It's just ageing

Feeling tired, bloated, unmotivated, foggy, or just “not yourself”? You’re not alone. Many women assume these symptoms are a normal part of ageing or stress with the responsibilities we have at this time in our lives. In reality, they are all a part of perimenopause.

It doesn't have to be this way.

Renewed health in just 72 hours

Perimenopause creates the perfect storm - our hormones are unpredictable, our stress levels are high (sometimes extreme), and our gut health may be compromised from unintentional neglect. The habits that have seen us through our 20's 30's and even into our 40's are suddenly not serving us. All at a time when we have the least space or energy to do much about it.

The good news?

You can dramatically change your energy, mood, digestion, and overall well‑being with three simple nutrition habits.

I remember when I first started studying nutrition almost 20 years ago, I was overwhelmed with so much information, and I thought 'just tell me what to eat'. In this article I'm going to do just that!

And even better than that, if you implement the information in this article into your daily life, you will dramatically change your energy, mood, digestion and overall wellbeing in 3 days!!! In just 72 hours your microbiome shifts to begin to support reducing inflammation, balancing hormones and boosting your energy naturally.

Let's get started so you can thrive during perimenopause.

3 habits for transformation

There are three foods that are the cornerstone to health during perimenopause - protein, fibre and probiotics. When you focus on crowding in these foods, you are giving your body everything it needs to:

• stabilise blood sugar

• lower inflammation

• improve gut health

• regulate hormones

• reduce cravings

• increase energy

• support mental clarity

• boost mood

What I love about focusing on these foods is that there is no calorie counting and no extreme rules. It's just choosing to feed your body what it needs.

Gut health is the world's best kept secret

The gut is more than a digestive organ, it is the control centre for your:

• mood

• immune system

• cravings

• hormones

• stress response

• motivation

• metabolism

Sounds impossible right?

It's all to do with the quality and quantity of the bacteria that live in our gut (also called the microbiome).

These little guys produce the neurotransmitters serotonin, dopamine and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA). Serotonin helps regulate mood, calm and sleep, Dopamine affects our motivation, focus and reward centres, whilst GABA helps us to relax, regulating our nervous system and sleep.

The constant communication between the gut and the brain (called the gut-brain axis) means that the quality of the bacteria in the gut determines the quality of the neurotransmitters produced and sent to the brain which determines the quality of our mental health.

When your gut bacteria are thriving, you feel clearer, calmer, happier, and more energised. When your bacteria are overrun by bad bacteria or low in numbers, you feel the opposite.

With more than 70% of our immune system contained in the cells of our gut or immediately outside our gut, this control centre impacts our ability to fight of infection.

Our microbiome can change in just 3 days, so shifting our diet to crowd in protein, fibre and probiotics foods can have a profound impact on our physical and mental health quickly!

Let's look at each of these nutrients individually, starting with protein.

Protein

Starting your day with protein is one of the fastest ways to improve:

• energy

• focus

• mood stability

• cravings

• metabolism

It does this by:

• stabilising blood sugar

• triggers dopamine production for focus and motivation

• prevents mid‑morning crashes

• supports hormones and muscle repair

Most women don’t get enough protein early in the day — fixing this alone can change how you feel. You need to be eating 90-120g of protein every day, so aim for 30g for breakfast as this will give your body what it needs to start the day.

Fibre

Fibre is the food your gut bacteria thrive on. If protein feeds you, fibre feeds them.

When you get enough fibre, your gut produces short‑chain fatty acids (SCFAs), which:

• reduce inflammation

• regulate appetite

• strengthen your gut lining

• balance oestrogen

• stabilise blood sugar

• support mental health

Most people only get 10–15g a day but we should be aiming for 30g per day. Aim to add fibre to every meal rather than trying to hit a big number all at once. If you've been eating a low fibre diet, it can be a good idea to gradually increase the amount of fibre you eat because fibre can cause tummy aches and flatulence if it is increased very fast.

Probiotic

Probiotics are the “seeds” that add new beneficial bacteria to your microbiome. They help:

• improve digestion

• lower inflammation

• enhance mood

• support mental health

• increase bacterial diversity

• reduce bloating

Incorporating 3 probiotic foods into your diet daily will help to populate a health microbiome.

The secret is out

Nutritionally that's the secret to great health. But thriving during perimenopause is more than getting your nutrition right. Movement, stress, sleep and connection also all impact on the health of our gut.

You've likely heard the adage 'you are the sum of the 5 people you spend the most time with'. Well that happens to be true for gut health too. We share gut bacteria with people we spend time with and social isolation reduces microbial diversity whilst exercise and social interaction increases microbial diversity.

So if you needed a reason to connect, laugh, move, or see friends — this is it.

Perimenopause is a natural transition but your body definitely needs more care and attention right now!

I have created a free energy reset for women who want to reclaim their energy and feel vibrant again. It is small, doable steps that can make a big difference when practiced consistently. It's called From Frazzled to Fabulous because darling, you ARE fabulous and I'm here to help you feel fabulous.

You can download it here.

If you follow this advice and make these changes, send me a message or email and tell me about it. I'd love to hear from you!

This isn't a diet or restricted eating or about losing weight. It's about nourishing your body in a sustainable way that works fast to create better health during perimenopause.