Causes & Treatment
Stress, periods and baseline health – our team goals sorted, with an expert nutritionist
Jessie Day | 1 Dec 2022
There’s no hiding the fact that TRB HQ are big – no, huge – fans of Wild Nutrition, their ground-breaking supplement line and general approach to whole-body health.
TRB diaries – fatigue and gut health, Wild Nutrition & getting set for 2023
We’re a growing team, with very different health and fertility goals. But we’re all fascinated by the use of Food-Grown® supplements, and how their superior bioavailability (better absorption by our body) gives us so much more bang for our buck, think naturally sourced ingredients and whole plant goodness. And that’s just the start of it.
Here’s what happened when three of the team caught up with Nutrition Consultant (and Nutritional Therapist & Herbalist) Vanessa Tucker, for a super-insightful Wild Nutrition consult, and her top recommendations for our specific health goals.
Book a 15-minute free session today – for some quick-fire, expert pointers – or go for the 45-minute detailed consultation and get your 2023 goals in order.
Alice, 26 – stress, gut health & sensitivities
I’m Alice Oaten, Partnerships Manager at TRB. I’m 26, have a busy, on-the-go lifestyle and really clued into all-things health and wellbeing. So speaking to Vanessa from Wild Nutrition was the dream – I’ve loved their products for years, but haven’t tried a consult.
I’m not trying to conceive right now, but I’m really keen to build the best foundations for when I am in that place.
My 2023 health goals are:
- managing and reducing stress and anxiety, and associated gut issues
- improved gut health
- boosting energy, and generally feeling less tired and fatigue
In general I tend to get pretty stressed and do find anxiety creeps in, from time to time. This can cause quite a lot of digestive upset, from bloating and cramps to certain food sensitivities. It’s uncomfortable, and something I really want to address in 2023!
My gut health in general is a big focus for me – I’ve got a sensitive gut, so I do what I can to look after it, but still notice sensitivities to certain foods – especially gluten and anything acidic.
Finally, tiredness and fatigue. I need a sustained energy boost for my busy lifestyle – I put a lot in to everything, from work to exercise, and running after my whippet Jensen – and that can cause a bit of burn-out when I pause to take a breath!
Vanessa’s top tips
“Alice is clearly really in touch with her wellbeing, which gives her a great head-start. She’s doing so many of the right things, so 2023 is about optimising and dealing with some of those specific issues.
To support gut health and the microbiome – and from there, whole-body health – I suggest Alice goes for a multi-strain probiotic, to give her a really good baseline gut support. Sometimes, one probiotic strain might not be effective enough to tackle specific issues. A healthy gut is so important for our immune system and general wellbeing, so taking a probiotic really is a non-negotiable for me, as daily support.
Moving on to tiredness and fatigue, we’ll go for a daily multivitamin as another back-stop support. Getting all the required micronutrients in, and at the right dosages/strength, is crucial if we’re going to tackle things like premenstrual fatigue and brain fog.
Finally, I’ve suggested Alice use adaptogens to help with stress response, and anxiety. Ashwagandha in particular could be really helpful for Alice’s lifestyle. It supports mental wellbeing and promotes resilience against the demands of everyday life. Magnesium can also really help as it supports the nervous system, so look out for that in your multivitamin too!”
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Hollie, 27 – general health, anxiety and getting started with supplements
I’m Hollie Ralphson, Content Manager at TRB. I’m 27, and just like everyone on the team, I have a pretty busy lifestyle – in and outside of work!
Since joining the team I’ve had my eyes opened a bit to the difference between the supplements I see on the shelves, and how going for something like a Wild Nutrition, Food-Grown® option can be more easily absorbed by my body, and therefore a better investment. This is so important to know – I can’t believe the misinformation out there on supplements!
I’m not trying to conceive, but am really curious about how my hormones work, and what I can be doing now to improve things overall.
My 2023 health goals are:
- getting started with supplements – I’ve only ever taken a supermarket Vitamin D and multivitamin
- a general health boost, and tweaking things where necessary
- managing anxiety, usually triggered by stress
I think I’m generally pretty healthy, and naturally lean more towards ‘healthier’ choices. I do drink lots of coffee, eat carbs and red meat (no idea if that’s ‘bad’ or not, any more!), and am definitely looking to change up any habits that could do with pruning, in 2023.
