Nurture Nutrition

Nurture Nutrition Hi, I'm Julie a Holistic clinical Nutritionist and I help Women through Perimenopause naturally. Thyroid, PCOS, PMS, Endometriosis? I can help.

I help busy Women find the root cause of hormone imbalance, heal and thrive. I can help you get your mojo back.

You may have got the message that stress was bad for the thyroid. Let's take that from an airy fairy concept and ground ...
16/02/2026

You may have got the message that stress was bad for the thyroid. Let's take that from an airy fairy concept and ground it into reality by looking at the why.

1. Chronic stress and elevated cortisol can suppress the hypothalamic–pituitary–thyroid (HPT) axis

Your thyroid doesn’t work in isolation. It’s controlled by a feedback loop between your brain and your thyroid gland.

When stress is ongoing, cortisol stays elevated. High cortisol signals to the brain that this is not a “safe” time to prioritise growth, repair, or reproduction. Thyroid signalling can be dialled down as a result.

Over time, this can mean lower TSH output, altered thyroid hormone production, or simply a reduced responsiveness of the whole system.

In simple terms: your body shifts into survival mode, and metabolic efficiency becomes secondary.

2. Stress can promote the conversion of T4 into rT3 instead of T3

Your thyroid mainly produces T4, which must be converted into T3, the active hormone that actually drives metabolism, energy, and temperature regulation.

Under stress, the body can increase conversion of T4 into reverse T3 (rT3). Reverse T3 is essentially inactive. It blocks receptor sites without producing the same metabolic effect.

This is thought to be a protective adaptation during stress or illness, conserving energy. But chronically, it can leave you feeling flat, cold, foggy, and struggling with weight despite “normal” thyroid labs.

3. Stress can induce inflammation and immune dysregulation

Chronic stress alters immune signalling and can increase inflammatory cytokines.

In people genetically predisposed to autoimmunity, this matters. Heightened inflammatory tone and immune imbalance can aggravate conditions such as Hashimoto’s or Graves’.

Stress doesn’t “cause” autoimmunity on its own, but it can act as an amplifier. If the immune system is already reactive, stress can pour fuel on the fire.

4. Stress can deplete nutrients essential for thyroid function

Thyroid hormone production and conversion rely on adequate nutrients including selenium, zinc, iodine, iron, and B vitamins.

Stress increases nutrient demand and can impair digestion and absorption. Elevated cortisol also shifts how the body utilises certain micronutrients.

Over time, this creates a double hit: increased need and reduced availability.

The result? Even if your thyroid gland itself is structurally fine, it may not have the raw materials required to function optimally.

I've talked a lot about how most thyroid conditions are diagnosed in perimenopausal women. I've also talked a lot about how our stress buffers are reduced in perimenopause. As you can see it is a bit of a vicious cycle especially when you add in a few other lifestyle factors.

I am running a free webinar Tuesday the 24th to help you better understand why stress hits harder past 35 and give you some tools to stop the slide.

I will pop the link to join in the comments 🦋

One theory about why women had an easier perimenopause transition historically, is that in ancestral environments many w...
12/02/2026

One theory about why women had an easier perimenopause transition historically, is that in ancestral environments many women experienced pregnancy into their 40's.

Late pregnancy significantly increases oxytocin, the bonding, stress-buffering hormone. Oxytocin not only reduces stress reactivity but increases pain tolerance and calms inflammatory signaling.

Thankfully pregnancy and postpartum aren’t the only ways to access oxytocin. But we will need to make sure we have a nice steady supply of the other menu options.

So what's on your oxytocin menu this weekend?

Me - Yin yoga, slow mornings, connection with my kids, hugs, sunlight, and creativity are all featuring.

It is not about forcing yourself to do something you don't normally enjoy but doing more of what you love.

There are several theories like this — but modern stress is a major one. That's why I am hosting a free webinar on the 24th February at 7.30 pm to help understand why stress resilience drops and give you tools to help.

I will pop the link in the comments if you'd like to join us x

Many women first notice something has shifted not in their cycle, but in how they handle stress.Things that once felt ma...
10/02/2026

Many women first notice something has shifted not in their cycle, but in how they handle stress.

Things that once felt manageable suddenly feel harder.
Tolerance is lower. Sleep is lighter. Overwhelm comes faster.

