Jessica Turton - Dietitian & Nutritionist

They would have been one… 💙💙👼👼

As much as I love sharing photos and videos of our beautiful daughter, I want to acknowledge those who are struggling with infertility or have experienced pregnancy loss.

Today is the due date anniversary of our identical twins.

Tom and I were over the moon to find out we were pregnant in October 2022 - from the minute we saw a positive pregnancy test, we started planning our lives with a new little person in it.

When I was 7 weeks pregnant, we had our first scan which showed not one but two heartbeats… Once the initial shock wore off, we not only came to accept that we were having twins, we were excited about it.

We started telling friends and family - it was raw and emotional, yet perfect.

At our next scan, we could no longer see or hear their heartbeats - our babies did not make it.

It took Tom and I a full year to mentally and emotionally recover - before we could try again.

When we found out we were pregnant with Ella late last year, we were of course happy, but that happiness was overshadowed by fear. We were scared of losing her too.

This time we didn’t tell anyone until much further along.

We counted down the days and weeks, desperately hoping to make it to the next milestone.

We arrived at each scan sick with nerves and left with the biggest weight off our shoulders, until the nerves started building again.

And it wasn’t until we held our girl in our arms on the 5th of June 2024 and heard her cry for the first time that we finally felt that this was real, and we could truly celebrate.

We are incredibly grateful to have a healthy baby.

Today I am thinking of our twins and holding space for anyone who is currently struggling with infertility, has experienced pregnancy loss, or who is currently pregnant after a loss.

It will get better. 💕

One week with this little squish 🥹💗

Time needs to slow down…

Welcome to the world Ella Valerie Paavola 💖🌏

Born on the 5th of June 2024 at 9.12am in Bowral Hospital 💫

You are so loved 💙

Most people don't know they are under-eating.

Most people don't know that under-eating can lead to severe health consequences.

Most people are never taught how to meet their actual energy requirements through food.

Many people are living with debilitating health issues that could be resolved by eating more of the right types of foods.

If you are experiencing one or more of these issues, perhaps it's worthwhile learning what your energy requirements are and how to build a healthy diet to meet these requirements.

Get in touch if you need assistance ✅

Let’s not beat around the bush…

If you want to repair your metabolism and lose weight effortlessly, some structure is required.

However, this structure should be balanced with periods of flexibility so that you can sustain healthy eating principles longterm.

I have developed a course that shows you how to do just this.

Eating measly portions of food, battling chronic tiredness, and experiencing food guilt is no way to live your life.

End the dieting cycle for good.

See link in bio ✅

IT'S HERE! 🤩

The Eat More to Lose Weight Online Course is now available.

This dietitian-designed online course provides you with science-led information and practical strategies to improve your metabolism and achieve a healthy weight, for good.

WHAT YOU WILL LEARN:
* Why eating less doesn't work for long-term weight loss
* Why low-Calorie diets are considered a form of starvation that can lead to harmful health consequences (physical and psychological)
* How under-eating can contribute to a poor relationship with food, mental health issues, and disordered eating
* How under-eating can suppress your metabolism and contribute to weight loss resistance, even beyond the period of dieting
* How eating MORE of the right types of foods can help you achieve a healthy body and mind
* What specific dietary strategies help you increase your metabolic rate
* The importance of nutrient density
* The relationship between chronic stress and body weight
* What foods to eat MORE of and how to build a balanced meal using these foods
* The importance of eating 'to satiety' and what this looks like in practice
* How to calculate your actual energy (calorie) requirements
* How to track your diet to ensure you are eating enough Calories to support your metabolic rate
* How to measure your progress on this approach (energy, cognition, body composition, etc.)
* What blood tests to ask your doctor for, and how to interpret these to support your metabolism and general health
* How to shift away from a 'dieting mentality' and toward 'food freedom'

WHAT YOU WILL RECEIVE:
* PDF handbook which guides you through the course
* Exclusive access to video presentations
* Ten practical resources helping you to put everything you have learned into practice (including sample meal plans to show you what a day on a plate could look like)
* Exclusive access to video "consultations" where I take you through each resource, explaining how to get the most out of them
* BONUS (introductory offer): 8 weeks of unlimited email support
* BONUS (introductory offer): free access to the 'Getting Started with Low-Carb' eBook

Access the course here: https://www.ellipsehealth.com.au/product-page/eat-more-to-lose-weight ✅

See you there! 😁

Do you eat less than everyone around you, but struggle the most when it comes to managing your weight?

