Lauren’s @laurensgutsylife journey to healthy living is as inspiring as it is unique.
She spent the majority of her mid-late twenties struggling with poor gut health, but she is now happy to have rediscovered balance. Stay with us to find out how our Naturya Ambassador Lauren boosted her concentration and energy levels, said goodbye to brain fog and became a ball of positivity.
“At that point, gut ill-health symptoms from debilitating fatigue to skin breakouts were impacting my whole life. Though that was a time that knocked my confidence, I was super determined to find positives from it. It surely changed my life around cooking. For the first time, I wanted to cook recipes from scratch and learn about spices and micronutrients after years of macronutrients being the main focus. The more I experimented, the more passionate I got about cooking and felt better from nourishing my body.
Sadly, the gut ill-health symptoms still simmered away underneath & I found myself on a restrictive diet that lead to a disordered relationship with food and orthorexia (an obsession with eating healthy). Little did I know that these symptoms were due to low energy availability and, as a result, a hormonal imbalance that also lead to Hypothalamic Amenorrhea (prolonged loss of periods due to the Hypothalamus shutting down), which is often accompanied by side effects such as brain fog, mood swings, disrupted sleep, all of which were having a knock-on effect on my quality of life.
In my mission to cure my gut and be the healthiest happiest version of myself, I tried just about every fermented, polyphenols & fibre packed foods you can think of. When you hear superfoods you think kimchi or kefir (both delicious & often packed with gut-loving live cultures), but superfoods don’t have to be that 'out there'. I fell in love with everything Cacao or Maca, and swapped whey for plant-based proteins like Hemp and Rice. It’s taken a few years but I have now achieved food freedom- a middle ground I much love and understand the importance of.
From a Cacao & Maca boosted lattes with a side of Cashew Spread & Banana on toast, to a slice of pizza and chunks of Cacao Nibs, superfoods have become an unconscious part of my daily life and something I can never feel guilty about!
I think that there are so many simple swaps or add-ins you can try to make superfoods a part of your daily diet:
- Cocoa for Cacao – if you love dark chocolate, cacao’s fresh & rich bitterness is for you, packed full of antioxidants and magnesium, less processed and lower in sugar.
- Honey for Maca powder – this caramelly flavoured superfood is packed with vitamin c, copper & iron, the perfect replacement in porridge and smoothies.
- Whey for Hemp – one of the only sources of plant-based protein that contains all of the 9 essential amino acids, it’s an ideal swap, light and earthy, mixes well with no lumps in shakes. My favourite is the Naturya Acai & Strawberry for Australia beach bowl vibes!
- Chocolate chips for Cacao Nibs – I’m all for a crunch topper on your porridge, smoothie or bakes that can support your immunity and nourish your mental wellbeing.
- Pumpkin seeds for Mixed seeds, berries, and superfoods Breakfast Toppers – Switching from single seeds to a Breakfast Topper is a perfect way to add variety, while still getting your essential Omega 3 fatty acid, protein, copper and magnesium."
Keep an eye on our Superfood Blogs , Recipes, on Lauren’s Instagram @laurengutsylife, and on Naturya’s Instagram @naturya to get more superfood advice and daily inspiration!
