Understanding Menopause: Symptoms, Causes, and How Nutrition Can Help

Menopause - awareness is certainly growing about the impact it can have on your life. With all the hormonal, physical, and emotional shifts - finding ways to deal with them can help bring back balances and confidence to your life. 

It’s important to recognise it as a lifestyle that marks the end of menstrual cycles. Around 80% of women experience noticeable symptoms during menopause, though the severity and type can vary widely.

Common Symptoms

Some symptoms may be obvious, while others might feel unrelated to menopause:

• Hot flushes and night sweats

• Mood changes, irritability, or anxiety

• Sleep disturbances

• Fatigue and low energy

• Brain fog or difficulty concentrating

• Changes in skin, hair, or nail health

• Digestive issues, bloating, or changes in appetite

• Weight gain around the abdomen

You may find that a collection of these symptoms becomes the “new normal,” even though they may be linked to hormonal shifts that could be supported nutritionally.

Possible Root Causes

Menopause symptoms are possibly related to hormonal fluctuations, particularly decreases in oestrogen and progesterone. These changes may also affect other systems in the body, including digestion, blood sugar balance, and mood regulation. Other factors that might influence symptom severity include:

• Nutrient deficiencies, especially magnesium, B vitamins, and vitamin D

• Blood sugar imbalances

• Stress and adrenal support

• Gut health and inflammation

• Lifestyle factors such as sleep quality, exercise, and diet

By looking at the bigger picture, we can see how interconnected these systems are and how nutritional support may help manage symptoms.

What a GP Might Do

When you first consult a GP, they may focus on ruling out medical conditions such as thyroid disorders, anemia, or other hormonal imbalances. They might suggest blood tests or hormone replacement therapy (HRT) if appropriate. Many women arrive after trying lifestyle changes and over-the-counter solutions with limited success, which is where a functional nutrition approach can complement traditional care.

How I Support Women Through Menopause
When working with clients, I take a step-by-step approach to support hormonal balance and overall wellbeing:

1. Comprehensive Assessment: Review medical history, symptoms, and lifestyle factors.

2. Identify Root Causes: Consider nutrient deficiencies (e.g., magnesium, vitamin D, iron), digestive health, and stress patterns.

3. Functional Testing: Where appropriate, I may suggest tests for nutrient status, gut microbiome, or hormone levels to remove guesswork.

4. Tailored Nutrition Plan: Focus on nutrient-dense foods to support hormones, energy, and mood.

5. Lifestyle Recommendations: Gentle exercise, stress management, and sleep hygiene strategies.

6. Ongoing Support: Monitor symptoms and adjust the plan as needed for sustainable results.

Take the Next Step

If menopause symptoms are affecting your daily life, you don’t have to manage them alone. Book a chat with me today to explore how a personalised nutrition and lifestyle plan can help you feel more balanced, energized, and supported through this transition. I see clients all over the UK online or in-person for those local to Guildford and Surrey.

Understanding Your Digestive System: Signs, Causes & Support for Gut Health

Your gut does a lot more than just digest your lunch, it’s chatting constantly with your brain, shaping your mood, your energy levels, and even how well you sleep. If your digestion has been feeling “off” lately, you’re definitely not alone. So many clients tell me they’ve got used to bloating, sluggishness, or that post-meal fog… but none of these need to be your normal. Let’s talk about what might really be going on under the hood and how supporting your gut can help you feel like you again.

Studies suggest that fibre intake is about 40‑50% of what it should be in the UK, which has implications for gut flora, digestion and inflammation.

 Common Symptoms

You might suspect a gut health imbalance if you notice:

• Frequent bloating, gas or abdominal discomfort

• Constipation or irregular bowels

• Acid reflux or heartburn

• Low energy or feeling sluggish after meals

• Mood changes, brain‑fog or poor concentration

• Feeling “off” after eating (rather than just full)

• Trouble sleeping or sleep disrupted by digestive issues

• Signs of low immunity or recurring minor infections

Often these symptoms are dismissed as “just how I am” or “that’s normal for me”, but they may reflect a digestive system under strain.

Possible Root Causes

Gut health challenges could be related to a variety of underlying factors, including:

• Low fibre intake and poor diversity of plant foods — fibre fuels beneficial gut bacteria.

• Imbalances in gut flora (microbiome) and changes in stomach acid, digestion speed or immunity within the gut.

• Lifestyle factors: inadequate sleep, stress, low physical activity — all impact gut function and motility.

• Inflammation, food sensitivities or low nutrient dense diet‑quality (low in whole foods) which may compromise gut barrier and flora.

• The “brain‑gut connection” — mood, anxiety and gut health often influence each other.

By looking at all of these together, rather than treating a single symptom in isolation, you can address the root of gut health issues rather than just managing them.

What a GP Might Do

If you consult your GP about digestive symptoms, you might expect:

• Investigations such as blood tests (for anaemia, inflammation, thyroid etc) and stool tests

• Basic advice on diet and lifestyle (e.g., increase fibre, avoid known triggers like heavy fatty meals etc.)

• Conventional treatments such as proton‑pump inhibitors for reflux, and laxatives for constipation.

Many of my clients after having followed this path: standard advice has helped somewhat, but they still feel there’s more to uncover, especially around diet, gut flora and lifestyle.

How I Support Clients with Gut Health & Digestion

Here’s the step‑by‑step approach I work through when supporting someone with gut health issues:

1. Initial Assessment: Review digestive history (symptoms, timing, triggers), diet intake, lifestyle (sleep, stress, exercise), medical history.

2. Identify What to Rule Out / Identify: Check for nutrient gaps (e.g., fibre, magnesium, B‑vitamins, vitamin D), signs of food sensitivities, gut motility issues, microbiome concerns.

3. Functional/Targeted Testing: Where appropriate, use stool or microbiome profiling, nutrient status blood tests, digestion/motility tests to help move beyond guesswork and tailor support.

4. Tailored Nutrition Plan: Increase fibre and plant‑food diversity, include fermented foods, reduce gut‑irritating foods, support healthy digestion through meal‑timing and food combinations.

5. Lifestyle Adjustments: Enhance sleep quality, manage stress (which may reduce gut symptoms), increase gentle physical activity (aids motility), encourage adequate hydration.

6. Ongoing Review & Adjustment: Monitor symptoms (digestive comfort, bowel regularity, energy, mood), adjust plan as gut flora and function improve, continue to embed sustainable habits.

Take the Next Step!

If you’re experiencing digestive discomfort, irregular bowel patterns, low energy or mood changes that may be tied to your gut health, you don’t have to navigate this alone. Book a discovery chat with me today, and we’ll explore a personalised gut‑health plan to support your digestion, energy, immunity and overall wellbeing. I see clients across the UK online or in person for those local to Guildford & Surrey.

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Blog Post Title Four

It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

Don’t worry about sounding professional. Sound like you. There are over 1.5 billion websites out there, but your story is what’s going to separate this one from the rest. If you read the words back and don’t hear your own voice in your head, that’s a good sign you still have more work to do.

Be clear, be confident and don’t overthink it. The beauty of your story is that it’s going to continue to evolve and your site can evolve with it. Your goal should be to make it feel right for right now. Later will take care of itself. It always does.