Urban Wellness

Master your mind with nutrition and functional medicine Urban Wellness is an online nutrition and functional clinic run by Nicola Shubrook.

We specialise in female midlife health, helping you to nourish and (re)connect with your health whilst ensuring that all advice is practical, realistic and fits in with your life.

26/01/2026

So, this happened at the weekend - I was in The Times chatting about vitamin D.

Facebook doesn't let me post the direct link though so you'll need to go to https://www.thetimes.com/article/5e735cc4-3193-4f9d-a986-a2eaf0bcbf29?shareToken=665f1888a945cd49d965c37c9b885ee7 and search for Vitamin D and it should come up if you would like to read it!

16/01/2026

2016 me vs 2026 me

2016 me was exhausted and almost broken. After 18 years in a hectic (but great fun at times) media career I was done. On the outside it looked like I was holding it all together but on the inside I felt I wasn’t being the real me. I was masking her behind being busy and alcohol. I wanted something deeper. I left my media career and launched full time (as I’d been a weekend NT for 7 years already!)

I knew nutrition and food mattered. I didn’t yet understand the full impact hormones, gut health and genetics played a role in mental health. I qualified as a clinical hypnotherapist that year too!

The 2026 me is happier than she’s ever been. She is being true to herself, with much stronger boundaries. She prioritises her own mental health above all else, works less and earns more! 😂 She is a Certified Functional Medicine Practitioner and is looking at studying Psychotherapy this year to deepen her knowledge and support her clients more.

I now know that you need to use nutrition, functional medicine and mindset work to heal your whole system - brain, body, hormones and history - not carry it with you.

I’m excited for the next ten years too - there is so much still to learn, so many clients to support, more walks to be had, more work to be done changing the narrative around midlife mental health. Let’s go!

11/01/2026

Last and by no means least in this mini series is your gut and your gut-brain axis which plays a crucial role in your mental health and can help prevent depression.

Your gut, and its microbiome, is not just “digestion” – it’s a control centre for your mood, anxiety, energy and even how well antidepressants work. If your microbiome is inflamed or imbalanced, your brain will be too – which is why so many midlife women feel low, wired-but-tired or foggy despite doing “all the right things

Your diet is one of the main drives of a healthy gut, or not, so there is lots you can do to support a healthy microbiome and gut integrity.

Here are Urban Wellness we regularly run comprehensive stool tests on clients so that we can better understand specifically what support is needs, as just taking a probiotic is often not enough. It also might not be the right strains that you specifically need.

If you would like help with your gut health then do get in touch. We have a specific Gut Health package to help you improve your digetsive health but also your mental health at the same time. Simply head to www.urbanwellness.co.uk to find out more.

Stay tuned as this week I’ll be launching a free Midlife Mood Map to help you understand what your main physiological drivers may be, and what you can do about it.

🔔 Follow me for more on midlife depression and mental health 💾 Save this post to come back to later 📂 Check out Causes 1–6 in my grid

       

09/01/2026

Methylation is complex—way too complex to cover fully in one post—but hopefully this gives you the gist.

Genetic testing + blood work is the best way to assess your methylation status and whether you have genes that drive over‑ or under‑methylation. It’s a test we run a lot here at .

In the meantime, a great place to start while you’re figuring things out: ✓ Eat plenty of protein (amino acids fuel methylation) ✓ Two cups of leafy greens daily (folate‑rich: spinach, kale, rocket, chard) ✓ Support your liver by minimising alcohol and reducing toxin exposure where you can (mould, chemicals in beauty/household products, pesticides)

If you’d like to know more about methylation or running a genetic test to see where your genes are at, DM me. I’m a Nutrigenomics Practitioner.

At the end of this series, I’ll be pulling together all 7 causes with a full resource guide—so stay tuned.

🔔 Follow me for more on midlife depression 💾 Save this post to come back to later 📂 Check out Causes 1–4 in my grid ⬅️ Come back tomorrow for Cause No.6

       

08/01/2026

The thyroid is so often overlooked in depression.

