Clare Bellini Nutrition and Lifestyle Medicine

Clare Bellini Nutrition and Lifestyle Medicine I support busy individuals uncover the root cause of ill health, rather than simply masking symptoms.

14/04/2026

Yesterday I shared a client’s story who had been struggling with IBS for over 10 years.

She was eating really well. Home-cooked meals, trying different eliminations, putting in the effort… but still dealing with loose stools, nausea, and low energy.

One of the biggest misunderstandings is assuming that a “healthy” diet will automatically fix gut symptoms. But if your digestion isn’t working well, or your gut is out of balance, even healthful foods can leave you feeling worse.

This is why I don’t just look at what someone is eating.

I want to understand what’s actually going on in the gut. That includes looking at how well digestion is working, if the gut is inflamed or ‘leaky’, blood tests to assess nutrient deficiencies and sometimes using a comprehensive stool test to get a clearer picture. From there, everything becomes much more personalised and a lot less guesswork.

If this sounds like you, here are a few gentle things to try this week:

• Slow your eating down and chew properly. It makes a bigger difference than you’d expect.
• Include a good source of protein at each meal to help with energy and balance. Don’t go longer than 5 hours in between meals.
• Start noticing patterns. When are your symptoms worse and what’s going on? What are your stress levels and sleep like?

Small shifts can go a long way.

If you feel like you’re doing all the right things but not seeing results, you don’t have to keep guessing. You’re always welcome to message me or book a free 20 minute call.

This client had been dealing with IBS for over a decade, alongside low energy and nausea. Her diet was already “good” o...
13/04/2026

This client had been dealing with IBS for over a decade, alongside low energy and nausea. Her diet was already “good” on paper. Everything was home-cooked, she'd tried eliminating foods, she was making a real effort, but her body still wasn’t responding positively.

So instead of guessing, the first thing we did was run a comprehensive stool test to properly understand what was going on in her gut.

Once we had that information, everything became much clearer. We could focus on the areas that actually needed support, from lowering inflammation to supporting her gut lining and building a healthier, more diverse microbiome.

We increased protein to support her blood sugar, kept gluten out for a period whilst we worked on her gut and gradually built up her fibre intake.

We didn’t just focus on food, because it’s never just about food. We looked at sleep, stress, and building habits that actually felt realistic for her life.

She really committed to the process, and it showed.

Within three months, things felt very different. Her symptoms had improved so much that she was able to reintroduce gluten, go on holiday, and enjoy it without worrying about her gut.

No more relying on Imodium. More energy. More confidence in her body now everything felt a lot calmer and more predictable.

If you’re dealing with ongoing gut symptoms and feel like you’ve tried everything, you don’t have to keep guessing. You’re always welcome to reach out or book a free call to discuss how I might support you.

30/03/2026

In your younger years, your brain was very happy running on glucose.

But in perimenopause, that starts to change.

Your brain becomes more reliant on ketones
which are made when you burn fat for fuel, not just glucose.

Here’s where it gets interesting…

Most women have lost the ability to switch between burning glucose and burning fat.

Years of:
• eating little and often
• snacking throughout the day
• constant access to food

means the body doesn’t need to tap into fat stores.

So it downregulates that ability.

Then perimenopause hits
and your brain starts asking for ketones…

…but your body isn’t very good at making them.

And that can feel like:
• brain fog
• poor memory
• lack of focus
• energy dips

This doesn’t mean you need to go keto.

But it does mean your body needs to become more metabolically flexible again.

That’s something I work with clients
because when your brain has the fuel it needs, your brain feels sharper, less fatigued and you remember why you walked into the room.

Send me a message if this resonates, book a free chat if you want to see how I could support you. See the link in my bio and message me directly.

26/03/2026

Hair thinning is one of the most common symptoms I see in perimenopause.

One of the first things many women try is collagen, biotin, or hair treatments.

Sometimes they help.
But when they don’t that’s because hair loss at this stage of life is rarely caused by just one missing nutrient.

Your hair can be affected by things like:

• low iron from years of heavy periods
• thyroid changes
• chronic stress and high cortisol
• dieting or not eating enough protein
• blood sugar imbalances
• gut issues affecting absorption
• insulin resistance, which becomes more common in menopause

If the root cause is iron deficiency, collagen won’t fix it.
If stress has pushed hair into a resting phase, biotin won’t stop the shedding.
If the body is under-fuelled, it won’t prioritise hair growth.

This is why quick fixes often feel disappointing.

Real improvement usually comes from looking at the bigger picture and supporting the body properly.

That’s what I focus on in clinic.
Not just what supplement to take, but why the hair loss started in the first place.

If your hair has been thinning for a while and you feel like you’ve tried everything, it may need a deeper investigation.

