Meet Jordan Pie
Most days you’ll find Jordan in her kitchen whipping up something nourishing and delicious to share with her boyfriend. You’ll also find her in the office doing one-on-one nutrition consultations or working on her laptop drinking copious amounts of herbal tea with a big smile on her face.
1. Can you tell us a little about what you do, and what led you to become a Nutritionist & GAPS Practitioner?
I’m a Qualified Nutritionist, GAPS Practitioner, freelance recipe developer, food stylist and photographer, health and wellness blogger, oh and a cookbook author. I’ve always had a passion for cooking and healthy food – I believe food can be used as medicine, so I help to educate people to see food in a brand new light through one-on-one consultations as well as providing delicious, easy, gut friendly recipes.
For anyone who has never heard of GAPS, it’s an acronym for the Gut and Psychology Syndrome™, a term coined by neurologist Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride and the title of her book has the same name. It’s a strict protocol designed to heal and seal the gut lining and rebalance and restore the bacterial ecosystem within our gut. I became a GAPS Practitioner due to my own gut issues, and I was formally trained and certified by Dr Natasha Campbell-McBride many years ago now. This means I can guide and support clients on their own GAPS journey too.
2. Are there any symptoms or conditions you are seeing a lot of at the moment due to external stressors – (the world has been a pretty crazy place this last year!)?
I always see a lot of gut issues in people, and stress definitely aggravates them even further.
3. What are you snacking on at the moment?
I’ve been obsessed with my Homemade Chocolate Yogo (video here) from my eBook Just Desserts. It’s delicious on its own with some grated chocolate on top, served with some homemade granola or fresh berries, or lately I’ve been using it as a ‘frosting’ on these Paleo Beetroot Muffins for some extra decadence.
4. Are there any specific foods that may help to encourage a ‘normal’ period?
If only it were that simple, eat ‘X’ to have regular, pain free, symptom free periods. However, there are a few things you can start with;
- Learn how to eat to balance your blood sugar levels – I believe that a crucial step to re-balancing your hormones is to understand what foods cause blood sugar reactions, and which ones don’t. Not all foods are created equal and your body, gut and blood sugar levels respond differently to different foods you feed it.
- Reduce and manage your stress levels – Stress is the #1 driver of all disease and dysfunction. Ultimately, the body desires balance, and when it gets out of balance, then hormonal imbalances are one of the first dysfunctions to arise. Stress-management techniques can go a long way to help your hormones to self-regulate.
- Nourish and heal your gut – you can’t get far in re-balancing your hormones if you don’t fix an imbalanced gut because the key to balanced hormones is a healthy gut with a wide range of bacterial microflora.
- Women NEED to eat healthy fats – Healthy saturated fat is actually really important for hormonal balance, it serves as the building blocks for all hormone creation in your body.
5. What are some common women’s health issues you often see in your clinic relating to nutrition?
Gut or digestive symptoms are very common – think bloating, gas, constipation, diarrhoea, stomach pains, poor digestion, fatigue, nutrient deficiencies etc. chances are you may be reacting badly to a particular food(s). In my experience almost everyone gets better from dietary change. The first step I often recommend is to take a look at what you eat. If you’re eating products that contain gluten and dairy every day, a fabulous place to begin is to experiment with eliminating both of them 100%. These two are without a doubt the most common food sensitivities I see people have.
One of the main benefits of eliminating them, is that it allows your body to rest for a period of time without the onslaught of these acidic and inflammatory foods. Once you’ve eliminated them for a period of time, you should find that you start to have more energy, vitality, regular bowel movements, fewer aches and pains, no more headaches, improved mental clarity, happier hormones and more regular periods, as well as better skin & gut health.
6. Could you recommend some simple steps to start improving health and regulating hormones?
I believe it’s different for each individual. However, I follow the following food philosophy for myself and my clients for general health and wellness;
- Eat food your great grandmother would recognise
- Less is more when it comes to ingredients
- Include a wide variety of vegetables—you can always add more
- Just because the ingredients change, doesn’t mean the menu has to. There is always a healthier alternative to your favourite foods
- Eat to be well, not to be thin
- Nourish and nurture your gut health
7. What are your Top 3 can’t live without foods when you are menstruating?
Bone Broth – your gut bugs are responsible for your daily mood, energy, ability to learn and also how you deal with stress. The collagen and healing nutrients in broth are incredibly soothing, it helps to reduce inflammation and heal and seal the gut lining – giving you an abundance of energy because you’ll be able to absorb more nutrients from your food!
Liver – gram for gram liver contains more nutrients than any other food + it also contains anti-fatigue factors. This is a non-negotiable for me as it helps me to feel energised and stay on top of my game (which is often needed leading up to and during the first few days of menstruation). I have the yummiest chicken liver pate recipe HERE / instagram feed + many more in my cookbook GUTALICIOUS if you need a recipe.
Magnesium – when your body doesn’t have enough magnesium, systemic inflammation can occur. This can result in PMS symptoms worsening, ie; fatigue, headaches, migraines, aches, pains, cramps, brain fog + poor sleep. I make sure to have a magnesium salt bath which also supports gentle detoxification and eat magnesium rich foods such as; cacao, leafy greens, tahini, brazil nuts, fermented dates and figs to top my magnesium levels back up.
8. Best advice for women who want to find their body balance and get their health back on track!
If you keep hearing ‘It’s normal to be bloated, have painful cramps, nausea, intense headaches, fluid retention, irritability and mood changes, severe pain, irregular periods and so on’ – it’s not. While these symptoms are very common, they are not normal. If a woman doesn’t get her period regularly, and/ or suffers with these often uncomfortable and painful symptoms each month, then her body and hormones aren’t functioning properly.
Keep educating yourself – knowledge is power!. Talk with your chosen health care professional to help you dig deeper and figure out the root cause of ‘WHY’ you’re experiencing these health symptoms and how to re-balance your hormones and find out what’s right for you as an individual.
To find out more about Jordan, head over to her website http://www.reallifeofpie.com or contact her at hello@reallifeofpie.com
You can also find Jordan at the below socials: