angry. They can make us gain weight, become bloated and develop depression. We can become ravenous, crave sugar, and suffer with headaches and anxiety when we are ‘hormonal’

On the other hand our hormones are what make us women. They give us our curves, give us our womanly energy and sex drive. They allow us to become mothers and are responsible for our nurturing nature.

The key to living happily with our hormones is Balance! But in this fast paced, toxin loaded world how on earth do we achieve such balance?

Many hormone imbalances are associated with a situation of ‘oestrogen dominance’ or too much oestrogen in relation to progesterone. This can mean your oestrogen levels are too high, your progesterone levels are too low, or both.

Sugars, refined grains, environmental oestrogens (found in plastics, pesticides, toiletries and cosmetics) and poor liver health can all contribute to an imbalance in the ratio of oestrogen to progesterone.

Blood sugar balance

If you have a hormonal imbalance it is especially important to avoid sugar and refined carbohydrates. Base your diet on lots of fresh vegetables and salads with clean protein such as eggs, fish and nuts and pasture raised meats.

Environmental Oestrogens

There are a number of chemicals in our environment that act as hormones when absorbed into our bodies, known as xeno- oestrogens. We are exposed to these chemicals in the form of pesticides on the food we consume, soft plastics used in food packaging and many cosmetic products. To avoid exposure to these chemicals

• Eat organic produce where possible
• Minimise the use of plastic wrapping on your food
• Invest in a stainless steel drink bottle.
• Use naturally based cosmetics, being especially careful to avoid parabens.

Liver detoxification

The liver has an important role to play in hormone metabolism, so it follows that keeping the liver happy improves hormone levels. Look after your liver by

• Limiting alcohol and caffeine which put extra stress on the liver, leaving it less energetic to deal with hormone balance.
• Consuming cruciferous vegetables including cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli and brussel sprouts which contain a constituent that helps to improve the metabolism of oestrogen in the liver.
• Drink Fresh lemon squeezed in water, especially first thing in the morning, which aids liver function.

Maintain a healthy weight

Oestrogen is responsible for depositing fat around your abdomen, hips and breasts, giving you your womanly shape but carrying extra weight increases your oestrogen levels, which leads to even more weight gain. To break this cycle eat well and move every day to help you reach and maintain a healthy weight.

Jessica Donovan is not your typical naturopath. She is a foodie, enjoys a glass of wine and loves dark chocolate.

She doesn’t believe you have to be perfect to be healthy. She believes having GREAT health is achievable for everyone.

She has over 13 years clinical experience as a naturopath and was inspired to create a program for mums after seeing so many mums in her clinic that were tired and overwhelmed and suffering with hormonal imbalances, digestive discomfort and stress symptoms.

Energetic Mama is a 3 step program Nourish – Balance – Rejuvenate to help mums feel their best. You can find out more here http://energeticmama.com/

Find her on facebook  https://www.facebook.com/EnergeticMama

Buy Jessica’s new ebook, Energetic Mama here