Health & Fitness

| INTERVIEW |

INTERVIEW WITH ERIN REID // NATUROPATH AND NUTRITIONIST

Erin is a qualified nutritionist, naturopath and yoga teacher.

She runs two businesses, a yoga retreat and luxury accommodation business in Victoria, and also see patients in clinic in both Melbourne and Victoria’s high country. She recently married Collingwood player Ben Reid in Bright, Victoria.

So tell us.. why should a bride see a naturopath or nutritionist in the lead up to her big day?

I think so many women start to freak out about having the perfect skin and not being stressed for their big day; so seeing a professional who can completely tailor a diet (lifestyle) to them can be very useful to make long term healthy changes. Naturopaths are equipped with years of education and clinical experience to use medicinal herbs to help with many ailments, and I personally see a lot of clients who need help with their gut health and reducing their stress. Seeing a naturopath at least 4 months before the big day (although I recommend a minimum of 6 months) is good timing because we can do a lot of blood tests and functional pathology testing to see what your hormones may be doing, as well as addressing other factors such as liver function, detoxification, gut health and stress. Then completely tailor a program to you to help you both feeling and looking your absolute best on your wedding day.

Image from Instagram

Photograph from @erinalpinenaturalhealth

Your wedding was on Dec 2018 and by the way you looked ABSOLUTELY stunning. What did you do in terms of health, supplements and diet in the lead up to your big day, 12 months in, 6 months, 3 months, 1 month and 1 week before?

I’ve always had a healthy lifestyle and rarely eat any bad foods, however I have suffered a lot in the past with bad skin so this was something that naturally worried me as our wedding day approached.

10 months out I cut out all dairy, refined sugar and gluten, and ate organic wherever I possibly could.

I made sure every single main meal (breakfast lunch and dinner) had at least 2 cups of vegetables in it, and drank a minimum of 2L of water. I also made a point of choosing organic and hormone free proteins, good quality plant proteins and lots of healthy fats at every meal. I honestly believe this made the biggest difference in my skin and energy levels, because I had my blood sugar levels under control and reduced any inflammation in my body. My skin became clearer and less inflamed.

I also made it a priority to optimise my gut health and help calm down my nervous system and stress by using specific herbal medicines to do so, and did lots of yoga.This regime was continuous throughout the lead up to our wedding, however about 1 month out I was more strict and had no chocolate (I would always have dark chocolate if I wanted it), and the only sweet food I would have was 1/2 banana per day and berries. It was actually very easy to stick to and I felt any cravings for chocolate subsided very quickly.

1 week out I was a little run down from stress, so I made another customised herb mix to reduce stress and anxiety which helped immensely, and also had 3 teaspoons of freeze dried spirulina every day in a smoothie or water which is a great anti viral, anti inflammatory and anti microbial.

“I also made a point of choosing organic and hormone free proteins, good quality plant proteins and lots of healthy fats at every meal. I honestly believe this made the biggest difference in my skin and energy levels”

I’ve read a lot about the benefits of certain natural supplements that seem to be popular right now. What are the important ones to take for glowing skin and to just feel all over energised and great?

Each person is different so it’s hard to recommend one supplement that would do the trick. I would recommend doing hormonal, gut and liver testing and addressing the individuals stress before recommending anything in particular.

A healthy lifestyle is more sustainable and important for both short and long term health so I would definitely start there before taking every supplement under the sun.

“A healthy lifestyle is more sustainable and important for both short and long term health”

What should a bride be eating daily to make them feel great before the big wedding?

Lots of green vegetables and drink at least 2L of water daily!

What should a bride be avoiding in terms of diet?

Avoid Processed foods, refined sugar, gluten and dairy (1 month prior to) to avoid any unnecessary inflammation, stress on the body and to help improve gut & overall health. Also make it a priority to take some time out to relax and enjoy such a wonderful time, rather than worrying about finer details that no one will even notice!

If you could suggest one supplement for a woman to take in the lead up to her wedding what would it be?

Again it’s all relative to the individual, and a lot of people need certain forms of vitamins and minerals depending on their genetic makeup, so I would recommend speaking to a naturopath or nutritionist first before self prescribing.

What are your top tips for combating stress?

Sleep! If you don’t get At least 7 hours of sleep per night your body increases cortisol (your stress hormone) production.

Also make sure you take some time out for you for some self love… yoga, massages and meditation!

It’s nearly the big day and a bride is feeling hormonal or just feeling generally bloated and yuck. What can she do to help that horrible pregnant, water weight feeling?

Drink lots of water, don’t eat when you’re stressed and avoid any foods that give you digestive upset. Try reducing the load on your digestion by intermittent fasting. Usually I reccomend a 16 hour fast with an 8 hour eating window. This allows the digestive system to have a bit of a break, and you’re less inclined to eat unhealthy foods.

To book an appointment with Erin head to: https://www.alpinenaturalhealth.com.au/

Instagram: @erin_alpinenaturalhealth