We sat down to talk with Intuitive Nutritionist Yaz.
Yaz has a been through an incredibly inspiring health journey & we got the special opportunity to ask her a few questions about all things health and her love of beef liver.
What motivated you to enter the nutrition space?
Even as a tiny girl, I can still recall my love for preparing meals for loved ones. You could say I’ve always had a certain affinity for healthy food and cooking.. however, what really paved the way to becoming a nutritionist was losing my health completely in 2017 to Crohn’s disease. Over the following years I devoted my time and energy to healing, using predominantly food as medicine. I witnessed first-hand the healing power of nutrition when it comes to chronic disease. Yet around me, I saw so many beautiful souls who were suffering, due to a lack of knowledge and support around their dietary and lifestyle habits. This simultaneously broke my heart and set my soul alight, and so became my mission to help as many people as possible to experience true wellness.
How do you feel your health has changed since you started a holistic approach of healing with wholefoods and movement?
Since adopting a holistic approach to health and wellness, I have seen my life transform beautifully in every aspect. Most notably, my energy levels are more consistent and stable, I haven’t spent a night in hospital with Crohn’s in over 5 years and I feel at peace majority of the time. This is huge, as I was living with debilitating anxiety and depression for years, not to mention severe digestive issues for over a decade too.
What do you feel are the most important pillars and foundations when approaching health and healing?
Nutrition. We consume around 4.5 kgs of food every single day. This material directly interacts with our internal environments, including the entire digestive system, influencing the function of every cell in our bodies - for better or worse. If we eat right, the food we consume can switch on pathways of healing and regeneration, which are innate to us all.
Breath & Mindfulness. So many of us experience constant stress in our lives because we are unable to switch from the sympathetic (flight, flight, freeze) to the parasympathetic (rest and digest) nervous system. When left unchecked, the heightened state of the sympathetic nervous system creates stress in the body, causes cellular damage, decreases our ability to absorb the nutrients we eat and plays a huge role in the onset and progression of virtually every illness. Incorporating gentle mindfulness practices and taking deep belly breaths will allow you to activate the parasympathetic nervous system to rest, digest and lull the body into a healing state.
Movement. A powerful tool to improve overall health, mood, sleep and manage stress. Through movement we can boost our insulin sensitivity, improve brain health, reduce risk of diseases such as CVD, type 2 diabetes, multiple types of cancer and improve immune function. Mindful movement practices like yoga are also a great way to build emotional resilience and release toxicity that may have been trapped in your body for years.
Why would you say beef liver is so important to include in your daily routine?
I love including Etre’s beef liver capsules as a part of my daily routine to keep my energy levels stable and ensure I'm providing my body with an abundance of essential nutrients to thrive. I’m a firm believer that a plant strong diet is the best kind of medicine.. However, supplements from real wholefood ingredients can be super helpful additions to a well-balanced diet. When considering supplementation always opt for organic, grass-fed and wholefood ingredients! I personally am not an advocate for synthetic nutrients as these can be very harmful in large doses and behave in completely different ways to the same nutrients in their natural, unadulterated forms.
What nutritional benefits do you feel beef liver can bring to people's lives?
One of the most nutrient dense foods on the planet, beef liver provides us with a ton of vital nutrients including vitamins A, B2, B6, folate, B12, D, E, K2, choline, iron, copper, selenium, CoQ10, Zinc and magnesium. These work synergistically to increase energy and vitality, improve immune health, support healthy blood and iron metabolism, improve vision, promote cellular differentiation, increase neurotransmitter production, boost detoxification pathways, support endocrine health and SO MUCH MORE.
If someone was just beginning their health and wellness journey, where should they begin?
I would say to anyone just beginning their wellness journey to keep things simple, making incremental changes to your health and wellness routines will ensure sustainability. These simple tips can be game changers:
Start each day with hydration upon waking and drink plenty of water throughout the day. A great way to work out how much water you need is this formula:
0.033 X body weight in Kg = litres of water you need to drink each day
Eat more plants! No matter what diet or way of eating you subscribe to, science consistently demonstrates those who include a wide variety of plant foods in their diet seem to not only live longer, but have more healthy years of life. Aim for 40 plant foods each week to support a healthy gut microbiome and optimal health.
Always be kind to yourself.. we cannot shame ourselves into creating sustainable positive change. Remember to celebrate all the little wins and adopt a gentle and flexible mindset when it comes to perceived “setbacks”. Focus on what you can learn from every experience, then move on with grace and a grateful heart for the wisdom you have gained.
