Leanne Ward Nutrition

Today I chat with women’s health, thyroid & metabolism expert, Lacey Dunn.  Lacey is a dietitian with a masters degree in Nutrition and a bachelors degree in dietetics. She is also a certified personal trainer and a functional medicine nutrition specialist in training.   Lacey helps clients through an evidenced based yet functional medicine lens that focuses on her clients lifestyle, history, and specific health needs. She works with them to help her clients reclaim their health and happiness, and feel like their best self.   On today’s podcast, Lacey and I chat all things women's' health, thyroid, hormones & metabolism. We start by chatting about how Lacey got into body building and what made her want to specialise in women’s health issues. We then talk about some signs and symptoms of hormonal imbalances and common trends she sees regarding thyroid imbalances and hormone health. Lacey tells us the best ways to test for thyroid and hormonal problems and how the contraception pills can affect testing. She gives us the run down on cortisol and how it affects overall health and wellbeing and how can we test for it. We also discuss how nutrition affects cortisol. Next Lacey chats to our listeners about thyroid health and the impacts of nutrition on our thyroid. We quickly discuss supplements for thyroid health and finally, how we can boost and support our metabolic health If you would like to learn more about the topics discussed in this podcast, follow Lacey on her Instagram, @faithandfit or take a look at her website or podcast UpliftFit Nutrition Podcast.   Please subscribe and leave me a review  If you enjoyed this podcast, please tag me and share it in your Instagram stories and leave me a positive rating or review in the purple Apple Podcast app (in the rating & reviews section underneath the episode lists). This really helps my podcast get prioritised by Apple and helps me disseminate evidence based information to the people that need it the most! Don't forget to subscribe to my podcast so you never miss an episode!  

Today I chat with qualified personal trainer Soph Allen. Soph is an experienced coach specialising in female transformations. She founded Train With Soph, a health and fitness coaching platform and app that delivers custom training and nutrition programs, educational and mindset content for women. She’s also a social media personality, known for keeping it real on Instagram and YouTube.   I’ve got Soph on today’s podcast to chat about her experiences with competing. I, like many others, have always considered doing a bikini or fitness competition, but never have. Soph has competed and is a wealth of knowledge on the subject. So today we talk about what competing is, the differences between the federations and divisions, why someone might want to compete, what goes into a comp prep, how peak week looks, what stage day looks like, why having abs isn’t actually healthy, the hardest parts about comp prep and the pro and cons of competing. When listening to this episode just keep in mind that I think achieving the levels of leanness required for bikini/fitness competitions is not healthy for most and should only be done for a very short period of time under the guidance of multiple professionals. This episode is intended to be an unbiased discussion about Soph’s experiences with competing. If you would like to learn more about Soph check out her Instagram and YouTube. Please subscribe and leave me a review  If you enjoyed this podcast, please tag me and share it in your Instagram stories and leave me a positive rating or review in the purple Apple Podcast app (in the rating & reviews section underneath the episode lists). This really helps my podcast get prioritised by Apple and helps me disseminate evidence based information to the people that need it the most! Don't forget to subscribe to my podcast so you never miss an episode!  

Today's episode is a masterclass on microbes as I chat with microbiologist, Kaitlynn Fenley about fermenting food and evidenced-based gut health.   Kaitlynn specialises in food microbiology and food safety. She has a Bachelor of Science in Microbiology from Louisiana State University and serves as the CEO and head of food safety for her own fermentation company, Cultured Guru.   The mission of Cultured Guru is to make microbiome health accessible to all by educating people about microorganisms, food science, and microbial fermentation.  In today's episode, Kaitlynn and I start off by talking about what exactly good gut health means and why she’s so passionate about it. We chat about the things our listeners can do to achieve good gut health and learn to nourish their gut microorganisms from a nutrition and lifestyle perspective. We also quickly touch on probiotics.   Kaitlynn then explains to us what exactly fermentation science is and what fermented foods are. We talk about food safety with fermented foods and some tips she has to ferment your own foods safely at home.   If you’d like to know more about Kaitlynn, please follow her on her Instagram, @cultured.guru, head to her website or sign up to her waitlist for the Cultured Guru’s School of Fermentation program here. Please subscribe and leave me a review  If you enjoyed this podcast, please tag me and share it in your Instagram stories and leave me a positive rating or review in the purple Apple Podcast app (in the rating & reviews section underneath the episode lists). This really helps my podcast get prioritised by Apple and helps me disseminate evidence based information to the people that need it the most! Don't forget to subscribe to my podcast so you never miss an episode!  

