I wish someone had told me the importance of nutrition

“I wish someone had told me” is a series of posts that feed into our inquisitive nature at CN&CO. Each week we hear from someone in our network about something interesting or surprising that’s recently happened or occurred to them – or lessons they learnt. These blogs are a way to pay it forward and form part of CN&CO’s belief that the world can be a better place – and we all have a responsibility to make it so.

This week’s post is by Blake Dyason.

I have considered myself healthy for the past 15 years. I hardly drink, I am fit enough to run a marathon, complete a triathlon and cycle 100 plus km without changing my lifestyle. But last year the wheels fell off.

It was all triggered by emotional stress. At the beginning of 2022 my mom was diagnosed with terminal cancer and on the 5th of June she passed away. It was a lot to deal with in a very short period of time. My life came to a standstill and while I focussed 100% on my mom and family, I neglected myself. I stoped exercising and started eating sh#t.

A had signed up to run the Otter Trail Run with EasyEquities in October 2022, just a few months after my mom passed. I struggled with fatigue, stomach cramps, insomnia, anxiety and low energy, making it impossible to train for the Otter, never mind run it! When the day came I was forced to rely on years of muscle memory to get me through. I finished, but it wasn’t pretty. I took a few months off to recover, but found I wasn’t getting any better.

In January 2023 I read an article about how anxiety, insomnia and energy levels are linked to our gut health. I realised I was experiencing all these symptoms, as well as stomach cramps.

I reached out to my friend Rosey Lombard, an amazing athlete, dietitian and owner of a very impressive business, The Nutrition House.

I loved Rosey’s approach: no tricky diets! She looked at my crazy lifestyle, which includes working from coffeeshops, lots of camping and multi-way hikes and travel. Instead of changing my diet she looked at what I eat and advised what I can add or how I can improve the meals to get the best nutritional value.

I felt a difference in the first week. My cravings for biscuits stopped, and my energy levels increased. I now feel 100 times happier and wish I had focused on my nutrition sooner.

If you are feeling anxious and have low energy, if you’re struggling with your weight, battling to sleep or just want to know how to get the best out of your body, consider using nutrition to fix your gut health before taking any medication.

Our greatest gift in life is our health, vitality and mobility. And it all starts by looking after our gut.