Have previous dieting attempts left you even heavier than when you started?

Are you obsessing over Calories, your diet, your weight, and feeling like you are missing out on life as a consequence?

PERHAPS YOUR METABOLIC RATE IS SUPPRESSED....

Excessive calorie restriction (or under-eating) leads to a suppression of your metabolic rate.

Your metabolic rate is essentially your level of battery power for the day - the amount of energy your body is able to expend to support your vital organ function, digestion, movement, physical activity, social life, cognitive performance, and so on.

When your metabolic rate is suppressed, you no longer have as much energy to expend each day. Your physical and mental health suffers as a result.

You feel unsettled - like something isn't quite right.

When you go to the doctor, they run some basic investigations and tell you everything is "normal". Nothing is wrong. Perhaps it is all in your head?

It's not.

Living with a suppressed metabolic rate is not a healthy way to move through life. It prevents you from living to your full potential. You simply cannot give enough energy to the things that matter most to you because you don't have enough energy to support your own basic needs.

THINGS NEED TO CHANGE.

The good news is that you can recover your metabolic rate.

It is possible to break free from the toxic world of dieting, lift away from the fog you have been stuck under, and live your life without obsessing over food and weight.

You can reach and maintain a healthy weight without excessively restricting calories.

You can enjoy food, feel amazing, and lose weight all at the same time.

The secret is to eat more of the right types of foods... 🧀🥑🥩🍳🥥🍗

When talking about eating MORE to lose weight, we aren’t talking about eating more of just anything…

Foods to eat more of include:

Eggs 🍳 - Rich in choline, vitamin B12, folate, iodine, vitamin K2, vitamin E, vitamin B2, and of course proteins and healthy fats.

Avocado 🥑 - A fantastic source of vitamin C, magnesium, fibre, potassium, and healthy fats.

Fish 🐟 - Packed full of collagen, omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin A, zinc, calcium, chromium, sodium, and iodine.

Berries 🍓 - Bursting with antioxidants, vitamin C, fibre, potassium, and magnesium.

Meat 🥩 - The best source of iron, and a healthy dose of protein, vitamin B12, vitamin B3, vitamin K2, potassium, and zinc.

Yoghurt 🥛 - Rich in calcium, iodine, vitamin B5, vitamin B12, vitamin K2, vitamin A, phosphorous, and healty fats.

These are just some of the real superfoods to eat more of if you have a suppressed metabolism, are struggling with your weight, and looking to achieve better health ⭐️

The Eat More to Lose Weight Online Course launches on Friday. Stay tuned…

Population-level nutrition advice is not the same as a personalised dietary intervention. ❌

Every day patients come into our clinic experiencing debilitating consequences of malnutrition, including chronic dehydration, brain fog, memory loss, sarcopenia (muscle mass wasting), osteoporosis, and mental health issues.

More often than not, these are the patients who have been diligently following the population-level nutrition advice to cut out salt, stop eating eggs, fear red meat and restrict Calories…

What many individuals don't understand is that this advice can actually be HARMFUL in many circumstances.

For example, if you have low blood pressure and experience dizziness when you change from a seated to standing position, then cutting out salt could be detrimental.

If you have low B12 levels and stop eating eggs because you are worried about cholesterol, then without proper dietary planning you could become B12 deficient. This can lead to brain fog, memory loss, and nerve damage.

If you are over the age of 65 and have low or declining muscle mass, then avoiding red meat and being fearful of animal-based protein foods can accelerate this decline and lead to sarcopenia. Sarcopenia (muscle mass wasting) is at the root of almost all chronic diseases and severely degrades quality of life.

And, if you have a history of disordered eating and apply the standard weight loss advice to restrict your Calories and diligently control your portions, you could be propelled into a downward spiral of toxic behaviours and mental health issues that suck up years of your life…

So, please...

Learn to acknowledge population-level nutrition advice as advice that may be appropriate for some people, but not everyone.

