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5 ways to replenish your body after burnout

By Kaya Kozanecka

Your body isn’t designed to exist in a constant state of depletion. And it doesn’t need another band aid solution. It needs true cellular nourishment to build its reserves.

Burnout seeps into your bones, disrupts your hormones, weakens your gut, and leaves your nervous system frazzled.

If you’re feeling depleted, disconnected, or running on fumes, here are five ways to self soothe and renew...

1.⁠ ⁠Saturate your cells with minerals

Burnout isn’t just fatigue, it’s cellular depletion. Chronic stress drains key minerals like magnesium, potassium, and sodium, leaving your nervous system overstimulated and your energy reserves empty.

The solution? Replenish at the source. Raw dairy, bone broth, sea salt, and organ meats are loaded with bioavailable minerals that restore electrolyte balance, regulate stress hormones, and support deep hydration. If you’ve been running on stress and stimulants, this is where you begin: by giving your body the raw materials it needs to function. For mineral specific replenishment, we made you a guide.

To replenish: Start your day with a mineral-rich bone broth or a glass of raw milk with a pinch of sea salt. These traditional foods flood your body with the essential minerals you’ve been running low on.

2. Prioritise pro-metabolic eating

After burnout, your metabolism, the system responsible for energy production, needs to be rebuilt. Years of stress and overexertion can downregulate your thyroid, slow digestion, and leave you reliant on stimulants just to get through the day.

Pro-metabolic eating focuses on easily digestible, warming, and nutrient-dense foods that replenish depleted stores and restore energy balance. This means favouring slow-cooked meats, organ meats, root vegetables, ripe fruits, full-fat dairy, honey, and bone broths: foods that work with, rather than against, your metabolism. This signals safety to your body and stabilises energy production.

To replenish: Instead of skipping breakfast or relying on caffeine, start your morning with a warming, pro-metabolic meal: something like eggs cooked in butter, sourdough with raw honey, a cup of raw milk and some fruit. And let gelatine gummies and homemade marshmallows become your best friend.

3.⁠ ⁠Regulate your circadian rhythm

When burnout hits, your sleep wake cycle is often one of the first things to unravel. Maybe you wake up exhausted, wired at night, or find yourself relying on screens and stimulants to get through the day. The nervous system is dysregulated, and your body no longer knows when to rest and when to be alert.

The fix? Sync back up with the natural rhythms of light and darkness. Sunlight in the morning, dim lights in the evening, and a bedtime routine that signals safety to your system. Melatonin, the body’s master repair hormone, can only be produced in darkness, and without it, deep cellular repair can’t happen.

To replenish: Get outside within 30 minutes of waking and expose your skin and eyes to natural sunlight. At night, avoid overhead lighting and screens at least an hour before bed, opt for beeswax candles, dim bulbs, or firelight instead.

4.⁠ ⁠Rebuild your gut lining

Chronic stress doesn’t just deplete energy, it physically wears down the gut lining, leading to inflammation, food sensitivities, and poor nutrient absorption. This is why burnout often comes with digestive issues, bloating, or unexplained skin flare ups.

Rebuilding your gut starts with collagen, glycine, and colostrum, three of the most powerful allies for restoring gut integrity and calming inflammation. These nutrients repair the delicate tissue of the gut wall, regulate immune function, and promote microbial balance.

To replenish: Incorporate bone broth, gelatinous meats, colostrum, and fermented foods into your diet. And don't worry, you don't need another overpriced probiotic or gut shot (but our gut healing guide might help).

5.⁠ ⁠Reset your parasympathetic system

Burnout isn’t just about what you eat, it’s about how your body receives nourishment. If your nervous system is stuck in a chronic stress state, digestion, hormone production, and energy metabolism are all compromised.

The goal is to shift your body out of sympathetic dominance (fight or flight) and into parasympathetic mode (rest and repair). This is where healing happens, and it’s something you can actively support through breathwork, grounding, and intentional slowing down.

Try replenish: Before meals, take a few deep breaths to activate the parasympathetic nervous system. Practice grounding, walking barefoot on natural surfaces, to discharge excess stress from the body. Even a few minutes of humming, singing, or gentle stretching can signal safety to your system.

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How to live aligned with nature in a city

