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

Optimal Health Nutrition, Bournemouth (2025)

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.

31/10/2025

The scariest thing about Halloween? How much mould and mycotoxins your carved pumpkin breeds after 2/3 days.

I work with a lot of people with illness and this is often the main reason behind conditions such as , multiple types of autoimmunity including sclerosis, and , , , issues, , chronic infections and others.

Mycotoxins can come from water damage and usually do, but also a lot of foods such as peanuts and coffee and some fruits and veg breed them.

Obviously keeping your home mould free is key ( the spores of mould called mycotoxins travel far, so even a leaky basement you never go in would affect you).

There is a urine test that I use to assess mycotoxin levels and treatment protocols depending on the type found.

I hope you found this helpful

30/10/2025

Having children later in life & perimenopause:

I’m continuing my posts about spreading awareness about the perimenopause.

This one is very common - jumping from just having had a baby into perimenopause and having the worst symptoms without being to pin point exactly.

Many women who have babies in their late 30s and early 40s find themselves in that boat - meaning that’s when the perimenopause usually starts.

Often post-partum symptoms such as insomnia, fatigue , cycle irregularities and anxiety overlap with Peri-menopausal symptoms and also symptoms of thyroid issues ( also very common after you’ve had a baby).

My advice is to work with a functional medicine professional if your Dr is not helpful.

What tests I’d run in those cases:

- full thyroid panel with antibodies ( often women unlock Hashimoto’s at that stage and it’s important to check through a full panel)

- full blood count and full iron panel - symptoms of iron deficiency can be multiple - from fatigue to insomnia and heavy periods - iron deficiency anaemia is very common post-partum

- A DUTCH hormonal test to see levels of progesterone, adrenal function and oestrogen levels as well as how you metabolise those. This is the best test to run to check your s*x hormones, however, you have to wait at least 6 months after having a baby before you can do that

Depending on results of those you can have a tailored support plan to manage symptoms. There is a HUGE MISCONCEPTION that in early perimenopause you need HRT such as Oestrogen and this is not right as you have usually still high Oestrogen ( which can give you heavy periods and worse PMS than before) at that stage. Plus you should NEVER take HRT without checking hormones and their metabolism ( DUTCH) and checking pre-existing conditions and family history of on top of discussing the pros and cons with a trained professional ( most GPs need additional training for that).

It is usually Progesterone that is low or fluctuating and that may need support along with stress/adrenal support.

28/10/2025

When looking to improve health it is always important to take a diet first approach, believe me taking NAD ( like every influencer is telling you 🙄) but having a rubbish diet will take you nowhere.

I find mushrooms ( culinary) are often a very overlooked superfood. They are very good at supporting your immune system, have high anti oxidant and anti inflammatory activities and direct anti-cancer effects :

- Higher mushroom consumption is linked with reduced risk of all types of cancer (PMID:33724299)

- Turkey tail mushrooms have been studied alongside more conventional cancer therapies (PMID:32466253)

These are just edible mushroom studies, there is plenty of other studies on other types and anti-cancer activities.

I personally try and cook mushrooms at least once a week. I buy whatever I can find organic on Ocado such as these chestnut mushrooms and I simply wash chop drizzle with olive oil, add salt and thyme ( such an underrated herb!) and bake. Simple and delicious 😋

21/10/2025

👎Air fryers - a promise to ease cooking, but people generally use them to cook at high temperatures ( produces dangerous carcinogenic by-products) already cooked at high temperature fast food. Also the Teflon surface on most is carcinogenic

👎Brazil nuts - promise to be a dream because of high selenium levels, but a radioactive nightmare - they absorb radium from the soil - avoid

👎Gummy supplements - full of sugar, only for kids and read the label, recently I was looking at a vitamin C for my toddler and some of them ( from a reputable brand) contained 4 grams !!! Of sugar per dose

👎Avocado oil - full of phalates because of processing, avoid, still eat avocados though as very good for you

👎Protein powders - ultra processed food, high in lead ( heavy metal you don’t want in you)

👎‘BPA-free’ anything - as in plastics , still avoid as it has other BPA -like compounds such as BPS/BPF harmful to health and disrupting hormones

👎Most kefir drinks - read the labels - full of sugar and they don’t tell you what beneficial bacteria is in them ( the good ones do, see previous post)

👎Margarine/spreadable butter - margerine is a frankenfood, please avoid and the whole ‘heart healthy’ is a marketing trick. Spreadable butters are made spreadable by bad seed oils such as rapeseed - avoid

👎Fake meats - where do I start!? Ultra processed , full of gluten (inflammatory for
some) , not great ingredients to make the products more ‘meat-like’ avoid. If you want to eat a Beyond Burger, get the real thing ( in moderation)

👎Shop bought matcha - oh how trendy it is!!! Yes it has many benefits, however shop bought varieties have up to 13 grams of sugar!!!!

