naomi's notes: things i loved and hated this summer

Hello my sweet friend in the computer. I’ve been having the most wonderful summer and I want to give you a few personal and professional updates! Welcome to Ep. 2 of Naomi’s Notes, where I’m giving you a peek straight into my brain. Good luck in there!🌀

After the end of any significant trip or event, I like to ask everyone what their rose, thorn, and bud was: the ultimate high, the ultimate low, and something you’re looking forward to most. And lately I’ve been using this framework to reflect on my life month by month.

Like any full, well-rounded life, there is a healthy mix of roses (goods things), thorns (bad things), and hopes for the future (buds). 2025 was a year with more thorns than roses or buds for me, and 2026 has rewarded me with the opposite. Maybe it’s cheesy to say, but I feel like I keep reaching the top of the mountain, and then I look around and see that there’s so much more to go. And I don’t mean this in a bad way — I mean it in a grateful, “life just keeps getting better and better and look how many more cool mountains I get to climb!!” kind of way.

With that in mind, today I am going to share some of the things I’ve loved this summer (the roses), and some of the things I haven’t loved so much (the thorns).

Today’s notes will include updates on:

• choosing the best sardines, and an exclusive discount on my favourite cans

• my ADHD medication journey and the nutrition strategies that have helped me along the way

• my dating life and the self-reflections that come with these changes

• some incredible nutrition client wins and how to work with me this fall

• introducing the Sardine Girl Dinner Party!!!

  

⭐️ The Fennel & Rosemary Sardines from Nice Cans

Obviously I love sardines. I’m the sardine girl and it’s my mission to convert as many of you into certified sardine girls too so we can feel our best, take over the world, and eat canned fish together.

There are so many benefits to eating sardines regularly (check out my most recent post about that here) and the most common barrier I hear when I suggest them is that sardines seem weird! Or fishy! Or gross! Which I totally understand, because I too was once a sardine hater and used to scream at my dad and run away when he would crack a can of sardines for lunch.

And yet, here I am now, encouraging you on the daily to eat these incredible little nutrition powerhouses.

Nice Cans makes it easy to love sardines though. Whether you’re a seasoned veteran sardine girl, or a newbie like I was 5 years ago, these cans will blow your mind. I suggest having them mashed on a piece of crispy sourdough toast with some greens on the side to use up all the leftover olive oil in the can.

These cans have been sold out in so many local grocery stores lately (no surprise, they’re delicious), but you can buy them online too. This link, along with the code “sardine girl” will support me and get you a nice discount on the individual cans.

code: sardine girl

⭐️ Vyvanse, Omega 3s, Creatine, L-Theanine, L-Tyrosine, and a high-protein breakfast: my tried and true ADHD nutrition combo

I got diagnosed with ADHD in January and started a low dose (10mg) of Vyvanse soon after. I didn’t stay on it for long though. I was having a really hard time with the adjustment period of this medication. I was experiencing some pretty significant crash symptoms. These symptoms tend to pop up as the medication wears off at the end of the day and your system is adjusting, and for me, they included migraines, emotional flatness, insomnia, and increased cystic acne breakouts. Stimulants like Vyvanse can be pretty intense, especially for a highly sensitive person (HSP) like myself, and these side effects were taking away more than the medication was giving to me. So I stopped taking it (temporarily).

In an already overstimulated or burnt out body, stimulants can add fuel to the fire. I had an intuitive feeling that I needed to spend a little more time laying some solid groundwork for my health before the stimulant could really work its wonders for me, so that’s what I’ve been doing for the last few months since my diagnosis: eating well, focusing on my sleep, taking time to slow down my nervous system, and working on my gut health. And it worked — I’ve been able to start taking my Vyvanse again.

With time, I worked my way back up to a daily 10mg dose and am now 3 weeks straight with no more of these horrible side effects (🥳). My brain is absolutely thrivingggg right now, it’s actually pretty wild that I used to live without this. But it wasn’t only the medication that got me here. I have medication to thank (of course), but I have found that the days I feel my best are the days when I take my meds AND I dial in on the following steps*:

• Medication: Take my 10mg vyvanse as soon as I wake up. The earlier the better.

• Eat a high-protein, high-fiber breakfast within an hour of waking. Stimulant medications increase catecholamine activity in the nervous system, which can affect appetite, energy demands and your stress response. That makes it especially important to start the day well-fueled rather than relying on caffeine and medication alone. A balanced breakfast provides protein, carbohydrates, fiber and healthy fats to support steady energy, blood-sugar regulation and neurotransmitter production throughout the day. It can also help prevent the “I forgot to eat all day and now I’m starving and cranky” effect that can happen when stimulants suppress appetite. Aim for ~25–35 g of protein. For example: 2–3 eggs + a slice of whole-grain or sourdough toast + ½ avocado + arugula, with ~½ cup of ground turkey or beef on the side. If your appetite can’t handle a big breakfast like this first thing, go with a protein smoothie like this Vanilla Berry Protein Smoothie or Chocolate Protein Shake. And remember that your gut is a muscle, and like any muscle, it can be trained. To eat more food in the morning, you just need to work your way up to it, slowly but surely.