On today’s podcast I chat with accredited nutritionist and sports dietitian, Taylor Ryan.   Taylor’s experience is within the sports performance realm, where she has predominately worked with strength and conditioning athletes from recreational to elite standards (particularly within the CrossFit, powerlifting and weightlifting fields).   Taylor’s passion for performance-based sports nutrition developed from her personal experience in Olympic weightlifting where she competed nationally.   Taylor’s personal experiences as a weightlifter and CrossFit coach have led her to understand first-hand the pivotal role that nutrition plays in performance enhancement, body composition, injury prevention and management.   Taylor and I start off the podcast by discussing how she came to be working in the space of nutrition for CrossFit and what she enjoys about it. We then talk about the nutritional requirements of CrossFit athletes and also everyday gym goers.   We chat about carbohydrate consumption before, during and after exercise and the evidence around carbohydrate absorption in the body. We quickly discuss keto and low carbohydrate diets for athletes, intermittent fasting for active adults, carbohydrate and calorie cycling for rest days vs. training days and the holy grail of sports nutrition; how much protein we need.   We then talk about our last macronutrient, fat, why it’s important in our diet and what happens when we cut our fat intake too low.   Finally, we talk about supplements for CrossFit athletes and Taylors preference for measuring body composition and tracking progress with her clients and athletes. You can follow Taylor on her Instagram, @the_sportsdietitian or find her on her website. Please subscribe and leave me a review  If you enjoyed this podcast, please tag me and share it in your Instagram stories and leave me a positive rating or review in the purple Apple Podcast app (in the rating & reviews section underneath the episode lists). This really helps my podcast get prioritised by Apple and helps me disseminate evidence based information to the people that need it the most! Don't forget to subscribe to my podcast so you never miss an episode!  

I’m excited you’re here today for an incredible episode with our special guest Dr Marissa Alert. Dr Alert is a licensed clinical psychologist and speaker. She is passionate about helping people improve their health habits, lose weight, manage stress, and overcome barriers to live a life that’s in line with their values.   Dr Alert is an associate director and clinical product expert at Johns Hopkins HealthCare Solutions and she spends her time developing digital programs to help individuals better manage chronic medical conditions, including diabetes and obesity.   Whether it’s delivering corporate wellness webinars or leading in-person sessions, Dr Alert loves connecting with people to help them move from where they are to where they want to be. Today's episode begins with Dr Alert and I discussing why change is so hard and why so many people can’t stick to their healthy behaviours despite the best of intentions. We talk about facing the same problems over and over and how to break out of these patterns and also we talk about overcoming self-sabotage.   Next we discuss how to get comfortable with discomfort, how to sit with our feelings rather than eating them and how else we can manage emotional eating.   We then we talk about more difficult emotions such as grief and loss and Dr Alert gives us some wonderful and practical tips to dealing with difficult emotions.   Finally, we end the podcast talking about the changes a lot of people have experienced due to the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic and we focus on some positive things that are within our control to end on a lovely positive note. If you would like to learn more about Dr Alert follow her on Instagram at @dr.malert. Please subscribe and leave me a review  If you enjoyed this podcast, please tag me and share it in your Instagram stories and leave me a positive rating or review in the purple Apple Podcast app (in the rating & reviews section underneath the episode lists). This really helps my podcast get prioritised by Apple and helps me disseminate evidence based information to the people that need it the most! Don't forget to subscribe to my podcast so you never miss an episode!  

