Amber Foley Spring Energy Tips Interview

Amber Foley Spring Energy Tips Interview

The summer months signal the start of the holiday season - kids are out of school, families gear up to go on vacation, and there are plenty of events, parties and festivals to enjoy. So, as spring rolls into summer, we need all the energy we can muster to fully embrace the outdoors and make the most of our time in the sun.

Interview with Amber Foley

Amber Foley is a qualified naturopath working at Wagner, one of Australia's leading health and wellbeing companies. She has a Bachelor of Naturopathy from Southern Cross University and is qualified in Herbal Medicine, Nutrition and Therapeutic Massage. Her particular fields of interest include women's health and the role nutrition and herbal medicine plays in fertility, menopause and other reproductive disorders. Amber is also interested in the role herbal medicines can play in chronic disease prevention and food as medicine.

Question: What are your tips to maximise energy levels naturally?

Amber Foley: Exercise: Laziness breeds laziness, so be active. Fitness, like most things, is a habit - get out and go for a brisk walk/jog, go for a swim, hit the gym, or ride your bike - and while you might be puffed during your workout you'll feel like a million dollars afterwards. Muscle activity releases natural endorphins that will leave you feeling invigorated and sprightly.

Get Outdoors: Or somewhere bright, at least. The summer months weren't designed for being couped up in a dark room with only a DVD box set for company. Being a couch potato won't recharge the batteries; it only sets you in hibernation mode. If you're tired, then sleep. Otherwise, get out and enjoy the sun.

Get a Good Night's Sleep: Lack of sleep affects a significant amount of the population. Not only does fatigue hamper our brain function, but sleep deprivation has been linked to broader health issues such as heart disease and depression. Don't ignore your body telling you it needs rest.

Beware of Caffeine: Although coffee and other caffeine-rich drinks initially make you more alert, the energy burst is temporary and consuming several cups a day can lead to burnout. If you feel that you simply can't function without coffee then try gradually cutting back to one cup per day.

Get your gut in order!: When you think about your energy levels, you probably don't immediately think of what's going on in your digestive system, but you really should. Without proper digestion, the body cannot absorb nutrients properly and produce the energy it needs. The result can be sluggishness, bloating and general stomach pain and discomfort.
Having the right balance of good bacteria, or probiotics, in the gut is essential to maintaining a healthy digestive and immune system so amp up your intake of foods such as yoghurt, milk and miso or try a natural probiotic supplement. Choose specially-cultured acid-resistant strains of good bacteria designed to improve your intestinal flora balance and dairy-free making it a great option for those who are lactose intolerant.

Take a Bath: Baths may not float everyone's toy boat, but the healing powers of a good ol' soaking are not to be underestimated. Bathing in essential oils of lemon, lavender, cinnamon, or peppermint will soothe your muscles and refresh your mind. Calming music may also help leave you feeling refreshed and revitalised.

Hydrate: More than any energy drink, water is pivotal in keeping your energy levels up (and much better for you). As well as fuel in the form of food, our bodies need to stay hydrated to function optimally. This is particularly vital as the Australian summer approaches and temperatures rise.

Ditch the sugary snacks!: Limit excess sugar as it causes fluctuations in blood sugar levels leading to rapid fatigue. Sugar cravings can also be a sign of magnesium deficiency so make sure you are getting enough of this essential mineral in your daily diet to ensure you don't put your body through energy-sapping sugar highs and lows. Dark green, leafy veggies like spinach and swiss chard are good sources of magnesium along with pumpkin and seeds, soybeans and black beans.
If you struggle to maintain your magnesium levels through food, try a natural mineral supplement.

Don't let food weigh you down: Remember, food is intended as fuel to give us energy, not to weigh us down so try to minimise the junk and don't overdo it on portions that will leave you feeling heavy. Here are a few rules of thumb to keep in mind:
Chips no longer qualify as vegetables. Try a side of salad instead.

