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Legs turning into concrete. Head going foggy. Stomach shutting down. You are somewhere in the back half of a long ultra. Sounds dramatic, feels worse, and it's rarely your training. It's your fuelling. Ultra distances demand something different from your body than a marathon does. Whatever gets you through 3 to 4 hours starts falling apart somewhere past hour 6. Most fuelling advice hands you generic numbers and stops there. This one explains why they exist, how I apply them myself over 100km plus, and gives you a quick reference if you just want the numbers. If this is your first ultra, don't start with my numbers, start with the general range in the table below, and treat everything I say about my own approach as where experience has taken me, not where you should begin. The why behind each number matters more than the number itself, because this is about knowledge and strategy. Quick reference: the numbers at a glance General starting range My own approach Fluids 450 to 750mL/hour Around 500mL/hour, adjusted for heat Sodium 500 to 700mg per litre of fluid 600mg/hour baseline, up to 1,000mg on hot Perth days Carbs 30 to 50g/hour traditional starting point, 60 to 90g/hour where tolerance supports it 70 to 80g/hour starting target, tapering as the race goes on Caffeine 3 to 6mg/kg, though lower doses can work too None in the first half, brought in through the night and later stages These are starting points, not prescriptions. Here's the why. Fluids "Drink as much as you can" is bad advice, and sports science has moved away from it. Overhydration causes hyponatremia, a dangerous drop in blood sodium, and for a lot of mid to back of pack ultra runners it's a bigger risk than dehydration. Sports Dietitians Australia is blunt about this: hyponatremia is mostly caused by drinking too much, not by losing too much sodium. "Drink to thirst" gets thrown around as the fix, and it's a reasonable principle, but it's really only well tested for shorter, cooler, lower intensity exercise. In a multi-hour ultra, especially in heat, thirst can lag behind what you're actually losing. That's why the ISSN's ultra-marathon position stand gives an actual number, 450 to 750mL per hour, as a starting point. Use thirst alongside that range, not instead of it. I don't sweat test. I go by heat and humidity on the day, and that usually lands me around 500mL an hour, with sodium worked into that volume rather than treated separately. That's my number, built from running a lot of ultras (in training and races). If this is new to you, start in the middle of the 450 to 750mL range and adjust from there in your next long training run, warmer conditions and higher sweat rates push you toward the top of that range, cooler conditions and lighter sweaters toward the bottom. One thing I do take seriously: a sudden whole body chill, almost like a cold flush, during a hot long run. It could be fluid, sodium, fatigue, or not enough fuel on board. I don't try to diagnose which one mid-tun. I just take it as a sign to slow down, check what I've had to eat and drink, and top up on salt. Ignoring it will cost you and can be dangerous. Sodium Sodium loss through sweat varies a lot person to person. General guidance, from the AIS and the ISSN alike, sits around 500 to 700mg per litre of fluid. Here's the bit most fuelling content skips: research in ultramarathons hasn't found a strong link between sodium intake and who does and doesn't cramp or feel nauseous. Sodium isn't the anti-cramp fix it's often sold as. It's role is more about conditions and duration than a flat rule. My own numbers sit around 600mg an hour as a baseline for long runs, up to 1,000mg on really hot days. At 500mL of fluid an hour, that's a higher concentration than the standard guidance. That works for me. It's not a prescription. My base strategy is a carb electrolyte mix, so fluid, carbs and sodium come together, topped up with dissolvable electrolyte if conditions demand it, with plain salt tablets as backup for the rare occasion my gut disagrees with my usual mix. Carbs This is where the advice actually gets interesting, because it depends who you ask. The ISSN's ultra-marathon position stand recommends 30 to 50g of carbs per hour. That figure is still valid, it's not outdated. But plenty of runners and coaches have moved toward