Madeleine Quitadamo Naturopath

Madeleine Quitadamo Naturopath Madeleine is a women’s health naturopath. Hormones, fertility, PCOS, Endo, pregnancy and more.

For bookings please contact me via Facebook, my website or you can call on 0419387884.

07/09/2026

Small health wins you can make TODAY to help you feel better TOMORROW 👇🏼

For Women’s Health Week, the theme is DO IT ANYWAY.
And I bloody love this because looking after your health doesn’t always mean making huge changes.
Sometimes it means doing the small things even when you don’t really feel like it.

💧 Drink the water anyway.
Start AND finish your day with a big glass.
🥦 Eat the veggies anyway.
Add an extra serve of vegetables or salad to your plate. Better yet, eat them first.
😴 Go to bed 30 minutes earlier anyway.
Even when you’re tempted to watch “just one more episode”.
🚶🏼‍♀️ Move your body anyway.
You don’t need a 60-minute workout. Start with 10–30 minutes of walking, stretching or gentle movement.
🍽️ Slow the f**k down and eat anyway.
Sit down. Put your phone away. Chew your food. Your digestive system is not a f**king race car.
☀️ Get outside anyway.
Even 5–10 minutes of morning light can be a simple way to support your body clock and sleep-wake rhythm.

And that’s the point.
You don’t need to overhaul your entire life.
You don’t need perfect motivation.
You don’t need to start again on Monday.
Sometimes you just need to do the small thing anyway.
Because the little things you do consistently will always beat the perfect health routine you manage to stick to for four days. 😂

Pick ONE.
Do it anyway. ❤️

🪴 Madeleine Quitadamo Naturopathy
🥥 315 Main St, Bairnsdale, VIC 3875
🏵️ [email protected]
🌿 https://f.mtr.cool/1uwrne1tlo

03/09/2026

8.6 YEARS.
That's not "just a bad week."
That's potentially years of anxiety, irritability, low mood, emotional overwhelm, brain fog and feeling like you're not yourself - repeating over and over again. And this is what can make PMDD so incredibly disruptive.
You might feel completely well for part of the month... Then spend a week feeling like you've been hit by a psychological truck.
And just when you start feeling like yourself again? It happens again next month.
The cumulative burden matters. PMDD isn't simply about how many days you experience symptoms. It's about the fact that those symptoms can recur month after month, year after year.
And because the symptoms are cyclical, women can be told: "But you're fine the rest of the month." Yes. That's kind of the point.
The cyclical nature of PMDD is part of what makes it so different from many other mental health conditions and why tracking symptoms across the menstrual cycle can be so important. 🤍
If you recognise this pattern, you're not being dramatic. You're experiencing something that can have a significant cumulative impact on your life.
*PMDD is a complex condition and appropriate diagnosis and treatment should be discussed with a qualified healthcare professional.

🪴 Madeleine Quitadamo Naturopathy
🥥 315 Main St, Bairnsdale, VIC 3875
🏵️ [email protected]
🌿 https://f.mtr.cool/fggrk7td1r

“Why do I feel like a completely different person before my period?” 🧠🌸If you have PMDD, you might notice something real...
02/09/2026

“Why do I feel like a completely different person before my period?” 🧠🌸

If you have PMDD, you might notice something really strange: For part of the month, you feel like your normal self.
Then suddenly…
😡 Everything irritates you
😭 You're crying over things that normally wouldn't bother you
😵 Anxiety goes through the roof
🧠 Your brain feels foggy
🔥 You feel overwhelmed by absolutely everything
💭 You might even start questioning your relationships, your job or yourself.
And then your period arrives...
And you start feeling like YOU again.
What the hell is going on?
One explanation researchers are investigating is increased sensitivity to normal hormonal changes. After ovulation, progesterone rises. Progesterone is converted into a neurosteroid called allopregnanolone (ALLO). ALLO interacts with GABA-A receptors in the brain, which are involved in regulating anxiety, stress and emotional responses. As your period approaches, progesterone and ALLO fall again.
For most women, the brain adapts to these changes without major symptoms.
But with PMDD, the brain may respond abnormally to these normal hormonal fluctuations.
So your hormone levels don't necessarily have to be "abnormal." Your response to the change may be.
Think of it like having a nervous system that's particularly sensitive to the hormonal rollercoaster. 🎢
And this is one reason PMDD can feel so confusing. You're not imagining it. You're not "just hormonal." And you're not necessarily lacking a hormone. Your brain may simply be responding differently to the normal hormonal changes of your cycle. This is also why understanding the timing of your symptoms is so important. If you feel significantly worse during the luteal phase and then symptoms substantially improve once your period begins, that's a pattern worth investigating. 🤍
PMDD is complex - but understanding the biology can be the first step towards finding better ways to manage it.

