LEPT Nutrition

09/09/2026

Want a simple way to get more fibre and plant variety into your week?

Start with beans!

This easy 10-minute salad combines two varieties of beans, colourful vegetables, herbs, extra virgin olive oil and golden spiced feta.

Beans provide fibre that helps support our gut microbes—particularly relevant during menopause when we're learning more about the relationship between the gut microbiome and estrogen metabolism, including the estrobolome.

And remember: MHT/HRT doesn't replace good nutrition. It doesn't provide fibre or feed your gut microbes. They have different roles in supporting health during menopause.

🥗 THE RECIPE

Serves 4 | 10 minutes

Ingredients
🧀 200g feta
🌿 1 tbsp cumin
🌿 2 tsp Italian seasoning
🧄 2 garlic cloves
🫒 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
🍋 Juice of 1 lemon
🫑 1 red capsicum
🧅 1 red onion
🫘 420g cannellini beans, drained & rinsed
🫘 420g mixed beans, drained & rinsed
🌿 ¼ cup parsley

Method

Mix the cumin, Italian seasoning, garlic, olive oil and lemon juice. Coat the feta and pan-fry for 3–5 minutes each side until golden.

Combine the capsicum, onion and beans. Top with the feta and parsley.

Done! 💚

Gut tip: If you aren't used to eating much fibre, increase beans gradually according to your tolerance.

💚 SAVE this one for an easy lunch or dinner.

Lorraine English | Clinical Nutritionist
Specialising in Menopause & Gut Health
LEPT Nutrition

07/09/2026

Menopause Fatigue: Is Food Part of the Picture?

“I wake up tired, have coffee to get going, skip breakfast because I'm not hungry... and by 3pm I'm exhausted.”

Sound familiar?

Fatigue is incredibly common during the menopause transition—but don't automatically assume it's just your hormones.

Sleep disruption, hot flushes, stress, inadequate food intake, low iron, thyroid problems, medications and other health conditions can all contribute to fatigue.

And your eating pattern deserves attention too.

☕ Coffee isn't breakfast.

Coffee might make you feel more alert temporarily because caffeine stimulates the central nervous system.

But caffeine doesn't provide the protein, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, minerals or energy your body gets from food.

If breakfast becomes coffee...

Then lunch gets pushed back...

And you're trying to function through a busy day without adequately fuelling yourself...

It's hardly surprising if you eventually hit the wall.

That afternoon exhaustion can then be accompanied by intense hunger and a strong desire for quick-energy foods.

Instead, think about fuel before restriction.

A balanced meal might include:

🥚 Protein — eggs, yoghurt, cottage cheese, tofu or leftovers
🌾 Quality carbohydrates — oats, wholegrain bread or fruit
🌱 Fibre — fruit, vegetables, wholegrains, nuts and seeds
🥑 Healthy fats — nuts, seeds, avocado or extra virgin olive oil

Protein is especially important in midlife because it supports satiety and helps us maintain muscle as we age.

One more important point:

Persistent or significant fatigue deserves investigation.

Nutrition can be one piece of the puzzle, but fatigue can also be associated with iron deficiency, thyroid conditions, sleep disorders and other medical issues.

Don't simply accept months of exhaustion because somebody told you:

“It's just menopause.”

The goal isn't a perfect diet. It's giving your changing body what it needs to function well.

Lorraine English | Clinical Nutritionist
Specialising in Menopause & Gut Health
LEPT Nutrition

05/09/2026

Bloating. Constipation. Changes in bowel habits. Foods suddenly feeling harder to tolerate.

If your gut seems different since entering perimenopause or menopause, you’re certainly not the only woman asking:

“What has happened to my digestion?”

The answer isn't always as simple as blaming estrogen.

During the menopause transition, estrogen and progesterone change—but at the same time, so can our sleep, stress levels, physical activity, body composition, medications and eating habits.

And sitting in the middle of all of this is something fascinating:

🦠 Your gut microbiome.

Your digestive tract contains a huge community of microorganisms that interact with the food you eat and produce compounds that can influence many aspects of health.

And emerging research suggests that menopause itself may be associated with changes in the gut microbiome.