The phrase "All You Can Eat" is not intended as a challenge
Fast food isn't a real time saver - if you have too much, you will put pressure on the body in a way that could shorten the time you have to enjoy living!


Question: How does winter take a toll on our energy levels?

Amber Foley: During the colder months, your body has to work harder to keep you warm. It does this by pumping more blood around your body and by accumulating as much fatty tissue as it can to provide insulation to all body tissues. This means whilst you have the tendency to gain weight in the winter, you still need to consume more energy in the form of complex carbohydrates like oats, grains, rice and potatoes, to keep your body warm. Your body will also benefit from the addition of warming spices to your foods and drinks such as cinnamon, chilli and ginger, which encourage blood flow, leading to increased warmth, especially in your hands and feet.


Question: How often and for how long do you recommend females exercise?

Amber Foley: Women have differing needs when it comes to exercise. Firstly, our bodies are set up for possible pregnancies, rather than possible heavy lifting tasks. This means it is more difficult for us to build and maintain muscle than it is for men, and it is easier for us to gain and harder for us to lose fat then for men. Our fat is important as it helps us maintain the health of a baby during pregnancy and provides calories for our babies during breastfeeding.

Because of these factors, splitting light weight bearing and cardiovascular exercises is really important, as is having a few exercise free days a week for recovery. 25-40 minutes is ample time to gain the benefits of exercise up to four times a week.

Another important aspect to consider with females and exercise is that we also menstruate each month, which means one of the key nutrients necessary for transporting oxygen around the body during exercise, Iron, is lost and needs to be replaced.


Question: What is the importance of magnesium in the diet? What foods contain magnesium?

Amber Foley: Magnesium is of the most abundant minerals in the body and is essential to all cells of all known living organisms. It is necessary for every major biological process and plays a crucial role in the brain, nervous system, cardiovascular system, muscles, hormone-secreting glands, kidney and liver.

Magnesium helps regulate blood sugar levels, meaning it can also help you manage sugar cravings, helps keep the heart rhythm steady, aids the immune system and helps ensure bones remain strong. It can also be used to help improve sleep and treat mild anxiety as it has a calming effect on the entire central nervous system.

Magnesium is a mineral which means it is not produced naturally by the body. Instead, we absorb it from foods such as dark green leafy vegetables, spices, nuts, wholegrain cereals and cocoa, which are all rich sources of magnesium. Many people don't get enough of these types of foods in their diet, however, so supplementation can be a good option.


Question: What are the biggest mistakes you see females making in regards to their diets?
Amber Foley: The biggest mistake in women's diets is choosing calorie count over the quality of foods. Whilst in the 80's, the fad was to remove all fats from your diet to lose weight, your body actually needs fat in order to be strong and healthy.

Choosing to reduce your fats, also often leads you to seek calories elsewhere in the form of sugars, and also leads you to choose 'low fat' foods, that are often high in sugars. Fats are important as they are the backbone of many vitamins and hormones in your body, so restricting them can cause nutrient deficiencies in Vitamin A, D and E, as well as leading to poor skin. Fat also plays a role in making you feel fuller longer, so restricting it in your diet can cause you to over consume sugar and carbohydrate containing foods.

Choose good quality fats, such as fats found in plant oils such as olive oil and sesame oil, coconut oil (in limited amounts), nuts, seeds and avocadoes. Limit fats from animal products such as red meat, but increase fats included in foods such as salmon and other oily fish.


Question: Generally what foods does a female need to increase if she is trying to get pregnant? Should this continue throughout pregnancy?

Amber Foley: Folate containing foods are really important (alongside a Folate supplement) to reach your 400-600ug necessary for the prevention of neural tube defects. Consider consuming more dark green leafy vegetables and whole grains, the key source of dietary Folate.

Also consider increasing or maintaining your Calcium intake to 1000-1500mg a day. Consider 2-3 servings of dairy in the form of cheese, yoghurt, and whole milk; and 1-2 servings of vegetable source calcium in the form of dried figs, almonds, and dark green leafy vegetables. Fish with edible bones like anchovies and pilchards are also great sources of calcium.