Always speak to a trusted healthcare practitioner for personalised health and nutrition recommendations. ✅

I can't believe this is my last week of work before I go on maternity leave.

It feels like only yesterday we shared with the world that we are expecting a baby girl in June. 🌸

Now, it's the last week of May, and she could quite literally come anytime..

Thank you to all my wonderful patients who have been so supportive of me stepping back over the next few months to be with my little family.

I truly am so grateful to work with so many incredible people.

I learn so much from you, and you have helped me become the practitioner I am today.

I pinch myself everyday that my job is to help people become the healthiest version of themselves possible... I never want that to change.

Thank you 🙏🏻💜

Don’t action everything you hear ❌

We are constantly being told to eat more of this and less of that…

Every week someone with a platform decides that a food is ‘good’ for some health condition or ‘bad’ for another…

I acknowledge that the science on nutrition and health is constantly evolving, but that doesn’t mean we should be changing our diet every time we hear something new.

In practice, I see far too many people restricting or avoiding nutrient-dense whole foods because someone told them it was ‘bad’.

These same patients are the ones who tend to be deficient in key nutrients required to optimise our health and prevent disease.

Nutrition is not black and white.

Let’s do better 👊🏻✅

Do you gain weight simply by looking at a piece of chocolate cake?

Do you eat less than everyone around you, but struggle the most when it comes to managing your weight?

Have previous dieting attempts left you even heavier than when you started?

Are you obsessing over Calories, your diet, your weight, and feeling like you are missing out on life as a consequence?

Do you feel like you are living in a fog and unable to function at your full capacity?

PERHAPS YOUR METABOLIC RATE IS SUPPRESSED....

Excessive calorie restriction (or under-eating) leads to a suppression of your metabolic rate. Your metabolic rate is essentially your level of battery power for the day - the amount of energy your body is able to expend to support your vital organ function, digestion, movement, physical activity, social life, cognitive performance, and so on.

When your metabolic rate is suppressed, you no longer have as much energy to expend each day. Your physical and mental health suffers as a result. You gain weight easily and struggle to lose it. You feel tired all the time and struggle with regular headaches, mood swings, and gut issues. Your ability to focus and be productive starts dwindling away. You become obsessed with your diet and your body - forever trying to change it. You feel unsettled - like something isn't quite right.

Well, it's not.

Living with a suppressed metabolic rate is not a healthy way to move through life. It prevents you from living to your full potential. You simply cannot give enough energy to the things that matter most to you because you don't have enough energy to support your own basic needs.

THINGS NEED TO CHANGE.

The good news is that you can recover your metabolic rate.

It is possible to break free from the toxic world of dieting, lift away from the fog you have been stuck under, and live your life without obsessing over food and weight.

You can reach and maintain a healthy weight without excessively restricting calories.

You can enjoy food, feel amazing, and lose weight all at the same time.

Next week, I will be releasing an online course which shows you exactly how you can achieve this.

Stay tuned... 💜

This one hits close to home…

When I was 16 years old, I weighed 60 kg. Although this was a perfectly healthy weight for my height, I thought I was “too big”, so I went on a diet.

All the weight loss advice on the internet, in magazines, and in the newspaper was about calorie restriction and portion control.

If you can find a way to eat less and move more, you will lose weight.

And if that doesn’t work, you are obviously still eating too much and exercising too little, so try harder…

I restricted my calories to 800-1000 Calories per day. I exercised for at least 2 hours everyday.

Sure, I lost weight. But I also lost my health.

My mental wellbeing plummeted.

I developed disordered eating behaviours.

My relationship with food (and people!) crumbled.

I developed nutritional deficiencies.

I was living in ‘fight or flight’.

I was a shell of my previous self.

But my story is not unique.

This pattern is common, especially for young females.

But what are we doing to teach young people HOW MUCH food they should be eating? How much energy they need?

Not enough in my opinion.

Every young person should learn about the IMPORTANCE of calories and how to build healthy meals to meet their energy requirements.

We need to stop demonising calories and start celebrating them. We couldn’t live without them, and we certainly cannot thrive without enough of them.

Possibly my new favourite photo of the kiddos 💜🐶

When you start eating for health, rather than weight loss, everything changes for the better.

