Nutrition & Health Advice for Women Over 40

This week I'm stepping into the classroom at the Southern Institute of Technology (SIT), beginning my teaching stint, starting with a two-hour session on women's nutrition to post-graduate students. I've spent a bit of time over the past couple of weeks putting together my presentation, and it's been an interesting exercise reflecting on what I actually see in clinic. Because while studying nutrition gives you a great foundation, understanding how to apply that knowledge to r

Last week I shared what eating around 140g of protein a day looks like for me and it was super popular because it quickly became one of the most-read blogs on my website. But I certainly haven't always eaten that way. If you'd met me 15 years ago, my nutrition looked pretty different. I was carrying more weight than I wanted to, my energy wasn't great and, although I thought I ate reasonably well, I didn't really understand how much the way I was eating was affecting how I fe

Around eight or nine years ago, I made some fairly simple changes to the way I ate. I didn’t follow a strict diet, cut out entire food groups or overhaul everything overnight. I started paying much more attention to protein and gradually built my meals around it. Of all the nutrition changes I’ve made, this is the one that has made the biggest difference. The benefits for me have been huge: steadier energy, better sleep, easier weight management, improved body composition, fa

What keeps a group of women connected for more than 40 years? On Sunday, I had the pleasure of presenting to a wonderful group of 25 ladies. The group began more than 40 years ago through the harness racing community and has continued ever since. Over that time, plenty has changed. People have moved away, interests have evolved and life has taken everyone in different directions, but the connection between them is still there. There was such a lovely sense of friendship and s

On Sunday, 80 women came together for our second Fabulous & Feeling It event here in Invercargill. It was a day filled with practical information, honest conversations, plenty of laughter and, of course, good food. As I reflected on the day afterwards, I kept coming back to one thing: women want to feel informed, supported and positive about getting older. They don’t want to be told that everything is destined to become harder after 40. They want realistic advice that helps t

One of the questions I’m asked most often is: “What do you have for breakfast?” I’m one of those people who will happily eat the same breakfast for two or three months, then suddenly get sick of it and move on to something completely different. At the moment, this high-protein chia pudding is firmly on repeat. It takes only a couple of minutes to prepare, and you can make it the night before, put it together in the morning or prepare a larger batch for the week. I make mine i