Consider dietary sources of iodine such as kelp and seafood. If currently pregnant, make sure you consider the food safety aspects of seafood such as salmon (which should be limited during pregnancy due to the presence of heavy metals).


Question: What is needed for a good digestive system?

Amber Foley: As around 70 per cent of the immune system is located in the gut, having a functioning digestive system plays a fundamental role in supporting our wellbeing. If your digestion is out of whack, chances are you'll be experiencing bloating, stomach or bowel irregularities along with other health problems and reduced immune function - creating a cycle of bad health!

Probiotics are the 'good' bacteria that reside inside our digestive systems and are the seat of our immune systems. Lots of probiotics equate to a healthy, resilient immune system but these delicate organisms are depleted by medications such as antibiotics and the oral contraceptive pill, stress, inadequate dietary fibre, alcohol and caffeine.

While traces of probiotics are found in foods such as yoghurt, milk, miso and some soy beverages, they are more effectively administered via dietary supplement. So, the easiest and simplest thing to do to strengthen your digestion is to take a high quality probiotic as they are responsible for making many essential vitamins such as vitamin B12, vitamin K and vitamin B6 and Folate as well as reducing the risk of allergies, asthma & food intolerances.


Question: What's a typical days diet, for you?

Amber Foley: A healthy breakfast of muesli with yoghurt and fruit, a salad wrap with protein such as chicken and lots of green leafy vegies, snacks of nuts and seeds along with herbal teas all day, and a dinner of tofu, vegies and rice; or chicken, vegetables and wholegrain pasta at night.
I usually have one coffee a day with soy milk, and drink as much water as I can throughout the day.


Question: Can you talk about how and which foods work as a medicine?

Amber Foley: Many foods are important to keep you healthy - in fact, when you think about it, most healthy foods are acting as a medicine. Consider all your calcium rich foods, like yoghurt, sardines, almonds and other dairy foods, without these foods your bones become brittle, your heart doesn't function properly and you are at risk of the development of a range of health conditions. When we don't get enough of these foods, we often consider a supplement to increase our levels to prevent disease, so foods are the source of many of the nutrients we consider medicines as well.

Also consider how foods make you feel. Turkey, for example, is a prime example of foods as medicine. Following Christmas lunch we often feel full but happy and content. This has somewhat to do with the emotion of Christmas, but also has to do with Turkey improving our levels of the mood altering hormone Serotonin in our brain (by being high in an amino acid known as Tryptophan).


Question: How will we know if we are getting the right amount of fruit and vegetables?

Amber Foley: Recommendations for fruit and vegetable intakes include 5-7 servings of vegetables and 1-3 servings of fruit. A serving of vegetables consists of a cup of salad vegetables or half a cup of cooked vegetables. Remember with vegetables, that leaving aside potatoes, as they are low in fibre and highly energy dense, you can consume as many vegetables as you like during the day, so if you are eating more than 5-7 serves, there is no need to reduce it, as long as you are hitting the minimum.

A serving of fruit consists of a piece of fruit or a cup of watermelon, or half a cup of berries. Fruits should be limited to 3 servings a day as many fruits contain concentrated sugars. And remember, juices do not count!


Product References:
Magnesium Forte 400 100 capsules - RRP $19.99
Probiotica P3 30 capsules - RRP $24.99

Wagner is a pharmacy-only brand of premium quality, natural health supplements designed to help maintain the health and wellbeing of Australians like you. Wagner products harness nature's power, using top quality herbal and nutritional ingredients that are backed by research. The results are specialist formulations that support your health across a range of areas, including bone and joint health, immunity, cold and flu, heart health, muscle cramps/tension, stress, digestive health, menopause and prostate health. Wagner products are brought to you by the Australian company, Vitaco Health Ltd. For more information, visit www.wagnerproducts.com.au

Interview by Brooke Hunter