01/09/2026

I'm going to say this over and over again: FUELLING YOURSELF MATTERS. 👏

And just because you got away with under-eating through your 20s and most of your 30s...
doesn't mean you can keep getting away with it in perimenopause. 👀
Perimenopause and menopause are a ride we're all going to take.
How bumpy and scary that ride is? Well, there are plenty of things we can do to make
the journey a little smoother. 🎢
And one of them is EATING ENOUGH.
Here's why:
🌸 Support reproductive function
Your body needs adequate energy and nutrients for normal reproductive function. And during the hormonal changes of perimenopause, this is not the time to be chronically under-fuelling yourself.
🧠 Support your nervous system
Stress can significantly influence how severe and disruptive menopausal symptoms feel. Constantly under-eating is another stressor your body doesn't need.🥦 Give your body the nutrients it needs
Iron. B12. Folate. Calcium. Magnesium. Vitamin D. Protein. Omega-3s... Nutrient deficiencies can affect energy, mood, sleep, cognition, muscle and bone health.
🧠 Give your brain some bloody fuel
Brain fog and concentration lapses are REAL during perimenopause.
Your brain needs energy — and carbohydrates are an important fuel source.
So...
How do I know if I'm eating enough?
This is going to depend on your body size, activity levels, training, age and individual energy requirements.
Knowing your BMR (basal metabolic rate) can be a useful starting point — but remember, BMR is what your body uses at complete rest. It is NOT your daily calorie requirement.
You then need to account for movement, exercise, digestion and the energy required to actually live your life.
So please don't take your BMR number and decide:
"Great, I'll just eat that much." 🤣
That's not enough for most people.
And if you're active, your requirements can be considerably higher.
Because the goal isn't to eat as little as humanly possible.
The goal is to give your body enough energy + nutrients to do its job.
Perimenopause is already asking your body to navigate some pretty significant changes.
Let's not make it harder by running it on fumes. 🤝🌸

30/08/2026

WHY YOUR CALORIE DEFICIT ISN'T WORKING

And no, my first response isn't always “eat less.”
When I work with someone who is struggling to lose weight despite being in a calorie deficit, I want to understand WHY their body isn't responding as expected.
These are some of the key areas I assess and address using naturopathic principles:
1.🩸Nutrient deficiencies
Iron. B12. Folate. Vitamin D.
If you're deficient in key nutrients, it can affect energy, exercise capacity, appetite, recovery and overall metabolic health.
2. 💩 You're constipated
Hello... we need to talk about your bowels.
If you're not regularly emptying your bowels, the number on the scales can be influenced by stool and fluid retention — making it much harder to see what is actually happening with your body composition.
3. 😴 You're chronically exhausted / not sleeping
If you're running on empty, constantly exhausted and barely recovering, pushing your body into an even bigger energy deficit isn't necessarily the answer. Sleep, recovery, stress and energy availability all matter when we're trying to create sustainable weight loss.
4. 🦋 Your thyroid function has been overlooked
Your thyroid is one of the systems involved in regulating metabolic rate. If someone has unexplained fatigue, weight changes, constipation, feeling cold or other symptoms suggestive of thyroid dysfunction, I want to make sure we've properly assessed it rather than simply prescribing a smaller calorie target.
5. 🦠 Your microbiome is up sh*t creek
Yes, we're talking about your gut bugs.
We're interested in things like microbial diversity, butyrate-producing bacteria, Akkermansia and how the gut microbiome interacts with digestion, appetite, inflammation and energy metabolism.
Because your gut isn't just responsible for digestion.
THEN we talk about the calorie deficit. Before I ever dramatically drop someone's calories, I want to make sure we've addressed the foundations.
Nutrient status ✔
Bowels ✔
Sleep & recovery ✔
Thyroid ✔
Gut health ✔
Then, when we create the deficit... we actually give the body a better chance of responding to it.
Because sometimes the answer isn't “try harder.”
Sometimes we need to ask: “What are we missing?”