• Morning supplements: Omega 3s (for brain health), 5g creatine (for brain energy), 2.5g L-tyrosine (the building block for dopamine, very important for ADHDers), and a scoop of Relax Matrix by Cytomatrix (a mix designed to calm your system and support efficient use of energy). This is the stack that’s been working for me and helping me feel my best on my medication. These supplements don’t replace the meds — they support them :)

• Scheduling lunch like a non-negotiable meeting: Losing your appetite is a really common side effect of any ADHD medication. As I’ve increased my dose, I’ve experienced this in the form of strong nausea to a general apathy about food — it either sounds absolutely impossible to stomach a meal or I just don’t even think about it. This is where I had to take my own nutrition advice: you still have to eat, even if you don’t feel hungry. Every 3-5 hours your body needs a full meal, especially with ADHD when your brain is operating a million miles a minute. Where do you think that brain energy is coming from? Food, babe. Food. So even when I don’t feel particularly hungry, I keep a reminder in my phone to step away from whatever I’m doing and eat a solid lunch. Sometimes this means eating past nausea and just doing my best. And my brain has been loving it.

• Evening supplements: I’ve found my brain takes a long time to calm down from the stimulant. The main symptom that still pops up for me occasionally is insomnia. Bedtime rolls around and I honestly feel like I could just stay up for hours. My body is tired but my mind is still sharp. I haven’t confirmed with genetic testing yet, but I highly suspect that I’m one of those people who clears catecholamines more slowly than others, which could explain why I tend to take a long time to recover from stressful events and why my Vyvanse seemingly lasts longer in my system than others. 100-200g of L-theanine right before bed has helped calm my brain to help me sleep better without the hangover effect that melatonin often has.

You find this full supplement stack* on my Professional Supplement Dispensary here.

*None of this is personal medical or health advice — I am simply sharing my own experience. Everyone’s experience with medication and supplements is individualized, which is why I encourage you to find someone you trust to talk through your health history and sift through these different options with you. I recommend starting with your doctor to talk about meds, and then come to see me about the nutrition strategies you can use to make your meds even more effective ⚡️

⭐️ My WONDERFUL nutrition clients

I have been working with the most incredible women this year on their nutrition. Mind if I gush about some of my favourite clients really quick?

• Kendra

  • Why she started working with me: Preparing to come off hormonal birth control and feeling uncertain about what to expect (she was scared of those dreaded post-pill symptoms), and had low energy and motivation to make changes to her eating habits.

  • How things changed: Kendra reported more energy and “brain power,” greater confidence in making health decisions, and feeling equipped with resources to address symptoms if they arise. She also had a smooth transition off hormonal birth control with no symptoms, and described having regular cycles and feeling more in tune with her body.

    

• Domi H.

  • Why she started working with me: Domi had a new PCOS (now named PMOS) diagnosis that left her feeling overwhelmed, with low energy, low self-esteem, and little understanding of how to manage her health through nutrition. Her doctor didn’t talk her through any nutrition strategies that could help her manage her PCOS/PMOS.

  • How things changed: After working with me for a year, Domi became more informed and confident about managing her PMOS, including understanding how to build balanced meals and make supportive lifestyle changes. She described feeling more confident in her body and more equipped to navigate her diagnosis.

• Sam

  • Why she started working with me: Sam was struggling with a complicated relationship with food, alongside managing her ADHD, Crohn’s disease, low energy, and brain fog.

  • How things changed: After our time together, Sam completely transformed. She reported less fatigue, less bloating, fewer energy crashes, and feeling more present and in tune with her body. She became more patient and motivated to make herself meals and no longer felt like she needed a nap after lunch. Her relationship with food has become more positive and she’s cultivating a newfound joy for food and fuelling herself.

These clients are all vastly different in their goals, but have a common thread: they were all struggling with unexplained symptoms that were holding them back from living their lives to the fullest, and they all wanted to get to the root of them. I’m so grateful to have been able to support each of them in their health journeys.

I am taking four (yes, only 4!!) new 1:1 nutrition clients starting in September. There are a lot of really exciting things happening behind the scenes in my nutrition work right now, so I’m not sure if I’ll keep applications open beyond this fall. These fall spots usually fill up quick. All this to say is, if you’re looking for 1:1 nutrition help with healing after hormonal birth control, acne, period problems, ADHD management, endometriosis, PMOS/PCOS, supporting your sensitive body — I invite you to apply to work with me below.

become a nutrition client

And if you’re not sure yet, but just need more information on how nutrition actually helps with these things, start by booking a free call here.

