The Core 4: A Simple Formula for Balanced, Energizing Meals

If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by nutrition advice, you’re not alone. Between macros, calories, food rules, and trending diets, eating well can feel complicated and stressful.

That’s why I teach my clients a simple, sustainable framework called The Core 4.

It’s not a diet. It’s not restrictive.

It’s a way to build meals that support your blood sugar, energy, digestion, hormones, and long-term health — without overthinking.

Let’s break it down.

What Is the Core 4?

The Core 4 means including four essential components at every meal:

1. Protein

2. Carbohydrate

3. Fat

4. Colour (fibre + phytonutrients)

When these four are present, your meal is far more likely to:

• Keep you full and satisfied longer

• Prevent blood sugar crashes

• Reduce cravings

• Support energy and mood

• Promote stable metabolism

This is the foundation I use in clinical practice and with those that struggle with cravings, low energy, high blood sugar, weight loss goals and much more!

1. Protein – The Muscle builder & Blood Sugar Anchor

Protein slows digestion, stabilizes blood sugar, and supports muscle, hormones, and immune health.

Examples:

• Chicken, turkey, beef, fish

• Eggs

• Tofu, tempeh, lentils, beans

• Greek or dairy-free yogurt

Aim for a palm-sized portion at meals.

2. Carbohydrates – Your Brain & Body’s Preferred Fuel

Carbs are not the enemy — they are your primary energy source. The key is choosing whole, fibre-rich carbs and pairing them with protein and fat.

Examples:

• Rice, quinoa, oats

• Potatoes, sweet potatoes

• Whole grain bread, pasta

• Fruit

Think one cupped hand per meal.

3. Fat – For Hormones, Satiety, and Brain Health

Fat helps you absorb fat-soluble vitamins and keeps you satisfied.

Examples:

• Olive oil, avocado

• Nuts, seeds, seed butters

• Butter, ghee, coconut milk

Aim for a thumb-sized portion.

4. Colour – Fibre, Antioxidants & Gut Support

This is where your vegetables and fruits come in. They provide fibre for digestion and phytonutrients for inflammation, immunity, and hormone balance.

Examples:

• Leafy greens

• Bell peppers, carrots, tomatoes

• Berries, apples

Fill at least half your plate with colour.

What Happens When You Skip One?

Skipping a Core 4 element often leads to:

• Blood sugar spikes and crashes

• Energy dips

• Increased cravings

• Feeling “snacky” shortly after eating

That’s why you may feel hungry again an hour after toast alone — but not after toast with eggs, avocado, and berries.

A Simple Core 4 Example:

Breakfast:

• Scrambled eggs (protein)

• Whole grain toast (carb)

• Avocado (fat)

• Berries (colour)

Dinner:

• Salmon (protein)

• Rice (carb)

• Olive oil drizzle (fat)

• Roasted broccoli + peppers (colour)

The Takeaway

Healthy eating doesn’t need to be complicated.

When you build meals using the Core 4, you naturally support:

• Blood sugar balance

• Energy

• Hormones

• Digestion

• Long-term metabolic health

No tracking. No perfection. Just balanced meals, consistently.

If you want a more personalized plan to support your weight, blood sugar, cholesterol or cravings reach out! Or follow me on Instagram for simple, evidence-based nutrition tips.

The Gut-Brain Connection - A BIG Piece of the Puzzle

A few questions for you first - Is bloating your most prominent digestive symptom? Do your IBS symptoms worsen during periods of stress? Do you feel bloated with a certain food one day, but not another day? Do you get bloated even from water? Yes is a common answer I hear but it does not typically indicate any serious damage to the gut, or that you most definitively have SIBO. It could actually be a misfiring of signals from your gut to your brain and back…aka a gut-brain connection issue (or a disorder of gut-brain interaction - DGBI).

Bloating & Distension are Different:

Abdominal bloating and distension are 2 of the most commonly reported GI symptoms. For some they can be chronic and very uncomfortable, but for other it may be infrequent.

But there is a difference between bloating and distension! They can occur together or independently. To get technical, abdominal bloating is the subjective sensation of excess intestinal gas, but without obvious visible abdominal distension. People with bloating may feel a sense of fullness or discomfort. Abdominal distension is the objective physical manifestation of an increase in abdominal girth (aka “looking 6 months pregnant” for some). Unfortunately, because of how the health care system categorizes IBS, the differentiation is not regarded, but it can be very helpful to determine the cause of your IBS.

If you have bloating and/or distension but regular bowel movements, or if you have explored celiac testing, the lowFODMAP diet or SIBO testing and you still have bloating, it would be helpful to explore the idea of a disorder of gut-brain interaction (DGBI).

