Baring all at goal-setting session for better health

Loads of fresh, organic veges coming right up.

Nutritionist Sonja Gardiner asked me to complete a client registration form and a food diary for three days.

I handed those over to her at the goal-setting discussion session and she analysed them ahead of this consultation.

She says that while I'm on the right path with many of my food choices, there are some areas I could do with looking at.

My weekdays are more structured in that I'll have planned lunches to take to work and evening meals. But come the weekend it all goes out the window. I might eat lunch. Or not.

And during the week I avoid refined carbs throughout the day but those glasses of low alcohol wine at night cancel out that earlier good work.

We talk about my diet, about any health issues I've dealt with in the past from a broken bone in my right foot to the eczema that I've had since I was a kid.

We talked about historical weight issues. that typical yo-yo'ing that so many women do.

We talked about - guys: step away now if you must! - menstrual stuff, poos, bloating, aches and pains.

She looked at my skin and made notes about the oily and dry patches and the hormone-related zits around my chin area. She looked at my nails, noting some ridges indicating high stress levels, along with some pitting and vertical ridges.

Next up, iridology.

Sonja checked each of my irises for indications of where my body might be struggling or where I'd experienced trauma previously. Not surprisingly, it showed up that my kidneys and liver were somewhat sluggish. It also showed up the trauma years earlier to my lower right limb - a broken bone in my foot when I was 17.

Sonja took girths and measured body fat, height and weight to use as baselines. And she took some 'before' photos. I'm still thinking about whether I'll publish those - or just the after ones. I'm not sure you need to be grossed out.

Then it was time to talk about the detox cleanse plan. Sonja ran through the list of things that are out: caffeine, alcohol, gluten, dairy, sugar and red meat.

In are lots and lots of greens (organic where possible), chicken and seafood, eggs, teas to help cleanse my liver and kidneys, healthy smoothies bolstered with protein powder and Matrix Phase detox powder and plenty of water.

So with a shopping list in hand I stocked up and by the time the first day of the detox rolled around, my fridge was chocka with uber healthy food choices. Bring it on!

Next week I'll write about how week one of the detox cleanse goes.

Sonja Gardiner is a Hamilton nutritionist on a mission to bring health, wholeness and happiness back into people's lives. For more information see www.sonjagardiner.com