As much as we love to romanticise an ancestral lifestyle, imagining the slow golden mornings in the countryside, fresh milk still warm from the cow, and the smell of wood smoke curling from the stove as broths simmer for hours, this can sometimes feel a little far from reality. For most of us, life is a little less wild: high rises replace forests, and our daily hunt involves navigating crowded grocery store aisles rather than tracking game. Does that mean ancestral living is off the table? Not a chance. You don’t need a sprawling farmstead to reclaim your roots. You just need a little ingenuity and a refusal to accept modern convenience as king. Even in the heart of a concrete jungle, you can reclaim the way you eat, move, and live. You can build strength, fuel deeply, and reconnect with nature: even if your nature is a small park nestled between office buildings. Here’s our tips to living ancestrally in the city: 1. Hunt and gather (at your local farmers market) One of the best parts of city living is access to farmer’s markets where local producers bring in fresh, high-quality foods. Seek out grass-fed beef, pastured poultry, wild-caught fish, and organ meats: nutrient-dense staples of an ancestral diet. Many farmers even travel from rural areas to supply city markets with fresh produce. But farmer’s markets aren’t just for meat, they’re also a fantastic way to access seasonal, organic vegetables. Many markets and independent farms offer seasonal veg box schemes, where you receive a fresh selection of locally grown produce every week or month. These schemes ensure that you’re eating what’s naturally available, reducing your environmental impact and getting vegetables at their peak nutrition and flavour. Not to mention, it eliminates the hassle of grocery shopping for produce and helps you discover new, nutrient-dense foods you may not have picked up otherwise. Building relationships with vendors or joining a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) program ensures you get the best produce, meats, and eggs, all while supporting small-scale, regenerative farmers. Plus, these direct-to-consumer models often mean better pricing for higher-quality food compared to supermarkets. 2. Start an urban garden (even if it's just a windowsill) A small herb garden in your kitchen, a pot of tomatoes on the balcony, or a community garden plot can reconnect you to the food you eat in a way that buying bagged greens never will. Just a few generations ago, backyard gardens weren’t hobbies, they were essential. People grew potatoes in the ground, tomatoes climbed trellises, and fresh herbs were within arm’s reach for every meal. Even in cities, rooftop gardens, allotments, and shared green spaces allowed for homegrown food. If you have even a sliver of space, start growing. Herbs like rosemary, basil, and thyme thrive in small spaces. Leafy greens like lettuce and spinach can grow in containers. If you’ve got a backyard or an allotment, go further: plant hardy vegetables like carrots, beets, or onions, the kind of food that sustained families before refrigeration made everything artificially available year round. And if growing isn’t an option? Support those who do. Community gardens, urban farms, and local co-ops bring fresh, seasonal food back into city life. 3. Go barefoot where you can One way to move more naturally in the city is to free your feet from overly padded shoes. Our ancestors walked and ran on varied terrain with either no shoes or minimal moccasins/sandals, which encouraged strong, resilient feet. Modern research finds that barefoot or minimalist footwear strengthens the muscles and bones of the feet and ankles, improving balance and reducing injury risk. By contrast, thick, restrictive shoes can weaken our feet and alter our gait, even a simple walk becomes more natural and connected when you go barefoot. In a safe area (like a clean park or even at home), try walking barefoot to improve your proprioception (body awareness) and foot strength. If that feels a little rogue, another great option is minimalist shoes with thin, flexible soles and wide toe boxes to simulate barefoot conditions during daily life. This can restore your natural walking pattern: indeed, for most of human history, people had no arch support or cushioning, yet did just fine covering long distances Tip: Start gradually with barefoot time or minimalist shoes to let your feet adapt. Over time, you may notice better posture, less knee or back pain, and a pleasant sense of grounding with each step 4. Take your movement outdoors Maybe it’s the crisp morning air filling your lungs, the feeling of the earth beneath your feet instead of a treadmill belt, or the way your body naturally falls into rhythm with the sounds of wind, birds, and distant traffic. Whatever it is, once you start moving outdoors, a fluorescent lit gym starts to feel like a cage. The best gym has no walls. Find your city’s wild pockets: parks, open fields, riversides and claim them as your training ground. Use what’s there: benches for step-ups, tree branches for pull ups, railings for dips. Many cities now have outdoor calisthenics parks: bars, rings, and parallel bars designed for bodyweight training. If solo training isn’t your thing, look for a local run club or outdoor training group. Cities are full of people reclaiming movement in its rawest form: whether it’s barefoot running crews pounding the pavements or bouldering groups tackling urban climbing spots. Go for long, aimless walks through your city’s green spaces. Find a set of monkey bars and rediscover how to hang, swing, and climb. Sprint barefoot on the grass. Carry something heavy for distance. If you’ve ever watched kids playing outside, jumping, climbing, balancing, laughing, you’ll realise that movement is meant to be fun, fluid, and instinctive. 5. Realign your circadian rhythm City environments bombard us with artificial inputs (lights, noise, pollution), but we can take steps to create a healthier habitat for ourselves within the urban ecosystem Before electricity, people rose with the sun and wound down after dark. Modern city life flips that script with bright lights and screens late into the night, which can wreak havoc on our sleep cycles. At night, artificial light (especially blue light from LEDs, phones, and computers) confuses the body’s internal clock. Exposure to room lighting or screens suppresses melatonin (the sleep hormone) and throws off the circadian rhythm Blue wavelengths are the worst offenders because while they keep us alert by day, at night they suppress melatonin twice as much as other wavelengths and shift the circadian clock significantly Instead, dim your lights after sunset, use warmer, amber-coloured bulbs or candlelight analogs, and consider blue-light-blocking glasses if you must use screens. Many devices now have night modes to cut blue light, use them. In the morning, do the opposite by getting ample sunlight. Natural daylight, especially in the first hour or two after dawn, is crucial for setting your internal clock properly. Getting outside for a short walk or even having your coffee by a sunny window can cue your body that it’s daytime, leading to more wakefulness in the morning and better sleep at night. Importantly, stop wearing sunglasses.

6 steps to a non-toxic spring clean

Sunlight spilling through open windows, the scent of fresh earth: nature’s quiet invitation to cleanse, restore, and renew.But while we welcome fresh air and open windows, hidden toxins still linger in our routines, disrupting hormones, burdening detox pathways.Your home is either feeding your wellness or depleting it. This 6-step guide will help you make sure it’s doing the former. 1. Safe cleaning products The allure of chemical fragrances in cleaning products is strong, after all, they’re designed to smell fresh and inviting. But most of these scents are created from synthetic chemicals that release volatile organic compounds (VOCs) into your air, contributing to headaches, respiratory issues, and even hormonal disruptions. Even laundry can be a source of hidden toxins. Most detergents contain fragrances and fillers that cling to your clothing, creating a residue that touches your skin all day Healthy swaps: Natural all-purpose cleaner: Mix equal parts vinegar and water with a few drops of lavender or lemon essential oil for an all-purpose cleaner that’s light, refreshing, and leaves surfaces truly clean. Herbal air fresheners: Ditch synthetic sprays and simply place a bowl of dried herbs or citrus peels in any room. The subtle, earthy scent lifts the atmosphere without weighing down the air. Baking soda for tough spots: Use baking soda for sinks, tiles, and stubborn stains. It’s a gentle scrub that leaves surfaces spotless without any of the heaviness of traditional cleaners. 2. Non-toxic cookware No matter how carefully you source your food, the tools you use to prepare it can make all the difference. You’ve chosen the best produce and the highest-quality meats, so don’t let your cookware undo the effort. Many conventional pans, especially nonstick varieties, can release harmful chemicals when heated, leaching into your meals. It’s best to phase out non-stick cookware with unknown coatings. If you must use them, keep temperatures low and replace at the first sign of scratches Healthy swaps: Cast iron and stainless steel pans: These materials are highly durable and free of harmful coatings. Cast iron provides excellent heat retention, and when seasoned properly, it’s naturally nonstick. Stainless steel is a safe, versatile choice for a variety of cooking methods. Both are resilient and ideal for high-heat cooking without leaching chemicals. Glass and ceramic bakeware: For oven dishes and storage, glass and ceramic are fantastic options. They won’t react with acidic foods, and they keep your food safe from contaminants. Glass also works well for storing leftovers, as it doesn’t retain flavours or odours and allows you to reheat food without worry. Opt for natural wooden utensils and cutting boards: Plastic utensils and boards can shed microplastics over time, especially when used with hot food. Natural wooden utensils, like those made from bamboo, are gentle on cookware and keep synthetic materials out of your food. 3. Air purification Our homes are where we spend the majority of our lives, and they should be a sanctuary for healing and restoration. Yet indoor air often harbours more pollutants than outdoor air, from scented diffusers to harsh cleaning products and dust. By filling your space with pure, natural elements, you can transform your home into a retreat that renews you with every breath. Opening windows regularly may seem like a simple step, but it’s one of the most effective ways to flush out stale, polluted indoor air. Indoor plants like peace lilies and snake plants are natural air purifiers, removing toxins and releasing oxygen, grounding your space in nature. Healthy air habits: Morning airing: Start your day by opening windows to refresh indoor air, remove built-up toxins, and reset the energy of your space. Air-purifying plant: Introduce peace lilies, snake plants, and bamboo palms to naturally filter pollutants, increase oxygen levels, and add a grounding touch of nature. Cross ventilation: Enhance airflow by opening windows on opposite sides of your home, allowing fresh air to circulate freely and prevent stagnant indoor air. 4. Water filtration Tap water can contain a cocktail of residues: chlorine or chloramine (added for disinfection), fluoride (added in many municipalities), heavy metals like lead (from pipes), nitrates, pesticides, and other contaminants. Filtering your water is therefore critical for a holistic low-toxins lifestyle. Even