You can book a discovery call through the link in my bio if you’d like to talk it through. Also, see my blog Why does Hair Loss Happen in Perimenopause and Menopause.

25/03/2026

When did supplements become medicine?

I get asked this almost every day…

“What supplement lowers blood pressure?”
“What probiotic cures IBS?”
“What should I take for hot flushes?”

As if there’s one magic capsule that fixes everything.

Supplements can be useful.
I recommend them often.

But they are meant to support your diet and lifestyle…
not cancel out stress, poor sleep, ultra-processed food, and running on caffeine …

You cannot out-supplement your daily habits.

What honestly worries me more is what I see in Facebook groups.

Strangers encouraging each other to take strong supplements with TikTok knowledge

No thoughts to what medication they’re on
No idea how that affects conditions they have
No idea about drug–nutrient interactions
No idea if the dose is safe
No idea if it’s even appropriate

Just based on
“This worked for me, try it babe”

That is not safe.
That is not personalised.
And it is definitely not nutrition therapy.

Before I recommend any supplement, I look at

Symptoms
Medical history
Current medication
Diet
Lifestyle
Lab tests if needed

Because there is no supplement that fixes everything.

If your body is struggling, the answer is rarely more pills.

It is usually better food, better habits, and the right support used at the right time for the right person.

Supplements are tools.

Not shortcuts.
Not quick fixes.
And not magic cures.

If you’re looking for support from someone who has trained for 4 years, completed hours of CPD to keep up to date and has done additional pharmacology training reach out for a free 20 minute chat. DM me or see the link in my bio.

24/03/2026

When the clocks change, your circadian rhythm doesn’t instantly change with it.

This can affect:
• Melatonin
• Cortisol
• Ghrelin (hunger hormone)
• Blood sugar
• Energy levels
• Mood
• Sleep quality

One of the best ways to help your body adjust is morning light.
Getting daylight in your eyes within about 30 minutes of waking helps reset your internal clock so your body knows when to feel awake and when to feel sleepy.
To make the clock change easier:
• Start going to bed a little earlier each night this week
• Keep lights low in the evening
• Avoid screens late at night
• Limit alcohol
• Aim for 7–9 hours in bed
• Get outside early in the day

These are the same foundations I work on with clients who struggle with fatigue, weight gain, hormone problems and poor sleep.
Because when your body clock is off, everything feels harder.

Send this to someone who struggles when the clocks change

20/03/2026

So many women come to me at their wits’ end with their weight in their 40s and 50s.

They tell me
“I don’t have the energy to exercise anymore”
“I feel hungry all the time”
“My weight has gone straight to my stomach”
“I must be doing something wrong”

But menopause changes your metabolism, even if your diet hasn’t changed.

As oestrogen falls:

• Your metabolic rate drops, so you burn fewer calories at rest
• Muscle mass declines, which slows metabolism further
• Hunger hormones change, so you feel less full and more hungry
• Cravings for high-calorie foods increase
• Poor sleep and stress raise cortisol, which drives belly fat
• Blood sugar becomes less stable, leading to energy crashes and snacking

This can mean gradual weight gain of 1–2 kg a year without doing anything differently.

The answer isn’t eating less and pushing yourself harder.
It’s supporting your body in the way it needs now.

Focus on:

✔ More protein to support muscle and fullness
✔ More fibre to control appetite and blood sugar
✔ Healthy fats to keep you satisfied
✔ Strength training to protect metabolism
✔ Better sleep and stress support
✔ Regular meals to avoid cravings

Menopause weight gain is common, but it is not inevitable when you understand what your body needs.

If you want a simple place to start,
grab my 7 healthy breakfast ideas ebook, each one is designed to support blood sugar, satiety and energy.

You’ll find the link in my bio.

Follow me for more real, science-based advice for midlife health.

18/03/2026

What’s missing from GLP-1 care is support with why the weight went on in the first place.
And if that part isn’t addressed, it’s very easy to slip back into the same patterns when life gets stressful, or weight loss medications are stopped.

That’s why I’ve done extra training in emotional eating and eating behaviour, because for many people the problem isn’t knowing what to eat, it’s everything that drives the eating.

We work on getting your diet right so your blood sugar is steady and you actually feel satisfied.
You learn the difference between real hunger and eating from stress, boredom or habit.
And we work on building a way of eating that feels normal and enjoyable, not like you’re constantly on a diet.

Because the real goal isn’t just weight loss.
It’s feeling confident you won’t go back to where you were before.

If you’re on weight loss medications, planning to stop, or trying to keep the weight off afterwards this is exactly what I help my clients with.

Book a call with me and we can talk through your concerns, DM me or see the link in my bio.

