Bobbie McPhail - Naturopath & Nutritionist

16/09/2025

8 TIPS TO MAKE THE MOST FROM YOUR DOCTOR’S APPOINTMENT

1. When making your appointment, ask the receptionist if there’s a doctor or nurse practitioner with an interest in women’s health/menopause.

2. If you think you need more than 10 minutes, request a double appointment. You might wait a little longer, but you’ll feel less pressured.

3. Have a physical list of symptoms you can show or read out. Download the symptom scorecard from my website and take it along.

4. It helps to know how your last 12 months’ cycles have looked (erratic/heavier/lighter/spotting/more painful?). Apps like can help you build a picture and jog your memory.

5. Think about how you want to manage your symptoms. There are many approaches — not all involve medication. A good GP will help you create a plan that works, including nutrition and lifestyle.

6. Seek a second opinion if your doctor says:
“You’re too young to be peri/menopausal”
“You can’t be peri if you’re still having periods”
“You can’t be peri/meno if you’re not having hot flushes”
“These symptoms are normal and part of peri/meno - nothing to be worried about, it’s a natural process”
“You need blood tests to diagnose peri/meno” (if over 45 or under 45 with symptoms)

7. A good GP will check how your treatment is working and make adjustments if needed. Menopause care is a journey, not a one-time fix.

8. The Australian Menopause Society has a Find an AMS Doctor tool to locate trained doctors. WellFemme offers telehealth menopause consultations across Australia. I work with many brilliant doctors — it’s just about finding the right one for you.

Save this post & share it with a friend who deserves better menopause care 💛

09/06/2025

Save this 📌 TEST, DON’T GUESS

Tests I recommend to my peri/menopausal clients:

Full Blood Count
Iron Studies (including Ferritin)
B12
Fasting Blood Sugar
Fasting Insulin
Cholesterol
ApoB
Lp(a)
Full Thyroid Function Test
Vitamin D
Blood Pressure

A handful of rudimentary blood tests can be incredibly helpful at this time of life — not just for future proofing against chronic disease like type 2 diabetes and heart disease, but for making sure you feel your best right now.

Many of the symptoms of low vitamin D, iron deficiency, or an under-functioning thyroid can mimic those of peri/menopause — so it’s wise to get these measured and then addressed/optimised. It’s not always peri/menopause!

I’ve lost count of the number of women I’ve worked with who are losing hair, feeling exhausted, and struggling to sleep — only to discover they’ve had super low levels of stored iron (ferritin).

Most of the tests on this list can be run easily by your GP — with the possible exception of ApoB (a useful marker of atherosclerosis risk) and Lipoprotein(a), which can be linked to increased cardiovascular risk. These are available via private testing companies like iMedical and .

One last thing. Lab reference ranges are based on averages — but average doesn’t always mean optimal (or even healthy, especially these days). The issue is, most reference ranges are pretty broad, so even if your results are technically “in range” they might not be ideal for you. If you’ve been told your bloods are all “normal” but still feel like something’s not quite right, come and see me — I’ll take a closer look.

21/05/2025

ARE YOU PERIMENOPAUSAL?

Many women I see in clinic don’t realise they’re perimenopausal — especially if their periods are still regular. It’s easy to put symptoms like brain fog, irritability, broken sleep, and low motivation down to being busy, stressed, or juggling family, work and relationships.

The Greene Climacteric Scale is a helpful tool used by doctors and health professionals to assess the severity of your symptoms and track how they change over time.

For a more comprehensive list of symptoms, click the link in my bio. There are some surprising ones in there—like formication (that crawling skin sensation), heart palpitations, sleep apnoea and hair loss.

Have you noticed any of these yourself?

https://www.bobbiemcphail.com/symptomscorecard

08/04/2025

NATURE’S OZEMPIC 🥦 🥚

Most people think about restricting and depriving themselves when they start a fat loss journey.

