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!

20/07/2026

Nourish Your Body During Menopause 🌿

Menopause isn't just about hot flushes.

Changing hormone levels can also affect your:
• Bone health
• Heart health
• Muscle mass
• Digestion
• Blood sugar
• Mood
• Energy
• Gut microbiome

The good news?

Nutrition is one of the most powerful ways to support your health during this transition.

This carousel shares a few simple foods to focus on:
🥛 Calcium-rich foods
🐟 Healthy omega-3 fats
🌾 Fibre-rich wholegrains and legumes
🥗 Colourful fruit and vegetables

Small, sustainable changes really do add up.

If you'd like personalised nutrition support, I'd love to help.

At Lept Nutrition, I work with women to improve gut health, support hormone balance and help them feel their best through perimenopause and menopause.

📞 Book your appointment today or send me a message to learn more.

🌐 www.leptnutrition.com.au

15/07/2026

Looking for a healthy twist on taco night? This Crumbed Pork Taco Bowl combines crispy oven-baked pork strips with a colourful mix of fresh vegetables and a creamy avocado and coriander dressing. Packed with lean protein, fibre and healthy fats, it's a balanced meal that's easy to prepare and perfect for busy weeknights or meal prep lunches.

Ingredients
Crumbed Pork
800 g lean pork loin or pork fillet, cut into strips
2 eggs, whisked
200 g gluten-free breadcrumbs (or regular breadcrumbs if preferred)
½ teaspoon ground cumin
Salt and pepper, to taste

Avocado Dressing
1 avocado, peeled and pitted
1 bunch fresh coriander, leaves only
2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon
½ cup water

Salad
200 g purple cabbage, shredded
1 green capsicum, diced
500 g cherry tomatoes, halved

Method
Preheat the oven to 180°C and line a baking tray with baking paper.
Place the breadcrumbs onto a plate. Add the cumin, salt and pepper, and mix well. Whisk the eggs in a separate bowl.

Dip each pork strip into the whisked egg, allowing any excess to drip off, then coat evenly in the breadcrumb mixture. Place the crumbed pork onto the prepared baking tray.

Bake for 25–30 minutes, turning the pork halfway through cooking, until golden brown and cooked through. Ensure the pork reaches an internal temperature of 63°C, then allow it to rest for 3 minutes before serving.

While the pork is baking, prepare the avocado dressing. Combine the avocado, coriander, extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice and water in a food processor or blender. Blend until smooth and creamy. Add a little extra water if required to reach your preferred consistency.

Divide the shredded cabbage, diced capsicum and halved cherry tomatoes evenly between serving bowls.

Top each bowl with the crumbed pork and drizzle generously with the avocado dressing.

Serve immediately and enjoy!

Nutrition Tip 💚

Lean pork is an excellent source of high-quality protein, along with key nutrients including thiamine, zinc, iron and vitamin B12, which support energy production, muscle maintenance and immune health.

Combined with fibre-rich vegetables and healthy fats from avocado and olive oil, this taco bowl is a balanced, satisfying meal that's perfect for lunch, dinner or meal prep.

13/07/2026

How much of what you've heard about menopause is actually true? 🤔

Menopause is surrounded by myths that can leave women feeling confused, worried, and unsure where to turn. The truth is that menopause is a natural stage of life—and understanding what's really happening can help you feel more confident and in control.

✨ Myth #1: Menopause only affects older women.
Fact: Perimenopause can begin in your 40s—and sometimes even earlier.

✨ Myth #2: Weight gain is inevitable.
Fact: Hormonal changes can make weight management more challenging, but with the right nutrition, exercise, sleep and stress management, maintaining a healthy weight is absolutely possible.

✨ Myth #3: Every woman experiences menopause the same way.
Fact: Every woman's journey is unique. Symptoms, severity and duration vary, which is why personalised advice is so important.

There is no one-size-fits-all approach to menopause. The right nutrition and lifestyle strategies can make a significant difference to your energy, mood, sleep, gut health, bone health and overall wellbeing.

💕 The more you understand your body, the better equipped you'll be to thrive through this stage of life.

👉 Which menopause myth have you heard the most? Let me know in the comments.

📍Follow for evidence-based menopause nutrition, healthy ageing and gut health tips.