Raised on Real Food

Legit.

Slowly we are beginning to see more articles that actually help make sense of eczema rather than pretending it is merely a case of bad luck or crappy genetics, and rather a response. Interestingly this article touches on how some eczema creams actually can worsen the skin, something I've been saying a long, long time.

This is one reason I'm also quite careful about liberal use of antibacterial agents on the skin (lately it feels like everyone is using HOCL spray even when there isn't a staph infection) because it can actually harm beneficial bacteria levels. Rather we want to refocus our efforts on gut healing and liver support to help support healthy bacterial levels inside and out.

I did go looking for Roseomonas mucosa RSM2015 but the patent has been donated to the public so as yet it doesn't seem to be available anywhere.

Chemical pollutants can change your skin bacteria and increase your eczema risk − new research explores how From synthetic fabrics to car exhaust to wildfires, exposure to environmental pollutants push the skin microbiome to adapt in ways that reduce its ability to protect the skin.

This one goes out to all the "just go dairy free" comments on social media ✌🏼

Follow for skin and gut healing tips 👊🏼

Here is my statement regarding today's news from Naturacoco with the confirmation their creams do in fact contain undeclared steroids - a result I have been pushing for since last year.

My heart goes out to all families who are now facing the risk of Topical Steroid Withdrawal or HPA axis suppression in either themselves or their young children with the potential for glucocorticosteroid insufficiency including Cushing’s syndrome, hyperglycemia and glucosuria 💔

As mentioned I will be creating a mini TSW guide for free/koha in the coming weeks to help families navigate this, alongside the tailored 1:1 consultations on my website for more indepth support and guidance.

Honesty, integrity and transparency will always be key values here alongside informed consent. Families should always know what's in the products they're using, and I'm glad this information has now been bought to light.

The Healing Tribe - Eczema, Allergies + Gut Health for Families

Roast lamb dinner is such a nourishing meal filled with supportive proteins, fats and flavour to support skin and gut health in the most delicious way 🎯

What's on your tables tonight?

Some delicious meals we've enjoyed lately.

SALICYLATES AND ADHD

If anyone noticed their children's behaviours got worse over summer, there are a couple of possible explanations.

Salicylates are natural chemicals made by plants found in fruits, vegetables, herbs and spices that act as their defensive system since they can't run away, this compound helps protect them from disease and insects. Different plants have different levels and many of the fruits in the highest category are most common over summer - strawberries, pineapple, grapes etc. Salicylate extracts are also used medicinally (think aspirin and ibuprofen) as well as in cleaning and skincare products.

While artificial ingredients like red food colouring in processed foods have been recognised for their potential role in aggravating ADHD symptoms, salicylates is a group that some struggle to get their heads around as plant foods are aggressively promoted as not only healthy but necessary including in quite high amounts - much more than than we would be exposed to naturally. Add considering some children with ADHD already eat limited diets, the idea of further eliminating 'healthy' foods can be quite challenging for parents to consider especially if they are more picky, hence a robust tailored approach is always best as we can support this.

In my experience of working in this space over the last ten years, anecdotally there seems to be a significant relationship between the gut, mood and food chemical sensitivities especially when we look factors like methylation and elimination pathways which can get in the way of clearing compounds like salicylates. Chlorine exposure can also worsen this picture.

What do salicylate sensitivity symptoms look like? If your child has red cheeks and ears after eating, eczema, hives, gut irritation, rhinitis, asthma, behavioural problems, focus issues, difficulty sleeping and mood changes - embarking on a holistic approach to salicylates may be worth exploring.

Removing high and very-high salicylate foods can be a good place to start as long as they are still able to eat from a wide variety of nourishing foods. Focus on prioritising proteins and fats (animal products do not contain salicylates) as well as some key minerals and essential fatty acids.

And I'm always happy to help support through a 1:1 consultation.

This gorgeous girl turned 13 last week. So grateful to be her mumma ♥️

Not many people feel more ripped off than the ones who switched to a gut healing diet only to find their symptoms got WORSE.

