Sarah Flower - Nutritionist & Author

Sarah Flower - Nutritionist & Author Sarah Flower is a nutritionist and author, based in Exeter, Devon, offering nutritional consultation

24/01/2026

Perimenopause often starts earlier than people expect.

For many women, it begins in the late 30s to early 40s. Sometimes earlier. Long before periods change or hot flushes appear.

The first signs are often subtle and easy to miss. Gut changes like bloating, constipation or food reactions that feel new. Poor sleep, especially waking between 2 and 4am. Anxiety that feels unfamiliar or harder to manage.

These symptoms are not random. Shifting oestrogen and progesterone affect the gut, the nervous system and blood sugar long before periods become irregular.

If you feel like your body has changed but no one has mentioned hormones yet, trust that instinct. Perimenopause is not just about periods. It is a whole body transition.

Understanding what is happening is the first step to supporting it properly

23/01/2026

Sourdough, I love making it but unfortunately I can’t eat it as I react to wheat and gluten, so this bad boy is off to my beautiful neighbour.

22/01/2026

Two gut issues I see constantly in clinic with midlife women.
Overgrowths and poor digestion.

This is often sitting underneath bloating, reflux, food reactions, fatigue, poor sleep and stubborn weight gain.

You can eat well and still struggle if digestion is weak or bacteria are in the wrong place.
And during perimenopause and menopause, this becomes even more common.

This is not about extreme diets or cutting out everything you enjoy.
It is about fixing the foundations so your body can actually use the food you eat.

If you feel like your gut has changed and you do not recognise it anymore, you are not alone.

Save this for later and follow for calm, realistic gut and hormone support for women 40+

Low carb. Grain free. Chocolate orange Bakewell. 🍊🍫Yes, it’s as dreamy as it sounds.Think rich chocolatey almond sponge,...
22/01/2026

Low carb. Grain free. Chocolate orange Bakewell. 🍊🍫
Yes, it’s as dreamy as it sounds.

Think rich chocolatey almond sponge, zesty orange, and a crisp buttery base — all without grains, gluten or sugar.
✔ Low carb & diabetic friendly
✔ No refined sugar
✔ Packed with flavour, not fake ingredients
✔ Perfect for dinner parties, Sunday pudding or batch-freezing

This is one of my favourites for showing that a healthier lifestyle doesn’t mean missing out on proper puddings.

Grab the full recipe here:
👉 www.sarahflower.co.uk/post/orange-chocolate-bakewell-tart
Or hit the link in bio if you’re on Instagram

Would you like to see this in an eBook of low carb bakes? I’m planning one and would love your feedback 💬👇

🥘 Slow Cooker Season is Here!There’s nothing better than coming home to the smell of a hearty, healthy meal bubbling awa...
21/01/2026

🥘 Slow Cooker Season is Here!

There’s nothing better than coming home to the smell of a hearty, healthy meal bubbling away. My slow cooker books are packed with recipes that are family-friendly, budget-conscious and, of course, full of flavour.

Whether you’re following a low-carb or keto plan, or simply want to eat well without the fuss, these books make healthy eating easy — even on busy days.

📚 Find all my cookbooks and eBooks via www.sarahflower.co.uk or search my name on Amazon.

21/01/2026

Menopause is not just about low oestrogen.
This is one of the biggest myths I see.

In clinic, oestrogen is often not the main issue.
How your body clears hormones, gut health, sleep, cortisol and insulin usually matter far more.

Oestrogen support can help, but it is rarely the whole picture.
Midlife hormone balance needs a wider lens.

Hormone balance is about the whole system, not one fix.

You are not broken. You just need all-round support.

We need to think more about how we fuel ourselves.  Eating well is one of the best ways to prevent poor health, along wi...
20/01/2026

We need to think more about how we fuel ourselves. Eating well is one of the best ways to prevent poor health, along with good sleep, less stress. UPF’s have no place in a healthy diet, they just support the food manufacturer, not the customer. While they get rich by producing cheaper food, we get sick.

I wanted to share this map with everyone again because it's so important. Every time I look at it, it reminds me exactly why I do what I do.

The UK sits alone in red, the only European country where more than half of household food purchases are ultra-processed. We've become the unhealthiest nation in Europe, and it's not because we lack willpower or discipline. It's because our food system is broken.

Think about it. Portugal manages just 10.2%. Italy sits at 13.4%. France at 14.2%. These countries haven't discovered some magical secret. They've simply held onto something we've lost: a culture of real food, cooked from scratch, shared with family and friends. Meanwhile, we've handed our health over to food manufacturers who care more about profit margins than our wellbeing.

I'm not interested in pointing fingers at individuals. This isn't your fault. For decades, the food industry has spent billions engineering products designed to make you eat more, buy more, crave more. They've stripped the fibre out, pumped the sugar in, and marketed it all as convenient, affordable, and perfectly acceptable. They've captured our taste buds, hijacked our metabolism, and left us wondering why we can't shift the weight or find the energy we used to have.

But we can turn this around. Not through government mandates or another failed public health campaign, but through a grassroots movement of people who refuse to accept this as normal anymore.

Which of these menopause symptoms surprised you the most?I talk about these in clinic every week — and yet most women ha...
19/01/2026

Which of these menopause symptoms surprised you the most?

I talk about these in clinic every week — and yet most women have never been told they’re hormonal.
From itchy ears to 3am panic, frozen shoulders to gut issues, menopause doesn’t always look how you expect.

⚡ You’re not imagining it.
⚡ You’re not alone.
⚡ And it’s not “just stress” or “just getting older.”

👇 Let me know in the comments – which symptom caught you off guard?
💬 Want to talk it through? Book a free 15-minute Zoom chat via my website (link in bio).
✨ Support available UK-wide.




So true
15/01/2026

So true

15/01/2026

Constipation is not just uncomfortable. It affects how your body clears hormones, especially oestrogen.
If gut transit is slow, hormones can be reabsorbed and symptoms can worsen.
Bloating, PMS, sore breasts, heavy periods, stubborn weight.

One bowel movement a day is not optional for hormone balance.

perimenopause womenshealth functionalnutrition

Address

Holmedale Health, 34 Denmark Road
Exeter
EX1,1SE

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5:30pm
Tuesday 9am - 8pm
Wednesday 9am - 5:30pm
Thursday 9am - 5:30pm
Friday 9am - 5:30pm

Telephone

+447545287816

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