higher, individualised intakes, often 60 to 90g/h, and in some circumstances much higher than this.. where intensity, duration and gut tolerance support it. The reason isn't simply "you burn more fat so you need less carb" during longer slower events. That's an oversimplification worth killing off. Fat oxidation does contribute more at lower intensities and carbohydrate more at higher ones, that part holds up. But total fuel needs, carbohydrate needs, and what your gut can actually absorb on the day are three different things, and conflating them leads people astray. You might have a high total energy expenditure across a long race but only be able to tolerate 60g of carb an hour. That doesn't mean your body only needed 60g, it means that's what your gut could process, with fat and glycogen covering the rest. Someone who can tolerate 90g/h doesn't automatically need it just because they can handle it. Pace, intensity and terrain all matter here. There's no clean formula. Terrain is the part almost nobody mentions. Elevation, technical trail, and soft surfaces like deep sand can dramatically increase the energy cost of moving at a given pace. Two 100km races can demand completely different fuelling depending on the course, even though the distance on paper is identical. A flat, hard-packed 100km and a hilly, sandy one are not the same job. Gels are great, but for longer events they need to be balanced with other carb sources from the start, not just once things get hard. Leaning on gels too early because they're easy and you feel good, and you will risk not being able to stomach them later, exactly when you need them most. My own starting target is 70 to 80g/h, which is above the ISSN's ultra-specific starting point and into the range some runners are now training toward. It's only realistic because I rotate carb sources from the beginning, which is exactly why I'm still comfortable using gels at the 100km mark. That number isn't fixed for the whole race, and it shouldn't be. As distance goes on, my gut's capacity to process that much carb tends to drop, and my pace slows at the same time. Slower pace generally shifts the body back toward fat, though it's not a clean trade, fatigue and total energy demand play into it too. What I know from experience is that the number I start with isn't the number I'm still hitting late into a very long race, and forcing it to stay flat has never worked for me. If you're not used to training your gut for higher carb rates, or this is your first ultra, start at the lower end of the general range, around 30 to 40g/h, and hold there for a few long training runs before pushing higher. Build up gradually rather than jumping to a number like mine, and pay attention to what you can actually tolerate rather than chasing a figure just because it's achievable on paper. Caffeine Caffeine is one of the most well-evidenced performance supplements in sport, classified by the AIS Sports Supplement Framework as a Group A supplement, meaning the evidence is strong. Research commonly uses 3 to 6mg/kg, taken about an hour before the effort that matters most, though lower doses work for some people too. The ISSN specifically backs strategic caffeine use in the later stages of ultra races, particularly once sleep deprivation starts to bite. I don't cut caffeine before a race. Gut tolerance to caffeine is real, so I go in with my normal intake. Where the strategy actually happens is during the race. In my longer events I don't touch caffeine in the first half at all. I bring it in through the night and the later stages, where it does far more for me than it would if I'd burned through it early just because it was there. This is a starting point, not your plan The numbers and explanations above give you the physiology behind why fluids, sodium and carbs matter so much more in ultra distances, and how that plays out for one experienced runner. Your own numbers, warning signs and tolerances will be specific to you, and gut training changes what's realistic over time. This is exactly what I work through with runners one-on-one, building a fuelling plan around your actual physiology and race, not a generic chart. If you want help with that, book a consult here. Next in this series: why your race nutrition stops working late in an ultra, and what to reach for instead when gels and lollies stop going down. See you out there!