I’m so excited to bring you today's episode with UK based dietitian Tai Ibitoye. Tai and I begin the podcast by talking about what Tai does day to day as a clinical dietitian and also a PhD doctoral researcher in the food and nutrition science space. Next, Tai shares with our listeners some of her findings from her public health study which investigated the prevalence of “less healthy” food adverts near schools in London with high rates of childhood obesity. We then dive into her current research looking at appetites among the UK elderly patients who may or may not be malnourished.   On the flip side of this, we then talk about the overweight population, trying to lose weight, who say their appetites are always super high. Tai also takes us through the current research around satiety & fullness. We also deep dive into other lifestyle factors that influence our appetite. Finally, we discuss mindful eating, what it is and how to do it. You can follow Tai on Instagram @taitalksnutrition or her website. Please subscribe and leave me a review  If you enjoyed this podcast, please tag me and share it in your Instagram stories and leave me a positive rating or review in the purple Apple Podcast app (in the rating & reviews section underneath the episode lists). This really helps my podcast get prioritised by Apple and helps me disseminate evidence based information to the people that need it the most! Don't forget to subscribe to my podcast so you never miss an episode!  

I’m so  excited to bring you this episode today on bariatric surgery with advanced accredited practising dietitian, Amanda Clark.   Amanda has over 25 years experience in weight management and is a specialised bariatric dietitian. Amanda’s private practice is Great Ideas in Nutrition on the southern Gold Coast and she is the creator of Portion Perfection, a set of tools aimed at making eating the right amount of food for weight management easier, no matter what your needs.   We begin this podcast with Amanda’s tips and observations about the things people tend to do ‘wrong’ when it comes to sustainable weight loss. We then explain to our listeners what bariatric surgery is, how it works, who is might be appropriate for, some positives about weight loss surgery, some negatives about weight loss surgery and things people really need to consider before having a weight loss surgery procedure. We also talk about binge eating disorder, psychology input and post-op requirements.   Finally, we discuss what to do if someone has had bariatric surgery and their weight loss has stalled (or they’ve re-gained weight) and more about Amanda's Portion Perfection range which you can find on Instagram @portionperfection.   Please subscribe and leave me a review  If you enjoyed this podcast, please tag me and share it in your Instagram stories and leave me a positive rating or review in the purple Apple Podcast app (in the rating & reviews section underneath the episode lists). This really helps my podcast get prioritised by Apple and helps me disseminate evidence based information to the people that need it the most! Don't forget to subscribe to my podcast so you never miss an episode!  

Today's episode is a highly requested topic on pathways into nutrition and tips for nutrition students.  I chat with Rachel Hawkins, a Sydney Dietitian & Nutritionist with a Bachelor of Exercise and Nutrition Science and a Masters of Dietetic Studies who is passionate about helping women ditch diets and adopt a more balanced approach to nutrition. Rachel is a foodie, content creator, writer, speaker and host of chart-topping podcast, NakedChats. She has an active presence in the online health space and aspires to transform the way people think about food by sharing nutrition information in a fun and relatable way. She's followed an unconventional path which you can stay up to date with via her Instagram account which is @rachelhawkinsdietitian.   On today’s podcast, Rachel and I start with the basics of what the difference between a nutritionist and a dietitian is, we then talk about how naturopaths and nutrition coaches fit with nutritionists and dietitians and then discuss other health fields such as chiropractors and osteo’s who routinely give out nutrition advice as part of their practise and probably really shouldn’t?! We talk about the rules and regulations in the nutrition space and why there are so many so called “nutrition experts” online.   Rachel and I then discuss what subjects younger people looking into nutrition as a career should think about doing in high school that would allow them to study nutrition at University. We talk about the benefits of studying nutrition at university/college compared to a tafe or online course and discuss the areas that nutritionists and dietitians can work in throughout Australia and also online.   We talk about options for our listeners that don’t want to or can’t afford to go to university or college and also available options if our listeners don’t want to pursue a career in nutrition but just have a personal interest in learning for themselves.   Finally, we end this podcast with some advice for our student nutritionists and dietitians about what they can do while they’re studying to set themselves apart, what tips we have for them as they enter the workforce, job & interview tips for our new grads listening and finally, Rachel tells us a few things she wishes she might have done differently in her career to date and a few things she is thankful and grateful for that she believes has been crucial to her success.   If you would like to know more about Rachel, visit her at:  Instagram: @rachelhawkinsdietitian  Podcast: NakedChats  Website: www.rachelhawkins.com.au  Please subscribe and leave me a review  If you enjoyed this podcast, please tag me and share it in your Instagram stories and leave me a positive rating or review in the purple Apple Podcast app (in the rating & reviews section underneath the episode lists). This really helps my podcast get prioritised by Apple and helps me disseminate evidence based information to the people that need it the most! Don't forget to subscribe to my podcast so you never miss an episode!  

