City Life Nutrition - Gut and Hormone Clinic

25/06/2025

CHIA PUDDING

For a quick breakfast or snack that is anti inflammatory, slow releasing and packed with soluble fibre. Chia Pudding is a winner!

4 Tablespoons of chia seeds
1 cup of milk (dairy or almond, h**p or pea milk)
1 teaspoon of cinnamon powder
Mix together and leave for at least one hour - stir out any lumps

Top with berries, kiwi and a dollop of peanut butter

01/06/2025

Cortisol has a big impact on our oestrogen levels, the key to balancing our hormones naturally is to find ways during the day to reduce our stress levels. If you are interested in stress hormone testing, book a free 15 minute consultation at www.citylifenutrition.co.uk

26/05/2025

Click here to schedule your free consultation via Zoom: https://www.citylifenutrition.co.uk/booking-calendar/book-your-15-minute-free-consultation

17/05/2025

The Hidden Risks of Ozempic and Other Weight Loss Drugs: What are they doing to the gut?

The new generation of weight loss medications, such as Ozempic, are gaining widespread attention for their impressive results. These drugs appear to reduce cravings, increase satiety, blunt blood sugar spikes after meals, and even improve how the body metabolises and stores fat. For individuals struggling with weight loss or insulin resistance, they can seem like a game-changer.

But while the benefits are compelling, it's important to take a closer look at some of the less-discussed risks—especially when it comes to muscle loss and gut health.

What are the impacts on the microbiome?

One of the ways these medications work is by slowing gastric emptying, meaning food stays in the stomach and intestines longer. While this contributes to the feeling of fullness, it may also disrupt the delicate balance of the gut microbiome.

Prolonged digestion can promote the growth of sulphur-producing bacteria such as Desulfovibrio piger — this is one of the species checked for in the microbiome testing panels that I use. Overgrowth of these bacteria can lead to increased production of a gas called hydrogen sulphide which at high levels can be inflammatory and is linked with digestive conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The excess gas produced by these organisms can also lead to IBS type symptoms, eggy burps and wind.

I think if you are tempted by any of these weight loss medications then it would be important to monitor your microbiome for unhealthy changes and give it the correct support that it needs to prevent shifts towards a more inflammatory state.

Muscle Loss and Body Composition

The other worrying long term impact of these drugs is the effect on muscle loss and long-term body composition

Research shows that people on GLP-1 medications like Ozempic can lose significantly more lean muscle mass compared to those who lose weight naturally. In some studies, up to 30-40% of the total weight lost comes from muscle rather than fat.

When the drug is discontinued, many people experience rapid weight regain. Unfortunately, the regained weight tends to be predominantly fat, not muscle, leading to a net loss in muscle mass and a higher overall body fat percentage. This shift can negatively impact metabolic health, making it harder to maintain a healthy weight and stable blood sugar levels in the future.

Final Thoughts

While medications like Ozempic can offer powerful short-term benefits, they are not without risks. For anyone considering or currently using these drugs, it is essential to support the body with:

Adequate protein intake to preserve muscle

Resistance training to maintain lean mass

Gut-supportive nutrition, regular screening if possible, and always including fibre and polyphenols and probiotics or targeted prebiotics to nurture a healthy microbiome

As with any intervention, the most sustainable results come from a holistic, personalised approach. If you’re thinking about using a weight loss medication or are concerned about its effects on your gut and metabolism, work with a qualified practitioner who can guide you through the safest and most supportive strategies for long-term health.

Kate Osborne, Nutritional Therapist | Specialising in Women's Hormonal and Gut Health
www.citylifenutrition.co.uk

14/05/2025

28/03/2024

HOW DO YOUR GUT BACTERIA EFFECT YOUR MOOD?

Microorganisms in the gut can influence your mood via the 'Gut Brain Axis'.

The different types of organisms produce different chemicals - some produce mood enhancing chemicals like serotonin whilst others may produce more harmful chemicals for example LPS (lipopolysaccharide) which is an inflammatory metabolite, more likely to lead to brain fog and drive inflammatory conditions which are linked with depression.

Improving the make-up of your gut microbiota will not only reduce gut issues but can also help improve brain function and motivation. 😀

16/02/2024

Can You Eat 30 Different Plant Foods Per Week to optimise your gut microbiome? (It's easier than it sounds.)

The American Gut Project is the world's largest citizen science microbiome research project and analysed factors affecting our microbiome such as diet, antibiotics and stress.

One of the outcomes of the study was that improving the diversity of the plant foods that you eat, massively improves the health of the microbiome. Those who ate 30 different plant foods per week had much more diverse microbiomes than those who ate 10 foods or fewer.