Most runners think about their gut in terms of what goes wrong on race day. Cramping, urgency, the mid-race sprint to a portaloo nobody wants to talk about. What's actually driving a lot of that isn't just what you ate that morning. It's the trillions of microbes living in your gut, and what your diet, training and wider gut environment is doing to them. So what does your microbiome have to do with running? Your gut bacteria aren't just sitting there doing nothing while you train. They're involved in immune function, which matters when heavy training blocks are exactly when runners tend to get sick. They're involved in how nutrients are metabolised and used. And they're tied to the integrity of your gut lining, which becomes pretty relevant when you're bouncing around for six-plus hours straight and asking that lining to hold up under heat, fatigue and a stomach full of gels. One of the more interesting findings in this space is a bacterium called Veillonella atypica. It increases in marathon runners' guts after racing, that part's observed directly in humans. Researchers then went further and isolated the bacteria, gave it to mice, and found it improved treadmill run time, with the effect traced to Veillonella converting lactate into propionate, which was associated with improved running performance in the mice. That's a demonstrated mechanism in mice, not yet a demonstrated performance effect in humans. We're nowhere near "take this probiotic and run faster" territory as a practical human intervention. But it's an interesting example of how closely gut function and endurance metabolism might be tied together, not just a vague wellness talking point. Why race fuelling and everyday gut health aren't the same thing Here's where I think a lot of runners get a bit confused. Carbohydrate during long efforts is critical for performance, that's not really up for debate. It helps maintain blood glucose, spare liver glycogen and delay fatigue. Diets consistently high in simple carbohydrates and low in fibre have been associated with changes in gut microbiome composition, although this is still an emerging area and most of the evidence isn't specific to endurance athletes. Yes, higher-fibre foods can slow gastric emptying and increase the risk of gastrointestinal symptoms for some runners when eaten close to exercise. No, that doesn't mean fibre should disappear from your diet altogether. Certain fermentable fibres are used by gut bacteria to produce short-chain fatty acids, compounds tied to gut health and lower inflammation, and there's a positive association between overall dietary fibre intake and levels of beneficial bacteria like Bifidobacterium. The clearest evidence for what happens when fibre gets too low actually comes from research on bodybuilders rather than runners specifically, low-fibre, high-protein diets there were linked to fewer beneficial, SCFA-producing bacteria compared to both sedentary people. Low habitual fibre intake is a plausible way to reduce the substrates available to beneficial gut bacteria over time, which is exactly why timing fibre around training, rather than cutting it altogether, makes more sense. This is where I see runners get stuck This is something I see a lot with clients who run. Most of them already have some baseline gut symptoms, nothing dramatic, the kind of thing they've half normalised. What I see happen is those symptoms get noticeably worse when gels, chews and race fuel start making up a much larger proportion of their carbohydrate intake, while whole foods, fibre and plants drop away. I'm not saying the carbohydrate itself is the problem. It's that the overall dietary pattern has shifted. And the advice they've usually already been given is some version of "just train your gut harder." I'm not against gut training, there's good evidence that repeated exposure to carbohydrate during exercise can improve tolerance and carbohydrate delivery. But I don't think every gut problem in a runner is simply something to push through and adapt to. On microbiome mapping with clients like this, a pattern shows up often enough that I take it seriously. Everyone's microbiome is different, close to a fingerprint, so it's rarely the same specific organisms twice. But the pattern itself repeats: overgrowths of opportunistic bacteria that have been able to establish themselves because there isn't enough beneficial flora around to compete with them, alongside low sIgA (an antibody that's a key part of your gut's immune defence), and elevated zonulin, a marker that's been proposed as an indicator of intestinal permeability. That suggests there may be something going on underneath the race-fuelling problem, rather than the carbohydrate itself necessarily being the whole story. The practical question is: if someone's gut is already unsettled, is the answer really more gut training, or is it stabilising what's going on first and then building fuelling tolerance on top of a calmer gut? In my experience, the second approach has been more useful than simply grinding through trial and error with gels alone. So what should you actually do? Train your gut with the actual fuel you're planning to race with, not just your training pace but your real gels, drinks and electrolyte products, the same way you'd rehearse pacing. Keep higher fibre foods away from the hour or two around training without cutting fibre from your week entirely. And if every long run ends in bloating, urgency or loose stools despite doing all of that, I don't think the answer is simply "train harder through it," I think that's worth actually investigating. On the supplement side, there are some targeted interventions worth knowing about, not a stack everyone should take. Zinc carnosine, for example, has been shown in a small endurance-athlete trial to reduce markers of exercise-induced intestinal permeability. Saccharomyces boulardii has a broader clinical evidence base for some gastrointestinal conditions, but that doesn't mean either is something every runner needs. What gets used, and whether it's needed at all, depends entirely on the individual picture, not a generic list. If your gut is the thing standing between you and a fuelling strategy that actually works on race day, that's exactly the kind of thing worth properly investigating rather than guessing at. Book a consult here.

