Empowered Nutrition

09/01/2026

Hot flushes and night sweats are one of the first things we tend to think of when we think of perimenopause and menopause. If you suffer from them, you'll know how distressing and disruptive they can be. Not only is it horrible to wake up cold and wet, the resulting sleep disruption can leave you feeling chronically tired. To add to the unfairness of it all, there is also a big link between sleep deprivation and weight gain, so you may have gained a few pounds too 😢😢

But did you know that hot flushes and night sweats can occur as a RESULT of your metabolism?

That's actually good news, because it means there's something that you can do about it! 😀😀

And we cover all this in Healthy Metabolism, Healthy Weight 😀

In 2025, course participant K said, "I'm sleeping better and I think my hot flushes have reduced."

F said, "I am feeling well and sleeping better with the diet changes."

If this sound good to you, book your place at https://my.practicebetter.io/ #/5eccf29a2a902910706ba999/bookings?c=695947134a7adae0c5a53b34

08/01/2026

New dietary guidelines for Americans were issued in the US yesterday. Of course they don't apply here, but it's interesting to watch what's happening. Here's my take on it.

✅ PROS
- Headline emphasis on the importance of eating real food and limiting ultra-processed foods - a big shift and so important!
- Recommended protein intake that is significantly higher than the RDA, in line with what the science has consistently been saying.
- Advice that no amount of added sugars or artificial sweeteners is good.
- Starchy carbohydrates such as grains make up less of the recommended dietary intake than previously, and refined "white" carbs should be limited.
- There's specific mention of fermented foods and fibre for gut health.
- Healthy fats are specifically mentioned, eg olive oil.

❌ CONS
- Dairy is given higher prominence than vegetables and fruit, with a recommendation of eating 3 portions of full fat dairy products daily. I'm wondering if the dairy industry was involved here, given that dairy is repeatedly mentioned before other food groups in the guidelines.
- Maximum alcohol limits are replaced with a vague "consume less alcohol for better health". Not good enough for a Group 1 carcinogen!
- Whilst high quality red meat is okay in moderation, I don't believe it should be right up at the top of the pyramid (higher than fish and eggs).
- Plant protein sources (legumes, soy) are mentioned in the text but I can't be sure they're there on the pyramid.
- Given how much we know about the benefits of a plant-based diet (I don't mean vegan, I mean a diet in which plants make up the majority), there is not enough emphasis on this.
- Case in point, they only recommend 3 servings of vegetables per day for adults!

What do you think? Guidelines available athttps://cdn.realfood.gov/DGA.pdf

06/01/2026

Everything you need to navigate perimenopause and/or menopause in a way that makes you feel more energetic, rested, lighter and healthier!

I'm running this successful 6 week online group course again, starting on 26th January. If you would like me to guide you step by step, implementing simple foundations to make for a healthier menopause, then I would love you to join me.

To find out more and book your place, go to
https://my.practicebetter.io/ #/5eccf29a2a902910706ba999/bookings?c=695947134a7adae0c5a53b34

PS if you can't make Monday evenings don't worry - everything is recorded 😀

03/01/2026

Happy New Year!

I'm not one for New Year's resolutions that are so impossible to live up to that they leave you feeling like a failure by the end of the first week in January! That's just not helpful at all, and it isn't very kind to yourself at what can be a tricky time of year.

Instead, how about choosing one or two small practices that don't feel too daunting but that can have profound effects on your health. Practices that work for you so that you don't have to work too hard?

One of my top recommendations at this time of year is to get out in morning daylight as much as you can, and ideally every day. Morning daylight is the single biggest trigger for resetting your body clock each day, keeping your circadian rhythm regulated. We are learning so much about how multiple aspects of our biology are profoundly affected by circadian biology. At it's most basic, morning light exposure sets a timer for when melatonin is released at night, helping you to get to sleep. But it does much, much more than that.

It was freezing this morning 🥶🥶🥶. I really didn't want to go out, but wrapped up warm and got on with it. And feel better for it now that I'm home with a green tea 🍵

Circadian biology is one area we'll be covering in my menopause health course, "Healthy Menopause, Healthy Weight", which starts later this month. Turns out that getting morning daylight is even more important in peri- and menopause than it is earlier in life. Places will be available from next week, so watch out for that!

24/12/2025

Putting a candle in the window on Christmas Eve is an old Irish tradition. It signals to Mary and Joseph, wandering in search of a room, that they are welcome.

Wishing everyone a happy and peaceful Christmas.

03/12/2025

You may have heard of the "Clean Fifteen and Dirty Dozen", produced by the Environmental Working Group in the USA to list those fruits and vegetables that were found to have the lowest and highest levels of pesticide residues on them. But did you know that in the UK, the Pesticide Action Network (PAN UK) produces an annual "Dirty Dozen" list, informing us of the produce most likely to contain a cocktail of multiple residues. This is based on government testing in the previous year.

Shockingly, they found that a quarter of vegetables and THREE QUARTERS OF FRUIT tested contained multiple pesticide residues, including 42 chemicals linked to cancer.

