Elly Smith - Nutritionist

Elly Smith - Nutritionist Gut & Psychology/ Physiology Syndrome Practitioner - ADHD - Autism - Methylation - Gut & Mental Health - Anxiety - Depression - Food Intolerances.

It feels like perimenopause has become the answer to almost everything a woman in her 40s experiences. 🌿Exhausted - Anxi...
06/09/2026

It feels like perimenopause has become the answer to almost everything a woman in her 40s experiences. 🌿

Exhausted - Anxious - Flat - Foggy - Overwhelmed… “It’s perimenopause.”

And yes, sometimes it absolutely is. Perimenopause is very real, and I think it is wonderful that women are finally talking about it more openly and having their symptoms recognised. But I also think we need to be careful not to blame everything on hormones and stop asking questions. Because what else might be going on?

🪻 Has she experienced years of heavy periods that have slowly depleted her iron stores?

🪻 Could low iron be contributing to her exhaustion, anxiety, low mood, brain fog, poor concentration, or even affecting her thyroid function and ability to cope with stress?

🪻 Is she actually absorbing the nutrients she needs? Low stomach acid, long-term use of acid-suppressing medication, gut issues and inflammation can all interfere with nutrient absorption.

🪻 We also need to look at thyroid function, diet, gut health, hormonal contraception and other medications. It can all be part of the picture.

None of this means perimenopause isn’t playing a role. Hormonal changes can have a significant impact on how a woman feels. But sometimes it isn’t just perimenopause. It might be…

👉 Perimenopause and low iron.
👉 Perimenopause and poor nutrient absorption.
👉 Perimenopause and thyroid dysfunction.
👉 Perimenopause and a body that has been running on empty for far too long.

These things can create similar symptoms, or make the hormonal transition feel so much harder than it needs to. This is why I believe we need to look at the whole woman and remain curious about what her body may be trying to communicate.

Dive a little deeper into the WHY…. What is driving the symptoms? What is making them worse? And what does her body actually need to feel supported again?

Because when we find and address what is happening underneath the symptoms, women can feel so much better. 🤍✨

When we think about anxiety, we naturally think about what is happening emotionally or psychologically. But the physical...
26/08/2026

When we think about anxiety, we naturally think about what is happening emotionally or psychologically. But the physical feeling of anxiety can sometimes have other physiological factors contributing to it too. And histamine is a really interesting example of this… Most of us think of histamine as an allergy chemical, something associated with sneezing, itching and hives. But histamine does SO much more than this.

It acts as an important chemical messenger throughout the body and, within the brain, is involved in wakefulness, alertness and arousal. 🧠

Mast cells can release histamine along with a number of other chemical mediators, creating symptoms such as:

• Racing heart or palpitations�• Flushing or feeling suddenly hot�• Dizziness�• Headaches or migraines�• Nasal congestion�• Digestive upset or sudden diarrhoea�• Hives or itching�• Breathlessness

Some of these physical sensations can feel very similar to anxiety or panic. Which is why I think it is important that we don’t always stop at the symptom…

WHY is the body responding this way?

Something I spoke about in my recent plant food sensitivity talk is that histamine sensitivity can also be very individual. Histamine naturally occurs in the body, but it can also build up in foods through fermentation, ageing, curing and storage. This is why foods such as aged cheeses, cured meats, wine, kombucha, fermented vegetables and even leftovers can be problematic for some people.

Our bodies also have systems for breaking histamine down, including an enzyme called DAO, which is particularly important within the gut. If someone appears to be struggling with histamine, I want to know what might be affecting that balance.

What is happening within the gut?�Is there intestinal inflammation or dysbiosis?�Could there be increased histamine production?�Is histamine being broken down effectively?�Are hormones, alcohol, medications or nutrient status contributing?

🧩 This is where we start connecting the dots…. Because sometimes what we call the problem is actually the body communicating that something further upstream needs our attention.

There is always a WHY. 🌿

24/08/2026

Friday’s Turning Food into Medicine workshop was so much fun. 🤍

Such a lovely group of people, genuinely interested in learning more about how simple changes to the way we choose and prepare our food can have a powerful impact on our health.

We talked about the HOW and the WHY behind some of my favourite therapeutic foods… from meat stock and fermented foods to cultured dairy and other traditional preparation methods… and there was some taste testing along the way! 🌿

One of the things I really wanted people to take away from this workshop is that using food therapeutically doesn’t have to be complicated. Sometimes it’s simply about understanding why we prepare a food in a certain way, what it provides the body, and then finding realistic ways to bring those foods into everyday family life.

A huge thank you to the wonderful team at Holixir for continuing to open their beautiful space to me and making these free community workshops possible. I have absolutely loved running them. 🤍

And… we have one more free community workshop to go! ✨

For our final workshop, we’re moving into an area I am incredibly passionate about… mental health and the gut-brain connection.

We’ll explore HOW and WHY the food we eat can influence our mental wellbeing, including the relationship between the gut, nutrient status, blood sugar, inflammation and the production of the chemical messengers involved in mood, focus and how we feel.

