Julie Dilks Nutrition

27/03/2024

27/11/2022

Low energy is something that many women struggle with in perimenopause. Here's 4 simple ideas to help you get your energy back:

*Get outside first thing & get some natural light (no sunglasses). This is so important for setting your circadian rhythm - making us feel more awake in the day & helping us to sleep at night

*Ditch the caffeine & try a herbal tea. When we are tired we often reach for the coffee. But this not only affects the quality of our sleep but also affects our blood sugar.

*Eat a protein rich breakfast that will set you up for the whole day. This balances out blood sugar in the morning having a positive impact on energy levels throughout the day.

*Rest ,- sometimes you need to listen to what your body is telling you. As women we are often constantly on the go, looking after everyone else's needs. Perimenopause is a time to put yourself first.

Which one of these are you going to prioritize today? Let me know in the comments below 👇

21/11/2022

Exhaustion hit me hard in my 40's. At first, I convinced myself that it was just normal. I was mum to two young children after all, and sleep wasn't great! But it got to the point that I was waking up feeling like I hadn't been to bed and spent my entire day thinking about crawling back into my bed. Surely there had to be more to life than this!!!!

I decided to bite the bullet and made an appointment with my GP. She agreed to run some blood tests and the relief set in that I would finally get some answers.

However, the exact words from the doctor's receptionist - 'nothing to worry about, all your test results came back NORMAL.' My initial reaction was relief quickly followed by the realization that I was no nearer to knowing why I wasn't feeling right!

Doctor Google just raised more questions and the more I read, the confused I got. After trying to do-it-myself I finally made an appointment with a nutritionist. I got a copy of my blood results from the doctor's and she explained that my results may have fell in the NHS NORMAL range, but they were far from OPTIMAL!

What I hadn't realised was that the tests ran by the NHS are 'based on a bell curve average that says that 95% of the population is normal and the 2.5% either end are abnormal.'

Secondly the doctor is limited on what tests can be done on the NHS, so for instance they will only look at TSH for the thyroid & yet there are several markers for thyroid function. The same for iron - only a couple of markers are measured so not getting an accurate picture.

So, I booked some blood tests privately to get a complete health picture including a full thyroid and iron panel.

This began my journey into the world of nutrition and alternative healing.

I would like to know have you had tests run by your doctors and been told that everything is NORMAL?

Let me know in the comments below your experience ↓

30/11/2021

Perimenopause brings with it significant mood changes & for many women this means the onset of anxiety or existing anxiety that spirals out of control.

You know that feeling when:

*You can hear your heart thumping in your chest
*The sudden sense of dread about everything life is throwing at you
*Inability to get perspective
*The sick feeling in the pit of your stomach

When you think of your hormones oestrogen & progesterone, it's usually in terms of your reproductive system but it's important to know that you have receptors throughout your body & that includes your brain!

As these hormones begin to decline they will impact your mood regulating hormones too (serotonin & dopamine).

For some women anxiety hits them hard first thing in the morning. This is due to the cortisol rising to wake you up. Normally your oestrogen would stop it from rising too high.

But as oestrogen declines, your cortisol will be able to rise out of control! Result? Anxiety!

However the anxiety I began to experience in perimenopause was different!

I could be driving with my family & suddenly a panic attack would begin as I began to think about us crashing.....

Also awful feelings of impending doom....

BUT thankfully these moments are now quite rare. I've put in a lot of work to change my diet, add in supplements & important lifestyle changes.

Here's 5 simple ways that will help you get control of your perimenopausal anxiety:

*Bach flower remedies - great for helping with a range of emotions in particular anxiety. Always keep a bottle of rescue remedy in your bag & in the car.

*Magnesium - The CALMING mineral. Take an Epsom salt bath. Add half a cup of salts to your bath.....lay back & relax.

*Ashwagandha & Rhodiola - great for helping your body with it's stress response. Pro tip...Add some Rhodiola & Ashwagandha powder to you morning smoothie.

*Breathing - Simple but effective! When feeling anxious, breathe in for 5, hold for 5 & breathe out for 5.

*Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) - involves tapping on specific acupressure points. Head over to who has some amazing tutorials.

What symptoms of anxiety do you suffer from? Tell me in the comments ⬇️

06/11/2021

It's rare to find a woman in her 40's who isn't experiencing some kind of stress!!