I’ve lost count of the number of times a client has had standard lab work down and their thyroid results are within ‘normal range’, and yet when I have run a more comprehensive panel they most definitely are not.

If you struggle with thyroid issues, or unresolved depression, ordering an in-depth thyroid panel may be a good place to start. One that I often use is the Advanced Thyroid Panel. It costs just £89 but if you use the code NICOLASHUBROOK you can get 10% off. This panel checks TSH, Free T3 and Free T4 (thyroxine) levels as well as thyroid antibodies, and important co-factors: folate, vitamin B12, vitamin D and ferritin (for iron status). It is a simple at-home finger prick test or you can arrange for a blood draw.

They also do a simple at-home vitamin D test which costs just £39 (or save 10% with the code NICOLASHUBROOK)

Many women with thyroid-driven depression are prescribed SSRIs without their thyroid being properly assessed. Are you one of them?

Do get in touch and DM me if I can help or you have any questions about thyroid and depression.

Tomorrow I’ll be talking about Cause No5 which can be a driver for depression so make sure you:
- follow me
- save this information so you can come back to it
- share this post with anyone you think it would help

06/01/2026

The clock inside your brain that controls your mood

The link between your mood and your circadian rhythm is huge – especially in winter, when there’s less daylight. Less light makes it harder for your brain to produce the right balance of mood‑supporting brain chemicals.

And that’s before perimenopause and menopause start to disrupt sleep with night sweats and 3 a.m. wakings.

Most of us spend our days indoors, scroll on phones or laptops late into the evening, and have inconsistent sleep routines. No wonder our mood (and hormones) struggle.

One thing you can start today is gently re‑setting your circadian rhythm with better morning and evening routines that support your natural body clock.
* Get outside light within an hour of waking
* Dim screens and lights 2–3 hours before bed
* Aim for a consistent sleep and wake time

Save this post to come back to when you’re ready to tweak your routine.
- Follow me for midlife depression support  - Come back tomorrow for Cause 3
 

05/01/2026

This is often the first thing I address in clients when they come to me for depression and antidepressant support - blood sugar regulation.

Without stable blood sugars, and adequate nutrition and fuel, your mood will be low, and your antidepressants are not going to be as effective.

For when your blood sugar is spiking and crashing throughout the day, your brain is essentially running on fumes. It can’t produce adequate neurotransmitters. It triggers your stress response inappropriately. And over time, this metabolic chaos creates the neurological conditions where depression takes root.

Here’s what many women don’t realise: skipping breakfast, having coffee on an empty stomach, eating carbs without protein, and surviving on caffeine throughout the day isn’t just leaving you tired. It’s actively creating a depressed brain.

Many women with blood sugar dysregulation describe feeling “wired but tired”—anxious and exhausted simultaneously. This is because they’re living in a constant state of low-grade stress which is creating a metabolic crisis. Their bodies are pumping stress hormones to compensate for the fuel shortage, but their brains are undernourished.

Blood sugar imbalances is possibly the most correctable drivers of depression in midlife women. You don’t need complex interventions—you need consistent eating patterns that include protein at every meal.

If you’ve been skipping breakfast, going long periods without eating, or subsisting on coffee and carbs, your depression may not be a serotonin problem at all. It may be a fuel problem.

Fix the fuel, and watch your mood transform.

- Save this post
- Share it with someone who is struggling with their low mood
- Follow me
- Come back tomorrow for Cause #2

antidepressantsupport

04/01/2026

You’ve been taking an antidepressant for a while now but don’t really feel better—or menopause has kicked in and they’re no longer as effective

Or perhaps you’ve tried other ways to address your depression such as therapy, exercise and gratitude lists. And yet… you still don’t feel like you.

Even if medication helps, it’s often treating the symptom (low serotonin) without addressing what caused the dysregulation in the first place. Many women find that once they address the root cause they either need less medication, or it works better. This isn’t about choosing between medication or root cause work. It’s about doing both.”

Because what if your depression isn’t a mindset problem at all, but a body problem your brain is trying to cope with?