An opinion from a Clinical Nutritionist Ok, so there is a major hype around the carnivore diet, and initially, you may see symptom reduction after starting. My opinion on this diet refers to the extreme version that avoids all other food sources, specifically fruits, vegetables, legumes and whole grains. Many individuals report feeling better shortly after adopting a meat-only diet, but it’s essential to understand that most of the time, symptom disappearance occurs because of various underlying factors: You had a deficiency in your diet (such as zinc, iron, vitamin B12, protein/amino acids, and omega fatty acids) to begin with, which was driving hormonal imbalances, brain fog, fatigue, mood disorders, anxiety, depression, pica, and poor skin barrier function. These deficiencies can create a cascade of health issues, and the sudden influx of nutrients from a carnivore diet can temporarily alleviate these symptoms, giving the impression of improved health. You had/have a parasite or microbial overgrowth in your gastrointestinal (GIT) microbiome, which is being starved out by the lack of fiber. This imbalance can manifest as discomfort, bloating, or irregular bowel movements, which may temporarily improve when switching to a meat-based diet. You were eating an unknown allergen. Many people consume foods that they are intolerant or allergic to without realizing it. By eliminating a wide range of foods and focusing solely on meat, you may inadvertently remove the offending allergen from your diet, resulting in symptom relief. You have undiagnosed celiac disease. This autoimmune condition can cause significant gastrointestinal distress when gluten is consumed. If you switch to a carnivore diet, you are eliminating gluten-containing grains, which may lead to a reduction in symptoms, masking the underlying issue. You are battling Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) or Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD). Both conditions can cause significant digestive discomfort, and the restriction of certain foods may lead to temporary relief. However, this does not address the root cause of these disorders. You have had multiple rounds of antibiotics, which have led to trouble digesting fibers. Antibiotics can disrupt the microbiome and impair digestion. By switching to a meat-only diet, you may avoid the fibrous foods that are currently causing you discomfort, but this does not heal the underlying imbalance in your gut. Your diet wasn’t balanced to begin with, and by cutting out a wide variety of foods, you may feel better simply because you are no longer consuming foods that were contributing to your health issues. This drastic change can create a false sense of well-being. BUT here’s why going all in on meat might not be the best move for your health in the long run: 🔴  Gut Health Struggles  – Without fiber from fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, you starve out your good bacteria, leading to sluggish digestion, poor digestive enzyme production, and imbalanced gut bacteria (dysbiosis). This imbalance can result in foul-smelling stools and a host of other digestive issues, which can cause or further exacerbate your intolerance to fibers, that are essential for nurturing the good bacteria in your gut. 🔴  Nutrient Gaps  – While meat is undeniably rich in protein and certain vital vitamins (such as B12, zinc, and iron), it lacks a variety of key nutrients that are crucial for overall health, including vitamin C, magnesium, fiber, phytochemicals and more. These nutrients play significant roles in immune function, bone health, and digestive health, and their absence can lead to long-term health complications. 🔴  Heart Health Risks  – A diet high in saturated fats derived from meat can elevate LDL cholesterol levels, increasing the risk of heart disease over time. This is particularly concerning for individuals with a family history of heart conditions, entering a ‘cholesterol risk’ life stage or those who already have elevated cholesterol levels. Equilibrium is key. Nothing in extremes is good for us, whether you just ate meat or you just ate broccoli.. we humans need balance, we are complex. Instead of going to extremes, a well-rounded diet that incorporates whole foods, lean meats/proteins, and a plethora of colourful plants is essential for supporting both short- and long-term health. This balanced approach provides the necessary nutrients for optimal body function and helps prevent chronic diseases. If you are experiencing digestion or hormonal troubles and are unsure how to navigate these challenges, it is time to consult with a health professional. We can help you identify the root causes of your discomfort and develop a tailored approach to your nutrition. So, while the short-term gains associated with the carnivore diet may seem appealing, the potential long-term health risks far outweigh the temporary benefits. A more inclusive and balanced dietary approach is likely to yield better health outcomes and overall well-being. Need to know more? Reach out to me!