PAN UK say "Safety limits are set for one pesticide at a time, completely ignoring the fact that it’s all too common for food to contain multiple chemicals. The truth is we know very little about how these chemicals interact with each other, or what this exposure to hundreds of different pesticides is doing to our health in the long-term. What we do know is that pesticides can become more toxic when combined, a phenomenon known as ‘the cocktail effect’."

Read the text in the infographics to understand why PAN UK doesn't produce a "Clean Fifteen" list and to see, based on limited data, the trends for the produce with pesticide cocktail residues over the past 5 years.

It's fair to say that we don't yet know the health impacts of all these chemicals, and we may never be able to show causation with disease, because how do you separate individual chemicals out from the cocktail effect? However, it's important to realise that allowing these chemicals in our food supply in untested combinations is a big experiment that we are being exposed to. I don't feel like chancing it, so buy as much organic as I can. However, it's not right that it is up to the individual to pay a premium in order to do this.

Read more at https://www.pan-uk.org/dirty-dozen/

26/11/2025

It’s Acid Reflux Awareness week!

(24 -30 November 2025)

Did you know that acid reflux occurs when your stomach contents flow back into the oesophagus? This is not necessarily due to there being too much acid but can be due to an issue with the Lower Oesophageal Sphincter (LES).

This ring of muscle at the base of the oesophagus opens to allow the foods we swallow to enter the stomach and should close to keep the stomach contents until we next swallow. This muscle can be damaged as seen with a hiatus hernia but can also be affected by diet and lifestyle too.

Foods like chocolate, coffee and alcohol all cause the muscle to relax making it easier for reflux to occur. Avoiding these foods especially close to bedtime can help reduce your reflux symptoms.

If you suffer with acid reflux and want some help to take control pop the word reflux in the comments.

25/11/2025

An issue that I don't believe is discussed enough with women who have had breast cancer treatment is that it can have adverse effects on the heart and cardiovascular system - often only showing up many years later. I'd be really interested to hear if your oncology team has discussed this with you.

Nobody wants to go through treatment only to develop heart problems.

But don't worry! Nutrition and lifestyle medicine can really shine at supporting normal function of the cardiovascular system and mitigating risk. Read more in my latest blog:
https://www.empowerednutrition.org.uk/love-your-heart-after-breast-cancer-treatment/

24/11/2025

A warm bowl of homemade soup is the ultimate comfort on a cold grey day. It's not just good to have soup for comfort though. When it's cold, warm food really does help to keep us warm, and it's also easier to digest than cold food.

This is one of my favourites: spiced butternut squash and red lentil. It has the advantage of making good use of the glut of squashes I currently have that have built up over recent weeks of veg box deliveries!

In a large saucepan, sauté onions in extra virgin olive oil until translucent, then add crushed garlic, grated ginger and your favourite spices. (I used cumin, coriander, turmeric, chilli powder and cinnamon.) Fry for another minute. Stir in red lentils to coat with the spice mix. Add chopped squash, coconut milk and vegetable stock or bone broth. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to the boil then reduce the heat and simmer for about 25 minutes. Everything should be soft, so remove from the heat and blend - the easiest way is using a stick blender, but you can also use a food processor.

Don't waste the squash seeds! After rinsing, spread them on a baking tray, drizzle a little tamari sauce over them and roast at 180C for 15 minutes. They make a delicious topper.

This is just the start of soup season.....hugs in a bowl!

04/11/2025

It shouldn't be up to individuals to have to filter their drinking water because of the PFAS ("forever chemicals") content. Yet with this article claiming that one water company has been given until 2029 to reduce concentrations of PFOA in its supply (despite the fact this is classed as a class 1 human carcinogen), it seems as though there is no other safe choice.

Reverse osmosis water filters are very effective at removing PFAS. Activated carbon filters also remove some, but are not as effective as RO filters.

The 2019 film "Dark Waters" is a dramatisation of PFAS issues in the water in the USA, and is worth a watch. These chemicals are probably linked to health conditions as diverse as high cholesterol, ulcerative colitis, testicular cancer, renal cancer and thyroid disease. They are endocrine disruptors, they affect the immune system and can cause low birth weight.

Analysis finds regulator for England and Wales raised issues with untreated water at facilities serving millions

03/11/2025

How are you making sure you eat oily fish regularly? Tonight I was lucky - my husband cooked this delicious mackerel curry. Served with brown rice, cauliflower roasted in spices and a little bit of sauerkraut.

Mackerel can handle strong flavours, so my favourite way to eat fresh mackerel is in a curry. It cooks pretty quickly - fry the onion, garlic and spices first, add your sauce (this was coconut based) and you only need to add chopped fish about 5-10 minutes before serving. The mackerel was fresh from the fishmonger this morning.

Oily fish contain essential, anti-inflammatory omega 3 fatty acids in their most usable form. Eating oily fish regularly may reduce your risk of heart disease and may help your mental health amongst other benefits. Some evidence suggests a reduced risk of breast cancer for those who eat the most oily fish.

If you don't like mackerel, your other choices for oily fish include salmon, anchovies, sardines, herring and trout. Choose wild, sustainable fish please!

19/10/2025

Thank you Hello Beuatiful for inviting me to talk about cancer-related fatigue. I had a great time!