👎Biohacking without the basics - to simplify it - you don’t need the treandy or or another longevity supplement promising miracles if you don’t eat a balanced diet, exercise, manage stress, clean up your environment- starting with clean water and air and looking at things such as plastics, personal care , etc

15/10/2025

It is more important to know what person has the disease than what disease a person has.

After seeing now hundreds of clients with complex chronic illness this adage is becoming more and more true.

The way a person is - in a sense, their stress levels, perception of themselves, ability to manage stress and trauma , outlook on life and how they see their diagnosis ( or lack of such in some cases) , their social networks or lack of such, can be more predictive of how they are likely to recover or live well with their condition.

Even researchers now have identified certain personalities linked to disease:

- the cancer personality - traits like emotional suppression , high stress levels and from experience - lack of boundaries have been linked to higher chance of getting the disease

- the autoimmunity personality - often linked to trauma on childhood and Type A personalities , who overachieve and often overcompensate, but neglect themselves until the ‘body slows them down’. I’ve written about this in my book ‘Lyme in the Limelight’. I was one of those…

- Cardiovascular disease personality - sometimes type D personality (Distressed) sometimes Type A ( as above) but more on the impatient and hostile side of things…

Considering this I ask clients at the beginning of each consultation simple questions such as ‘do you believe you can get better’ and ‘tell me what ethical /emotional/social/financial barriers I need to consider when making my recommendations’ so that I can start exploring the person as well as their case…

14/10/2025

Easy protein cups:

I make a version of these very often, easy to prep and batch make on a busy week and perfect balance of protein and fiber, plus my toddler likes them 😎This recipe makes about 6 of them.

Ingredients:

- 4 organic eggs , crack and whisk slightly
- 100 grams organic feta, crumbled
- 1/2 red pepper chopped
- 1 handful of washed and chopped organic spinach
- 1 tbs of washed and chopped mint
- 2 tbs gluten free flour, or almond flour also works well
- Salt/pepper to taste

Method:

Mix all ingredients and leave the flour last - fold in gently. Put into unbleached paper muffin cases or bake in bread tin. Cook for approximately 15 minutes at 180 C.

They keep in the fridge for about a week.
👩🏻‍🍳❤️

09/10/2025

Is the a social media phenomenon? No , it’s not, but you’re likely to find a lot more useful tips on here than in a medical setting.

You don’t have to put up with tiredness, insomnia, anxiety and heavy periods, there is quite a lot you can do in terms if lifestyle changes and I intend to do more videos on the subject

07/10/2025

Toddler & gut friendly yogurt bark.

I made this yogurt bark on a rainy Saturday afternoon a couple of weeks ago. It is a good kids activity and teaches them about cooking and health, which I think is especially important for young kids as it sets their understanding for life and gives them key skills.

My son Dylan is only two and a half , but as we have been cooking simple recipes for a while now, he absolutely loves it. There is a high chance he would actually eat them (feeding toddlers can be difficult).

This yogurt bark also tastes great, is super easy and has great gut health benefits!

Here is what you need

A flat pan or a freezer friendly container and some unbleached baking paper - lay it on top, ready to spread the yogurt.

Ingredients:

-1 cup yogurt - I prefer goats or sheep’s, obsessed with the super delicious organic one from Woodlands Organic Farm (I get it on Ocado). Coconut would work, too

- 1 tbs inulin - to sweeten and prebiotic
- 1/2 tbs cinnamon powder
- 1 tbs coconut flakes
- 3 organic dates - chopped
- 3 tbs raspberries ( I used frozen)
- 3 tbs organic walnuts - roughly chopped
For toppings possibilities are endless - other nuts seeds / nut butters as well as fruit would work, too.