I’d like a recommended baseline supplement routine to help me get started, and support for anxiety. This is usually triggered by stress, for me.
Vanessa’s top tips
“It’s always such a pleasure to work with someone like Hollie – right at the start of her supplement journey and keen to do the work on upstream health!
First of all, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with eating carbs and red meat, if that’s what your body’s asking for! Eat intuitively – if you fancy carbs there’s probably a good reason for it – but if you notice certain things are becoming more of a craving, or anything more extreme, do speak to a nutritionist. It could be symptomatic of an underlying deficiency, for example.
From my chat with Hollie it sounds like she’s probably not eating enough fish alongside that red meat, so I’d recommend a good Omega 3 supplement to ensure you’re consciously getting enough of this vital nutrient on a daily basis.
Again, I’d also get Hollie to try Ashwagandha for mental wellbeing, and energy support. It can also really help to balance mood, and gets to work quite quickly – perfect to stave off those winter blues!
Finally, Hollie should absolutely go for a food-sourced multivitamin and Vitamin D, as her baseline. She told me her boyfriend has tested as deficient in Vitamin D – and this is really common (I also recommend the Thriva blood test if you’re concerned about your levels) – so it would be a good household staple!”
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Jessie, 36 – heavy periods, stress & fertility
I’m Jessie Day, Editor and Copywriter at TRB. I’m 36, constantly on-the-go and pretty obsessed with all-things health and wellness! It’s always been a huge area of interest for me, but especially since I began my own fertility journey six years ago.
I’m thinking about trying for a baby again in 2023, and having had recurrent miscarriages before becoming a mum four years ago, looking to get my fertility to a good place.
My 2023 health goals are:
- managing my stress response – often worse around my period
- sorting out my periods, which are regular but very heavy
- boosting fertility
I feel like I’m really pretty healthy overall, and super-mindful about choices when it comes to food shopping, ingredients lists and supplementation (I think I drive my friends and family bonkers, quite frankly!) I do have a glass of wine pretty much every night though, and definitely dive into the not-so-great carbs around my period, or when I’m tired. Croissants have become a serious problem!
My periods are like clockwork in terms of regularity, but very heavy for the first couple of days. I’ve started having to plan my calendar around them, which I never had to do before my late 30s. I’m also completely exhausted around that time – not like me – get a lot of pain over ovulation, and suffer with PMDD (premenstrual dysphoric disorder), which makes me super anxious and emotional, at specific times of the month.
And finally, fertility. I’d like to try for a baby again this coming year, but given my recurrent miscarriages in the past, want to ensure I’m in the best place for that journey. I have a suspected progesterone deficiency, elevated natural killer cells (immunological fertility issues) and need to take blood thinners too, when pregnant.
Vanessa’s top tips
“Jessie is on the right track, and there’s not a huge amount I’d change in terms of diet and lifestyle, aside from maybe replacing wine with kombucha in January, for a good spring clean!
In terms of stress, this does seem to be interwoven with Jessie’s cycle, so my top priority, before we tackle fertility directly, is to get her periods to a more manageable place and see if we can work on the psychological aspects of premenstrual health. PMDD is more common than many people think, and can be really debilitating if it goes undiagnosed.
There’s a lot we can do though, and I’d get Jessie on a specific premenstrual complex, which will also be a good baseline for her fertility goals. Look out for one that includes Vitamin B6 (often listed as pyridoxine) for hormone balance, and powerful adaptogens and botanicals like Dong Quai and/or Ashwagandha, for psychological resilience, and PMS support.
Jessie already takes some high-quality supplements, which is great, but she wasn’t actually on a multivitamin, which can be really important for that base-layer support. So I’ve put her on a daily formula specifically created for women, to add further support and nourishment for 2023.”
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Keen to book in with the Wild Nutrition team? Grab your diary and find a slot that suits you – choose from a free 15-minute check-in or detailed 45-minute consult, the perfect way to kickstart the New Year with a big dose of self care.
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