if your water meets legal standards, “legal” doesn’t always equal “ideal”. Healthy swaps: There are a few routes you can take: Activated carbon filters (charcoal): Carbon is excellent at removing chlorine, chlorination byproducts, many organic chemicals, and improving taste . High-quality carbon block filters can also remove some heavy metals like lead and mercury. However, basic carbon alone won’t remove minerals, fluoride, or nitrates Reverse osmosis: RO is one of the most robust systems, using a membrane to remove particles down to the ionic level. A typical RO unit includes pre-filters (sediment and carbon) and then the RO membrane. It can eliminate fluoride, arsenic, nitrates, perchlorate, hexavalent chromium, and more contaminants that carbon filters alone may miss. The downside is that RO also strips beneficial minerals (like calcium, magnesium) so you need to make sure to remineralise it by adding a pinch of sea salt to each gallon Distillation (boiling water and condensing steam) will remove nearly everything except volatile chemicals, it produces very pure water, similar to RO (and likewise you’d need to add minerals back). For shower/bath water, simple carbon filters on the shower head help remove chlorine A swap you can try today: Another great option is to buy glass bottled spring water (available in most grocery shop 5. EMF-reduction In our modern lives, we’re bathed in electromagnetic fields (EMFs) from cell phones, Wi-Fi routers, computers, smart appliances, and power lines. While EMFs are invisible many holistic health experts consider electro-pollution as an emerging toxin. While we can’t escape EMFs entirely, and shouldn't live in fear, the goal is to minimise artificial EMF exposure where feasible, especially in places and times of rest. By doing so, you give your body one less potential source of strain. Healthy swaps: Unplug at night: One of the simplest steps is to turn off your Wi-Fi router at night when you’re not using it. Similarly, keep your phone away from your bedside or put it in airplane mode while you sleep (or better yet, in another room). There’s no need to bathe in wireless signals 24/7. Reducing EMFs at night gives your body a break during its regenerative sleep hours. Maintain distance from devices: Radiation intensity drops off dramatically with even a bit of distance (it follows an inverse-square law). So, don’t carry your phone directly on your body (in your pocket) if not necessary. When using your phone, use speakerphone or wired earbuds instead of holding it to your head, especially for long calls. Don’t sit with a laptop or tablet on your lap – put it on a desk (or a pillow as a buffer) to keep it away from your torso and reproductive organs. Grounding: Walking barefoot on grass or sand has virtually no downside, humans evolved in constant contact with the earth. It can stabilise our bioelectric systems and reduce any charge accumulated in the body from EMFs. 6. Natural materials The materials you surround yourself with daily: your bedding, furniture, and textiles, play a bigger role in your health than you might think. Conventional fabrics are often treated with flame retardants, synthetic dyes, and chemical finishes that can off-gas toxins into your living space and be absorbed through your skin. Healthy swaps: Organic cotton or linen bedsheets: Your skin is in contact with your bedding for nearly a third of your life. Ditch synthetic, chemical-treated fabrics for breathable, organic cotton or linen, which regulate temperature, wick moisture, and support deeper, more restorative sleep. Wool and hemp for furniture & rugs: Many conventional sofas, carpets, and mattresses contain VOCs (volatile organic compounds) and flame retardants that pollute indoor air. Natural materials like wool and hemp are naturally antimicrobial, hypoallergenic, and free from off-gassing chemicals. Natural fibre clothing: Polyester, acrylic, and nylon shed microplastics with every wash, infiltrating our waterways and even our bodies. Opt for organic cotton, wool, hemp, or silk to reduce exposure to synthetic fibres while keeping your wardrobe breathable and toxin-free. Beeswax candles and air-purifying plants: Conventional candles release synthetic fragrances and paraffin-derived toxins into the air. Swap them for beeswax candles, which naturally purify indoor air, or add air-filtering plants like peace lilies and snake plants to create a cleaner, fresher home environment.