I also have a surprise guest speaker joining me to share some practical tools we can use to support and regulate the nervous system, bringing together the nutritional and nervous-system sides of mental wellbeing.

More details coming very soon. 🤍

19/08/2026

A successful little dinner experiment that the whole family LOVED 🤍🙌

This is exactly the kind of meal I mean when I talk about turning everyday food into nourishment. It wasn’t complicated, but every ingredient brought something valuable to the table.

I slow-cooked osso buco for six hours with parsley and thyme from the garden, onion, garlic and shiitake mushrooms. I sprinkled over some bone broth powder for extra flavour and nourishment, added about half a litre of boiling water, and then let the slow cooker do the work.
I served it over cauliflower and sweet potato mash, spooned plenty of the beautiful cooking juices over it, and finished it with cultured cream. It was absolutely delicious.

But, as always, there is a WHY behind the meal…

Slow-cooking meat on the bone creates a beautifully tender, easy-to-eat meal while making use of the connective tissue and marrow. Osso buco provides protein, iron, zinc, vitamin B12 and amino acids needed for growth, repair, immune function and neurotransmitter production.
The herbs, onion, garlic and shiitake mushrooms add flavour, plant compounds and prebiotic fibres that help nourish the gut microbiome. The cauliflower and sweet potato provide a variety of fibres, antioxidants and phytonutrients, while the cultured cream adds richness and traditionally fermented goodness.

It is also a very practical family dinner: nourishing, comforting and easy to prepare. Put everything into the slow cooker in the morning, and by dinner time, the house smells incredible and most of the work has already been done.

Eating well doesn’t always need to mean complicated recipes or hours spent actively cooking. Sometimes it simply means choosing good ingredients, preparing them in a way that supports digestion and letting time do the rest.

Definitely one I’ll be making again! 🥰

Children want to enjoy the foods their friends are eating and feel included. I never want a child (or an adult) to belie...
16/08/2026

Children want to enjoy the foods their friends are eating and feel included. I never want a child (or an adult) to believe that improving their health means losing all pleasure around food. Eating should be enjoyable! So rather than simply telling families to remove a food, I often ask… How can we keep the experience they enjoy while choosing ingredients that offer more nourishment and place less burden on the body? 🤔

Instant noodles are a good example. They are warm, salty, comforting and ready in minutes. But most conventional varieties combine refined noodles and vegetable oil with a flavour sachet containing substantial amounts of sodium, sugar, maltodextrin, added flavours, flavour enhancers, and other chemicals.

Many children are sensitive to these ingredients, with families reporting headaches, digestive symptoms, skin reactions, irritability, restlessness or changes in behaviour.

My simple alternative is… Organic instant rice noodles + chicken bone broth powder (and we like torn seaweed sheets too).

The noodles cook the same way - only need to soak in boiling water for around three minutes. My son and daughter love this as an afternoon snack before soccer training. The rice noodles provide readily available carbohydrate energy for their activity, while the broth powder adds savoury flavour and some nourishment.

Nutrition does not have to be about perfection, restriction or fear. Sometimes it is about meeting a family where they are and finding a more nourishing option. Sustainable change happens when food still feels familiar, pleasurable and achievable. 💛

Food is so much more than just fuel. 🌿 When we understand HOW food works in the body and WHY certain foods can be so sup...
12/08/2026

Food is so much more than just fuel. 🌿 When we understand HOW food works in the body and WHY certain foods can be so supportive, it becomes much easier to make choices that actually nourish us.

For my next FREE community talk at Holixir in Balgowlah, I’ll be exploring the idea of turning food into medicine… looking beyond simply what we eat and digging a little deeper into how the way we choose, prepare and eat our food can influence digestion, gut health, nutrient absorption and our overall wellbeing.

We’ll talk about some of the traditional, nutrient-dense foods I use in my own kitchen and with clients, and importantly, I’ll explain the HOW and WHY behind them. And because I think food is much better understood when we can actually see it, smell it and taste it, I’ll also be doing a live food demonstration, preparing some of the foods we discuss and sharing samples for everyone to try.

Nothing complicated or fancy. Just real food, prepared thoughtfully, and a better understanding of how we can use it to support the body. 💚

📍 Holixir, Balgowlah�1/28–34 Roseberry St, Balgowlah�📅 Friday, August 21st�⏰ 1–2 pm�🌿 FREE community talk + live food demo + tasting

Everyone is welcome. Bookings are preferred so we have an idea of numbers - booking link is in my bio.

I’d love to see you there. 🤍

09/08/2026

How to Turn Food into Medicine… 🍏 For my upcoming community talk at Holixir in Balgowlah, I’ll be sharing something I’m very passionate about… 💛 the therapeutic power of food. 🙌✨

Instead of just discussing what we should eat, I’ll explain the HOW and WHY behind some of these foods and how they can impact our overall health.