I see a lot of people who feel like they’ve failed at weight lossbecause slimming clubs didn’t work for thembut the trut...
17/03/2026

I see a lot of people who feel like they’ve failed at weight loss
because slimming clubs didn’t work for them

but the truth is
it’s often the other way round

slimming clubs don’t work for them

I’m a Nutritional Therapist
I trained for four years
and I do about 100 hours of extra training every year
so the way I work is very different to a one-size-fits-all plan

when you work with me
I don’t just look at calories

I look at your gut health
your hormones
your stress levels
your sleep
your lifestyle
your medical history

because all of those things affect your weight

some people can follow a points plan and lose weight

but a lot of people can’t
because their body is tired
stressed
inflamed
or out of balance

I also look at food diaries in detail
I sometimes use functional testing
I can review blood tests using optimal ranges
and I’ve done additional training in emotional eating
disordered eating
and eating disorders

so if your relationship with food is complicated
we work on that too

this is why personalised nutrition is different

it’s not just about eating less
it’s about understanding your body
and working with it
not against it.

If you're tired of trying to figure this out alone book a free chat, see the link in my bio or DM me directly.

12/03/2026

I love that people want to help themselves, and get healthy

But nutrition isn’t just about food lists.

ChatGPT hasn’t done a 7-day food diary.
It doesn’t know your family history.
It hasn’t gone through a full health questionnaire with you.
It hasn’t looked at your medications.
It hasn’t asked about your sleep, stress, digestion, hormones, or energy levels.
It hasn’t seen your blood tests.
And it definitely hasn’t spent an hour listening to everything that’s been going on with your health.

Two people can eat the exact same diet and get completely different results, because your body, your history, and your symptoms are unique.

A generic meal plan might look healthy on paper,
but it won’t tell you why you feel exhausted all the time,
why your weight won’t shift,
why your gut is unpredictable,
or why your hormones feel all over the place.

That’s why personalised nutrition will always be more powerful than a one-size-fits-all plan.

It’s not just about what you eat.
It’s about understanding what your body actually needs.

If you’re looking for a root cause investigation of what is causing your symptoms not a plaster covering them up reach out for a FREE 20 minute chat and we can discuss what is really going on.

11/03/2026

Progesterone and oestrogen influence how fast food can move through the gut, so food can move slower causing constipation and fermenting - hello gas and bloating!

Stomach acid production naturally declines, making protein maldigestion and reflux more likely.

Bile can become thicker and slower-moving, affecting fat digestion and contributing to bloating, diarrhea, constipation or that nagging pain under your right rib and between your shoulder blades.

Hormones also shift the balance of your gut bacteria, causing gas production and erratic bowel habits.

These symptoms are your body’s way of sending clues, but they don’t always tell you the full story. That’s where I come in. I look at the full picture: your symptoms, health history, lifestyle, and sometimes test results, to piece together what’s really causing your digestive issues.

Rather than masking discomfort with another Rennie or guessing with generic supplements, I work to identify the underlying drivers. Once we know what’s truly affecting your digestion, we can create a personalised plan that supports your body, helping your gut become more comfortable, predictable, and resilient.

When we focus on the root cause instead of the symptoms, relief isn’t just temporary, it’s lasting.

If you’re fed up of living with this why don’t you book in for a free chat and I can explain how I can support you. Reach out or see the link in my bio.

09/03/2026

Most people believe weight loss is about knowing how many calories to eat.

But let me ask you something.

If someone gave you the exact number of calories to eat every day… would that guarantee weight loss?

Probably not.

Because the real challenge isn’t usually the information.
It’s the behaviour, emotions and habits around food.

It’s the evenings when you feel exhausted and chocolate feels like the only reward.

It’s the moment you open a packet of biscuits meaning to have one… and suddenly the whole packet has gone.

It’s the stressful day at work when food becomes comfort.

Or the guilt afterwards that makes you think you’ve “ruined everything”.

This is why I completed additional psychology training to support clients who struggle with emotional eating and difficult relationships with food.

In my clinic we don’t just talk about calories.

We work on the psychology behind eating.

When I work with a client we meet weekly. We review their food diary together and look at:

• what went well that week
• where things felt difficult
• what triggered certain eating behaviours
• what support or tools might help next week

There is no judgement.

Just curiosity, understanding and practical strategies that actually work in real life.

Because sustainable weight loss is rarely about willpower.

It’s about understanding yourself and changing patterns step by step.

And having someone in your corner makes a huge difference.

Imagine how different your results might be if someone reviewed your progress every week, helped you problem solve the difficult moments, and supported you to build new habits.

That’s where real change starts.

If you recognise yourself in this, I’d love to help.
Send me a message below if you’d like to book a free 20 minute call and we can discuss how I might support you , or privately message me.

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Princes Risborough

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