How to nourish for fertility

Fertility challenges are on the rise, and the truth is, our modern lifestyle has made conception harder than ever. Processed foods, stress, environmental toxins, it all takes a toll and now many people are looking for natural, nutrient dense solutions to support their reproductive health. For both men and women, fertility is not just about reproductive organs, it’s about the whole body being in a state of health an vitality. Fertility is the product of a body in balance, hormones working harmoniously, nutrient levels optimised, and systems functioning at their peak. The good news is, even when thrown off balance, the body is designed to recalibrate. And when you give it the right fuel, the kind that generations before us relied on, things start falling into place naturally. Let's dive into 3 of the most fertility nourishing foods, as well as some lifestyle balances to complement them. Why nutrition matters for fertility Fertility is more than just the ability to conceive, it’s a reflection of your entire body’s health. Every system plays a role: The gut: If digestion is compromised, nutrient absorption is reduced, affecting egg and sperm health. The liver: Detoxifies excess estrogen and supports hormone balance. The thyroid: Regulates metabolism and is essential for ovulation and sperm production. The adrenals: Chronic stress depletes progesterone, a key fertility hormone. The mitochondria: Fuel egg and sperm quality, directly affecting conception and pregnancy outcomes. The modern diet, full of processed foods, seed oils, synthetic additives, and mineral-depleted produce, fails to support these critical functions. The ancestral approach Before modern prenatal vitamins, our ancestors relied on these three foods for their unparalleled ability to nourish the body and support reproductive health: 1. Organ meats Liver was traditionally given to women trying to conceive because it’s loaded with nutrients that support healthy hormones, ovulation, and egg quality. It’s packed with vitamin A, iron, B vitamins, and CoQ10, which are all essential for egg and sperm health. Heart, whether that's beef or lamb, is loaded with CoQ10, which helps improve mitochondrial function in eggs and sperm. There’s also kidney, which is high in selenium, a key mineral for reproductive health and thyroid function, which directly impacts fertility. Less common but rich in iron and enzymes that support digestion, spleen & pancreas improve nutrient absorption which is critical for fertility. If you’re new to eating organs, start with liver, it’s the most nutrient dense and easiest to incorporate into meals and you can easily find it in most supermarkets and butchers. 2. Colostrum Colostrum is one of those foods that doesn’t get nearly enough attention, but it should. It’s what mothers produce in the first few days after giving birth, packed with everything needed to build a strong immune system and heal the gut. And here’s the thing: fertility and gut health are deeply connected. If your gut is inflamed, your body struggles to absorb nutrients, regulate hormones, and sustain a healthy pregnancy. Colostrum helps repair that, supporting your body from the inside out. 3. Collagen Collagen is often talked about in terms of skin, hair, and nails, but when it comes to fertility, it plays an even bigger role. It strengthens connective tissue, supports a healthy uterine lining, and provides key amino acids that help with hormone production and pregnancy support. Your body expands, shifts, and adapts in ways you never expected. Keeping collagen levels high helps with joint strength, skin elasticity, and overall recovery. Plus, it pairs perfectly with colostrum to support digestion and gut health, a major win for anyone dealing with bloating, sluggish metabolism, or post-pill hormone imbalances. Lifestyle practices to boost fertility It’s not just about what you eat, fertility is a reflection of your overall health and lifestyle. Here are some simple, ancestrally aligned practices to incorporate into your daily routine: Get morning sunlight: Natural light first thing in the morning regulates circadian rhythms, supports hormone production, and helps balance cortisol (stress hormones can mess with fertility). Grounding: Walking barefoot on grass or a sandy beach reduces inflammation, supports hormone balance, and improves sleep, which are all essential for conception. Prioritise deep sleep: Your body does the majority of its hormone regulation and repair at night. Aim for 7-9 hours of quality sleep in total darkness, away from blue light. Reduce endocrine disruptors: Swap out plastic water bottles, toxic beauty products, and household cleaners for natural, non-toxic alternatives to reduce exposure to chemicals that disrupt hormones. If you're curious, we wrote a blog on the '5 personal hygiene products that are messing with your fertility' as well as 'A guidemap to reducing toxins in your daily life' Manage Stress: Chronic stress is one of the biggest fertility blockers. Incorporate breathwork, meditation, or even simple daily walks to keep stress in check. Cycle syncing for women: Understanding your cycle and adjusting your training, eating, and lifestyle habits to match each phase can dramatically improve fertility and hormone balance. Testosterone & fertility support for men: Men need to be lifting heavy, eating enough protein & fats, and getting sunlight to support optimal testosterone levels and sperm health. When you fuel your body with the right nutrients, support it with ancestral wisdom, and remove modern day stressors, you create the best possible environment for fertility, hormone balance, and overall wellness. Your body already knows what to do, you just have to give it the right tools. Let’s bring back the wisdom of ancestral nutrition and create the next generation of thriving, nourished humans.

