Nutrition

medicinal mushrooms

5 Key Medicinal Mushrooms

Medicinal mushrooms have gained popularity in recent years for their potential health benefits, including those that can be advantageous for athletes. Mushrooms are a great inclusion in your diet as they have many health and nutritional benefits. Mushrooms contain several B vitamins, including niacin, folate, biotin, pantothenic acid and riboflavin. Mushrooms also provide antioxidants and …

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sports naturopathy

Sports Naturopathy

Sports naturopathy, also known as sports focussed naturopathic medicine, uses natural healing approaches and offers many potential benefits for athletes. Naturopathic practitioners (Naturopaths) aim to maintain optimal health through a balanced and yet comprehensive approach. Naturopathy complements other conventional medical and allied health practices. Potential benefits of sports naturopathy for athletes include: Holistic Approach: Sports …

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training-fasted

Training Fasted

Training fasted involves exercising without food and/or energy drinks for a period of time. The most common fast lasts for 8–12 hours or extended to 16 hours as an ‘overnight fast’. During this period, we tap into fat stores in the form of ketone bodies and stored glycogen. Runners often train fasted unconsciously as a …

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seasonal affective disorder

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) and athletes

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), also known as seasonal depression or seasonal mood disorder, can have many impacts to your way of life, including your athletic performance. While SAD’s prevalence in Australia may differ from other regions, it is still important to explore the experiences of female athletes living with SADs. In this blog post we …

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pumpkin soup

Ginger and Pumpkin Soup (GF)

We all know that winter weather calls for delicious, heart warming soups. This delicious pumpkin soup recipe has the added bonus of ginger – an ingredient that aids digestion and is packed with antioxidants that help prevent arthritis, inflammation and various types of infection. There are so many health benefits of ginger! Ingredients 1kg pumpkin, peeled, …

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premenstrual dysphoria disorder

PMDD-premenstrual dysphoric disorder

Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD) is a health concern best described as a form of severe premenstrual syndrome (PMS). PMDD affects 3-8% of women worldwide but is not well understood or researched. What are the symptoms? PMDD symptoms include anger, irritability, depressed mood, anxiety, lack of pleasure, a sense of overwhelm, difficulty concentrating, fatigue, changes in …

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Salt tablets and electrolytes

Salt tablets and electrolytes

Most athletes consider the balance of electrolytes when thinking about hydration and recovery, especially over endurance events.  But are salt tablets and electrolytes really necessary? Before we answer this question, let’s recap on electrolytes and the role they perform in the body. Sodium is the key electrolyte responsible for controlling extracellular fluid balance while potassium …

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Best Protein powder

The best protein powder

Kate Smyth- Sports Naturopath and Nutritionist It can be difficult to know how to choose the best protein powder. Protein plays a vital role in any athlete’s eating plan. Irrespective of your chosen sport be that running, triathlon, swimming, team sports, cycling or lifting weights, athletes expend more energy than the average person. Athletes also …

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Zinc deficiency and plant based athletes

Zinc Deficiency and Plant Based Athletes

Zinc deficiency is more common in plant-based athletes.  Fact is, zinc is the powerhouse that supports performance. And knowing how being deficient in zinc can affect your progress, is essential. Most athletes understand zinc’s role in supporting the immune system and wound healing, and its requirement for a proper sense of taste and smell but …

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