Getting 30 different plant foods into your diet is easier than it sounds as you can include all fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, rice, beans, lentils.

You can start by making a note of how many different plant foods you have eaten over the last couple of days and then over the week, see if you can make it up to 30.

Tips for increasing diversity: adding different types of seeds on your yoghurt or porridge; a homemade coleslaw using different types of vegetables, mixed sprouted seeds on your lunch, salad bowls or poke bowls, seaweeds.

Example of a microbiome boosting day:

09/02/2024

The Power of The Microbiome!

Our relationship with our microbiome is deeper than we ever thought. The human genome consists of about 25,000 genes whereas our gut microbiome has 46 million! So we rely heavily on our microbial genome which can promote health or disease.

The science is now clear that pretty much all chronic disease has its roots in the microbiome and The American Microbiome Project (2017) which is the largest ever human study into the impacts of the microbiome, highlighted the impacts that poor diet, stress and antibiotics are having on our microbiome which is linked to all aspects of our health.

To help keep yourself healthy and prevent chronic disease, it is vital to consider the microbiome. There are easy actions that you can take daily like:

The 30 different plant foods and fibres per week challenge

Reduce sugar, processed foods and alcohol

Keep meat consumption low and organic, eat alongside plenty of vegetables

The microbiome is like a garden that needs care and attention but by taking small steps the garden can flourish and pay you back 100 fold in health.

21/10/2023

This image from the 'Glucose Goddess' clearly shows the impact of sugary food on our blood glucose. Having a refined and sugary breakfast cereal really pushes up blood glucose levels, this leads to more insulin release which pushes blood glucose back down again, leading to a swinging of sugar levels over the day - tiredness - sugar cravings - hormone fluctuations. The bottom graph shows that having a high protein breakfast of eggs and mushrooms leads to a much smaller blood glucose curve, leading to sustained energy levels, reduced cravings and better hormone balance and MOOD. It's NOT just about calories in and calories out.

10/10/2023

Recent study (2023) shows that EPA from fish oils can be beneficial for reducing depression. With EPA and DHA between 1-2g per day. EPA in particular is really important for brain structure and function, it is difficult to get EPA from a vegetarian / vegan diet as it has to be converted by the body when it comes from plant sources such as h**p oil or flax oil. The only vegetarian source is from algae.

19/09/2023

CAN VEGETARIAN / VEGAN DIETS LEAD TO DEPRESSION?

A recent large 'Meta Analysis' study (one that brings many studies together) has suggested a link between vegetarian / vegan diets and higher rates of depression.

What could be the reason for this potential link be?

One factor could be the lack of EPA and DHA, these are two compounds that are found only in fish and algae. When we eat fish or fish oils, we get an abundance of these products which are essential for brain structure and function. Low levels of which have been linked with depression.

The vegetarian, vegan diet is often low in EPA and DHA as it is difficult to get EPA and DHA from plant foods. Yes, you can get ALA (alpha linolenic acid) from plant foods such as h**p oil, but this has to be converted to EPA and DHA by the body and often our bodies are not very good at making this conversion. Possibly due to lack of certain nutrients needed for the enzymes.

I always recommend that non fish eaters take an vegetarian EPA / DHA oil supplements (it is derived from algae) to ensure that they are getting enough of these important brain nutrients.

27/01/2021

Start Your Day Well

The problem with the 'British standard' breakfast of cereal and milk is that it tends to be high in sugar and processed carbohydrates and low in protein. Even if you go for a wholegrain muesli, it's glycaemic index value will likely be very high, meaning that sugar levels will spike quickly, followed by an increase in insulin, setting you up for a day of fluctuating blood sugar and increased hunger.

Jordan's cereal for example contains 9.2g sugar per 45g of cereal, sugar is the largest ingredient on the list after the cereals. Even Bran flakes and Weetabix contain sugar as the next ingredient after wheat or barley. Bran flakes also contain glucose syrup. And these are cereals which are often considered to be the healthy option!!

Alpen contains 9.5g of sugar per 45g so it is 21 % sugar (Coco pops contain 5.1g sugar per 30g of cereal so it is 17% sugar)

An easy substitute for sugary cereals is yoghurt and fruit which I usually have as an option on the client's food plan. Yoghurt is a good source of protein, you will need around 160g of natural yoghurt balanced with around 100g fruit for a good slow release of energy.

Yes there is sugar in the fruit but it is a natural sugar which is very different from added sugar. Going for low sugar fruits such as berries is better, alongside a good portion of yoghurt gives protein to help

Recipe for weight loss West sussex