The ultimate ancestral book list

We've gathered our favourite books that explore a wide range of topics, from the forgotten wisdom of ancestral diets to the science of metabolic health, regenerative farming, and the deep nourishment found in collagen, organ meats, and whole animal nutrition. Whether you're curious about the impact of nose-to-tail eating, the power of sunlight for circadian health, or the role of traditional foods in fertility and longevity, this list has something for you. If we were starting our journey over, these are the books we'd want in our hands... Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon Part cookbook, part nutritional manifesto, Nourishing Traditions is your invitation to cook and eat the way humans thrived for millennia. Drawing on Weston A. Price’s research into traditional diets around the world, Sally Fallon revives lost arts od fermentation, slow cooking, and nose-to-tail eating. She invites you to simmer bone broths, celebrate organ meats, and embrace nourishing animal fats once labeled “bad.” The result? A metabolic awakening rooted in old-world wisdom. Deep Nutrition by Dr. Catherine Shanahan What if your facial structure, metabolism, and even your children’s health were shaped by the way your great grandparents ate? Deep Nutrition exposes the long-forgotten link between ancestral diets and genetic expression, revealing how nutrient dense foods can literally shape our biology. This book explores how the foods that built some of the healthiest populations in history, and how veering from them has led to widespread metabolic dysfunction. If you want to understand how real food can influence everything from immune strength to fertility, Deep Nutrition offers a powerful, science backed roadmap to reclaiming your health at the cellular level. Sacred Cow by Diana Rodgers and Robb Wolf Red meat is under fire like never before, but are we missing the bigger picture? Sacred Cow challenges the widespread belief that cattle are an ecological disaster and a dietary sin. Instead, Diana Rodgers and Robb Wolf present a thought-provoking case for how properly managed ruminants, cows grazing on regenerating grassland, scan help heal the land. Drawing on ecological studies, nutritional science, and ethical philosophy, they argue that grass fed beef and dairy can be both humane and climate-friendly while delivering superior nutrient density (like B12, iron, zinc, and even healthy fats). Whether you’ve dabbled in vegetarianism or are a dedicated carnivore, this book will reframe how you think about sustainability, ethics, and the true cost of your protein choices. The Collagen Diet by Dr. Josh Axe Collagen, our body’s building block for hair, skin, nails, and joints, has found the spotlight for a reason, and Dr. Josh Axe takes the fascination to new depths in The Collagen Diet. But it’s not just about tossing any random collagen supplement in your smoothie. Axe emphasises the beauty of grass-fed and wild-sourced collagen as the key to truly transformative results. Learn why your gut, metabolism, and even hormone balance hinge on getting enough of this vital protein, plus how modern diets often neglect the tissues that contain it (think cartilage, tendons, and tough cuts) Real Food for Fertility by Lily Nichols A must-read for anyone (as fertility is about so much more than just conceiving). Real Food for Fertility unpacks why preconception nutrient stores matter and how modern diets may be at odds with optimal reproductive health. It explores the critical role of egg quality, early pregnancy nutrition, and the impact of preconception habits on fetal development. This book addresses common fertility challenges like hormonal contraceptive use, insulin resistance, gut imbalances, thyroid dysfunction, and PCOS, offering a comprehensive roadmap to correct deficiencies and restore balance. It also covers male fertility, providing essential insights on sperm health, DNA integrity, and key nutrients to support conception. How to Heal Yourself with Sunlight by Andreas Moritz We often forget that nutrition extends beyond our plates. We’ve all heard about vitamin D, but here, it’s illuminated as more than a simple nutrient: sun exposure can reset circadian rhythms, boost immune function, and even optimise the benefits we get from grass-fed diets. Ever wonder why our ancestors spent so much of life outdoors? Turns out, consistent, moderate sun exposure underpins everything from robust hormone balance to mental clarity. How to Heal Yourself with Sunlight makes a compelling case that the synergy of real food and real rays can restore energy levels in ways modern medicine has barely begun to appreciate. Nourishing Broth by Sally Fallon A sister to her classic, Sally Fallon zooms in on the humble yet heroically nutritious world of stocks, broths, and stews in Nourishing Broth. With stories and recipes that celebrate every culture’s love affair with slow simmered bones, she details how everything from collagen to trace minerals leaches into the water, ready to heal aching joints, seal leaky guts, and supply the body with a wealth of amino acids. It’s a testament to just how much goodness we can unlock by using every part of the animal, no waste, maximum sustenance. Whether you’re sipping bone broth to recover from surgery or simply seeking a comforting ritual that also nourishes on the deepest level, this book will turn your stockpot into a daily source of vitality.

