Prevention is Cure Blog

Why we need to be talking about food quality Over the past few years, the conversation around nutrition has shifted from discussing nutrients to discussing food itself. While the flawed health star rating continues for now, there are conversations starting to happen...

So, is low carb bad? There has been controversy in the public health nutrition world for decades around the causal roles of diet in disease. I don’t think there is any debate about whether diet affects health. The question is what diet affects health the most, for...

Ice Baths: The Benefits of a Cold Water Immersion If you're an athlete or fitness enthusiast, you may have heard about the benefits of ice baths. Soaking in a bath filled with ice-cold water may sound intimidating, but the benefits are well worth it! One of the main...

Have you ever brushed your teeth and looked in the sink and seen blood? Have you ever flossed and seen blood on your floss? Most importantly, do you know what this means? The answer is simply: ‘Healthy gums don’t bleed.’ [1] The intention of this post is to clear up...

Unless you have been living under a rock, you’ve probably heard about low carb diets in some way, shape or form in the past few years. PREKURE’s own Chief Science Officer Prof Grant Schofield and Dietician Associate Professor Caryn Zinn have even co-authored a few...

Twelve months ago I would not have joined this challenge.  Although my diet was full of healthy, whole, mainly low carb foods, I ran each day, and was outwardly fit and healthy, the idea of 21 days without my evening glass of wine (or 3) would have seemed impossible....

Why do we say “no snacking” in our Healthy Habits Challenge?   Low-hanging fruit of intermittent fasting Simply put, not snacking is the low-hanging fruit of intermittent fasting. If you eat 3 meals a day, the gap between at least two of these will be significant...

It’s easy to get confused when looking for information about protein. This no-nonsense blog will give you scientifically accurate information touching on the benefits of protein, outlining how much protein you need to eat and giving you practical tips to eat enough...

Hello and welcome to PREKURE's weekly snippet of science, where on a weekly basis we share emergent research related to extending the human healthspan.   Three easy, cost-effective things you can do right now to work towards reversing T2D.   What is...

Three Stoic tools you can use right now to boost your resilience and mental wellbeing.   Stoicism Explained: You might be squinting at your screen reading this title, wondering how exactly Stoicism can help boost resilience and mental wellbeing. Fair enough. Many...

Hello and welcome to PREKURE's weekly snippet of science, where on a weekly basis we share emergent research related to extending the human healthspan.   Three ways you can incorporate Acceptance and Commitment Therapy tools in your life today to enhance your...

Hello and welcome to PREKURE's weekly snippet of science, where on a weekly basis we share emergent research related to extending the human healthspan.   Nourishing The Gut It has become increasingly obvious that gut health is important for overall health [1]....

Hello and welcome to PREKURE's weekly snippet of science, where on a weekly basis we share emergent research related to extending the human healthspan.   What are the health benefits of fasting? There are many types of fasting protocols, but they all have one...

Hello and welcome to PREKURE's weekly snippet of science, where on a weekly basis we share emergent research related to extending the human healthspan.   Context We've all heard the popular saying before, 'a glass of red wine is good for your heart'. But is this...

Hello and welcome to PREKURE's weekly snippet of science, where on a weekly basis we share emergent research related to extending the human healthspan.   Context Vitamine B9, or folate as many of us know it, is a water-soluble vitamin. It plays a role in DNA and...

Prof Grant Schofield takes a couple minutes to break down a study highlighting some of the health benefits achieved through fasting. Some of the key takeaways from the study were: The daily eating pattern in healthy adults is highly variable from day to day More than...

Hello and welcome to PREKURE's weekly snippet of science, where on a weekly basis we share emergent research related to extending the human healthspan.   Ultra-processed food now makes up approximately 80% of the foods available in supermarkets. These highly...

Hello and welcome to PREKURE's weekly snippet of science, where on a weekly basis we share emergent research related to extending the human healthspan.   Research shows that alcohol consumption is one of the leading contributors to the global burden of disease...

Hello and welcome to PREKURE's weekly snippet of science, where on a weekly basis we share emergent research related to extending the human healthspan. INTRODUCING THE LEAKY BLOOD-BRAIN BARRIER   You've probably heard about leaky gut, it seems to be all the craze...

Keto Mojito Serves 3–4 | carb count 1.0g (per serve). Recipe from What the Fat?, Schofield, Zinn & Rodger, 2017 Okay, there’s no rum in this so technically we shouldn’t call it a mojito, but we’ve got pretty close to the real deal!This mocktail is refreshing,...