I’ll also do a live food demo, preparing some of the foods we discuss and explaining why I’ve chosen them, followed by some tasting. 😋

The goal is to make nutrition less confusing and help you understand how the food you eat can support your body. 🌱

I’d love to see you there. 🩵🙏🩵

📍 Holixir, Balgowlah�📅 Friday, August 21st
⏰ 1 - 2 pm�🎟️ Booking link in my bio
Bookings are preferred but not essential

Hi, I'm Elly. I'm a clinical nutritionist and certified GAPS practitioner, and I am endlessly fascinated by how the huma...
05/08/2026

Hi, I'm Elly. I'm a clinical nutritionist and certified GAPS practitioner, and I am endlessly fascinated by how the human body works. My goal isn't just to tell you what to eat, it's to help you understand WHY your body is behaving the way it is. Understanding your body changes everything. One of the biggest things I've learnt as a nutritionist is that our bodies don’t work against us… they communicate with us. 📢

Fatigue isn't just fatigue. 🫩

Bloating isn't just bloating. 🫧

Eczema isn't just a skin problem. 🦠

Hormonal changes aren't "just part of getting older." 🧬

They are clues… your body's way of telling you that something deeper needs attention. Unfortunately, so much health advice focuses on what to do - eat this, avoid that, take this supplement, follow this diet. But without understanding WHY your body is behaving the way it is, it's easy to feel overwhelmed, frustrated, or stuck in a cycle of trial and error. 🤷‍♀️

That's why I created this page… to help you understand HOW your body works, WHY symptoms develop, and HOW nutrition and lifestyle can support the systems that keep you well. 🤝

When you understand WHY, you can make informed, confident decisions about your health, rather than relying on guesswork. 💡

I love sharing simple, science-based explanations about topics like gut health, hormones and neurotransmitters, digestion, liver and gallbladder function, children's health, stress, and the incredible ways our bodies adapt and communicate. 🤓

I hope this page helps you feel more informed, more empowered, and even more amazed by the remarkable body you live in every day. 🌿

Welcome, I’m so glad you're here. 🙏🩵

In practice, I rarely see a child (or adult) with autism, ADHD, dyspraxia or a learning difficulty who doesn't also have...
29/07/2026

In practice, I rarely see a child (or adult) with autism, ADHD, dyspraxia or a learning difficulty who doesn't also have digestive symptoms. Bloating, reflux, and irregular bowels are almost universal. 🌿

Dr Natasha Campbell-McBride was the first to name this pattern clearly - Gut and Psychology Syndrome, or GAPS. Her research points to the gut's bacterial population (not genetics alone) as the missing piece. 🌿

A baby is born with a sterile gut. In the first few weeks of life, it's colonised, mainly by bacteria passed from the mother during birth. Whatever flora she carries becomes the starting point for her child's. 🌿

That bacterial population does more than most people realise. It digests and absorbs food. It synthesises B vitamins and vitamin K. It lines the gut wall as a physical barrier, keeping pathogens out and helping mature the infant's immune system in those first critical days. 🌿

This flora can be compromised at any life stage, not just at birth. Antibiotics are among the biggest disruptors, wiping out beneficial species along with the ones they target. Diet plays a constant role too… a low intake of fibre and diversity, and a high intake of processed food and sugar, leaves less for beneficial bacteria to feed on and more room for less helpful species to take hold. Chronic stress and anxiety change gut motility and gut permeability through the same nervous system pathways that connect the brain and gut. Birth mode is another factor… as babies born by c-section receive less microbial exposure at birth, though breastfeeding, early diet, and environment continue to shape that flora well beyond the birth itself. 🌿

When beneficial flora is compromised, opportunistic organisms move into the gap. They can ferment food in their own way and produce toxins that don't stay local. Those toxins are absorbed into the bloodstream, travel to the brain, and cross the blood-brain barrier. 🌿

This is why gut healing is usually the first thing I look at with a new client, regardless of what symptom brought them in. It is foundational, and everything else tends to sit downstream of it. 🌿

Healing isn’t just about food or supplements… it’s about the body’s story. And so often, that story includes trapped tra...
08/07/2026

Healing isn’t just about food or supplements… it’s about the body’s story. And so often, that story includes trapped trauma that the mind has already moved past, but the body hasn’t.

A nervous system stuck on guard keeps the gut inflamed. An inflamed gut struggles to absorb nourishment, and a body holding old experiences can’t fully settle into safety.

The gut and nervous system read the world the same way. Sleep, movement, food, relationships - they all feed into that shared sense of safety. This is why you can understand something mentally, but your body still holds on to it. It’s not failure, it’s physiology.

Healing rarely sits in one place… it’s food, rest, relationships, gut, nervous system… TOGETHER.

🌱 It’s supporting the tissues that hold tension.

🌱 It’s helping the gut soften so the nervous system can exhale.

🌱 It’s creating enough internal safety for the body to finally let go.

This is the heart of how I practice… slow, steady, trauma‑aware, and deeply rooted in the GAPS philosophy of nourishing the gut to nourish the whole person. I work with the body, not against it, and I help to rebuild safety from the inside out. 🍃🩵🍃

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