This is quite possibly the easiest home-made chia seed jam recipe in the world , my 5 year old son can make this for the family. Why add chia seeds to your jam? Adding chia seeds to jam is a great idea for several reasons: Natural Thickening Agent : Chia seeds have a unique ability to absorb liquid and form a gel-like texture. This makes them an excellent natural thickener for jams, reducing the need for large amounts of sugar or pectin, which are often used in traditional jam recipes. Nutrient Boost : Chia seeds are packed with nutrients, including omega-3 fatty acids, fiber, protein, and various vitamins and minerals. By adding them to jam, you’re enhancing the nutritional value of your spread. Low-Sugar Option : Because chia seeds help thicken the jam, you can make a lower-sugar version without compromising texture. This makes it a healthier alternative to traditional jams, which often contain a lot of added sugar. Texture and Flavor : Chia seeds add a slight crunch and a subtle nutty flavor to the jam, which can make it more interesting and enjoyable to eat. Easy Preparation : Making chia seed jam is simple and quick. You typically don’t need to cook it for long periods, and it can be made in small batches. This is perfect if you want to whip up a fresh jar of jam without much hassle. Overall, adding chia seeds to jam is a healthy, delicious, and easy way to enjoy your favourite fruit spreads. This recipe uses common ingredients found in local stores, allowing you to customize the sweetness to suit your family's taste preferences. It can be adapted to any kind of jam, such as mixed berries, blueberry, or strawberry. Recipe: Cook time: 10 minutes Ingredients: 3 cups of frozen berries (any kind) 1/2 a lemon 4-5 tbs of chia seeds To taste - your choice of sweetness (honey, maple syrup or sugar) 1 tsp of gelatin (not essential) A jar for storage Process: Add your frozen berries to your pot and slowly defrost and heat until the berries are completely softened. Get your lemon and give it a good squeeze into your hot berries. Add your sweetness of choice, we add around 1/2 cup and taste test - adjust accordingly. Add your gelatin (not essential). Mix in your chia seeds. Gently transfer your mixture into a jar and allow to cool before placing in the fridge. Serve on toast, porridge or scones! Enjoy!

Introduction Think of your microbiome as a thriving ecosystem of tiny microbes—bacteria, fungi, and viruses—that live all over and inside your body. Even though you need a microscope to see these microbes, they have a huge impact on your health. They help protect you from harmful pathogens and support your overall health on a systemic level by influencing how you digest food, your immune system, moods, hormone function and much more. Just like different plants and conditions can affect a garden, your microbiome interacts with your environment in many ways. Some microbes might make certain environmental substances more harmful, especially when they have overgrown, while others work to reduce their effects, acting as a kind of natural buffer.   How Can the Microbiome Affect Health? There are more microbial cells in your body than there are of your own cells, outnumbering ours by 10:1. Therefore, their ability to influence our health is profound. They are located in every part of your body—such as the gut, skin, and mouth—and each hosts its own unique community of microbes. Interestingly, these communities can influence each other from different locations. For example, an imbalance (also known as dysbiosis) within the gut microbes can influence the skin microbiota, presenting as dermatitis. This ecosystem that lives within us starts forming in utero but evolves over time based on diet, medications, and environmental exposures. Just as a garden's health depends on its care and environment, the balance of your microbiome can significantly affect your overall health. For instance, imbalances in the gut microbiome are linked to conditions like diabetes, depression, IBS, frequent UTI's, obesity, heart disease, behavioural and digestive disorders and more. Researchers have been developing tools, like a simple stool test, to detect changes in gut microbes to address dysbiosis and get to the root cause of your symptoms. Mother and Kin currently uses these stool tests, called Microbiome Maps or GI Maps through NutriPath.   How can we support our microbiome and ensure it stays abundant and healthy? Stay tuned for the next blog post on prebiotics, probiotics and postbiotics! Love, Elle