It's Not "Just in Your Head":

It’s important to understand that a DGBI is not "just in your head." While the brain and gut communicate closely, the symptoms are real and need proper management - these are gut conditions that can be affected by stress and mental health. But they are not just stress and mental health.

Think of your gut as a house and a DGBI as a highly sensitive fire alarm system. Normally, the fire alarm only goes off when there is an actual fire, alerting you to real danger. However, in DGBI, this fire alarm system is malfunctioning. It’s hypersensitive and can be triggered by everyday activities like cooking or lighting a candle, causing unnecessary panic and stress. Just as you would need to fix a malfunctioning fire alarm, DGBI requires a tailored approach to manage the symptoms and improve your quality of life.

What can help?

There are several things we need to explore in order to calm this hypersensitivity and correct a DGBI. Everyone in unique of course so unraveling the trigger and make the correction does need an individual approach. Do we need to start with correcting any imbalance of gut bacteria? Or does daily stress and anxiety have a bigger impact on your gut symptoms. These are things I love to explore with people.

Low Energy? What blood work an ND may want to see.

If I was to ask you to rate your energy on a scale of 1-10 (10 being great) what would you say? If you said lower than 5/10, even after a good nights sleep, it is something that should be addressed.

I like to review blood work first when fatigue is a concern, as a few common nutrient and hormone deficiencies can be the culprit. The reference ranges I refer to may be slightly different than your MD for a few reasons.

1. I want to optimize your levels to sustain better energy.

2. I am referring to the newest reference range recommendations that will hopefully be reflected in blood work soon.

3. I see results when patients levels reach a certain level.

So what blood work do I like to see and what levels should they be at? This may vary slightly depending on someone’s health history.

• Vitamin B12 - This should be above 200 pmol/L, ideally above 450 pmol/L.

• Ferritin - You have iron deficiency anemia if your ferritin level is below 30 ug/L. Unfortunately, this is becoming more and more common in today’s society. A full iron panel is not often needed.

• TSH - Your thyroid stimulating hormone should be between 0.8-2.5 mIU/L. This can fluctuate during times of stress or hormone changes. Medication is not often needed until the level gets much higher, however supporting adrenals (stress hormones) and the thyroid gland if out of this range can help.

• Morning Cortisol - Between 7-9am your level should ideally be between 450-550 nmol/L. Cortisol is an essential hormone that plays many important roles, including regulating your body's stress response. If it is low you are most likely suffering from burnout!

There are several reasons why someone may be deficient in any of these and it is important to address the cause as well as supplement for the deficiency.

Take a look at your most recent blood work. What are your levels like? I’m happy to help improve them and ultimately your energy!

Welcome Dr. Paige!

If you have come to the clinic in the past year or so, you may have seen or heard of my lovely associate Dr. Paige Weatherbee-Sakr! She started during my second maternity leave and has continued seeing patients on Wednesdays since. She will be at Symmetry for the foreseeable future, so it is probably time to introduce her properly! She is a great asset to the team. I want to highlight that she is completing a Mental Health Fellowship this year as this is an area of interest to her in practice as of late. I’ll pass it over to Dr. Paige to tell you more about herself.

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Hi my name is Paige and I am a Naturopathic Doctor working at Symmetry Wellness Centre with Dr. Karen! Some of you may have met me while I was covering for Dr. Karen’s second maternity leave. For those of you who did not, I figured I would share a little about myself, so you know who I am if I pop up in the blog or in her office!

I started covering for Karen in May of 2023 and have found myself continuing to work in her office on Wednesdays at Symmetry Wellness Centre in Burnside. I am also certified in IV therapy like Karen and so I provide 1:1 visits as well as IV care in the office.

When I am working, I like to work from a place of addition – whether that be food, sleep, habits or water - my goal is to make sure you are getting enough! I do this through a lot of listening, a lot of helping people with introspection and leaning on the tools at our disposal – IVs, Botanicals, Nutrition, Nutraceuticals, Exercise, Counselling and Diagnostics.

I am also interested in research and how we blend that with clinical experience, specifically in the world of mental health and the digestive system. With this interest, I am also currently pursuing a year long program to improve my grasp on the research around mental health support and Naturopathic medicine. I hope to be able to share the fruits of this program in 2025!

When I am not in the office, I can be found in the kitchen (since I love food), in the woods (since I love to geocache and hear the birds), Watching shows or in a book (since I love science fiction and fantasy), or just spending time with loved ones (since I am a wife/sister/daughter/aunt/dog + cat mom).

I hope you find as much joy as I do both professionally and personally! Hope to see you in Dr. Karen’s Office soon!