Does this sound familiar:

The alarm goes off, you press snooze as many times as you can get away with & then begins the manic morning rush to get yourself & the kids ready, make pack lunches, feed the dog & shout 100 times 'hurry up or we will be late!'

You head out into rush hour traffic, kids squabbling in the back. You drop them off at school & head to your job where you are expected to do a full time job in part time hours!

Then it's back to the school run, the daily argument of whose turn it is to sit in the front seat. You drop the kids at their various after school activities & catch up on some business calls while you wait.

Back home you cook dinner that no one likes!!!! You are shattered but the house looks like a bomb has hit it. You end up arguing with your partner as you don't think they are pulling their weight!

You still need to check in on your elderly parents & don't forget the daily challenge of dealing with a teenager who knows best 😔

Phew!

No wonder you feel like a hot mess!

The problem is that these daily stressors pile up. Along with MORE cortisol & adrenaline (aka stress hormones). And our body will prioritise making these stress hormones over s*x hormones & we start to experience the following:

*Brain fog
*Low mood & anxiety
*Weight gain
*Issues with sleep

So, what simple things can you do when you are juggling 101 different balls?

*Turn the notifications off on your phone for a few hours so you can have some proper down time.

*Put your favourite song on & sing at the top of your voice - this will release the tension & stress.

*Breathe deeply - this reduces your heart rate & blood pressure.

*Bach flower remedies - I always have some rescue remedy in my bag.

*Ashwagandha - helps the body adapt to stress. Grab my recipe for an ashwagandha latte in my free workbook "3 Steps to Banish the Mood Swings So you Can Feel Calm & in Control Again". Link is in my bio.

What does stress make you feel like?

A. A hot mess... it's all too much
B. I'm stressed but I just put up with it
C. No stress here

Tell me in the comments ⬇️ A B or C?

20/10/2021

Hitting the perimenopause can be a huge challenge for many women, myself included!

Many of us aren't prepared for the onslaught of this hormonal rollercoaster....I certainly didn't have a clue what was happening.

It can be frightening for many if we are not aware of what the perimenopause is & so symptoms such as brain fog can have us thinking the worse...as we imagine it most be early onset dementia.

BUT as I grappled with these many different symptoms......brain fog, irregular periods, low mood, irritability & fatigue, it was also a wake-up call.

I am halfway through my life, I need to make my health & well being a priority. I needed to make myself a priority!

I've made some pretty big changes to my life over the last few years, seen various practitioners aswell as done various testing.

I now check in with myself regularly & have yearly blood tests to check my thyroid, vitamin D, iron, B12 etc.

I'm still on this journey always learning & updating my knowledge but I feel as I step into the next phase of my life, I have good fundamentals in place & a large toolkit to pull from.

What began as a journey to put a stop to my own perimenopause symptoms has now become a much bigger mission.

I want to help as many other women as possible to go from just surviving to thriving through perimenopause & beyond.

What perimenopause symptoms have impacted your life? Tell me in the comments ⬇️

20/10/2021

If you want to download my '3 Steps to Banish the Mood Swings & feel Calm & in Control Again' please use the following link: juliedilks.ac-page.com/mood-swings

18/10/2021

Did you know that women are 3 X more likely than a man to experience headaches and migraines?

If you have ever experienced migraines you will know the symptoms:

*The throbbing pain on one side of the head
*Feeling nauseous
*You may vomit
*Sensitivity to noise & light

Many have to go & lie in a dark room until the migraine subsides & life has to go on hold!!!?

Women experience hormonal migraines due to the changing levels of both oestrogen & progesterone in their cycle. As this becomes more pronounced in perimenopause, you may find that your migraines become more frequent and intense. It may even be that you never had a migraine until you hit perimenopause.

So what can you do?

*Ginger - great to relieve pain and inflammation. Chop up a small piece of fresh ginger & boil in some water to make a tea.

Magnesium - talk to a nutritionist about dose and type.

*Quercetin - this is helpful if there is a link to histamine.

*Alcohol - can be a trigger so best to limit.

*Food diary - it's important to check that certain foods aren't making your migraines worse. Common offenders include cheese, chocolate, pickled foods & also citrus fruit.

If you are experiencing migraines at the end of your period then it's worth getting your iron levels checked. Especially if you are bleeding heavily. DM if you want details of private blood tests I can run.

