Eat with Verve

10/06/2025

Feeling a bit sluggish, bloated, or just off lately?

Let’s hit refresh together. 💛

The Verve Summer Reset is your 7-day plan to feel lighter, clearer, and more energised—just in time for summer. Think vibrant meals, a clear plan, and the accountability of a group doing it with you.

You’ll get:

✨ A full meal plan + shopping list
✨ Hormone-supportive guidance
✨ Daily support in a private Facebook group
✨ And that “I feel like myself again” glow

Starts 30 June — but your blueprint lands early so you're prepped and ready!

🌿 Early bird: just £35
📥 Link below to grab your spot!

You've got nothing to lose (except the bloat and brain fog). And everything to gain - confidence, energy and that "I've got this" feeling.

27/10/2021

This page has moved to The Verve Clinic as I sadly couldn't change the name. Thank you for your support and please like the new page https://www.facebook.com/theverveclinic

The clinic supports women during the transformative process of peri-menopause and menopause by apply

07/10/2021

Brain health is important for ... well ... everything! In our culture of information overload the brain needs a rest. It needs very little time to recharge - 5 minutes is enough. But it needs to be a complete break requiring no brain effort.

A quick walk around, closing your eyes for a few minutes or stroking your pet should do it. My dog was only too willing to oblige 😂.

How many brain breaks do you take? Aim for 5 x 5 minute breaks each day. Its the little things that make a big difference.

21/09/2021

This porridge was definitely not good enough for Goldilocks but its a great way to show the power of enzymes.

Your pancreas releases amylase to break down carbs, protease to break down proteins and lipase to break down fats.

But did you know that saliva contains salivary amylase and salivary lipase...so when you chew pause for a moment to let the saliva flood your mouth and get those enzymes working 💪

17/05/2021

S*x, myths and the menopause with Davina McCall

Just wanted to share my thoughts on the documentary. An hour is never going to do the subject justice - there is so much more that needs to be said and explained, like the many and varied symptoms of perimenopause, that this stage can last for years and that we really need to look after ourselves during this transition. Diet, lifestyle and weight bearing exercise are foundation pieces to work on regardless of your view on HRT and it had barely a mention.

That said, because the loss of hormones can have a far reaching impact I understand the need to unpick the Women’s Health Initiative study which has had so many repercussions. 1 million women stopped HRT because of the attention grabbing headlines “HRT linked to breast cancer”. So it’s important we have the facts.

Statistically 23/1000 women will get breast cancer
The risk increases by 4 i f you take HRT
The risk increases by 5 if you have 2 units of alcohol/day
The risk increases by 24 with a BMI of 30+

So lifestyle factors create a far greater risk to our health.

It’s also important to realise that the hormones used in the study were conjugated equine oestrogens (yes that does mean horse wee!) and medroxyprogesterone acete (ie synthetic progesterone). It’s now possible to get body identical hormones prescribed by the doctor, and I agree with Dr Louise Newson that the best combination is topical oestrogen and oral utrogestan.

Did you notice the brain image copywrited to Lisa Mosconi? I mention her in my ebook. Dr Mosconi's groundbreaking research has shown the menopausal brain puts us at an increased risk of Altzheimers. I’m glad this was mentioned by Dr Michael Craig, but please don’t feel despondent. Being better informed about the risks means we can take better preventative action. This was one of the reasons why I created the group WoMenopause Brain – to focus on the brain health aspect.

It’s astounding in this day and age that a transition that half the population go through is still poorly supported, both by General Practice and in the workplace. Programmes like this at least get the conversation going although we've only had this one and the one Mariella Frostrup did for the BBC in 2019. Come on broadcasters, take a chance on the third of the female population that are in menopause and give us a whole series!!

🥰 Finally I must just mention Dr Nighat Arif – what an inspirational doctor, providing menopause education for her community in Urdu on TicTok (there is no word for menopause in Urdu, the closest means “barren”😞).

01/05/2021

Here's a hot chocolate that's going to do you good! 😋 use the best cocoa you can find (its packed with antioxidants) then supercharge it with mushroom powder (this one by is a blend of reishi, maitake & sh*take). Add some vanilla extract (and a dash of maple syrup if needed).

🍄 Medicinal mushrooms have long been used to support the immune system.

BOOM!!! tastes good and does you good.

PS does anyone know how I add music to a reel?? 😂

08/03/2021

It's International Women's Day today and I wanted to take this chance to give a big shout out to all the women who are making such huge strides in the area of science and research.

Research into women's health is generally confined to our reproductive organs. But our brain ages differently, due primarily to the menopause. Just being a woman puts us at far greater risk of Altzheimer's disease. But research often removes gender from the equation.

Scientists like , director of the Women's Brain Centre, are putting women's health at the front. Her book The XX Brain is a fantastic read.