Energy balance is key to weight loss, but so is feeling full and satisfied, otherwise you’re left hungry and miserable.

That’s why I encourage people to try to eat more high volume, nutrient dense foods. Foods that are satiating, help manage cravings and that trigger GLP-1 and downregulate appetite (which is essentially how Ozempic works).

There are two that really stand out:

1. Fibre (i.e. plant foods)
2. Protein (meat, fish, tofu, tempeh, eggs, Greek yoghurt, beans etc)

This week, try to get more plants on your plate where possible and aim for a palm or fist sized portion of protein with every meal. See how it makes you feel.

31/03/2025

Vaginal dryness affects 1 in 2 postmenopausal women.

It often begins in perimenopause—research suggests that one in five women aged 40–45 experience it. Despite how common it is, many women don’t seek help, either assuming it’s just part of aging or feeling too uncomfortable to bring it up with their doctor. It’s often considered the last taboo of menopause—but it doesn’t have to be.

The good news? Unlike some of the more challenging symptoms of menopause, many women find vaginal dryness improves with the right approach.

Symptoms can go beyond just dryness. Women may experience itching, soreness, burning, pain during s*x, increased UTIs, nighttime trips to the bathroom (nocturia), thinning or splitting skin, discomfort wearing tight clothing like jeans, and even reduced s*xual sensation. Vaginal dryness doesn’t tend to improve on its own—it often worsens with age.

From specialist moisturizers to topical therapeutics to vaginal probiotics, there are numerous solutions. The first step is talking to a healthcare provider to understand exactly what’s happening (and rule out other conditions such as thrush or lichen sclerosus). From there, you can choose a plan of action. The sooner you seek help, the better. Please don’t suffer in silence.

To learn more and find out what you can do, follow the link below 👇
https://www.bobbiemcphail.com/blog/vaginal-dryness-menopause-solutions

Bobbie X

20/02/2025

19/02/2025

Overwhelmed by February already?

Let’s keep it realistic… the start of the year is hard enough without the added stress of turning yourself into Gwyneth Paltrow overnight. It’s unlikely you’ll suddenly give up drinking, work out 5 times a week, get 10k steps in every day, stop scrolling, be in bed by 9:30pm, and develop a sudden penchant for kale. Instead, choose 1 small thing and do it as often as you can until it becomes easy. Then add in another small change. Rinse and repeat.

Most days, I throw together some version of this frittata with whatever leftover veg is floating around in my fridge. Trying to decide what to eat each day can overwhelm even the most ‘enthusiastic’ eater. A great trick is to choose something you enjoy and tweak it slightly each day. It saves time, reduces waste, and keeps you on track. 2 eggs give you 14g of protein tops— a good start, but you can probably do better. Adding cottage cheese is a simple, cost-effective way to boost the protein content. Super quick, super tasty, super easy, and around 25g protein.

22/01/2025

CALCIUM: ARE YOU GETTING ENOUGH?

Future-proofing your bones is vital at every stage of life (you actually reach peak bone mass in your late 20s), not least during perimenopause. Bone stores start depleting in your 30s and then accelerate quite alarmingly in your 40s, increasing the risk of osteoporosis (brittle bones) and fractures in later life. When it comes to diet, calcium is the obvious one (but there are other minerals and nutrients you’ll need to include alongside it).

Healthy Bones Australia recommends the following for optimal calcium intake:

1,000 mg daily for women aged 19 and over
1,300 mg daily for postmenopausal women

🥛 There are plenty of non-dairy sources of calcium to be found. Just make sure your plant milks are fortified, and your tofu is calcium set. Always shake your plant milk before using as the added calcium settles on the bottom.

🥦 While some veg contains calcium, you have to eat a fair bit to reach decent levels. As with everything related to nutrition, variety is key. Increase dark leafy greens: kale, silver beet, broccoli, rocket, bok choy and watercress.

🍊 Fruits highest in calcium include: oranges, figs, kiwi fruit and prunes.