Summer berry jelly Serves 10–12 | carb count 2.6g (per serve). Recipe from What the Fat?, Schofield, Zinn & Rodger, 2017   A great recipe for the whole family to enjoy! Use prosecco for a sophisticated touch for adults, or a low-carb sparkling flavoured water...

For many older adults, especially women or those with type 2 diabetes, the risk of fracturing bones is real, and it has a significant impact on quality of life. Understanding more about why bone might become more fragile is the first step in preventing it or reducing...

News you can use! The Good News Show is PREKURE's response to the mainstream bad news, which is appealing to your reptilian midbrain and your negativity bias. Instead, we bring you tools for a happy, healthy good life.  The Good News Show is brought to you by...

Why my journey with PreKure and working with the Faculty has made such a difference, and given me hope for the future for my family, and for the wider community.   For nearly 30 years, I've worked as a critical care nurse at the bottom of the cliff, where I see...

Maria Masterantonio swapped a 'work hard, play hard' lifestyle for healthier choices and is now well on her to way to reversing her type 2 diabetes.    By Maria Masterantonio, PreKure Health Coach student I was diagnosed with diabetes in 2015 at the age of 44,...

We want to make sure we’re in the best possible condition to prevent getting Covid-19, or if we get it, be able to fight it off as soon as possible. The great news is, there are a number of things you can do to help your immune system stay strong. 1. Vitamin C Vitamin...

One of the most common nutrition questions is keto, or the ketogenic diet, safe long-term. Prof Grant Schofield and Dr Caryn Zinn answer this question here.

Dr Catherine Crofts has co-authored a paper about the importance of getting your insulin levels down and keeping your vitamin D levels up to help with Covid-19. More than a quarter of New Zealanders have inadequate amounts of vitamin D throughout the winter period. I...

Prof Grant Schofield takes a look at this research paper, published in the Journal of Atherosclerosis, on the effects of protein - the forgotten macronutrient - and the difference that protein can make.     The study is centred around the protein leverage...

What we put into our bodies directly affects our physical appearance and has a significant impact on our skin, nails and hair, and on maintaining a youthful appearance (or not) as we age. The just-released book What the Face!, by Dr Caryn Zinn, Grant Schofield and...

What is PREKURE: Diabetes? It’s a 3-week programme designed for you to learn about diabetes. You’ll learn by following daily learning and you'll also learn by doing. The programme is based on the latest science and low-carb and keto diet principles, which are the most...

Magali Steffens is a PreKure Certified Health Coach, specialising in Multiple Sclerosis, autoimmunity and brain health. Magali's life took a sudden turn when she was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, and she decided to learn everything she could about the condition....

Cliff Harvey, clinical nutritionist, researcher and author, talks about how setting up some good habits and taking ownership of our own mental wellbeing can make us feel better.   We've all gone through hard times and stuff has happened to us. I'm not going to go...

We put 10 of the most common nutrition questions to Prof Grant Schofield and Dr Caryn Zinn. Here’s Question 9: Does alcohol contain a lot sugar? View questions 1-8 here.     This is one of the biggest myths out there. People think that when drinking alcohol,...

It's Easter time and the supermarkets are overflowing with Easter eggs. Here's a tip from Dr Catherine Crofts on how to handle the situation.     If you're like me, this time leading into Easter can be a real struggle. And I'm not talking about Lent. I'm...

We put 10 of the most common nutrition questions to Prof Grant Schofield and Dr Caryn Zinn. Here's Question 1: How much red meat should I eat?       The implication there is that red meat is bad for you and we should limit it, otherwise something bad will...

Our dietitian, Dr Caryn Zinn, has a great tip for you on how to get through the next few weeks AND stick to your health goals… which can be really hard at this time of the year.  Get through the Christmas and New Year season with your health goals intact using the ‘3...

How many times have you heard that fibre in the diet will keep you ‘regular’ and help avoid constipation? We’ve been told that so often it must be true, right? But is there any scientific evidence to back it up? Prof Grant Schofield and research writer George...

PreKure’s dietitian, Dr Caryn Zinn, talks to us about eating different sorts of protein – meats and plant-based protein – and some of the myths and misconceptions surrounding this.  A common misconception about low-carb, healthy fat (LCHF) and keto, is that you've got...