But here's what I DON'T want you to take from this:

❌ You need an expensive “gut detox.”
❌ You need to eliminate half your diet.
❌ Every menopause symptom is caused by your microbiome.
❌ One probiotic is going to “balance your hormones.”

Gut health is much more complex than that.

So what CAN we do?

Start with food.

🥦 Eat a variety of plant foods
🌾 Include wholegrains where tolerated
🫘 Add beans, lentils and legumes
🥜 Include nuts and seeds
🫐 Eat colourful fruit and vegetables
🌿 Include herbs and spices
💧 Stay adequately hydrated

These foods provide different fibres and plant compounds that interact with our gut microbes.

And importantly, don't forget protein.

In menopause, I'm not interested in looking after your gut while forgetting about your muscles, bones and metabolic health.

We need to look at the whole woman.

Over the coming weeks, I'm going to take you deeper into the fascinating relationship between:

🌿 Menopause
🦠 Your microbiome
🧬 Estrogen
🥗 Nutrition

Including one part of your microbiome you've probably never heard of...

The estrobolome.

More on that soon.

Lorraine English | Clinical Nutritionist
Specialising in Menopause & Gut Health
LEPT Nutrition

02/09/2026

🌿 WHAT'S FOR DINNER?

Spiced Chilli Chicken Tray Bake 🍗🥦

One tray. Plenty of colourful vegetables. A satisfying source of protein. And dinner on the table in around 30 minutes.

This is the kind of meal I love recommending to women during menopause because good nutrition doesn't have to mean complicated recipes or hours in the kitchen.

As we move through perimenopause and menopause, what we put on our plate becomes increasingly important.

🥦 Plant variety matters for our gut microbiome and provides fibre and a range of nutrients and plant compounds.

🍗 Protein matters because maintaining muscle becomes increasingly important as we age.

🌈 Colour matters because different plant foods provide different nutrients and phytochemicals.

And remember—nutrition and MHT/HRT don't need to be an either/or conversation.

For women who choose and are suitable for MHT, it can be an important part of menopause care.

But MHT doesn't provide protein, fibre or plant diversity.

That's the job of your food.

And meals like this make those foundations much easier.

🍗 SPICED CHILLI CHICKEN TRAY BAKE

Serves 4 | Ready in approximately 31 minutes

You'll need:

🥕 1 large carrot, cut into 5cm sticks
🧅 1 red onion, cut into wedges
🥦 50g broccolini
🧄 2 cloves garlic, crushed
🫒 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
🍗 700g chicken thighs
🌶️ 1 tbsp curry powder
🌶️ 2 tbsp sweet chilli sauce
🥬 100g bok choy
💧 1 tbsp water

METHOD

1️⃣ Preheat your oven to 200°C / 180°C fan-forced and line a baking tray with baking paper.

2️⃣ Combine the carrot, red onion, broccolini and garlic. Toss with the olive oil and place onto the prepared tray.

3️⃣ Coat the chicken with the curry powder and place it on top of the vegetables. Cook for approximately 15 minutes, or until the chicken is almost cooked through.

4️⃣ Meanwhile, whisk the sweet chilli sauce with the water.

5️⃣ Add the bok choy to the tray and drizzle half of the sweet chilli mixture over the chicken and vegetables. Return to the oven for another 5 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and the vegetables are tender.

6️⃣ Divide between plates and drizzle over the remaining sweet chilli mixture.

Dinner done. 💚

MENOPAUSE NUTRITION TIP 🌿

Don't focus on finding one “perfect menopause food.”

Instead, look at what you're repeatedly putting on your plate.

Ask yourself:

Where's my protein?
Where are my plants?
Where's my fibre?
How much variety am I getting across the week?

Those everyday choices matter.

💚 SAVE this recipe for the night you want something nutritious without making dinner complicated.

Lorraine English | Clinical Nutritionist
Specialising in Menopause & Gut Health
LEPT Nutrition

31/08/2026

Insulin Resistance in Midlife: What Women Should Know

You've probably heard the term insulin resistance.

But what does it actually mean—and why should women in midlife understand it?

Insulin is a hormone that helps regulate the glucose in our blood. One of its jobs is to signal cells, particularly in tissues such as muscle, to take up glucose and use or store it.