For some it's a mystery 🔍 but one of the most obvious factors is increased histamine.

This is especially true if you've suddenly started making 435 hour broth, eating sauerkraut by the bucket and slow cooking your brisket at the lowest temperature for the longest amount of time and suddenly you have increased symptoms of hayfever, or even urgent diarrhea after eating a meal 😧

And often when you DO figure out it's histamine, switching to a low histamine diet but not putting in deeper steps and strategies to heal the gut and increase tolerance, can sometimes leave you eating four foods which is not what we want either.

The tricky thing is that histamine isn't well understood yet but I've been working with this for several years now and it's such a fascinating topic and one I love to work with.

Have you ever noticed you react to healthy foods?

Hey everyone, It's been a while since I last posted on this page so thought I'd share a few things about myself, let me know if any of these describe you too!

- I used to hate sparkling water but it's my favourite thing to drink (other than coffee and chicken broth of course).
- My coffee of choice is an Americano with a dash of cream.
- I don't like ice cream. I used to, but now it's all kinda... meh?
- I love checking out supermarkets whenever I go anywhere new. I usually have to go back twice. I love getting an insight into how the locals live and the types of foods they buy, and often come back loaded up with things I can't get where I live.
- I once got moved to tears trying an apricot in San Fran (it tasted amazing) and walking around Wholefoods. I actually really liked what I saw of America and want to go back one day.
- I actually get teary over lots of things but I don't think that always comes across in how I am online.
- I watched both One Day and Alrawabi Season 2 last week and it was traumatising.
- We don't watch a lot of TV as a family but we do love watching Survivor Australia together on Friday nights.
- I recently started making my own organic focaccia but then had to stop making my own organic focaccia because turns out I don't know when it stop eating organic focaccia.
- I always wanted a job I could do from home so that I could get a rescue dog and we could hang out all day and that's exactly what happened.
- My face hides nothing. I got fired the first day of my first part-time job at 16 at Donut King because I looked unimpressed at having to wear a hot pink shirt and clean the cabinet. Funnily enough I ended up working the butchery department at Foodtown where I had to clean blood regularly. It was actually a cool job.
- My fave dish is the Crispy Half Duck at Tok Tok, followed closely by the Wok Seared Turmeric Market Fish at Cafe Hanoi and the Shredded Duck Salad at Madam Woo. We now live in New Plymouth which doesn't really have anywhere that does those types of dishes and I'm so sad.
- I'm fiercely passionate about making a change when it comes to eczema, and helping people understand that just because it's common it doesn't mean it's normal or that it can't be resolved. Even after all these years that passion has not wavered.
- I don't think I'm fussy, I just think I'm "particular" ;)
- My husband and I have been married 17 years yesterday.
- The last concert I went to was Billie Eilish and I loved it!

Over to you x

Vietnamese Chicken with Turmeric & Dill

I absolutely adore the original version of this dish which is made with fish known as Chả Cá Lã Vọng, however I had to adapt for my daughter who isn't the biggest fish fan so we used Bostocks Organic Chicken breast instead and I have to say, I may even like this version even more!

It was a pretty simple meal but with some big flavours, perfect for all year round so give it a go and let me know what you think.

▢ 500 grams chicken breast, diced
▢ 1tsp turmeric powder
▢ 0.5 k**b ginger grated
▢ 1 garlic clove, minced
▢ 0.5 shallot, finely diced
▢ 0.5tsp salt
▢ 0.5tsp coconut sugar
▢ 0.5tsp fish sauce
▢ 2T cooking oil (I used peanut but coconut is also fine)
▢ 2 spring onions cut into 2cm segments
▢ 1 cup dill, coarsely chopped
▢ 1 tbs peanuts roasted coarsely crushed
▢ 1 cup white rice, ideally cooked in broth - watch this reel!
1 serve Vietnamese Dressing

Combine turmeric, ginger, garlic, shallot, salt, coconut sugar, fish sauce and 1T oil in a large bowl. Add diced chicken breast and mix well. Leave to marinade covered in fridge for 1 hour.