29/08/2026

When she came to me, she was eating around 1200 calories a day and wasn't losing weight.
So instead of cutting further, we stepped back.
🔎 We checked her estimated BMR - around 1500 calories.
So we brought her intake up to 1500.
Then we went further.
⬆ 1800 calories- around her estimated maintenance.
And we stayed there.
We gave her body some time to eat more, recover and stop constantly being pushed into restriction.
Meanwhile, we worked on the other pieces:
🌱 Gut health & microbiome
🥦 Nutrient deficiencies
🍽 Food quality & adequate nutrition
⚡ Energy and overall wellbeing
Then eventually…
We reduced her intake again. But only to 1500 calories.
Not 1200.
Not 1000.
Not "let's see how little we can get away with."
And what happened? She started losing weight. 👀
Because sustainable weight loss isn't about seeing how little you can eat. And your body isn't a calculator where lower calories = automatically more weight loss.
When someone has been chronically under-eating, sometimes the answer isn't MORE restriction.
Sometimes it's better fuelling first. And this particular calorie deficit will only be for around 2 weeks before we increase her intake again.
Why?
Because I don't want her living in a permanent deficit. I want her body adequately fuelled, supported and confident that food is coming. This isn't a "eat more and magically lose weight" story.
It's an individualised approach based on her intake, energy needs, health, nutrition and response.
And no- 1200 calories wasn't the answer. 🤷
Sometimes the most important thing you can do for weight loss…
is stop trying to eat less. 🌿

28/08/2026

5 signs your gut might not be happy 👇

Your gut doesn't have to be causing major symptoms for there to be clues that something isn't quite right.
1. ☕ You're using coffee to make yourself p**p
If your morning bowel movement only happens after your coffee, it might be worth looking at your natural bowel motility rather than relying on caffeine to get things moving.
2. 🥛 You've stopped eating foods because they "don't agree with you"
Gluten. Dairy. Legumes. Fruit. Vegetables.
If your list of foods you can tolerate keeps getting smaller, that's not something you necessarily need to accept as your new normal.
3. 🚽 You p**p less than once a day OR your only bowel movement is in the afternoon
Your bowel habits can give us useful clues about digestive function and gut motility.
4. 🎈 "I'm so bloated" has become your identity
If you're constantly wondering Will I be bloated after this meal?, changing your clothes because your stomach is uncomfortable or planning your day around your gut — that's worth investigating.
5.💨Your gut symptoms are starting to dictate your life
Avoiding restaurants, certain foods, social events or travel because you don't know what your gut is going to do isn't something you should just have to put up with.
So... what do you actually do about it?
Start collecting some data. 🔎
Before randomly cutting out more foods, let's work out what's actually happening.
🌽 Do a simple transit time experiment
Eat a portion of sweetcorn and take note of the time you eat it.
Then watch for when you see the corn appear in your bowel movement.
This gives you a rough indication of your gut transit time and can be a useful starting point when looking at bowel motility.
🎈 Keep a bloating diary
For a week, record:
• What you ate
• What time you ate it
• When the bloating started
• How long it lasted
• Where the bloating occurred
• Your bowel movement that day
• Any other symptoms
The timing is particularly useful.
Did you bloat immediately after eating?
2–3 hours later?
That evening?
The following morning?
These patterns can give us clues about what's going on.
And this is where I don't want you to jump straight onto another elimination diet.
The goal isn't to keep removing foods.
The goal is to understand WHY your gut isn't happy in the first place.
Once we have the information from your symptoms, bowel habits, transit time and food/bloating diary, we can start working out whether further testing or targeted treatment is actually warranted.
Your gut symptoms are information - not your identity. 🫶

27/08/2026

So I tracked my food for 2 weeks. Calories, macros, fibre, nutrients... EVERYTHING.