6 extremely overlooked mineral deficiencies

Ever feel drained, achy, or mentally foggy, even though you're doing everything to eat healthy? It’s not just in your head. Mineral imbalances could be quietly undermining your energy, metabolism, and overall well being. The truth is, modern agricultural practices have stripped our diets of essential minerals. Decades of monocropping, synthetic fertilisers, and soil depletion have drastically reduced the levels of crucial minerals in our fruits and vegetables compared to what our ancestors consumed, leaving many of us unknowingly deficient, even if we prioritise whole foods. Why we're so mineral depleted Soil depletion: Industrial farming has stripped minerals from the land, meaning our produce is less nutrient-dense Processed foods: Refined grains, packaged snacks, and ultra-processed foods are stripped of their natural mineral content during manufacturing, leaving them nutritionally hollow Missing nose-to-tail nutrition: We eat mostly muscle meats today, but our ancestors got vital minerals from organs, bones, and connective tissue. Filtered water: Tap and bottled water undergo filtration and purification processes that remove harmful contaminants but also strip out naturally occurring minerals Lifestyle factors: Chronic stress, caffeine, alcohol, and medications like birth control, diuretics, and antacids rapidly deplete minerals, making it harder for the body to maintain balance. Your cells, hormones, and enzymes depend on these minerals. Let's have a look at the 6 you’re most likely to be missing, and the best ways to replenish them. 1. Magnesium What’s at stake Enzyme support: Magnesium is involved in over 300 enzymatic reactions, fueling ATP production (cellular energy), DNA repair, and muscle relaxation. Stress & sleep: Adequate magnesium can help regulate stress responses (lowering cortisol) and encourage deep, restorative sleep. Studies link higher magnesium intake with fewer migraines and better insulin sensitivity. Signs you might be deficient Frequent tension headaches, muscle cramps, restless legs. Feeling “tired but wired” or having trouble settling down at night. Anxiety, irritability, or insomnia. To replenish Grass-fed red meat: Provides magnesium alongside supportive minerals like iron and zinc. Slow-simmering bones: leach magnesium and other cofactors. Topical magnesium oil or spray: Magnesium glycinate in spray form can penetrate the bloodstream via the skin’s lipid barrier, making it a great option for those with low stomach acid, gut issues, or poor magnesium retention. This form is chelated, meaning the magnesium is bound to glycine (the magician in bone broth), an amino acid that enhances absorption and has its own nervous system regulating properties 2. Iodine What’s at stake Thyroid hormones: Iodine is essential for T3 and T4 hormone production: low iodine starves the thyroid, leading to hypothyroid symptoms like weight gain, fatigue, and hair thinning. Brain development: In pregnancy, sufficient iodine is tied to proper fetal neurological growth. Signs you might be deficient Chronic low energy, mental fog, or feeling cold when others are comfortable. Weight gain for “no reason,” slow metabolism, or a subtle neck swelling (goiter). Dry skin, thinning hair, brittle nails. To replenish Wild-caught seafood & shellfish: Salmon, cod, shrimp, and especially oysters. All dense with iodine plus other trace minerals. Sea vegetables: Think kelp, nori & dulse Pasture-raised dairy & eggs: Animals with access to coastal grasses pass more iodine into milk and yolks. 3. Iron What’s at stake Haemoglobin: Iron forms haemoglobin, delivering oxygen to cells. Without it, fatigue and weakness become the norm. Cognition & immunity: Also vital for immune cell production and sharp mental function. Signs you might be deficient Persistent fatigue, pale skin, breathlessness climbing stairs. Hair loss, brittle nails, frequent infections. Feeling chilly, random dizziness. To replenish Red meat (grass-fed beef, bison): Heme iron is the most bioavailable form, absorbed up to 3x better than non-heme from plants. Organ meats (liver): Nutrient powerhouses, particularly high in iron, B12, and folate. Perfect for repleting iron. Pair iron with vitamin C: Squeeze lemon on a steak or enjoy fresh berries with your iron rich meal to enhance uptake. 4. Zinc What's at stake Immunity: Zinc fuels the development of T-cells, your frontline defenders. Even mild deficiency can mean more colds or stubborn infections. Hormone balance & skin health: Key to testosterone production, wound healing, and clear skin. Low zinc can worsen acne or delay tissue repair. Signs you might be deficient Getting sick more often than usual. Stubbornly slow-healing scrapes or acne. Hair thinning, brittle nails, or diminished sense of taste/smell. Painful periods To replenish Oysters & shellfish: The most concentrated source of highly bioavailable zinc. Grass-fed beef & lamb: Provide zinc in a highly absorbable form, plus synergy with iron. Soak, sprout, or ferment (if you consume grains/legumes) to reduce phytates that block zinc absorption. Rethink copper coil: Excess copper from the copper IUD (coil), can lead to copper toxicity, which directly competes with zinc for absorption, potentially causing a zinc deficiency. 5. Phosphorus What’s at stake Bone & skeletal health: Phosphorus works alongside calcium to maintain bone density, strength, and structural integrity, making up nearly 85% of the body's total phosphorus stores. Energy production: A key component of atp (adenosine triphosphate), phosphorus fuels cellular energy production, muscle contractions, and nerve signalling. DNA & cellular repair: Essential for DNA and RNA synthesis, phosphorus supports cell growth, regeneration, and overall organ function. Signs you might be deficient Weakened bones, brittle teeth, or an increased risk of fractures. Muscle weakness, persistent fatigue, or slow recovery from exercise. Brain fog, irritability, or difficulty concentrating due to low cellular energy production. To replenish Grass-fed dairy: Raw, pasture-raised dairy products like cheese, milk, and yogurt provide a natural phosphorus-calcium balance, crucial for bone health. Pasture-raised eggs: A rich source of phosphorus, choline, and healthy fats, supporting brain function and cellular repair. 6. Potassium What’s at stake Blood pressure & nerve function: Works in tandem with sodium to keep cells hydrated and stable. Low potassium can lead to hypertension or irregular heart rhythms. Muscle contraction: Adequate potassium helps prevent cramps and fosters smooth muscle movements. Signs you might be deficient Muscle weakness, cramping, or frequent fluid retention. Dizziness upon standing (light-headed “head rush”). Heart palpitations or high blood pressure readings. To replenish: Lime & celtic sea salt: Celtic sea salt is a raw, unprocessed source of over 80 trace minerals, with one of the key ones being potassium, fuelling deep cellular hydration, enzymatic reactions, and nervous system regulation. Lime juice offers a natural source of citrate, which helps improve potassium absorption and alkaliSes the body, supporting acid-base balance. Bone broth with veggies: Cooking potassium-rich veggies (like carrots or chard) in a slow-simmered bone broth can amplify the mineral extraction Coconut water: A natural source of potassium, particularly beneficial for hydration and replenishing lost electrolytes post-exercise or during high heat exposure.

