The 5th most popular episode of Sparta Chicks Radio in 2018 was Steph Lowe, the Natural Nutritionist, on nutrition, performance and happy hormones.
Steph is a triathlete, Sports Nutritionist and the Founder of the Natural Nutritionist, a business based in Melbourne, Australia dedicated to teaching how easy real food living and performance can be.
The foundation of her approach is a whole foods, lower carb higher fat (or LCHF) lifestyle, which she also describes as JERF (just eat real food).
This conversation ties together with the previous conversations I’ve had with Katee Pedicini on the podcast as nutrition is one of Katee’s key recommendations for developing happy hormones.
In this conversation, we discuss:
- the profound impact removing gluten had on Steph’s physical and mental health,
- why food is medicine,
- the benefits of adopting an LCHF lifestyle (and whether you would experience the same benefits if you are not gluten intolerant),
- the most common tell-tale symptoms a person might have that would benefit from adopting an LCHF lifestyle (listen up if you have 3.30-itis, you get hangry or if you experience cravings),
- the impact of gut health on your hormonal cycle, PMS and immune system,
- the added benefits of adopting an LCHF lifestyle for athletes (including for those who struggle with weight loss despite heavy amounts of training),
- why carb-loading doesn’t make sense and why the intensity of your training should dictate your carb intake (not what stage of training you’re in),
- how to make the transition to an LCHF lifestyle and the ideal time to do it, and
- the benefits of fasting (and how to capitalise on what you’re already doing).