Make the salad dressing then chill while preparing the rice.

In a large hot fry pan, add the other 1T of oil. Pan fry the chicken allowing it to gently caramelise on one side before flipping, and doing the same. Once nicely brown on both sides, turn heat down and gently cook stirring occasionally until chicken is completely cooked.

Turn heat off and stir through dill and spring onion to gently wilt.
Plate on rice, garnish with peanuts and serve with the salad dressing.

You know what must be super frustrating for doctors?

Having a 'normal mum' without a medical degree share her story of recovering her child from eczema and allergies without having to rely on steroid creams, bleach baths or antihistamines by focusing on gut health, and then help thousands of others do the exact same thing.

She's got some nerve though. Surely it's reckless to suggest a focus on nutrient dense food can actually help nourish growing bodies? I mean we all know populations are so much better off when they are fed heavily processed foods.

Isn't it just a tad insane to say that to think that once you understand a little more about the functions of the digestive tract and microbiome and how they can influence other systems, including the immune system or detoxification, you can actually influence support those systems because obviously the gut is just about p**p and not much else.

And to recommend people pursue appropriate testing? I mean, what's the point when you can just suppress symptoms. It's not like there are any consequences to reliance on topical steroid creams from a young age...

Of course her child now hates eating because she was raised on a restrictive 'real food' diet which is of course grounds for an eating disorder, and doesn't actually demolish with gusto almost every meal put in front of her but also knows how to listen to her body too.

Why bother trying to help when you don't know what the outcome will be, because of course we know for sure how everything will turn out in advance.

Oh wait.

It’s probably not meant to be this way but until things change I know that when people share their stories, magical things can happen.

Join me in my free holistic wellness community that's helping families achieve EPIC skin and gut health outcomes each and every day.

The Skin and Gut Healing Tribe

Raised on Real Food | Holistic Skin and Gut Health Solutions Improve your family's skin and gut health and overcome challenges such as eczema, food intolerances and allergies with a holistic approach. We offer tailored online consultations focused on realistic and natural solutions for clear, radiant skin, optimal digestion and robust immunity.

Her tiny fist rub against itchy wet cheeks, each scratch a tremor in my heart. This skin, the barrier between her and the world, mirrored the brokenness I sometimes felt in the sheer responsibility of it all.

So I would breathe, reminding myself I'm not just here to soothe her skin, but to act as an advocate for her in a world shouting at us to just use steroids and forget it, and to follow a different path.

In my arms, our universe would shrink to just us three, a haven of love, acceptance and also fear - the price of hope clinging to uncertainty. Food, once a delicious mindless adventure, had become a minefield, every bite a potential threat.

I become the navigator, mapping safe paths through allergies and gut healing for this little girl who looks like me but whose eyes sparkle with a cheekiness mine never have.

Together we forged a family fortress built on creams and courage, laughter and purpose. The bumps and blips came but we faced them, united in the quiet moments after soothing epsom salt baths or in shared laughter over paleo kumara brownies. Through it all, we learned the power of nourishing at every level.

So while I can't take away your emotions of dealing with eczema and allergies because they are real and they have a purpose, I can offer to be in the a passenger seat to support you as you drive this journey because this road may be tough, but mama, I know you're tougher.

Call me naive, but I miss the good old days when healthy debate didn't feel like hand-to-hand combat. The last few years and especially 2023, it feels like everyone's dug their trenches, flags planted firmly in "I'm on the right team, and you're in the wrong."

This constant conflict isn't just draining, it's also playing havoc with our health.

Remember those good old days when debates were passionate yet both sides seemed interested in learning? Now every interaction feels like a battle where winning matters more than understanding.

But nobody really wins. This constant stress, this perpetual fight-or-flight mode, affects our bodies. It taps into our ancient survival mechanisms, flooding our systems with inflammatory chemicals that were meant for short bursts of danger, not the 24/7 digital wars we're fighting now.

This can weakens our immune system, leaving us vulnerable to real threats.