With insulin resistance, the body's tissues become less responsive to insulin's signal.

The body may compensate by producing more insulin to keep blood glucose under control.

So where does menopause fit in?

Estrogen influences several aspects of glucose metabolism, body-fat distribution and insulin sensitivity. As estrogen declines across the menopause transition, that protective metabolic environment changes.

But again, estrogen isn't acting alone.

Ageing, loss of muscle, increasing visceral fat, sleep disruption, stress, genetics, activity levels and diet can all contribute.

⏰ Meal timing can matter too.

Our metabolism follows a circadian rhythm—our internal approximately 24-hour clock.

Hormones involved in metabolism, including cortisol and insulin, change throughout the day, and research suggests that glucose responses can differ depending on when we eat.

That doesn't mean every menopausal woman needs to eat at the same time.

But it DOES mean that repeatedly skipping food all morning and then consuming most of your food late in the day isn't necessarily the best strategy for everyone.

Top Tips:

Eat regular, balanced meals
Include protein throughout the day
Prioritise vegetables and fibre-rich foods
Choose quality, minimally processed carbohydrates
Protect and build muscle with resistance exercise
Move regularly—including after meals where practical
Don't underestimate sleep

And importantly:

MHT may be appropriate for managing menopausal symptoms and has broader physiological effects, but it doesn't replace the foundations of metabolic health.

Medication cannot provide dietary fibre.

It cannot provide adequate protein.

And it cannot build muscle for you.

Menopause care works best when we look at the whole woman

Lorraine English - Clinical Nutritionist

31/08/2026

29/08/2026

When we talk about “gut health,” what are we actually talking about?

One important part of the conversation is your gut microbiome.

Your gastrointestinal tract is home to a vast community of microorganisms.

And they're not simply sitting there doing nothing.

Your gut microbes interact with components of the food you eat, particularly substances that we can't completely digest ourselves.

Certain microbes can ferment dietary fibres and produce compounds called short-chain fatty acids.

These compounds are one example of how the food on your plate can interact with the microbial community living in your gut.

This is one reason I talk so much about VARIETY.

Your gut doesn't need one magical “superfood.”

It benefits from a dietary pattern that provides a variety of fibres and plant compounds.

Think:

🥦 Vegetables
🍓 Fruit
🫘 Beans and lentils
🌾 Wholegrains
🥜 Nuts
🌱 Seeds
🌿 Herbs and spices

Instead of asking:

“What's the best food for my gut?”

Try asking:

“How many different plant foods have I eaten this week?”

And please don't think you have to go from eating very little fibre to mountains of vegetables and legumes overnight.

Increasing fibre too quickly can leave some people feeling MORE bloated and uncomfortable.

Build gradually and according to your individual tolerance.

During menopause, this becomes part of a much bigger nutrition picture.

We still need adequate protein.

We still need to think about bone health.

We still need to consider cardiovascular and metabolic health.

And we need to recognise that your gut microbiome may also interact with something particularly relevant to menopause:

ESTROGEN.

That's where the estrobolome enters the conversation.

And that's what I'll explain next.

Lorraine English | Clinical Nutritionist
Specialising in Menopause & Gut Health
LEPT Nutrition

25/08/2026

What if dinner could be this simple? 🌿🍳

One pan. 15 minutes. Plenty of colourful vegetables.

This One Pan Curried Vegetables with Eggs is a delicious option for breakfast, lunch or those nights when you want a nourishing dinner without spending forever in the kitchen.

For women navigating menopause, building meals around protein, fibre and a variety of plant foods can be a simple way to support overall nutrition and gut health.

🥚 Eggs provide protein
🥬 Purple cabbage + zucchini add colourful plant foods
🌿 3g fibre per serving
💪 15g protein per serving
⏱️ Ready in just 15 minutes

🌿 ONE PAN CURRIED VEGETABLES WITH EGGS

Serves 3 | Prep & cook: 15 minutes

Ingredients
• 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil, divided
• 40g shallot, chopped
• 1 medium zucchini, sliced
• 225g purple cabbage, shredded
• 1½ tsp curry powder
• 6 eggs
• 1 tbsp parsley, chopped
• Salt and pepper to season

Method

1️⃣ Heat a cast-iron pan over medium heat. Once hot, add half the olive oil. Add the shallot, zucchini, cabbage and curry powder. Toss well and sauté for 3–5 minutes, or until the vegetables have softened.