🌀 Dating & being back on Hinge

At the end of July, I decided to download Hinge for the first time in over five years. The last time I was on a dating app was for a short period of time in 2020 after just moving to Vancouver, and I think I went on like three dates before meeting my most recent ex-partner organically. Safe to say I didn’t have a lot of experience on the apps.

Dating apps feel like shopping. Curating my profile feels like a marketing campaign. It feels like adding a worm to the end of a hook in the form of 6 pictures and 3 witty prompts, and hoping for as many bites as possible. And this doesn’t feel good to me.

I have this limiting belief and possibly pretentious opinion about dating apps: that the person I’m looking for isn’t using them to meet their person. I’ve felt like I won’t meet someone interesting enough on there. That mindset has kept me from opening myself up on Hinge. But I’ve recently changed my mind about this.

I really do believe in the power of our minds. If you go into an important game thinking you’re going to lose, you probably will. If you assume that dating apps are full of sh*tty people, you’re probably going to find sh*tty people.

Since my last big breakup, I haven’t felt ready to welcome a serious relationship into my life. Dating for the past year has been pretty casual. Recently though, my organic dating life has slowed down a little. These connections have fizzled out and I’ve found myself feeling ready to welcome love back into my life, but have found fewer and fewer opportunities to do so, which is why I decided it was time to change my mind about Hinge.

With this big decision to open myself back up to dating and truly ask for something more serious, I’ve had some significant self reflections. I’ve gone through periods of feeling undesirable and hopeless — like I’m not good enough for the kind of person I’m looking for. I’ve wondered whether one of my exes was right and that my standards really are too high for a romantic partner. I’ve questioned whether I can truly find someone I’m physically attracted to, who’s also sensitive and thoughtful and outdoorsy and athletic and witty and family-oriented and curious and ambitious — all in one.

I don’t have any conclusions about this — I haven’t met the LOML yet, and I don’t know how much longer I’ll stay on the dating apps (it’s all a bit overwhelming tbh). But I will say this: there’s power in telling the universe what you want with your actions.

🌀 The constant self-doubt that comes from following your dreams

The other thing I haven’t been loving much lately is my self doubt. In my life, I’m surrounded by people taking the “conventional” path: undergrad, Master’s or med school, stable 9-5, retire by 60. I almost went down that path too. Back in 2021 when I first moved to Vancouver, I wrote my MCAT and started the med school application process. Shortly after beginning my applications, I switched gears and decided to pursue a career in functional nutrition instead. And here we are.

My path is unpredictable. Unconventional. Self-employment is not for the weak. The uncertainty, vulnerability, and exposure of growing a practice online is a lot of work. But I know it will be rewarding too — it already is.

What I’ve learned is that in any given day, you will have seeds of doubt and you will have seeds of confidence. The direction of your life is determined by which seeds you decide to water.

I’m rewatching Glee right now and there was a quote from Emma in the first season that struck me. She said something like (paraphrasing), “They say it takes more confidence than talent to become a star.”

Stardom is not my goal, but the takeaway remains the same. I know I have the talent and knowledge to continue my work down this path. So now I’m doing my best to keep watering my seeds of confidence to make it happen.

⚡️ The main thing I’m most excited about is The Sardine Girl Dinner Party 🐟 on August 22nd.

This Saturday, I’m gathering 16 wonderful women under my favourite willow tree in Vancouver to eat sardines in the most delicious way possible. My love language is quality time and food. This event, sponsored by Nice Cans, is going to make everyone love sardines. I’ll keep the rest a surprise, but I’m so looking forward to sharing this with you after this weekend! ❤️

Whew, that was a lot of updates. You made it this far, so thank you for reading.

If you skimmed to the end, this is what you missed:

• choosing the best sardines, and an exclusive discount on my favourite cans

• my ADHD medication journey and the nutrition strategies that have helped me along the way

• some incredible nutrition client wins and how to work with me this fall

• my dating life and the self-reflections that come with these changes

• introducing the Sardine Girl Dinner Party!!!

Overall I’m feeling net-positive in my life right now. There are more things flowing in the direction I want to go rather than pushing against me.

I hope you’re feeling the same. And if you’re not, I bet I can help you with that.

work with me

With love,

Naomi

P.S. This post is free and available to all subscribers. If you found it valuable though, you can show support of my work by buying me a coffee.

I’m a Registered Holistic Nutritionist & writer based in Vancouver, BC who helps you change your life by changing what you eat. You can learn more about me here.