Amidst the noise, I hear whispers of something brewing: the (re)rise of the moderates. People who aspire for common ground over conflict, and see nuance where others paint in binaries. We don't participate in outrage for clicks but it means we're seen less.

Being moderate doesn't mean not being passionate, it doesn't mean waffling and being too scared to make a decision but it does mean holding space for the complexity and that sometimes the more we learn, the more our minds can change.

May 2024 be the year we celebrate the courage to step out of the echo chambers, to embrace the moderates within ourselves and each other. ✌️

We can do it, one conversation at a time. Who's with me?

Wow, where did 2023 go?

Thanks for being such an important part of our journey. Here's to a fantastic year ahead. ✨

I wanted to acknowledge the families who I've worked with this year. Thank you for inviting me to join you in your health and well-being adventures. Whether it was for eczema, allergies, histamine issues or actively working on a stronger skin and gut health foundation based around real food solutions and root cause strategies - witnessing your transformations, providing information and support to help it make sense and holding space to release your tears and overwhelm to discover hope, confidence and clarity is always a privilege.

And to those who follow my content or are members of my communities, thank you - your encouragement, support and word of mouth recommendations have helped make Raised on Real Food a real joy, and I hope to build on this further next year when it comes to developing new resources and support to help even more families.

Remember to nourish yourselves through the holiday season and to carve out moments for your own well-being. So many people I've talked to this year have given so much to their loved ones to help them which is an incredible testament, so I hope you can find the time to give a little back to yourself because you deserve it too.

🎄 Wishing you all a safe and happy Christmas and New Year, and I look forward to connecting with you again with our first clinic day in 2024 being Wednesday 10 January (which is already booked out FYI).

Want to know five common mistakes I see all the time with eczema? 👇

1️⃣ Thinking eczema is ONLY a skin condition, and thus the pursuit becomes all about finding the right cream. While these go a long way towards helping the skin and some people have been lucky enough to get results this way, typically for lasting success we want to uncover the reasons the skin became inflamed and irritated in the first place, to build smooth clear skin from the inside out.

2️⃣ Relying on Skin Prick Tests. While these tests can be helpful for some, they're not the best test for eczema in my experience plus doctors often tell families if it doesn't show up on the SPT it must be safe, without acknowledging any other pathways or tests 🙏

3️⃣ Not recognising the role of the gut, and subsequent immune activation on digestion, skin and liver health - all big players with eczema.

4️⃣ Going dairy, gluten and egg free (often relying on processed substitutes) without understanding what we add back in to fuel repair and recovery is just as important.

5️⃣ This one trips a lot of people up because sometimes natural compounds can also be triggers - coconut oil is a common trigger for eczema prone skin, and essential oils must be used carefully thanks to their high levels of VOC's.

This isn't a comprehensive list and I'm not trying to make anyone feel bad - we all start somewhere and there is a lot of confusing and contradictory messages thrown our way. Clearing up misconceptions so that we can focus on what works is a big reason why I started my clinic back in 2015 🙏

Need 1:1 guidance + support? Check out my online clinic to learn how I can help you via online consults but also make sure to join my free FB group The Healing Tribe - Holistic Eczema, Allergy + Gut Health Support for support and community.

IT'S ALL GOOD GIVEAWAY NOW ON INSTAGRAM

Head over to the post to enter - https://www.instagram.com/p/C0QH8AOPG0W/

If you're only on Facebook, I'll be hosting something exclusive to this platform in a week or two so watch this space 🤍

Early dinner tonight. What are you planning on making?

I give this face often.

If you don't already know, gut health isn't really just about digestion - it plays a huge role in skin, immunity, sleep and more.

Our babies and kids are naturally more prone to increased issues due to their immature digestive systems.

The one thing you may notice about this list of possible signs of compromised gut health is how common they are, but common does not mean normal...

If you want top tips on how to support their gut health and give them the gift of a strong health foundation on the inside and out, I'm running a two week gut health boost starting next week. Let me know if you want in.