Why stretching isn't fixing your pain (our guide to fascia health)

Ever noticed your organs stay eerily still while you dance, yet your hamstring tightness never fades? Beneath those daily mysteries lies a tissue called fascia, your body's hidden web that shapes movement and stores both physical and emotional trauma. Despite its vast roles, fascia was long ignored in medicine: truly a case of seeing “muscles and bones” but not the matrix that connects them. What is fascia? In simplest terms, fascia is a three dimensional matrix of collagen fibers, fluid, and gel-like proteins enveloping every muscle, bone, organ, and nerve. Imagine a fine silk weave that both glides and transmits force. When healthy, fascia is supple, letting joints move freely and muscles coordinate seamlessly. But when compromised, whether by repetitive strain, stress, or past injuries, this silken web stiffens or forms adhesions, making stretching feel pointless and leaving you stiff or in pain. Wrapped around muscle fibers (endomysium), bundles (perimysium), entire muscles (epimysium), and even bones, fascia connects everything in one continuous line, much like a tablecloth that, when tugged in one corner, shifts the entire table setting. As a result, your achy calves can alter posture up to your neck. This interplay means fascia shapes how we move, stand, and even sense tension in our bodies. How fascia stores trauma Physical trauma Physical trauma clearly affects fascia. A sprained ankle or surgical incision, for example, triggers the fascia to lay down extra collagen fibers in repair. Scar tissue is essentially fascia that knits up a wound, but often in a haphazard, thicker way. These adhesions can tether tissues that should slide, leading to stiffness or pain around the injury site. Even remote injuries can have body-wide effects: a broken tailbone may set off fascial tightening up the spinal line, manifesting years later as neck pain. Repetitive strain or poor posture is a slower trauma: if you hunch over a desk daily, the fascia in your chest may shorten and thicken, “remembering” that position and resisting change. Over time, the body becomes literally moulded by these persistent fascial patterns. Emotional trauma More intriguingly, emotional and psychological traumas also seem to leave footprints in our fascia. Fascia is densely innervated with sensory neurons, directly linked to the autonomic nervous system, meaning it responds to stress, trauma, and even unprocessed emotions. When we experience a threat, our body instinctively contracts, tenses, or freezes, a primal response to protect itself. If unresolved, these tension patterns can become embedded in the fascia, manifesting as chronic stiffness, pain, or dysfunction long after the event. Emerging research highlights the two-way communication between fascia and the vagus nerve, our key parasympathetic (rest-and-digest) nerve. The vagus monitors fascia’s state and signals the brain to adjust tension accordingly. In other words, fascia may be a physical medium through which the mind-body dialogue occurs, our connective tissue as a canvas for the nervous system’s signals. Many bodyworkers and somatic therapists observe that when they release a particularly bound-up area of fascia, clients sometimes experience an emotional catharsis, memories or feelings resurging as the tissue lets go. This is why traditional stretching or strength training often fails to resolve deep-seated pain, because the root issue is not just in the muscles, but in the fascia itself. 3 essential steps to healing fascia Fascia may be prone to tightness, dehydration, or holding stress, but the good news is it’s highly responsive to care. 1. Water for the web Fascia is 70% water, but not all water hydrates fascia equally. When dehydrated, fascia becomes stiff, brittle, and prone to adhesions (small areas of stuck tissue that reduce mobility). Simply drinking more water isn’t enough your body needs the right minerals to retain it. Drink structured water: (naturally occurring in fresh fruits, raw dairy, coconut water, and bone broth). Add natural electrolytes: A pinch of sea salt with lemon in water works perfectly. Magnesium, for example, is essential for protein synthesis including collagen formation, and also helps muscles relax, preventing chronic tension in fascia. Zinc and copper are needed for collagen cross-linking and tissue repair. 2. Myofascial release One of the most direct ways to improve fascial health is through myofascial release techniques: physical methods that massage, stretch, or manipulate fascia to break up adhesions and restore its glide Here are some powerful tools and techniques to liberate your fascial network: Foam rolling: Rolling works by pressing on fascial adhesions and trigger points, helping to dissipate knots and encourage fluid exchange in the tissue. As you roll out a tight spot, you are literally smoothing out fascial wrinkles and stimulating fibroblast cells to remodel. (Tip: Roll slowly and pause on tender points for 30-60 seconds until you feel a release.) Vagus nerve stimulation: Interestingly, one way to release fascia is to work indirectly via the nervous system. Stimulating the vagus nerve can cause a cascade of relaxation in muscles and fascia. Techniques like slow deep breathing, humming or chanting, cold exposure (splashing face with cold water), or gentle gargling all activate the vagus nerve. When the vagus fires, it signals the body to shift out of stress model: heart rate slows, breath deepens, and crucially, fascia relaxes its tension. Resistance stretching: Traditional stretching usually involves relaxing into a pose, but resistance stretching adds an active component: you contract your muscles while lengthening them. This technique (also known as PNF stretching or eccentric training) engages the fascia more effectively. By resisting against the stretch (for example, pushing your heel down while pulling your toes toward you), the fascia is loaded under tension, which can break up internal cross-links and increase its length and elasticity. It It also stimulates the production of new collagen in a more orderly arrangement due to the tension applied. Yin yoga, in particular, is essentially a fascial release practice: by staying in a pose 3–5 minutes, you give the fascia time to yield (muscles might relax after 30 seconds, but fascia, being more viscous, takes a couple of minutes to truly stretch). This can flush out waste and even purportedly “flush toxins” from the fascia , easing chronic pain and restoring mobility Trauma release exercises (TRE): Use gentle fatigue of certain muscles to trigger involuntary shaking, which can discharge tension in the fascia and muscles, relieving stress. Such shaking or tremoring is thought to let the nervous system reboot and the fascia loosen (much like how gelatin jiggling softens). If you’ve ever had an intense workout and found yourself trembling, you’ve touched on this mechanism. Allowing your body to tremor or gently stretching while shaking can be a profound release. 3. Fuel your fascia with ancestral nutrition Fascia is metabolically active, and made up of collagen-rich proteins, meaning it needs collagen, minerals, and bioavailable nutrients to regenerate and stay pliable. Without the right nutrients, fascia can become brittle, weak, and prone to dysfunction. Consume gelatinous foods and collagen: Our ancestors intuitively nourished their fascia by eating the whole animal: boiling bones, skin, and tendons into bone broth, and slow-cooking meats with connective tissue. These traditional foods are rich in gelatine (cooked collagen) and glycosaminoglycans: exactly what fascia is made of. In the past, cooking down bones and fascia into broth provided a bounty of collagen peptides Fascia is integral to every step and stretch you take, and every emotion you hold. The key is recognising that stubborn pains often live in this hidden web, not just in your muscles. Whether you’re recovering from an old ankle sprain or an emotional upheaval, tending to fascia can help dissolve the barriers that ordinary stretches and workouts never touch, allowing you to discover a body that moves in harmony, bearing neither the weight of past injuries nor the grip of unprocessed stress.