Prebiotics: Fuel for Your Friendly Gut Bacteria Prebiotics are like food for the good bacteria living in your gut, helping them grow and thrive. These bacteria, like Lactobacillus, Akkermansia, and Bifidobacterium, play a big role in keeping you healthy. Think of prebiotics as the fuel that keeps this beneficial ecosystem going strong!   Why Are Prebiotics So Important? Eating a variety of prebiotics helps create a diverse and thriving community of bacteria in your gut, which is fantastic for your overall health. Studies show that the more different types of bacteria you have, the better it is for your gut—and for your whole body! On the flip side, having fewer types of bacteria is linked to conditions like rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes, digestive issues, and even mental health challenges. Every type of bacteria has its own special job. So, the more variety you have, the more health benefits you can enjoy. By eating more prebiotics, you're helping with digestion, boosting your immune system, and even protecting yourself from infections.   Where Can You Find Prebiotics? You can easily add more prebiotics to your diet by eating foods like: Pulses and legumes Whole grains (like rye, millet, wheat, and oats) Cooked and cooled potatoes Onions, leeks, and garlic Bananas, chicory, and asparagus Pistachios, cashews, and Jerusalem artichokes You'll also find them in colorful fruits and veggies, thanks to plant pigments called polyphenols. Some examples include: Berries (like cranberries and blueberries) Red grapes Green and oolong tea Coffee, cacao, and pomegranate If you need a little extra boost, prebiotics are also available as supplements. They're especially helpful if you're looking to address things like constipation or a low immune system. Some common prebiotic supplements include: Partially hydrolyzed guar gum (PHGG) Galactooligosaccharides (GOS) Fructooligosaccharides (FOS) Inulin Acacia fiber For example, PHGG can help keep your bowel movements regular, while GOS may help with digestion, reduce anxiety, and even improve sleep quality.   Probiotics: Live Helpers for Your Gut Probiotics are live bacteria and yeast that are great for your health, especially your digestive system. You can get them through certain foods or in supplement form, and they’re like little team players that support the good bacteria already in your body.   How Do Probiotics Help You? Probiotics are like tiny superheroes working behind the scenes in your body. They help create a healthy balance in your gut and make it stronger against infections by crowding out harmful bacteria. Probiotics also support your immune system, improve your mood, and can even help manage blood sugar levels.   Where Can You Find Probiotics? You can find probiotics in delicious fermented foods like: Yogurt, kefir, and aged cheeses Kombucha Sauerkraut and kimchi Miso and sourdough bread Tempeh Probiotic supplements are another option, and they come in all shapes and sizes. When choosing a supplement, look for specific strains that target the areas you want to improve. For example, Lactobacillus plantarum  Rosell-1012 is great for gut health. Different probiotic strains have different superpowers, helping with everything from constipation and gut inflammation to boosting your mood and immunity.   Postbiotics: The Gifts Probiotics Leave Behind Postbiotics are the helpful by-products left behind by probiotics, including things like short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) and even dead bacteria. Don’t let the name fool you—these postbiotics continue to give your health a boost!   What Do Postbiotics Do for You? Postbiotics are known for their incredible benefits, especially SCFAs. For example, the tangy flavor of sourdough bread comes from acids made by the bacteria during fermentation. These acids not only make the bread taste delicious, but they also help keep bad bacteria at bay. In your gut, postbiotics like butyric acid help strengthen the gut lining and can even improve your mood. Lactic acid, produced in the vagina, helps protect against infections like thrush.   How to Get More Postbiotics To increase postbiotics in your body, it’s all about feeding your gut! Eating prebiotic-rich foods helps your gut bacteria produce these beneficial by-products. You can also get postbiotics by enjoying fermented foods that are packed with probiotics. Supplements like PHGG can also help encourage the growth of bacteria that produce health-promoting SCFAs, like butyrate, in your gut. By supporting your gut with prebiotics, probiotics, and postbiotics, you’re helping your whole body stay happy and healthy! If you want to learn more, lets get in touch. Love, Elle