And here's what I learnt:
1️⃣ I will under-eat given half the chance. 😂 Left to my own devices, I'll happily convince myself that I've eaten "enough" when I actually haven't. Weighing and measuring my food for a couple of weeks helped me get MUCH better at eyeballing portions and understanding how much food I actually need to support my current goals.
2️⃣ Getting enough carbs on a wholefood, high-fibre diet is HARD. Especially when you're eating a lot of plants and prioritising fibre. I realised I actually needed to eat more food to get my carbohydrate intake where I wanted it. And the difference? ⚡ Better energy 😴 Better sleep 🧠 Better mood 🏃 Better training Turns out... food is fuel. Who knew? 😂
3️⃣ It's surprisingly easy to miss your fibre target when you stop eating whole foods. I had days where I didn't eat particularly well. And that's fine. One day of eating differently isn't going to ruin your health. BUT... When I looked at the numbers, my fibre intake was nowhere near my usual target. It was a really good reminder that getting plenty of fibre doesn't happen by accident.
4️⃣ We don't know what we don't know. This was probably my biggest takeaway. Tracking didn't tell me that I was "eating badly." It showed me where my blind spots were. It gave me actual data instead of assumptions.
So will I keep tracking? Yep.
But not every day forever. I'll probably use it sporadically as a little reality check when I want to see what's actually happening with my nutrition. Because sometimes you think you're doing everything right... Until you actually look at it. 👀 And honestly? I'm a nutritionist/naturopath, and I still learnt a few things about my own eating.
We really don't know what we don't know. 🤷🌱

🪴 Madeleine Quitadamo Naturopathy
🥥 315 Main St, Bairnsdale, VIC 3875
🏵️ [email protected]
🌿 https://f.mtr.cool/psdh9d67aj

So… what does 140g of carbs actually look like? Following on from my last post about carbs not being the enemy, I though...
26/08/2026

So… what does 140g of carbs actually look like?

Following on from my last post about carbs not being the enemy, I thought we'd make
this a little more practical.
Because when I say 140g of carbs, you might be picturing a giant bowl of pasta. 🤣
But it's actually spread across a pretty normal day of eating:
🥣 BREAKFAST
½ cup oats
1 banana
½ cup berries
→ ~55g carbs
🍚 LUNCH
¾ cup cooked brown rice
½ cup black beans
Lots of veggies
→ ~50g carbs
🥝 SNACK
2 kiwifruit
→ ~20g carbs
🐟 DINNER
Salmon
Roasted vegetables
100g roasted potato
→ ~15g carbs
TOTAL: ~140g carbs
And that's before we even start talking about all the other foods that contain smaller
amounts of carbohydrate throughout the day.
And look at what else you're getting alongside those carbs:
🌱 Fibre
🫐 Polyphenols
🥦 Vitamins & minerals
🫘 Plant protein
🥜 Healthy fats
🧠 Fuel for your brain
This is why I don't love the idea of looking at carbohydrates in isolation.
Carbs come packaged with FOOD.
And if you've spent years restricting them, you might be surprised by how much
carbohydrate — and therefore how much FOOD — your body actually needs.
So...
Are you surprised by how much you actually need to eat?👀
Because sometimes the problem isn't that you're eating too many carbs.
It's that you're not eating enough of them. 🤷‍♀️

🪴 Madeleine Quitadamo Naturopathy
🥥 315 Main St, Bairnsdale, VIC 3875
🏵️ [email protected]
🌿 https://f.mtr.cool/y9vse50ymd

25/08/2026

Carbs are not your enemy. In fact, your brain LOVES them.

And yes, I know firsthand that brain fog during perimenopause is REAL.
But here's something I wonder...
How many of us millennial women are actually walking around in a carb deficit? 👀
We've spent years being told to cut carbs, swap them for cauliflower, avoid bread, fear pasta...
Meanwhile, carbohydrates are an important fuel source for your brain, muscles and reproductive system.
So before you blame your hormones for:
🧠 Poor concentration
😴 Poor sleep
⚡ Low energy
🩸 Changes to your menstrual cycle
🌪 Feeling completely flat..have a look at what you're actually eating.
Track your food for a few days.
There are plenty of free apps that can give you a rough idea of your carbohydrate intake. Because you can't know you're under-eating something if you don't know you're under-eating it.
So how much do you actually need?
As a general starting point:
🚶 If you're relatively sedentary: around 2 g/kg/day
🏃 If you're regularly active: you may need closer to 3–4 g/kg/day, depending on your training and energy requirements.
And remember, carbohydrate needs aren't one-size-fits-all.
Your total energy intake, activity, body size, training load and reproductive health all matter.
And while you may hear the number ~140 g/day discussed in relation to reproductive function, I wouldn't treat 140g as a magic number that guarantees ovulation. Your overall energy availability and nutritional adequacy matter too.
So perhaps the question isn't:
"Should I cut carbs?"
Maybe it's:
"Am I actually eating enough?" 👀
Because sometimes the thing you need to add back into your diet is the thing you've spent years being told to fear. 🍞🍚🥔🍌🌾
Carbs aren't the enemy. Chronic under-fuelling might be.

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Bairnsdale, VIC
3875

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