Prof Grant Schofield talks about using food logging apps - to log what you're eating. Find out why they are helpful, how to use them, and which are Grant's favourites. Here's a quick tip about learning where the carbohydrates, fat and protein in your food come from....

How much water should we drink a day? You might have been told, “you must have 2 litres of water a day for optimal health”. Well, if you believe that, I’m sorry to burst your bubble - there is not one shred of evidence to support that as a guideline. Two important...

So, what really happens in your body when you drink alcohol? Let's be honest here, alcohol (that first glass of wine or beer) after work or when you are out with your mates does momentarily make you feel good. The alcohol has artificially stimulated the 'pleasure...

Is the concept of ‘fasting’ – and perhaps even the word itself – too confronting to even think about, let alone contemplate doing? Does the thought of not eating automatically conjure up negative thoughts, such as hunger and discomfort?   We’ve become so...

Here are Dr Louise Schofield's 5 quick health and wellbeing tips for high-achieving women of all ages.   1. Guilt is good and shame is shit What do I mean by that? As humans, we want to live a happy life, and we pursue happiness. However, we need to be careful...

We put 10 of the most common nutrition questions to Prof Grant Schofield and Dr Caryn Zinn. Here’s question 8: What's wrong with our dietary guidelines?     Unfortunately, we've decided over the last 40-50 years to demonise fat, concentrate on macronutrients...

I'd like to talk to you about energy and calories. Some basics about calories or kilojoules - a calorie or kilojoule is just a unit of energy. Carbohydrates, proteins, fats and alcohol supply you with energy or calories, whereas vitamins and minerals don't supply you...

Generally, for most of us, the first couple of days on a new diet or health challenge, is sort of that honeymoon period. We're all fired up. We're committed. We're good to go. But then, for almost all of us, it gets a bit hard, and it's harder to stay on the eating...

Mikki Williden is a Registered Nutritionist and a Senior Lecturer at Unitec. What happens during menopause and why? Mikki Williden shares some dietary considerations if you experience symptoms. I've been working in the nutrition space for a good 20 years, helping...

Dr Caryn Zinn (Dietitian) shares her top strategies for losing weight and keeping it off, long-term.     The multidimensional approach is key to sustainable weight loss. You’ve got dietary management or dietary strategies. You've got exercise strategies and...

We put 10 of the most common nutrition questions to Prof Grant Schofield and Dr Caryn Zinn. Here’s question 6: Do calories matter for weigh loss?     Is counting calories important for weight loss? Great question. And we can answer it in several ways....

We put 10 of the most common nutrition questions to Prof Grant Schofield and Dr Caryn Zinn. Here’s question 5: Is eating plants only healthier than eating meat and plants? View all questions here.     This is a massive, controversial question. To find the...

We put 10 of the most common nutrition questions to Prof Grant Schofield and Dr Caryn Zinn. Here’s question 4: Should people avoid dairy products?     If you struggle with eating dairy products - if you have some kind of gut-related negative symptom from...

I’d like to ask you three questions that we still don't know the answer to. I'd like to know that answer because I think it would help us get to a better place. Question 1: What is the denominator? Whenever we have cases of an illness or a disease and it has bad...

Want to change your behaviour around alcohol? Try the DBT rule. If you find yourself responding to emotions or tension with the need to drink, then I want you to try this - the DBT rule. I just made it up and it works for me. The D is for Distraction. I watched the...

In the beginning of the isolation I wasn’t feeling so good. I was bonding with some good chocolate and some delicious food. But then I took action and now I've lost about five kilos! How did that happen? By taking action. In coaching, one of the principles we use is...

Dr Caryn Zinn talks to us about fasting – why people fast; different types of fasting; and fasting experiences during the lockdown. Why do people fast? Well, fasting goes right back to the Bible. People undertook fasting for spiritual or mental reasons. Fasting was...

Join PreKureME Lockdown Edition for some immune-boosting self-improvement in self-isolation.   Have you heard of the ‘gut-brain connection’ or the ‘gut-brain axis’? I want to talk to you about gut health, because it is very much related to what we're going...

What is known about supplements, medications and metabolic risk factors for Covid-19 prevention?   By Prof Grant Schofield, Public Health; George Henderson, Research writer; Dr Catherine Crofts, Pharmacist; Dr Glen Davies, GP; Dr Caryn Zinn, Dietitian  ...