🥜 Non animal sources of calcium: tempeh, tofu, tahini, sesame seeds, white beans, Brazil nuts, almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, chia seeds, figs, seaweed and amaranth.

🐟 Canned fish, like salmon or sardines, are a great source of calcium. A can of sardines matches the calcium content of a glass of milk.

🍃 High oxalate foods such as raw spinach can impair calcium absorption. Cooking (lightly steaming/wilting) gets around this.

✋ You should easily be able to get enough calcium from diet alone. If you’re thinking of supplementing, always talk to your health care practitioner first. Calcium supplements should only ever form part of your daily requirements. In large amounts they can increase the likelihood of kidney stones and harden the walls of your arteries.

03/12/2024

The skin is our body’s biggest organ and acts like big sponge, soaking up whatever we slap onto it. That’s why it’s so important to know what’s really in our skincare and cosmetics.

Look out for ‘greenwashing’ - clever marketing that makes products look clean and green, while their ingredients may tell a different story.

is an app that lets you scan the barcode of your cosmetics to see exactly what’s inside (me every Sunday during my grocery shop - don’t care who’s watching!). The app breaks down each ingredient and highlights potential risks to your health or the environment, like endocrine disruptors, allergens, carcinogens, or irritants. It even color-codes ingredients for easy reference and suggests safer alternatives to try instead.

Yuka is completely independent - no sponsorships or brand influence - so you get unbiased info. Plus, the app is free to download and super easy to use.

Tip: Start small. As you run out of your current products, swap them for safer, low-tox alternatives. Every small change adds up.

22/10/2024

We’re hearing a lot about ‘what menopause is and means’ because of menopause awareness month, which is much needed. Today, however, I’m focusing on what it isn’t.

Menopause isn’t….

- shameful
- embarrassing
- something to hide
- something to be fearful of
- something that only happens in midlife
- something that only happens to certain women
- a disease
- terrible for everyone
- without challenges
- something you have to endure on your own
- the end

Despite all the posts, podcasts, books and celebrity interviews, menopause still isn’t talked about enough, especially in the workplace. Knowledge gives us power and more autonomy over how we want to tackle this time of life. Let’s keep learning and keep sharing.

09/09/2024

What’s the big deal with protein?

Protein is important at any time. But it’s particularly helpful at breakfast. It’s great for:

- reducing hunger (it’s the most ‘filling’ macro)
- building muscle (alongside resistance training)
- preventing muscle loss (when reducing calories)
- preventing cravings
- keeping energy levels stable
- building bone
- helping the body repair after illness

If you’re building muscle, you’re looking for at least 30g protein per meal to trigger muscle protein synthesis (MPS), which is the process of building new muscle.

The majority of us don’t need to worry about working out exact amounts of daily protein. A rough guide of 100g a day seems to be enough for most of the women I work with or 3 x palm ✋ or fist 👊🏼 sized portions. Honestly, you don’t need to over think this.

Good protein sources:

- meat
- fish
- tofu
- tempeh
- Greek yoghurt
- Skyr yoghurt
- eggs
- edamame beans
- legumes
- cottage cheese
- protein powder

Edamame beans are the star of this protein-packed breakfast, offering around 15 grams of protein per ½ cup. I use .aus shelled soybeans from the frozen section. Tahini, often overlooked, adds a solid 5 grams of protein per tablespoon. For the base, I love using Mestemacher flaxseed bread, which provides another 3 grams per slice. To top it off, a tablespoon of h**p seeds brings an additional 5 grams of protein, making them a perfect sprinkle for sandwiches or salads. Ready in minutes and delicious..

13/08/2024

The number you see on the scales doesn’t necessarily determine your health.

There are many other metrics you can use - from how easy you find it to run up stairs to the amount of sleep you get.

Swipe through to see plenty more ideas. How do you currently measure your health, or how might you start in the future?