There are at least 7 key physiological drivers of depression that many doctors never fully investigate – from sleep and blood sugar to hormones, gut health and more.

Over the next 7 days, I’m breaking them down, 1 cause per day, so you can start connecting the dots in your own health and see which ones might be affecting you.

- Follow me & save this post  - Come back tomorrow for Cause #1

(And if you want the full guide pulled together as a resource, stay tuned – that’s coming too.)

30/12/2025

Midlife meets menopause - we need to stop normalising that poor mental health a state we just cope with. You are not meant to live with feeling flat, anxious or overwhelmed every day.

Menopause can bring its challenges mentally - I too experienced early morning dread, bouts or anger and irritability and increased anxiety when it ‘kicked in’.

Menopause - peri or post - chronic stress and nutrient depletion can all amplify anxiety, low mood and burnout. Not to mention the role that hormones and genetics play in our mental health as well.

However, there are real, workable root causes that can be explored allowing you to feel calmer, clearer and emotionally Steed even with a lot on your plate. As a midlife mental health specialist working with hormones, gut health and nervous system regulation, support is tailored to YOUR story, not a one size fits all plan.

Make 2026 the year that changes. Book a free clarity call via the link in my bio today.

You do not have to learn to live with poor mental health.

28/11/2025

I was recently asked by to write an opinion piece about body confidence and whether we’re seeing a return to fat shaming.

As someone who grew up in the era of the supermodels, then went on to work for some of the biggest female magazines out there (including Sugar, Marie Claire, Red & ELLE) before retraining as a nutritional therapist … I have a pretty good CV on this topic!

Full article: https://www.olivemagazine.com/wellbeing/are-we-going-backwards-on-body-confidence/ (You’ll need to create an account to read the article but it’s free!)

I’d love to know what you think! Has health moved too far where there is now ‘no excuse’ for being in a larger body, especially with the rise of weight-loss jabs, or is body confidence still a thing? Can we have both?

Headshot photo:

13/11/2025

So I was listening to an episode of Diary Of A CEO the other day, when I realised we both have something in common.

We both schedule our lunch breaks!

(The only difference is I have to make my lunch and Steven has someone make it for him 🤣)

I schedule my lunch break, my gym sessions and even my dog walks. Every day, every week. Why? Because this is my time and it’s really important to me, and when you are busy it can be really easy to skip that time as there is something else that commands you attention, or you use your lunch as an excuse to get other jobs done.

That used to be me back in my media days, and even when I first started Urban Wellness. I’d often work through my lunch break, eating at my desk, and then wonder why a) I was always hungry and b) felt exhausted in the afternoon.

Here’s the thing:
a) no matter how good is women think we are at multi-tasking, your brain can’t concentrate on sending emails or completing your online supermarket delivery AND pay attention to the fact you’re eating. Hence we usually overeat or feel hungry soon after.

b) Research shows that taking a break makes you more productive in the afternoon.

So stop de-prioritising yourself and get those lunch breaks in the diary! Your brain, as well as your body, needs nourishment (food + timeout) and fuel for the rest of the day.

j

20/09/2025

This is why I trained as a nutritional therapist: my lived experience of depression and anti-depressasnts.

In a world where 1 in 6 people in the UK have moderate to severe depression, and that untreated depression can be a huge risk for dementia in later life, I am here to change the narrative on what we are told to believe about depression.

It is not permanent. It is not something you have to learn to live with for years.

Read more over on my latest Substack about how nutrition and functional medicine can treat depression: https://open.substack.com/pub/nicolashubrook/p/how-nutrition-and-functional-medicine?r=5eqdhw&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web

And if this resonates, share your story or questions in the comments—I’d love to hear from you.

Please also share with anyone you know who is struggling with depression. It's time to shake things up!

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Woodford Green

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http://www.urbanwellness.co.uk/

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Urban Wellness is a nutrition and hypnotherapy practice to help you get back in balance in today's hectic world. In particular we work with clients who want to reduce stress, ease anxiety or have a better relationship with food.