We put 10 of the most common nutrition questions to Prof Grant Schofield and Dr Caryn Zinn. Here’s question 3: What is a healthy diet?     A healthy diet is one that is low in human interference. In other words, it avoids the category of foods that we call...

We put 10 of the most common nutrition questions to Prof Grant Schofield and Dr Caryn Zinn.   Here's question 2: Can I eat bread if I'm on a low-carb or keto diet?    It depends on how much bread. The idea with a low-carb or a ketogenic diet is that you...

We need to embrace some humility By David Ludwig If you think about it, what we consider radical or mainstream or middle of the road, is all completely subjective. If the conventional thinking veers radically in one direction, for example like in the 1990s with the...

Some of you know Dr Caryn Zinn as the wholefood, low-carb, healthy fat dietitian. What you might not know is that she's also been called 'The world's worst dietitian'. Caryn's journey towards a low-carb approach started seven years ago when having a conversation with...

Reflections of my past 12 months with PreKure... To be a nurse is a privilege. It is to be part of the intricate human experience of infirm.  It is to trust and be trusted, and to deliver compassionate daily care. It is to listen and to learn. It is to act. What do I...

This tends to be a time of year when people start getting back into or upping their exercise regime so here is a fitting guest post from our Health Coach student Mitch Mullooly discussing the almost dreaded word in the fitness industry – Cardio.

One of the 4 biggest chronic conditions crippling the healthcare system is type 2 diabetes. Which is largely preventable. Today is World Diabetes Day, and here at PreKure we want to spread the word that we CAN, and we ARE doing something about this. PreKure is a...

Dr David Unwin on his Top 10 Strategy Tips for HOW Clinicians can successfully embed Low-Carb Nutrition into their work. Professor Grant Schofield and Dr David Unwin at Low Carb Down Under on the Gold Coast, Australia, 2019. This advice is straight from the mouth of...

Dr Caryn Zinn shares her top-10 fasting tips for making your fasting journey a pleasant one. 10 Fasting Tips: Rules to Follow These are not necessarily rules, and even if they were, there could be lots more than 10. But these are the 10 things that I think can be...

What are the benefits of intermittent fasting and is it for everyone? Dr Catherine Crofts takes a look at the evidence around different types of fasting for improved health. Who Should Consider Intermittent Fasting? Almost everyone. Fasting for some people might feel...

Why would you go on a 5-day fast? How do you get there and what are the benefits of doing it? . . Grant and Louise Schofield talk about their recent 5-day fast and the nutrition journey leading up to it. . . This podcast is...

By Professor Grant Schofield Melatonin, coffee and electronic devices  One of the most important things to understand in a good night's sleep is melatonin. Melatonin is a hormone. It's suppressed during the day when you're exposed to bright light, particularly light...

By Professor Grant Schofield So, let's just take it from the start. Before a baby is born, when you'll feel it kicking around and moving - which is all very exciting - interestingly, the baby is probably asleep and dreaming. They haven't developed the paralysis of...

 For our 6th episode, we're focusing on a new paradigm - hyperinsulinemia, with our guest Dr. Catherine Crofts. Dr Catherine Crofts is a pharmacist and has been for about 20 years in New Zealand. She's also teaching pharmacology to students studying undergraduate...

 New Zealand's Ketotown Our third podcast and episode features Dr Glen Davies. He's a general practitioner from Taupo, New Zealand. Part of his accomplishments is fundamentally changing his medical practice and approaching it with whole lifestyle, not just a...

For the second episode of Flippin Health's podcasts, Grant and George are accompanied by Libby Jenkinson. She is the founder of Ditch the Carbs. She is also a pharmacist and a mother of three. What is Ditch the Carbs? Ditch the Carbs is a recipe website where Libby...

Why Practising Medicine gives me Joy again By Dr Glen Davies I have been inspired by Simon Sinek, who asks us to be clear about our ‘Why’. He says most individuals and businesses know ‘What’ they do, most know ‘How’ they do it, but very few know ‘Why’ they do it. Let...

  95% of hypertension is of an unknown cause. Really?! It's common medical understanding that 'the primary cause of hypertension is unknown in 95% of cases'. This has always seemed puzzling. How is one of the most common conditions affecting people, of an unknown...

Sometimes the simplest lessons on how to live a healthy life come from the nature around us. Take my maine coon cat for example. Maineflame Atarangi, commonly known as Rangi. When you look at how he spends much of his life, keeping good health becomes...