Your relationship with food, others, and yourself will all be better.

Your day to day productivity and focus will be better.

Your life will be better.

So don’t ‘lose weight’, but do this instead:
✅ get more energy
✅ burn more body fat
✅ build muscle
✅ strengthen your bones
✅ think more clearly
✅ prevent chronic disease

You’ve got this 👊🏻

Are you eating enough protein?

Increasing your intake of protein is an effective strategy for improving metabolic rate, addressing nutritional deficiencies, supporting hormone balance, and building muscle mass. ✅

Animal-based protein foods are excellent sources of key nutrients including choline, vitamin B12, iron, zinc, omega-3 fats, and calcium. 🥩

Most adults require 30-50 g of actual protein (not weight of food) per meal, based on a frequency of three main meals daily.

Prioritising protein at main meals is one of the top strategies we discuss with our patients - and it's important no matter what "diet" they are following. 👊🏻

Most weight loss diets fail. ❌

They fail because they excessively restrict Calories to produce rapid weight loss.

Although that might sound good if weight loss is your goal, these approaches can also lead to:
- increased hunger
- reduced energy levels
- increased feelings of anxiety
- depressed mood
- impaired cognitive function
- nutritional deficiencies
- muscle loss
- bone density loss
- impaired thyroid function
- disordered eating tendencies
- suppressed metabolic rate

The above consequences are, at least in my opinion, not worth the weight loss…

Even if you disagree, and think weight loss is more important than your health and wellbeing, what happens AFTER the restrictive diet? What happens when you can no longer sustain the excessive calorie restriction and you return to “normal” eating?

The weight piles back on… 😫

Excessive calorie restriction suppresses your metabolic rate and makes longterm weight management extremely difficult.

I teach my clients how to lose weight WITHOUT excessive calorie restriction - because this is not the only way to lose weight, nor do I believe it is a safe or effective strategy.

I have an online course coming (very) soon which shows you exactly how to eat MORE and lose weight.

You can be healthy and lose weight, while enjoying the foods you’re eating. You don’t have to sacrifice one for the other… 💙

The essentials lately… ✅🛒

If you haven’t already noticed, our household tends to have the same meals on repeat - it makes meal planning and food-related decisions so much easier!

Every now and then we will have something different or creative, but our “foundation” diet stays relatively similar.

This is a strategy I teach my clients who are overwhelmed by food thoughts and food-related decisions.

Keep it simple. 🥩🥑🍳

ARE YOU READY TO EAT MORE? 🥑🥩🍳

Many people are starting to understand the consequences of excessive Calorie restriction and why this approach is not effective for longterm weight management. ✅

But if we have a history of low-Calorie dieting and our metabolic rate is suppressed, how can we recover it?

What does eating MORE food actually look like?

At the end of this month, I will be releasing an online course that gives you all the information you need to repair your metabolic rate, achieve a healthy weight, and experience freedom from toxic dieting culture.

This will be the last diet you ever try.

This will be a forever approach. A long-lasting solution.

I am SO excited to share this with you! 💙

DM me if you’d like to be contacted when the course is live. ✅

Men need Calories, and lots of them!

Whether you are trying to lose weight, gain weight, or maintain your weight - Calories are important.

Calories provide the energy that allow you to thrive and get the most out of each day.

Weight loss culture has messed up our idea of what a normal Calorie intake looks like.

Most men are shocked by the amount of Calories they NEED in a day to support their energy demands. However, once they start formulating their diet in a way that meets their energy and nutrient needs, it becomes very clear to them why this energy was so important…

Suddenly they are no longer exhausted…

Their brain fog has lifted…

They no longer crave ultra-processed foods…

They don’t suffer from as many injuries…

Their performance at work and the gym is better…

They sleep more deeply…

Their depression and anxiety improves…

Calories are important.

Celebrating Baby Pav 💕🐣☀️🥰

Listen to my chat with Therese L’Seow for the ✅

We took a deep dive into many important topics including gut health, inflammation, diabetes, and nutritional deficiencies.

I really enjoyed chatting with Therese and I have no doubt you’re going to love this episode!

