http://www.optimalhealthnutrition.co.uk/

Optimal Health Nutrition, Bournemouth (2026)

24/12/2025

Wising you all a very merry Christmas and a happy and healthy new year!

16/12/2025

Progesterone and oestrogen in early perimenopause - it’s very tricky to balance those as general rule is that progesterone falls giving you the majority of symptoms of early peri such as anxiety and insomnia and oestrogen can be high giving you bloating, weight gain, heavy periods and PMS. To further complicate things oestrogen can hugely fluctuate. So, it is very important to actually test to see what is going on ( I usually run a DUTCH test with perumenopausal clients) plus bloods and check the thyroid ( through a full panel including antibodies) - as a minimum.

Managing early peri-menopausal symptoms through HRT can be tricky and I see it in many clients - mainly because most GPs that prescribe it don’t measure hormone levels and mostly because progestins ( the ‘progesterone’ found in HRT) does not have the same effect your own progesterone does.

In addition, I have a huge issue with HRT being prescribed to women without a discussion about breast cancer risk.

I hope you found this helpful. health

11/12/2025

is one of the best online trends in the moment. above I’ve given you so ideas about how to add quantity, variety and some of the most beneficial types of fiber to add to diet.

The basics are:

- aim for 25/30 grams of fiber daily. Just as an example a medium apple would have about 4 grams of finer

- aim for variety - ideally 40+ different plant foods per week - fruit, veg, legumes, nuts and seeds, spices, teas

- prebiotic fiber is important to feed gut bacteria - contained in foods such as artichokes, leeks, sweet potatoes, pomegranates …

- high antioxidant fiber foods - berries and pecans + others

- resistant starch is also excellent for gut bacteria - heated and cooled rice/potatoes, green bananas..

- pectin - so underrated , contained in apples, quince and citrus fruit ( buy organic and eat with the peel) is also great for the gut

- specific fiber that has anti-inflammatory and researched anti- cancer properties - cruciferous vegetables, garlic, ginger, turmeric

My lovely colleague has just written an excellent book on the subject ‘Everyday high fiber plan’ and I highly recommend!

08/12/2025

I avoid talking about supplements because these should be personalised, but since a lot of people going on a health kick soon will be thinking about adding some and there is so much useless hype online about some supplements that are not that essential or needed by mostly unqualified content creators ( honestly NAD is so overhyped!!!) I decided to do this video.

The most basic supplements most people need and are deficient in are:

- Vitamin D - you may need a very high dose, you need to test baseline levels, most people will need between 2,000-10,000 IU per day this time of year, test don’t guess

- magnesium- you can’t get enough from food and it’s very important for everything- from detox to your hormones - you likely need something like Magnesium Glycinate ( about 400 mg p/d)

- zinc citrate - again a lot of people are deficient , important for the immune system, skin health, hormones, DNA repair, gut health… you likely need something simple like zinc citrate ( always take with food) something@like 30 mg p/d

,

05/12/2025

So, from next year
‼️synthetic ‼️folic acid is being added to all wheat white flour - gluten free and organic being exempt, but please read labels as Dove Farm Organic Flour I’ve taken a picture of here already contains it.

The adding has started already, which means that it is already in commercially produced white wheat goods such as pasta, biscuits, cakes etc,etc.

It is supposed to help with spina bifida in babies, which is relatively uncommon in the UK ( 6 cases per 10,000 pregnancies in the UK).

However, here in lies the issue - folic acid being synthetic form of folate,can cause issues in people with MTHFR gene mutations (about 40% of the population). This is about 28 000 000 people in the uk being affected ( to potentially ‘save’ 6 cases of spina bifida per 10,000 cases).

The main issue is that people with that gene mutation (again, very common), cannot convert the synthetic form of folic acid to its active form. This then can lead to health issues such as elevated homocysteine levels ( which is a marker for cardiovascular risk), infertility and there has been even suggested links ( and research) with it being linked to autism in children.

Considering the cost benefit analysis, this is bonkers. I buy gluten free and organic flour for my household anyway, but I would be watching like a hawk for any sources of it ( yes I have the MTHFR mutation) and potentially my toddler son does, too.

As a side note , regarding folic acid if you are looking to get pregnant or already are or if you are being given it if on some strong autoimmunity meds such as Methotrexate is not a good idea , either, for the above reasons.

04/12/2025

This is an excellent short documentary by BBC Panorama about the widespread forever chemicals which can have significant impact on health, specifically:

- lower birth weight in babies
- Infertility
- Thyroid issues such as thyroid autoimmunity (Hashimoto’s)
- Developmental disorders in children
- Links with different types of cancer
- Endocrine/hormonal disruptors

! These are passed from a mother to a child as well !

The documentary shows how ineffective the government is in regulating these and how most of our rivers contain high levels and plants manufacturing those can and are dumping this toxic waste in our rivers.

There are also no regulations about these being widely used in the food chain production, household item production or the clothes industry.

Main sources of PFAS ( to avoid) - not an exhaustive list:

- some pesticide treated fruit and veg - PFAS makes these pesticides stick to them when it rains ( buy organic where you can)

- tap water - use reverse osmosis filter - depending on where you live there could be quite high, this is in addition to other toxic chemicals commonly found in drinking water

- most conventional carpets - I avoid these as these also off- gas formaldehyde, use non toxic wooden flooring or tiles

- Some of drinks containing highest levels of PFAS is wine - buy organic or avoid

- Teflon anything in your kitchen would have high levels - including pans, baking trays and air fryer trays -swap for stainless steel or cast iron

- Water resistant clothing such as jackets and also all sweat repellent gym clothes - there are some organic brands out there that avoid these

03/12/2025

My take on the super easy and delicious viral chicken kebab. I’ve made this a few times now, adjusted the ingredients a bit and this is a firm favourite and a new go-to batch cooking recipe.