2️⃣ Use a spoon to make spaces in the vegetables, exposing the pan. Add the remaining oil to the spaces and crack an egg into each one.

3️⃣ Cover and cook until the whites are set and the yolks are cooked to your liking.

4️⃣ Season with salt and pepper, garnish with parsley and enjoy! 🌿

Optional: Add hot sauce, spicy mayo or salsa for an extra kick.

💚 SAVE this recipe for your next easy breakfast or dinner.

24/08/2026

Blood Sugar and Menopause: Why You May Notice Changes

Have you reached midlife and suddenly found yourself reaching for something sweet at 3pm—even though this was never an issue before?

There may be more going on than willpower.

Estrogen has a role in insulin sensitivity and the way our bodies regulate glucose. As estrogen changes through the menopause transition, some women may experience changes in how effectively their body responds to insulin.

But estrogen is only ONE part of the picture.

Ageing, changes in muscle mass and body composition, physical activity, sleep, stress, genetics and what—and when—we eat can all influence our metabolic health.

And this is exactly why HRT/MHT alone isn't the whole answer.

For women who are suitable candidates, menopausal hormone therapy can be an important and effective treatment for menopausal symptoms. But HRT doesn't put protein on your plate, provide fibre, build muscle or automatically create the eating patterns that support steadier energy and good metabolic health.

☕ And then there's breakfast...

If your morning consists of coffee and little else, you may find yourself ravenous later in the day.

Skipping meals can leave some women arriving at the afternoon genuinely hungry and looking for the quickest source of energy available.

That can look like:

🍫 Chocolate cravings
🍪 Reaching for biscuits
☕ Another coffee
🥐 Grabbing whatever is convenient
😴 An afternoon energy slump

Rather than blaming yourself for “having no willpower,” look at what happened earlier in your day.

Try building your first meal around protein, fibre and minimally processed carbohydrates.

Think:

🥚 Eggs + wholegrain toast + vegetables
🥣 Greek yoghurt + berries + nuts + seeds
🌾 Oats + yoghurt + chia + fruit
🥑 Eggs + avocado + wholegrain toast

Protein is particularly useful because it supports satiety and helps preserve muscle—something that becomes increasingly important as we age.

The takeaway?

Hormones matter.

But so do your muscles, sleep, movement and what you put on your plate.

Menopause nutrition isn't about fighting your hormones. It's about supporting your changing physiology.

Lorraine English | Clinical Nutritionist
Specialising in Menopause & Gut Health
LEPT Nutrition

22/07/2026

Chicken, Leek & Asparagus One-Pot Soup

Looking for a quick, nourishing meal that's packed with protein and gut-friendly ingredients? This simple one-pot soup is perfect for busy weeknights and is ready in under 20 minutes.

🌿 Why you'll love it:
✨ High in protein to keep you feeling full
✨ Rich in prebiotic vegetables to nourish your gut microbiome
✨ Light, fresh and full of flavour
✨ Perfect for meal prep

Ingredients
2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
4 leeks, trimmed and sliced
830 mL low-sodium chicken stock
680 g cooked chicken breast, shredded
Juice of 1 lemon
540 g asparagus, trimmed and chopped
40 g fresh parsley, chopped
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Method

1️⃣ Heat the olive oil over medium heat.
2️⃣ Add the leeks, season with salt and pepper and sauté for 5–6 minutes until softened. Add a splash of stock if needed.
3️⃣ Stir in the chicken, remaining stock and lemon juice.
4️⃣ Add the asparagus during the last 2–3 minutes of cooking until just tender.
5️⃣ Divide between bowls and finish with fresh parsley, salt and pepper.

💚 Nutrition (per serve)
✔️ 325 Calories
✔️ 44 g Protein
✔️ 20 g Carbohydrates

🌱 Gut Health Tip: Leeks and asparagus are rich in prebiotic fibre that feeds your beneficial gut bacteria, helping support digestion, immunity and overall gut health.

Save this recipe for your next meal prep!