Can’t remember why you came into a room? Brain feels like cotton wool? Do you forget what you were talking about mid-sentance or can’t remember colleague’s names? These are all common and often alarming symptoms when we seriously worry that we’re getting early onset dementia. But there are reasons for it. Oestrogen is stimulating to the brain and helps with cognition and memory so dips at perimenopause can cause a reduction in brain energy. As our body gets used to lower levels of oestrogen and progesterone (remember we still produce both post menopause from our adrenals and other peripheral tissues), we need to focus our attention on feeding our brains.…

How many of us: …Wake up EXHAUSTED so reach for caffeine…Skip breakfast (not hungry because eaten too late the night before)…Crash mid morning (more caffeine. Snacks)…Eat lunch on the run (often a sad sandwich)…Major energy slump at 3pm (more snacks and caffeine)…Eat late (due to lots of snacking in the afternoon as not that hungry)…Stay up late (so much to do – suddenly get a clarity of thought at 9pm that hasn’t been there all day!)…Go to bed late (wired and tired, can’t sleep)…Wake up and repeat… We are even MORE FRAZZLED and overwhelmed at perimneopause and change feels impossible. This is due to oestrogen and progesterones neural effects on…

What is the collegen / oestrogen link? Studies have shown that estrogen supports collagen production by binding to receptors in the skin known as fibroblasts. Collagen makes up roughly 70-80% of the weight of our skin! At menopause collagen can decline by up to 30% which is why we often see quite a lot of change in our skin and joints too. Not just for our skin – for our bones and joints too Collagen is the most abundant protein in the body. Its fiber-like structure is used to make connective tissue. It’s a major component of bone, skin, muscles, tendons, and cartilage. It helps to make tissues strong and resilient,…

This is a great chart by Viva! to show plant based calcium rich foods. The reason I use this chart in my clinic so much is because not only are these foods great for calcium, they are also great sources of other essential nutrients needed for bones that are not really talked about. The beauty of Mother Nature is that she delivers nutrients from the plant world in the right ratio of calcium to magnesium for example (where as dairy you just get loads of calcium and hardly any magnesium). They also deliver vit A (in the form of beta carotene), vit K, Vitamin C, boron, manganese and zinc. All…

This quote falls just before my Eat section in my book. Thank you Virginia for your sound advice. For most of us we dine well in the evening …but during the day our food choices are often rather reactionary and low in vitality/ rather beige. After our evening meal we often get a second wind. We feel focussed for the first time that day. We have energy for the first time that day too. I often say to clients ‘how different would you feel if you had your evening meal at the start the day?’ Breakfast and lunch are even more important than our evening dining. They are crucial to…

We very rarely feel true hunger these days. Instead we are often ruled by emotional hunger which is often not satisfied by food, however much we eat. The concept of ‘eating your emotions’ or as the Japanese saying goes not wanting our mouth to be ‘lonely’. Do you eat for any of these reasons?boredomrewardanxietysadnessfearlonelinesscommiseration These are classic emotional eating cues which are very different to physical hunger which builds gradually, is satisfied by eating, occurs after a time has past since your last meal. The way I approach rewiring our feelings of emotional hunger is to stay one step ahead of those emotional rollercoasters where feelings of guilt or shame…

Let me introduce you to Laverie Valee, also known ‘Charmion’, one of the world’s first strong women as they used to be called. What a hat! I thought she was rather apt for my perimenopause protein post. Protein is the building block of the body – including the immune system, hormones and lean muscle. There are 9 ESSENTIAL amino acids (proteins) that we must get from our diet. And this is why quality protein sources (eggs, oily fish, fish, lean meats, quinoa, pulses, tofu, nuts and seeds) are SO SO important at perimenopause (well at any time really)…look are how important they are to thwart perimenopause symptoms: 1. Phenylalanine –…

That fat round the middle seems to appear out of nowhere and all our tired and tested ways to get back into shape we used in our 20s and 30s just don’t work anymore! The reason? Our changing hormones. The main hormones related to this sudden weight gain are oestrogen, insulin, thyroid and cortisol. Oestrogen: At peri menopause which can start even in our late 30s our oestrogen and progesterone ratio start to shift. Lowing oestrogen can make us more insulin resistent and our hunger hormone ghrelin has been shown to increase during this time – so more cravings! We can also be oestrogen dominant if we have longer cycles…