Here is what you need:

- 400 grams ideally organic chicken mince (I used organic one), but this would also work with lamb mince

- 1 red or white onion - peeled and blended - excess liquid squeezed out

- 1 large red pepper ( yellow would also work or if you have roasted peppers in a jar) - blended and excess liquid squeezed out

- 1 handful of parsley - finely chopped

- 1/2 handful of mint (finely chopped)

-1/2 tbs masala spice mix or any curry mix or even Thai green powder would also work

- a bit of the grating of a lemon peel (organic) this is optional

- salt and pepper to taste

Method:

I usually chop roughly all the ingredients apart from the mince and spices and roughly blend in my Nutri bullet and then squeeze out excess liquid in a clean tea towel and mix well with the rest of the ingredients.

Then flatten mixture in a tin, I used non bleached baking paper underneath and lightly score at about 2 finger width and bake for about 25/30 mins at 180 ( no need to flip, but you may have to spoon out excess liquid if it forms).

Enjoy!

25/11/2025

Perimenopause and Protein Intake:

It is very common when going through the Peri- menopause to for cortisol levels to go up ( partly due to the ‘mid-life squeeze’) and partly due to fluctuating s*x hormones and for blood sugar levels to fluctuate - leading to symptoms such as dizziness, fatigue, weight gain (especially around the middle), anxiety and elevated blood sugar, triglycerides and cholesterol markers on labs.

One of the best dietary changes to make is to increase protein intake ( fiber is also very important, will talk about it in another post).

I find having a protein rich breakfast ( and any caffeinated drinks AFTER) helps sets you up for the day. Women chronically under eat protein I find, and here I am talking about 25-30 grams of protein for breakfast and then roughly a quarter of the plate made up of complete protein ( eggs, meat, fish, quinoa, buckwheat etc) for lunch/dinner.

30 grams of protein for breakfast would look like:

- 3 egg and veggie scrambled eggs and 1/2 cup of Greek yogurt with some chia

- 1 cup of cottage cheese mixed with some almond or peanut butter and berries plus some h**p

- 1 roasted turkey steak ( I had this for breakfast today) with some veggies

- 1 roasted chicken breast covered in yogurt and masala spices plus some veggies

Yes, having a sweet cereal based breakfast is a myth and a marketing scam. I usually go for eggs loaded with lots of veggies or left over / batch cooked meat and fish.
*xhormones

20/11/2025

I don’t mean to scare you but you really need to pay attention to the food you are eating these days. Not talking just about avoiding fast and ultra processed foods, but also foods full of micro plastics, heavy metals (most dark chocolate) and endocrine disruptors (most farmed fish).

Paying attention to what fruit and veg have been grown with and treated with should also join this list. In this case I want to bring your attention to - which is a synthetic fungicide most non organic mostly citrus fruit is treated with - with highest levels found in tangerines and clementines.

Studies have found that:

- it is a probably human Carcinogen linked to significant DNA damage

- a potent hormone disruptor linked to increased risk

- it is so powerful that animal studies have found that maternal exposure can disrupt the endocrine system of the offspring ‼️

What you can do:

- buy organic citrus fruit
- if buying conventional soak and wash the outside of the fruit
- store in a separate fruit bowl
- wash your hands after peeling
- do not cook the peel - I’ve seen a few Christmas recipes - buy the organic variety for that and still wash

11/11/2025

Unfortunately this is so true….health is wealth and we only realise it too late.

06/11/2025

Easy GF pizza waffles:

I dusted off my (non toxic) waffle machine last weekend to try yet another recipe with my son (aka budding chef) and these turned out great, so I thought I’d share on here .

These can be batch cooked and kept in fridge.

Ingredients:

- 1/2 cup GF flour
- 1/2 grated cheese, mozzarella would also work
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano, but dried basil would also work
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 3 tbs of tomato sauce, I used Mr Organic Lentil Ragu ( for some sneaky legumes)
- 1/2 tbs olive oil

Method :

Whisk the eggs together and add tomato sauce and cheese, fold in the flour slowly , add all the spices.

Oil the waffle machine with a brush between each batch.

04/11/2025

Breast Cancer is one of the most common cancers in the UK, with 1 in 7 women currently being diagnosed ( it also affects a small percentage of men).

Recently, a very large study ( tracking over 2 million women aged 13-49) for two decades has found that it increases the risk of breast cancer by ‼️24%‼️(overall risk - compared to never users).

Both combined pill and progestin only were examined, with women on the mini pill - containing synthetic progesterone called ‘desogestrel’ 21% more likely to develop breast cancer , whilst women on combined - 12% increase in risk.

The study also found the risk increases the longer you use the pill.

The study does not examine mechanisms of how this is possible , but I suspect ( based on my cancer training) is to do with:

- Oestrogen and synthetic progestins (don’t confuse with natural progesterone) stimulate cell proliferation in breast tissue. Other studies have found higher risk when girls under 18 are taking the pill as their breasts are still developing

- Synthetic progestins ( again, not progesterone) can mimic oestrogen at receptor levels. Some studies examining the links between HRT and breast cancer risk are also finding this - it’s the issue with progestins and how they behave

- The pill generally can deplete B vitamins, which are important for methylation and genomic stability

- The pill can affect the liver in multiple ways - and this is an important detox organ

- the pill affects the gut micro biome - altering composition and gut bacteria diversity- and there is a group of gut bacteria called ‘oestrobolome’, which help detox unhealthy oestrogens , plus most of your immune system lives in your gut

Again those are just suspected mechanisms, several of those or others can be at play.

The good news is that even if you have been on the pill for years, there are so many EVIDENCE based prevention strategies you can employ, and this is something I can help with.

Optimal Health Nutrition

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