The Global Dietitian

07/09/2025

Whatever is on your agenda today, I hope it includes lots of time for YOU. ❤️

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05/09/2025

More and more women are getting diagnosed with ADHD later in life. In fact, a recent study showed that the average age for diagnosis of women is 37!

There are many reasons why this may be true, including:
* Girls and women tend to present with different symptoms than boys and men
* Most diagnostic criteria have historically been biased toward a male presentation
* Girls are often “inattentive,” “dreamy,” “distracted” but not disruptive, so they don’t get called out for poor behavior by teachers and parents
* Women are highly social creatures who learn to observe others, match their social behaviors to others and “mask” their differences
* Women are expected to be the family managers, organizers, doers & don’t have a lot of choice in the matter
* “Hyper-active” isn’t always just physical activity; it can be rapid or loud patterns of speech, interrupting & a VERY busy rapid-fire internal dialog

Women just generally “fly under the radar” as a result.

So when normal aging meets with hormonal fluctuations & an ADHD brain, previous strategies women may have used to cope, survive, or mask their challenges can FAIL SPECTACULARLY. 🤯

So it’s not that ADHD is a new thing. It’s been hiding in the background for years, but it’s no longer possible to juggle ALL THE THINGS. 💥

A few tips:
* Get an ADHD assessment from a qualified professional if you feel it would be helpful
* Find a coach or therapist to help you build new organizational & emotional coping strategies
* Set boundaries. Offload tasks. Stop saying yes all the time.
* Talk with your doctor about trying ADHD medication
* Menopause hormone therapy can be a strong stabilizing force
* Upgrade your self-care habits: nutrition, exercise, sleep, stress management are non-negotiable
* Find your community. Share with others. Drop kick shame to the curb & revel in your brain’s wackiness.
* Be kind to yourself! You are not broken. This stuff is hard.

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03/09/2025

What does cholesterol have to do with the menopause transition? A LOT!

Estrogen has full body effects and its loss is felt across multiple body systems. As estrogen plummets it is very common for cholesterol levels to rise in perimenopausal/menopausal women - despite no new changes in diet, lifestyle or exercise habits.

This can be frustrating and alarming (and honestly, many doctors don’t seem to be aware of the connection and instead may shame women or encourage medications before trying other changes). But it’s not your fault!

Some women will indeed require medication to manage cholesterol levels, especially if there is family history and/or cholesterol levels are quite high and unresponsive to diet and lifestyle. (This is also not a personal failure!)

However, there are a number of things you can do to bring your levels back into normal ranges and/or minimize further elevations. See slides for tips and remember:
- Eat More Fiber (eat lots of plants!)
- Exercise Often (cardio and strength training)
- Limit alcohol, smoking, saturated fat, added sugar
- Hormone therapy can also be a useful tool (talk with your doctor)

30/08/2025

Join me on September 24 for a conversation about how to navigate the brain and body changes of the menopause transition.

More & more women are getting diagnosed with ADHD in midlife as hormonal fluctuations of perimenopause affect brain function, cognition, memory and attention (plus all the usual other fun perimenopause symptoms). The number of women between ages 25-49 being diagnosed with ADHD more than doubled between 2020 and 2022. And in a recent survey by ADDitude Magazine, 94% of women reported that their ADHD symptoms became worse during the menopause transition.

Women with ADHD experience heightened symptoms and health risks during perimenopause as compared to their neurotypical peers, including an elevated risk of cardiovascular disease, increased brain deficits and memory challenges, altered responses to typical hormone replacement therapy, and an increased risk of developing an eating disorder.

This webinar will discuss nutrition & lifestyle strategies to help reduce chronic disease risk, manage brain & body symptoms, and offer neurodivergent-friendly tips and tools for staying healthy well into midlife and beyond.

The webinar is scheduled for 17:00 CEST on Wednesday, September 24, 2025 and has a registration fee of €25. (It will be recorded and made available to those registrants who are unable to attend live). REGISTRATION LINK IN COMMENTS.

p.s. You don’t have to have an ADHD diagnosis to benefit from this information! If you’re finding it harder to juggle life during this time of life, I have tools for you.

29/08/2025

Mental and physical health are inextricably connected.

The connection between neurodivergence and gut disorders has long been suspected. And it appears the gut microbiota and the gut-brain axis play large roles in this (stress, trauma, genetics, inflammation, diet and lifestyle also play important roles too)

Recent studies have verified that individuals with ADHD have a higher risk of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) as well as other gut-related issues. One recent study found that ADHD-ers are 63% more likely to have IBS than neurodivergent individuals.

Another study found connections between ADHD and several gastrointestinal (GI) disorders, including gastroesophageal reflux (GERD), gastric ulcer, duodenal ulcer and chronic gastritis.

While we can’t control our genes, we can do our best to reduce the risk of dysbiosis (altered gut bacteria) and we can adjust our diet and lifestyle to help reduce gut symptoms. (See slides for tips).

But, you don’t need to suffer in silence either! By the time most people come to see me for support with IBS, chronic constipation or GERD, they’ve been suffering for YEARS. Get help! Your health and quality of life are worth it.

   

28/08/2025

Meal Planning
 
Sometimes just hearing those words makes me shudder, and I’m a registered dietitian! The idea of trying to make 21 different meal decisions (1092 meals in a year!), surveying the kitchen, making a shopping list, buying food, preparing food & cleaning up after is OVERWHELMING. And I love food. But still. 😩
 
I also struggle with TOO much planning. Like, what if I make a meal plan & I don’t want to eat the Wednesday meal that “Sunday Me” chose for me? Or what if our plans change? Then I have food that goes bad, or I’m forced to eat something that just didn’t hit the spot. I need some structure, without rigidity.
 