Are you experiencing migraines during perimenopause? Let me know in the comments ⬇️

06/10/2021

If you're suffering with any of these 12 symptoms it could be your thyroid!

*Weight gain
*Low energy
*Insomnia
*Brain fog
*Overwhelmed & anxious
*Hair loss
*Heart palpitations
*Lack of libido
*Joint pain
*Digestive issues
*Irregular or heavy periods
*Mood swings

It's all too easy sometimes to blame these symptoms on the fact that your "just in perimenopause"

BUT

It could be your thyroid

Although there's a direct link that your low progesterone levels will affect your thyroid (you'd experience symptoms such as weight gain, fatigue & irregular periods)

It's essential that you get your thyroid tested thoroughly. You want to be CERTAIN what's actually behind all of the symptoms you're experiencing.

And it's another reason why you need a "full panel" blood test and NOT just a "standard' thyroid test from your GP

It wasn't until I had a private "full panel thyroid test" that I discovered my thyroxine (T4) needed help converting into T3 which plays an important role in your body's control of metabolism

Having this information was vital. I now knew what supplements, herbs & lifestyle changes to start incorporating in each day. I also knew what other systems in my body i needed to work on to help my thyroid fire on all cylinders & stop my never ending symptoms that I'd just blamed on perimenopause

When you take a "full panel" it will show your:

TSH, FT4, FT3, TT4, Thyroid antibodies, Thyroglobulin antibodies

Ferritin, folate, vitamin B12, iron & TIBC (these levels are impacted by your thyroid)

Plus it also includes vitamin D, C Reactive protein & cortisol so you'll have a clear picture of what's actually going on.

If you are experiencing any of the symptoms I've listed.....Tell me in the comments if you have had your thyroid tested thoroughly? Y/N

01/10/2021

There's nothing worse than feeling like you are walking through sludge all day.

And just preparing the pack lunches and getting the kids to school feels like a huge mountain to climb.

But is your fatigue just down to your midlife fluctuating hormones OR could it be low thyroid function 😲

There is now a CLEAR link between thyroid disease & perimenopause known as the 'thyropause'. Which is hypothyroidism due to a drop your progesterone levels which happens when you hit the perimenopause.

So....how do you uncover what's "really" going on with your thyroid?

GP - they would run a 'standard' blood test. NOT a full thyroid panel. Chances are your blood work will come back within the 'normal' range BUT 'normal' DOES NOT mean optimal.

PRIVATE TESTING - the ultimate way to see EXACTLY what's going on with your thyroid is to run a full panel of tests.

This is something that I do with all my clients. It is the ONLY way you'll get a crystal clear picture of what changes need to be made to get the thyroid back into the 'optimal' range.

Many of the women I work with are told by their GP that everything is normal yet there constant fatigue is far from normal!

It isn't till working with me & taking a private blood test which looks at thyroid & other markers that we find the real reason for why they are tired all the time.

Once we introduce diet & lifestyle changes in addition to specific supplements & herbs which support thyroid function, the feeling of being constantly tired becomes a thing of the past.

Have you considered taking a private thyroid test to check if your fatigue is being caused by low thyroid function? Y/N Tell me in the comments ⬇️

25/09/2021

Please join my private Facebook group where we will discussing everything perimenopause in a safe space ❤️

25/09/2021

Hi everyone, I'm really grateful for my new followers & realise I haven't introduced myself! So here's some things you may not know about me ⬇️

*After completing my degree, I fell into an accounts job (feeling very unfulfilled & longing to do something different).
*I have two gorgeous girls who have taught me so much about life.
* My passion has always been natural health & nutrition. After having my girls, I decided it was time to follow my dream & study again.
*After having a number of issues with my own hormonal health especially perimenopause, I want to help support other women struggling with this phase of their life.

Fun facts about me 😊

🍫 I am a complete chocoholic.
❤️ I love food but hate cooking. Luckily my husband is amazing in the kitchen.
❤️ My first wedding took place in Las Vegas at The Little White Wedding Chapel where Britney Spears got married. The marriage lasted slightly longer than Britney's!!! (Second time round I am now very happily married).
🐸 I once took part in a Kambo ceremony. This involves using the poison from a giant monkey frog to cleanse the body & spirit.
❤️ I used to snowboard & scuba dive but haven't done this since having children.

I'd love to know 3 fun facts about you....Tell me in the comments ⬇️