08/03/2021

First and foremost, its the tastiest way to eat. Lots of colourful vegetables, fruits, herbs and spices. A handful of nuts, seeds, wholegrains, beans and lentils. A sprinkling of fish. A glug of olive oil.

The fibre and polyphenols feed the gut bacteria which turn the large antioxidant compounds into smaller molecules which we can absorb. Once absorbed, they help to protect the brain from inflammation. Many of the plants contain phytoestrogens which are particularly beneficial once we reach 40 and beyond.

If you're stuck in a routine with your food just start with making some simple swaps. Grab an orange instead of a banana. Chose black or red grapes instead of green. Add an extra veg at dinnertime.

I'd love to know how you're doing 💘

24/02/2021

Quick, easy, tasty...what could be better!

This spread is dairy-free but with a lovely unami cheesy flavour from nutritional yeast which is packed full of B vitamins (perfect for brain health).

Soak 200g of cashews in water for 2-4 hours. Drain then whizz in a food processor with 1 tsp salt, juice of 1/2 lemon, a good grind of pepper and 2 tablespoons of nutritional yeast. Store in a sealed container in the fridge.

Bookmark or share and let me know if you try it 🍋

09/02/2021

Personally, I felt like I was going mad. Anyone else? Anxiety, brain fog, memory issues, fatigue. Menopause is still not widely talked about and its affect on mental well-being even less so. But its a neuro (brain) endocrine (hormones) transition. And we need to do all we can to protect our brains at this time when they are most vulnerable. I have made it my priority (my sanity depended on it!) to study the connections between the balance of hormones, brain health and the gut microbiome. The good news is that there is plenty we can do about it 💜💜 I would love to know if this is a subject as dear to your heart as it is mine.

05/01/2021

I hope you're all feeling ok today after last night's news. Some great tips here from Riverford. I find that cooking is a great form of meditation and its got me through some difficult moments in the last few weeks.

So here we are again, lockdown number 3. Sending our thoughts to everyone.

It looks like we’re going to be in this situation for 6 weeks or so, so we thought we’d offer a few suggestions for things to keep you occupied, happy and healthy, and well fed.

Cooking can be a form of therapy: it’s grounding and positive, and enlightening and rewarding when you learn something new. It’s a way to bring people together, and it’s pure satisfaction when you eat something that tastes really delicious.

If you want to use this time to mix it up in the kitchen and learn new culinary skills, then we hope the below list of activities inspires you. On the contrary, there will also be many people who are feeling incredibly fed up and flat by now, and that’s okay. If you’re feeling like so, perhaps try making a big batch of soup when you feel up to it; it will continue to provide you with hot, veg-packed food for days. You also can’t beat the comfort of a simple bowl of pasta, a hot, steaming jacket potato, or a 5-minute dinner of beans on buttery toast.

Lockdown cooking suggestions:

📚 Work your way through a cookbook over the coming weeks and months (the new Ottolenghi book Flavour is wonderful). Set yourself the challenge of trying every recipe and making notes on each

🥘 Spend a day in the kitchen preparing a two or three course meal. Put podcasts or music on, take your time and enjoy the process

🧄 Dig out forgotten cookbooks and try something you’ve not cooked before

🍊 Enjoy an afternoon making Seville marmalade. Put the radio on, get peeling, slicing and simmering, and fill your house with the distinctive bittersweet aroma. It will keep for the year and you can give some away. Our organic marmalade kits will be available in a couple of weeks

🍪 Bake treats for friends or family. Leave them on their doorstep if they live close by, or make something that would survive postage (i.e fudge)

🍝 Make a nostalgic recipe, perhaps one from your childhood or one that reminds you of a particular time or place

🍜 Try cooking a recipe from a cuisine that’s new to you and out of your comfort zone

🍌 Banana bread – only joking! Think we all overdid it in lockdown number 1

09/11/2020

Great news...

**New Press Release** 09/11/2020

Government heeds advice on Vitamin D and offers 4 months’ supply to the most vulnerable.

Following the sustained pressure from the scientific community, including BANT’s call for extraordinary supplementation of Vitamins C & D as a preventative measure for COVID-19 (https://bant.org.uk/2020/10/20/bant-recommends-extraordinary-measure-of-vitamin-c-and-vitamin-d-supplementation/) the government has finally acted on Vitamin D. The Health Secretary Matt Hancock has decided to “act fast”, albeit well into this second national lockdown, and offer a four-month supply of Vitamin D supplements to millions of vulnerable people shielding at home and in care homes. This will include organ-transplant recipients, chemotherapy patients and those with severe respiratory conditions such as cystic fibrosis, severe asthma, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. British MP and former cabinet minister David Davis called for action back in September stating “A cheap way of tackling COVID-19 is being ignored”. The first packages are due to be sent early next month (December), four months later.

Read the full release here: https://bant.org.uk/2020/11/09/government-heeds-advice-on-vitamin-d-and-offers-4-months-supply-to-the-most-vulnerable/