Our Pharmacist, Dr Catherine Crofts explains how sunlight on the skin is critical for good health, and why.

One of our favourite supporters, Cocksy, left us with a great idea for Pharmac. He found that once he was on prescribed drugs the system didn’t seem to work in the patient's favour if the drug didn’t work for them. Cocksy’s solution was to fund the...

Our dietitian, Dr Caryn Zinn gives her advice to slim people who wish to live the LCHF (low carb, healthy fat)  and fasting lifestyle.   Spoiler alert: It all comes down to calories.

Alcohol and your Health The idea that alcohol, especially red wine, prevents heart disease might have some truth, but in reality, alcohol does cause harm, even in quite small amounts. Ditch and switch to this refreshing and easy peasy Mockito!Ingredients: 1 litre of...

Every so often news arises in the media of someone cured of their cancer, or at least having a prolonged remission that wasn’t’ expected. Recently a book called Radical Remission piqued my interest and it seems timely to share it with you. Author Kelly A Turner worked...

International Day of Happiness - March 20th Today is International Day of Happiness and this year's theme is Happier Together, focusing on what we have in common, rather than what divides us.Which couldn't be more appropriate after the horrific attack last...

There was a prominent article in the Sunday Star Times yesterday about eating too many eggs being linked to heart disease.   The article referred to this investigation published in Jama Network: 'Associations of Dietary Cholesterol or Egg Consumption With Incident...

Welcome to Day 7, the final day of Brain Awareness Week 2019. Today is a feel-good note to end on – the power of reminiscing and nostalgia! Thank you for following us here for Brain Awareness Week. It has been a pleasure. Remember that your brain feeds off...

This is Day 6 of Brain Awareness Week 2019 and this may be my favourite tip of all…. SOCIALISING!Tomorrow is the last day of Brain Awareness Week – so remember to tune in!* Desiree Dickerson, PhD is a neuroscientist and clinical psychologist who translates...

Today is Day 5 of Brain Awareness Week and we’re looking at stress – in all its forms – the helpful and the harmful!Don’t forget to come back tomorrow for yet another brain healthy strategy to help keep you mentally sharp and your brain resilient to life’s...

Today is Day 4 of Brain Awareness Week 2019 - EXERCISE.Hear from our Neuroscientist and Clinical Psychologist, Dr Desiree Dickerson, about the impacts of exercise on your memory, attention, and long-term brain health.Stay tuned! Tomorrow we talk more about...

It’s Day 3 of Brain Awareness Week 2019! Today we look at the essential role of sleep in maintaining peak cognitive performance, for nurturing neural connections, and for reducing risks of dementia.   Keep following us each day this week as we talk about...

Welcome to Day 2 of Brain Awareness Week 2019. Today we’ll talk about the need to challenge our brains and keep them healthy and resilient through constant learning.Tomorrow Desiree will bring you another science-based lifestyle strategy to improve your...

Welcome to Day 1 of Brain Awareness Week! BRAIN BASICS. Today Dr Desiree Dickerson, PreKure’s Neuroscientist and Clinical Psychologist, will talk about your brain’s ability to change and grow and adapt. Each day this week, Desiree will be bringing you science-based...

Sleep is the foundation for good health. The pillars of good health which consist of a nutritious diet, exercise and good mental health rest on this foundation. Poor sleep makes these pillars much harder to achieve. The majority of people in the world need at least 7...

Dr Catherine Crofts reviews the latest research published in JAMA Internal Medicine linking, for the first time, the consumption of processed foods and a higher risk of death.As Dr Catherine explains, although it is a no-brainer, for the first time we have...

Friends are Medicine   Here at PreKure we believe that other people matter. We believe that humans are social creatures and we are hardwired to be emphatic (through mirror neutrons) and altruistic. We beleive having a social network of friends and...

Listen in as our Dietitian, Dr Caryn Zinn, talks fibre.   1. What is fibre?2. Where do we get it from?3. How much do we need? If any?4. Why do we need it?5. Key controversies Here's a link to our nutrition course Caryn mentions, and instructs PK102: Nutrition

SCIENCE IN A MINUTE: Dr Caryn Zinn reviews the latest research published in the British Medical Journal comparing breakfast eaters to non-breakfast eaters and the effects on weight and energy intake.Is the current mantra 'Breakfast is the most important...