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A space to slow down, learn, and reconnect

This blog is a space for the kind of learning that doesn’t overwhelm — where gut health can be explored gently, science is made accessible, and reflection is encouraged. Whether you’re a client, a practitioner, or just someone curious about your health, you’ll find grounded insight and practical tools here.

Chantel Yates Chantel Yates

Why I No Longer Consider Farmed Salmon a Health Food (Part 2)

In Part 1, I looked at the nutritional evidence - the declining omega-3 content, the shifting fat ratios, the emerging microplastics research. In Part 2, I want to talk about what's been happening in the water I grew up on. In early 2025, a bacterial outbreak tore through salmon farms in the D'Entrecasteaux Channel. Over 10 million kilograms of Atlantic salmon died. Congealed fatty material washed onto beaches. Antibiotics entered the waterway. Rock lobster and abalone - including from fisheries my father worked for decades - had to be closed after testing positive for florfenicol. This is EPA-documented. It happened in the channel I love. And it's part of a global pattern, not a Tasmanian anomaly. This post covers what the research tells us, what the Planetary Health Diet has to say, and most usefully - what to actually eat instead.

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Chantel Yates Chantel Yates

Why I No Longer Consider Farmed Salmon a Health Food (Part 1)

I'm a fisherman's daughter. I grew up on the boat with my father, a professional cray fisherman, eating fish as fresh as it gets. I have a shack now in the D'Entrecasteaux Channel in southern Tasmania, opposite the salmon farms. Over the years I've watched that waterway change in ways that are hard to come to terms with. That tension - between what I grew up proud of and what I see happening to those waters - is part of why I'm writing this. So is the clinical picture. The evidence on farmed Atlantic salmon has shifted considerably, and most people, including the mainland naturopaths I spoke to at a recent conference, have no idea. This is Part 1: what's actually changed in the nutritional profile of farmed salmon, and why the health case for it is weaker than it used to be.

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Chantel Yates Chantel Yates

Practitioners - We Need to Talk! IBD in adolescents and young adults: are we paying enough attention?

IBD peak onset sits between 15-29 years - yet we're still not talking about it enough. In this first of two posts, I explore the clinical landscape we can't ignore: the rising rates of Crohn's and colitis in teens, the gene-environment factors shaping risk, and what allied health practitioners can actually do to help. From the 16-year-old who should have been at footy training to the 14-year-old planning her life around toilet access - these are our patients. And they deserve practitioners who understand the terrain. A practical, evidence-informed look at prevention, early recognition, and where microbiome health fits in.

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Chantel Yates Chantel Yates

Fibre: The Forgotten Nutrient That Changes Everything

Fibre is the quiet powerhouse behind gut health, hormones, mood, and immunity. Learn why most people aren't getting enough, how different types of fibre feed your microbiome, and practical ways to increase your intake without bloating - including insights from our microbiome retreats.

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