Identifying triggers. Setting realistic expectations. Creating anchors for calm. Learning where to say no. Prioritising sleep, nourishment, connection, and support are all important tools.

What often makes the difference isn’t knowing more of what helps, it’s how those tools are applied in the context of real life and knowing why they are life changing in mid life.

Telling yourself you need to “reduce stress” doesn’t land the same way when:
• your nervous system is more reactive than it used to be
• life is fuller than ever
• and the internal buffer you once had has quietly shifted

This is something I see again and again in practice. The game changes and we our body needs to feel safe if we want change and personal growth.

I’m running a free live webinar in two weeks exploring why stress tolerance changes, how this often shows up and how to translate supportive tools into something that actually fits your life.

I've sent the link to my email list tonight but if you are not on it you can find out more and sign up in the link in comments
💚

I’m sending out an invitation tomorrow for a free live webinar I’m hosting in a couple of weeks.It’s for women who are n...
09/02/2026

I’m sending out an invitation tomorrow for a free live webinar I’m hosting in a couple of weeks.

It’s for women who are noticing that stress hits differently now, and that pushing through no longer works the way it used to.

If you’re not on my email list and would like me to send you the invite directly, comment YES below and I’ll make sure you don’t miss it 💚

“My labs are normal… but I don’t feel like myself anymore.”Yes I hear this all the time.And usually it’s followed by con...
28/01/2026

“My labs are normal… but I don’t feel like myself anymore.”

Yes I hear this all the time.

And usually it’s followed by confusion.
Self-doubt.
Or the quiet implication that if nothing obvious is showing up on paper, then maybe what you’re experiencing isn’t real, or isn’t important enough to keep looking at.

Here’s the part that doesn’t get said often enough:

“Normal” labs don’t always mean normal physiology.

Many reference ranges are built on averages, take thyroid for example.
And those averages come from people who were unwell enough to be tested in the first place.

So yes you can absolutley land “in range”
and still have a body that’s struggling to function well.

I also learned this the hard way.

Years ago, I had an enlarged thyroid. A scan showed a nodule that needed investigating. I walked into my appointment with a full A4 page of symptoms, things that were destroying my quality of life, every single day.

The conclusion written on my discharge summary?

“Asymptomatic thyroiditis.”
Because my TSH (the only test run then) was in the normal range.

That A word sure felt like a kick in the guts.

On paper, parts of my picture looked acceptable (blood results).
In my body, they absolutely were not.

That experience changed how I think about health forever and when I realised I had exhausted the medical system, changed my trajectory.

It made something very clear to me:
test results are just one small piece of a much bigger story.

They don’t capture nervous system strain.
They don’t reflect long-term stress load.
They don’t show how resilient, or depleted your system actually is.

Your experience matters.
How you feel matters.
And you deserve to be heard.

When something feels off, that’s information,
even if it doesn’t come back highlighted on a report.

If you’ve ever been told everything looked “fine” while your body was clearly telling a different story, you’re not imagining it.

And you’re not alone.

If this resonates and you’re tired of being told everything is “normal,” my inbox is always open.

Cutest distraction today 😻
27/01/2026

Cutest distraction today 😻

13/01/2026

Embodying grattitude helped me shift from a general low mood and high stress state. It

Never thought I would say it but.... I hope NZ follows the new US dietary guidelines!Highlights for me specific to midli...
07/01/2026

Never thought I would say it but.... I hope NZ follows the new US dietary guidelines!

Highlights for me specific to midlife women?

* Non starchy vegetables at the top, previously these sat under grains. The grain heavy pyramid was not great for metabolic health in midlife and beyond.

* Protein - 1.2 to 1.6 grams per kilogram of body weight (as opposed to the 13 to 56 grams of protein per day previously recommended) many studies show we need to be hitting at least that new lower end to prevent sarcopenia or muscle loss in midlife and beyond.

* Full-fat dairy with no added sugars prioritised over low fat.

* Removal of ultra processed foods.

Remembering that public health is across the board - obviously some adaptions would be required for optimal health of some individuals.

Do you agree that this is an improvement? What are your highlights or what would you change?