Listen here: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/dr-jessica-turton-personalized-strategies-for-optimal/id1642905236?i=1000653023633

Energy and nutrient needs increase significantly during all stages of pregnancy.

Most people understand this, but they often go into their fertility or pregnancy journey without proper knowledge on what sufficient energy from food (Calories) even looks like. 3150 Calories per day is likely a minimum requirement for most pregnant women in their third trimester. Women who are particularly active will need more than this.

Further, many women are afraid to eat energy and nutrient-dense foods during pregnancy due to common fears around food-borne illness. Meat, fish, and cheese tend to be demonised, while breads, cereals, and crackers are favoured.

Energy and nutrient-dense foods should be prioritised and celebrated, especially during pregnancy.

Life lately 💕

Watch our Q&A panel from Low Carb Sydney where we discuss weight loss medications, bariatric surgery, bone health and more! ✅

Low Carb Sydney 2023 - First Q&A Session Day 1 The presenters from the first session of day one of 'Low Sydney 2023' answer questions from the audience. Featuring Dr. Michael Eades, Dr. Jessica Turton and...

Getting enough energy from food (Calories) is essential for life.

It is essential for our organs to function properly and for us to live to our full potential each day.

It is also essential to create new life. 🐣

Making a baby is an energy-demanding process, and your body will not do it if there is not enough energy available.

Your reproductive organs require a significant amount of energy to function, but they will not get the energy they need if there is not enough available.

Your heart will get it. As will your lungs, liver, and brain. These are considered 'essential' processes under times of stress. Making a baby is not.

Calorie restriction, both acute and chronic, negatively affects fertility - and no one is talking about it.

If you want to make a baby, find out what your individual energy requirements are and work with a trusted dietitian who can help you develop a dietary plan that meets your energy and nutrient requirements. ✅

29 weeks 💕🐣👨‍👩‍👧

Chronic stress is a major barrier to weight loss 😩

Stress changes our physiology, so we must make changes to our diet during times of stress to support our increased energy and nutrient requirements to prevent the chronic stress cycle.

The chronic stress cycle is when the impact of stress on our physiology leads to an INCREASE in incoming stress. If not dealt with, this cycle can lead to metabolic issues, nutrient deficiencies, sleep problems, and a reduced ability to manage and process stress.

The good news is that we can communicate to our nervous system via nutrition. 🍤🍳🥑🍓🥥🧀🥩

We need to send regular signals to our nervous system that we are SAFE.

Large meals that are energy and nutrient replete = INCREASED SENSE OF SAFETY ✅

Small snacks and/or grazing on foods that are energy and nutrient deplete = INCREASED SENSE OF THREAT ❌

Of course, there are other stress management strategies outside of nutrition, but what you eat and how you eat plays a major role in stress management.

Check out my recent presentation at Low Carb Down Under in Sydney where I share the main findings from my PhD research ✅

Dr. Jessica Turton - 'Low-Carb Diets For Type 1 Diabetes Management' Dr. Jessica Turton is the Director of Ellipse Health and holds a PhD in nutrition awarded by the Faculty of Medicine and Health at the University of Sydney. ...

Most people don’t like to hear this, but weight loss ‘stalls’ are often a really good thing! 👏

Slow, steady weight loss with regular periods of weight loss maintenance generally leads to more effective weight management over the long-term (I.e., you keep the weight off for good!). ✅

Rapid weight loss achieved by continuous and excessive restriction may lead to short-term improvements on the scale, but the suppression of resting metabolic rate (RMR) and reduction in lean tissue mass that accompany rapid weight loss make it difficult to sustain the weight loss offer time, eventually leading to weight regain. ❌

When patients tell me they have lost 2 kg in 8 weeks, I am ecstatic! Some weeks they lose, some weeks they don’t - this doesn’t mean they are doing anything wrong on the weeks they don’t lose weight - this is simply the process.

These same patients are the ones who, in 12 months, have lost 6kg. In 18 months, they have lost 9 kg. In 24 months, they have lost 12kg.

These are the patients who lose the weight for good.

They defy the statistics. 🙌

We need to reframe our thoughts around what is ‘successful’ weight loss.

We need to encourage and congratulate periods of weight loss maintenance. It’s not a race.