I was once 'normal'

Wake up. Go to work. Come home. Sedate (with TV, chocolate, carbs, shopping or ci******es). Go to sleep. Repeat.

But I did never quite fit in.
I married a man who got me, and I got him.
And we had our amazing girl.
You may know her story of allergies, eczema, swollen glands and losing weight, when she was still so young.

I took her to the doctor because that's what you do.
The first doctor told me not to be silly. Steroid creams were the only option.
I pushed for a second opinion, and this doctor was lovely and agreed to allergy testing which was good as it turned out she had a rather severe dairy allergy.

The immunologist gave us lots of scripts and the dietitian urged me to get hooked on formula using golden syrup.

This is when I became not 'normal'.

Because I started questioning everything and not just doing what I was told.

Like why were these symptoms actually trying to tell us?
What could we do to resolve them, and how?
And a little bit of what the heck should I do next?
I didn’t have somebody else’s journey to follow.
Nobody else could give me the answers, I had to find them myself.

There were times it felt bloody lonely.
So I took steps to change that.
And then once I helped her - and fast - I wanted to use what I'd learned to help others.
So they weren't as lonely as I was.

People ask me “what do you do?”
And I still don't really know how to describe it.

Like yes, I'm an Integrative Nutrition Coach.
Who focuses on holistic skin and gut health.
Especially eczema and allergies, but just helping families build a stronger nutrition and lifestyle foundation through the power of gut health.

But this is really what I teach.

To nourish ourselves, from the inside out.
To create healthy skin, not just suppress symptoms.
To ask different, better questions.
To support and allow ourselves to be supported.
To celebrate our stories.
To connect the dots.
To feel confident and strong, even if you felt weak just before.
To take action.

So I've put together a two week gut healing challenge to start breaking down gut healing into easily 'digestible' steps, going deeper in a small, close-knit community, learning together and taking action.

And at a ridiculously reasonable price.
I really hope you can join me.
Limited spaces only. Register now.

www.raisedonrealfood.com/guthealingchallenge

When it comes to what really helps heal leaky guts in kids, it's pretty simple.

It’s not fancy 'practitioner only' supplements.
It’s not expensive hair sensitivity tests.
And it’s not just taking any old probiotic from the health store.

It's learning what leaky gut is.
It's learning how the gut influences other systems.
It's building a strong nutrition and lifestyle foundation.
It's doing the work, consistently.

Dealing with symptoms in our kids is HARD. I remember how overwhelming and exhausting it was having a baby with eczema and allergies and then meeting with a few practitioners who all had different ideas on what I should do, and to be honest, what they all missed was the education bit. I didn't want a list of supplements, I wanted someone to help me understand what was going on, which is why I'm so big on it in my holistic skin and gut health clinic and the content I share.

To empower and educate others.

The best thing I ever did was dedicate myself to learning as much as I could, and then using that to help my daughter and then help others. There is way too much BS advice out there.
So if you're struggling with gut related issues, know you're not alone and know you can get through this.

🌸 Healing Tribe (Holistic Skin + Gut Health Support) 🌸
www.raisedonrealfood.com

Work from home lunch today is lit 🔥 The only thing that would make this better is some creamy avocado but sadly I got last week are still watery.

🍗 Gut loving organic chicken salad with celery, spring onion, mayo and sunshine relish.
✨ Beetroot (tinned).
🥚 Hard boiled free range egg.

What else would you add?

Looking to support your gut microbiome without just taking more pills?

These fermented tonics from are helping families all across New Zealand nourish from the inside out.

With three tonics on offer - the blend, beetroot and turmeric - if you or your loved one are dealing with skin, digestive or immune challenges or just want some extra added anti-inflammatory goodness in your life, I highly recommend giving them a go 💪

Designed to be taken together, daily and in small doses – this is a simple yet powerful way to build better gut health one sip at a time...

Keen to give them a go? Use MARYANA5 at checkout to save 5% on your order and let me know what you think.

🌿



AD.

Happy birthday to all the amazing fathers and father figures out there. We love you!