I feel like the 2026 horse energy is all about imperfect momentum. Not overthinking or overplanning but perfectly imperf...
07/01/2026

I feel like the 2026 horse energy is all about imperfect momentum. Not overthinking or overplanning but perfectly imperfect action. I hurt my shoulder last year so instead of my beloved vinyasa its yin and pilates - back to back tonight. One challenged my outer landscape the next will be inner

Happy New Year 💓 I'll be posting more again but not in a feed the greedy algorithm way but in a perfectly imperfect, sharing because I want, nervous system friendly flow ✨️

If we're going to make AI photos we should at least make them realistic 😅 Also my rack doesn't look like that and that j...
23/12/2025

If we're going to make AI photos we should at least make them realistic 😅 Also my rack doesn't look like that and that jumpsuit looks too mast cell stimulating for me anddd wtf are those things on my shoulders 🤣

I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season. I'm looking forward to a few weeks off and a fresh start in the new year. 2025 has been wild but its looking like it will all settle by the years end which is refreshing 🤞🤞

Also 2026 is not the year I sell out to AI just having a laugh 😝

Can we talk about the nocebo effect and why I refuse to be a voice of fear?The nocebo effect is the darker twin of the p...
04/11/2025

Can we talk about the nocebo effect and why I refuse to be a voice of fear?

The nocebo effect is the darker twin of the placebo effect . This is where negative expectations create negative outcomes.

When we’re told to expect suffering, our body often delivers. And this is why I refuse to be a voice of fear around menopause.

Fear-based messaging has become the norm: headlines, influencers, even doctors implying our hormones are “failing” and that we’ll fall apart without a prescription.

But fear isn’t education, it’s conditioning. And it’s profitable.

Recent reviews found 93 % of major menopause influencers promoting hormone therapies have a direct or indirect conflict of interest through paid partnerships or pharma ties.

When fear fuels clicks, it’s not awareness, it’s marketing.

Despite the hype, less than 5 % of women are actually on Hormone therapy. Most are still navigating midlife naturally, through nutrition, lifestyle, and self-care, just as women navigate birth and have traditionally navigated menopause.

Spending time in menopause is not a new phenomenon and this is not the first time menopause has had a 'moment'.

The problem now is that we don't always know when we are being marketed to.

I’m not against women using the tools available to them when needed.

I am not denying Hormone therapy can help some women.

But I will always be against manipulating women’s fears to sell products.

And the vast majority of women I have worked with have had other root causes driving or worsening their symptoms, more than just the perimenopausal hormone recalibration.

We deserve the full story, not a fabricated one that makes us doubt our biology.

When we strip away the fear, we remember:

our bodies aren’t broken,
our hormones and their decline aren’t mistakes,
and perimenopause isn’t a deficiency, it’s a recalibration.

My work is about helping women reconnect with their body’s wisdom through education, nourishment, and self-trust - not fear.

It’s been 3 years since my mask cracked. 3 years since I developed Bell’s Palsy. What I did not realise at the time was ...
31/10/2025

It’s been 3 years since my mask cracked. 3 years since I developed Bell’s Palsy.

What I did not realise at the time was that I was not just losing movement on one side of my face, I was about to drop the mask I was wearing.

The one performing, smiling, holding everything together on the outside while the inside crumbled.

As I reflect, I see that Bell’s Palsy wasn’t just a random event, it was the breaking point after years in survival mode

Bell’s palsy was a physical manifestation of a nervous system pushed beyond its capacity, over and over again. And while by all accounts I appear mostly healed, my face still reminds me if I overdo it or if I simply just need to stop and rest.

Interestingly the left side of our body is the feminine side, are we receiving or are we only giving?

Are we allowing ourselves the same care we give to others?

Clearly that balance was out.

The healing wasn’t just about facial symmetry. It became about truth.

Slowing down. Letting softness in. Letting myself be seen, really seen, not just the carefully curated version.

This story isn’t just mine.

Many midlife women reach a point where the mask begins to crack
Where the nervous system says 'enough.'

We can’t carry all of this anymore!

We can’t keep pretending we are ok when we are not.

It’s not weakness.

It’s a call back to balance and wholeness.

If you’re in your own cracking-open season, know this: it’s not the end of you.

It’s the beginning of your metamorphosis 🦋

Address

Waikato Nz
Piako

Opening Hours

Monday 10am - 3pm
Tuesday 10am - 3pm
Wednesday 10am - 3pm
Thursday 10am - 3pm
Friday 10am - 3pm

Website

https://linktr.ee/nurturenutrition

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