This is the “dance” many ADHD-ers (& others!) struggle with: needing structure but also resisting it. Benefiting from consistency but battling to create it. 😬
 
Obviously, each person’s brain is different, but in my work with clients (& my family!) I’ve found a few things that can help reduce complexity without over-structuring things (see slide). Select 1 strategy each month & choose another after that, and so on. (The brain loves novelty)
 
A few examples:
- Have a monthly main dish exchange with some friends, where each person selects 1-2 recipes & makes enough to share with several others. Voila, food options YOU didn’t have to cook!
- Meal prep with a friend once a month or even weekly. You get connection & catch-up time PLUS someone to help cook.
- Trial one or more different meal services. Less decisions to make, no shopping to do & all you have to do is cook. Then plan easy meals around these, such as sheet pan or one-pot meals.
- Plan to have the same breakfast & lunch daily for one week, but vary dinners (if you wish). Switch things up the next week by choosing new options. Reduces cook time, grocery expenses & decision fatigue.
- Scramble a couple eggs, toast some bread, slice an avocado and maybe an apple too. Voila, breakfast for dinner.
- Have a snack dinner. Select a simple protein, a carb, a fruit and/or a veg & call it good.
 
What helps YOU reduce meal planning stress?
 

21/08/2025

The menopause transition brings lots of annoying “gifts,” and one of the biggest ones is weight gain (50-70% of women gain weight, with an average of about 10-12 kg total).

It can be highly tempting to try to aggressively fight this. After all, no one asked for this! 🤬

However, it is important to remember that food isn’t just calories. We need to guard against rapid, aggressive weight loss and instead try to play the long game. Because unfortunately, when we lose weight, we don’t get to decide where on our body it comes from, and we can’t afford to lose muscle or bone mass at this time of life!

Other risks can also come into play with high stakes dieting during perimenopause and menopause (see slide).

Instead, aim for a series of small habit changes across a number of different areas, to strengthen your overall health, including:
- Daily physical activity (30+ minutes)
- Reduced intake of alcohol, added sugar and processed foods
- Get your 5 servings of fruit and veg each day
- Moderate carbohydrate intake (125-150g/day)
- Slightly reduced caloric intake as appropriate (our metabolic rate usually slows anywhere from 200-500 calories per day)
- Build metabolically active muscle by strength training 2-3 times per week
- Reduce your portion sizes by 10-15% (instead of skipping meals and cutting out entire food groups!)

Slow and steady wins this (longevity) race!

         

20/08/2025

Just a reminder that the menopause transition isn’t just about missed periods or hot flashes!

It’s the whole ball of wax (and then some). If you are struggling with several of these symptoms, talk with your doctor about treatment options, including hormone therapy.

And let’s work together to get your healthy habits back on track to knock down that insulin resistance, high cholesterol, sluggish digestion and low energy. A few small tweaks to your diet and lifestyle can have massively positive effects on your long-term health and quality of life. (And NO, you don’t need to go on a crash diet to “fix” things. In fact, that often makes things worse!).

         

19/08/2025

Losing up to 20% of your bone mass in menopause is no fun! 😩
 
This article from Oprah Magazine is a good one, full of reminders that it’s not just calcium that we need to emphasize during the menopause transition for strong bones!
 
Nutrients to Keep in Mind:
 
⁃  Vitamin D: Works hand in hand with calcium to build and reinforce bones. 600-800 IU per day minimum is recommended, and unfortunately very few foods contain a lot of vitamin D (some options: mushrooms, fortified dairy products or juices, canned fish w/ bones). If you live in a low sun environment, you may need to supplement & at higher doses. Check levels annually to ensure your vitamin D is optimal.
 
⁃ Vitamin K: D’s partner in crime in helping support strong bones. 90 mcg of mixed K1 & K2 is recommended. Found in leafy greens & other plant-based sources. IMPORTANT: Talk to your doctor/dietitian about appropriate K intake if you are taking a blood thinner.
 
⁃ Magnesium: Helps w/ nervous system support & sleep but also regulates calcium transport & is involved in bone formation and bone mineralization. 320 mg is the daily reco. Food sources include whole grains & cereals, greens, nuts & seeds, dried beans, soy products & some fruits.
 
⁃ Phosphorus: A key component of dairy products, this mineral is stored in our bones (& teeth!), helping with repair and renewal of bone. 700 mg recommended daily. Also found in meat, fish, poultry, nuts & seeds, whole grains, and some fruits & veg. IMPORTANT: If you have kidney issues or are on dialysis, you may need to limit your phosphorus intake.
 
⁃  Protein: We know it’s important for muscle building & maintenance but also supports collagen structure within bones & aids in calcium absorption. 1.0-1.6g per kg of body weight daily.
 
⁃ And of course, Calcium: 1200-1300 mg per day. This is about 3-4 servings of dairy products. Vegans may need to take a calcium supplement as it is challenging to meet this goal w/ plants only.
 
         

19/03/2025

Be sure to listen in on Friday!

New Episode out Friday! In this episode, Diana shares what to look out for as parents, how to approach the subject with your kids, and what the resources are here in Luxembourg if you’re an English speaking parent who needs help or more information. (Including what is and is not covered by CNS). If you or someone you know has a kid that may be struggling with disordered eating, this is one you don't want to miss! Subscribe now wherever you get your podcasts, or tune in to on Friday at 11 AM.