#29 NUTRITION FOR OPTIMAL WELLBEING
WITH JULIANA LISBOA

When I started with nutrition, I didn’t think that psychology was that important. I thought well ‘okay, well if I know exactly what people need to eat, then, that’s it, problem solved!’ I honestly went to my masters thinking that I was going to learn the perfect diet. I thought that I was going to go to uni and they were going to tell me…’here it is, the secret to a happy life!’  The more you learn about it, the more you learn that there is no perfect diet. Also, the more you learn that everyone is different and the barriers for that diet that is going to work for them, are very different, and you need to work with them to go around those barriers. As I went along with nutrition that’s when I realised psychology was becoming more and more important in that way.
Juliana Lisboa has one of the most impressive CV’s I have ever seen. Having completed a Bachelor of Biological Sciences, Masters of Nutrition & Dietetics, Post-Graduate in Sports Nutrition and now completing a Bachelor of Psychology; I trusted Juliana would be able to give us an educated perspective on how we can navigate our individual nutritional needs for optimal wellbeing. Juliana certainly lived up to my expectations as we covered a broad range of nutritional topics. 
 
My personal take home from this discussion is to bring more awareness into my food choices and why I am choosing to nourish my body with certain foods and not others. Am I doing it because subconsciously I’m following the nutritional advice of someone else, or because it actually fuels my body to optimal health and wellness?
 
I recognize that everyone is different.  I find discussing nutrition is hugely sensitive and perhaps I tip-toed around the edge of many topics.  I was nervous because I knew that Juliana advocates for an inclusive approach to nutrition, whilst for me personally I tend to lean towards a more plant-based diet for my own wellness.  However, irrespective of where we individually sit on the nutritional spectrum, what I gleaned from this podcast is that I need to ensure I have a deep ability to listen to my body and not just be subconsciously following the rules established by others.  I hope to host a follow-up podcast with Juliana delving more into why we have such an emotional attachment to nutrition.
 
Juliana has also created a 6-week online course called Nailing Nutrition. The course combines educational video modules, targeted live Q&As and access to an online community for support to have your questions answered in real-time. It sounds absolutely incredible! Definitely worth checking out if you are inspired to improve your own wellbeing through nutrition. 
 
Main Points:
  • Holistic approach to nutritional choices
  • Nutritional requirements are different even within sports. E.g. Someone training for Cross fit has different nutritional needs than an endurance runner.
  • Building a strong nutritional ‘base’ and then tweaking elements for increasing personal performance
  • Circulating misinformed concepts can lead to an oversaturation of available information that well-intentioned individuals can feel completely overwhelmed by. 
  • Gut Health:
  • Understanding your personal micro biome through testing - as another helpful element to improving your heath. Everything is connected and the information is incorporated into the bigger picture of your holistic health.
  • Our current knowledge about gut biome
  • Stress on gut health
  • Common nutritional pitfalls for athletes
  • Advice for starting your own unique diet
  • Look at what is currently working and not working in your life
  • Assess your values and goals – what do you want to get out of life and how do you want to feel?
  • If your values and goals collide, allow yourself the time to evaluate your values and how you could adjust the expression of those values to better align with your goals.
  • Nutritional deficiencies
  • The body doesn’t recognise when exercise is simply for leisure and not trying to run away from danger. Therefore, it can always find energy to ‘train.’ Even if it is depleted of nutrients.
  • Iron
  • Zinc
  • Omega-3 and Omega-6: Ideally a 1:1 ratio. The average Australian diet has a 1:20 ratio!
  • Diet’s relationship to inflammation, muscle recovery/injuries, gut and stress.
 
I really hope you enjoy this conversation. You can show your support for the podcast by ‘liking it’ in Souncloud or ITunes, and sharing your favourite episodes and quotes with friends and family. Let me know if there is anyone you would like to hear on the podcast too! 

JULIANA LISBOA

You can find more information about Juliana’s services, and resources on her Website. There, you can also book an appointment to work with Juliana to explore your optimal wellbeing options. She also has some amazing educational blog posts on her website that are absolutely worth checking out too. This one on Health & Motivation is a personal favourite of mine! ​

HANNY ALLSTON


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