Today's exert guest is Melanie McGrice, an advanced accredited practising dietitian with a special interest in fertility, pregnancy and infants.   Melanie runs the ‘Nourish with Melanie’ YouTube channel, the online dietary program ‘8 simple steps to a healthy pregnancy diet’ and is an ambassador for Compassion’s ‘Mum’s and Bub’s Nutrition Clinics’ with the Nutrition Plus team sponsoring one in Tanzania. For more info visit Melanie's website, Facebook or Instagram.   In this podcast, Melanie and I start off by talking about what good nutrition for fertility means and why it’s so important, what foods improve the quality of our eggs, foods to avoid when we’re trying to conceive and we hear Melanie’s thoughts on seed cycling.   We then talk a little about infertility and other things besides nutrition our listeners should be aware of, why the health and nutrition of males matter as much as the females, supplements worth taking when trying to conceive, how to overcome morning sickness, foods to focus on when pregnant, whether protein powders are safe to take and how new mums can increase their milk supply.   Finally, Melanie shares her wisdom on solids for babies and tips that mums can use when it comes to label reading and baby food.  Thank you to Protein Supplies Australia for their wonderful support on this podcast today. To check out their natural range of wholesome supplements with a great 15% off, please use the code "LWpodcast15" for 15% off here.  Please subscribe and leave me a review  If you enjoyed this podcast, please tag me and share it in your Instagram stories and leave me a positive rating or review in the purple Apple Podcast app (in the rating & reviews section underneath the episode lists). This really helps my podcast get prioritised by Apple and helps me disseminate evidence based information to the people that need it the most! Don't forget to subscribe to my podcast so you never miss an episode!  

On today’s podcast, we have Dr Tara Swart, a neuroscientist, medical doctor, executive coach, senior lecturer at MIT Sloan, and author of bestseller ‘The Source - Open Your Mind, Change Your Life’.   Dr Tara and I are diving deep into the human brain and how to train it and harness its power! Dr Tara starts us off by telling us how she came to be working in the space of medicine and neuroscience and how understanding neuroscience, epigenetics and brain health can help us live more productive and happier lives.   We then chat about how we can optimise our overall health to assist our brain health and what a healthy brain pattern of eating is. We discuss lifestyle influencers on brain health such as sleep, meditation, gut health and how we can create long-lasting change with our habits. We talk about self-sabotage, a growth vs. fixed mindset, visualisation, manifestation and limiting beliefs.   You can find out more about Dr Tara on her website or follow her on Instagram @drtaraswart.   Thank you to Protein Supplies Australia for their wonderful support on this podcast today. To check out their natural range of wholesome supplements with a great 15% off, please use the code "LWpodcast15" for 15% off here.  Please subscribe and leave me a review  If you enjoyed this podcast, please tag me and share it in your Instagram stories and leave me a positive rating or review in the purple Apple Podcast app (in the rating & reviews section underneath the episode lists). This really helps my podcast get prioritised by Apple and helps me disseminate evidence based information to the people that need it the most! Don't forget to subscribe to my podcast so you never miss an episode!