Method:

- mix the inulin and cinnamon into the yogurt and spread thinly onto the paper. If you want extra sweetness you can add honey or stevia ( stay away from agave!).Then arrange toppings on top. Dylan ended up throwing most of them at the same time, so we didn’t get a chance to arrange much. Then freeze for at least 3 hours

Enjoy!

02/10/2025

Lessons for living with complex chronic illness.

I have lived with complex chronic illness most of my life and most of my clients also have walked in my shoes - autoimmunity, Lyme disease, chronic gut issues, mycotoxin illness , chronic fatigue , Mast Cell Activation Syndrome and others ( often a lot of these at once).

How to approach chronic illness, regardless of whether newly diagnosed or even if you had it for a few years, is key. Those of my clients who understand and follow those rules are the ones that generally recover faster and live fuller lives:

- You may never get one diagnosis /or any ( let’s ‘name it and blame it’ approach) because sometimes you have a combination of imbalances and some of these might be poorly understood in the current medical world

- There is no single root cause for these - often it is a combination of stress/trauma, trigger (infection/toxin) and genetic predisposition- we unravel a lot of these through functional testing

- If you dwell too much on past event/s and trauma that has happened to you without managing it (with professional help ?) you run the risk of ‘your biography becoming your biology’. Childhood trauma for example is very common in autoimmunity

- Your thoughts become your reality and you can even impact physiological processes via those. Carefully think about what you tell yourself

- Do not wait for motivation ( to change diet or implement lifestyle changes etc.) it is often action that inspires motivation not the other way around

- having a victim mentality ( very common with Lyme clients) is one of the most debilitating to health - you don’t break the cycle by allowing it to perpetuate !

- Your nervous system speaks closely to your immune system and often with serious infections and toxins ( such as mycotoxins/Lyme) it becomes dis-regulated. Regulating it through tools such as Gupta programme and Primal Trust is a huge part of recovering

30/09/2025

Thai squash soup recipe

This soup recipe is easy, full of flavour and amazingly packs over 10 types of plants and plenty of .

It’s so delicious even my toddler gave it a go 😂.

Here is the recipe:

Ingredients:

- 1 organic celery stick, washed
- 1 large leek , washed
- 500 grams of roasted squash - simply chop and roast for 25 minutes with some olive oil and a bit of salt
- 1 thumb size piece of ginger
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1/2 thumb sized piece of turmeric or sun for turmeric powder
- 2 tbs olive oil
- 2 handfuls of washed organic spinach
- 2 spring of mint ( or use dried herb)
- 3 tbs coconut yogurt ( any plain yogurt will do)
- 1 tbs green curry paste ( or lemon grass paste)
- 1 organic stock cube diluted in 400 grams hot water . I like mine quite thick, you can add more water or bone broth would also work well
- Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Roughly chop the celery, leek, garlic, ginger and turmeric and blend roughly in a blender ( I used a nutri bullet). I already had a blended fresh turmeric I used as I take as a tea every morning.

Sauté the mixture in the olive oil for 5 minutes. Add the salt and pepper. Cook for another 5 minutes and add the roasted squash, spinach and stock, cook for another 5 minutes. Add the yogurt, mix and cook for another 5 minutes. Blend to desired consistency and serve.

I like mine with a shot of apple cider vinegar ( i always have it with meals - to help digestion and gut health) and some pomegranates- for colour and extra fiber/goodness.

If you want to add protein to this soup you can easily blend in cooked quinoa or some canned butter beans.

Enjoy!

25/09/2025

Why autoimmune conditions such as and worsen in the winter?

Main reasons:

- lower vitamin D levels - check levels twice a year - in autumn and spring and supplements accordingly. Optimal levels for autoimmunity are in the high end of range 100/120 nmol L. Just taking vitamin D as part of a multi usually does not work

- fluctuating melatonin levels - less sunlight exposure, more sedentary daytime routine, more blue light exposure due to darker afternoons and evenings. Ensure you expose yourself to as much sunlight as possible, blue light blocking devices and increase foods, which boost such as pistachios , eggs, mushrooms and cherries 🍒

- More respiratory and viral infections, which can be a predisposing factor for the development of autoimmunity ( there is now a lot of research on how Covid can trigger multiple autoimmune diseases) or make autoimmunity worse

- more refined carb rich diets and generally diets high in sugar - not great for the gut and not great for autoimmunity. Moreover, most people with have issues with and also sometimes

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