Empowered Nutrition

09/05/2026

One of the things you have to learn to do when living with cancer is to adapt to the unexpected.

In February, the discovery of a tumour in my femur put an end to running 😥😥. Other high impact exercise was out as well, but not being able to run hit particularly hard. I wasn't a great or long distance runner, but it had been my go-to cardio exercise for many years. You can do it wherever you are, without much planning or equipment, alone, and it was great for my bronchiectasis.

My orthopaedic consultant said that cycling is fine. I had a bike and did cycle a bit, but....my bike (bottom pic) was 28 years old! It was a necessary part of living in Cambridge when we moved there, and I used to cycle to work. Each of my boys in turn sat on a child seat on the back and it has taken me on many family rides, so I was very attached to it. BUT it had got very rickety and I didn't feel too secure on it with bone mets, especially not if I was going to use it more frequently.

Enter my new bike (top pic). It's much easier to ride, and a lot smoother. Whether or not I use it on any days that aren't sunny and still remains to be seen!

I'm also doing a lot of Nordic walking.

I took my old bike to Recycles, a workshop run by the Salvation Army that repairs old bikes and seels them (thank you for the suggestion). At the Ilford branch, the money goes straight to their accommodation for the homeless, directly upstairs. Knowing this made it a little easier to say goodbye to my bike. Thank you for your service, my old friend 🧡

29/03/2026

Yesterday was a much better day in ketosis.

Breakfast: 3 egg omelette with chives, sautéed mushrooms, Swiss chard and some avocado with lemon juice.

Long break before lunch in which I went Nordic walking at quite a brisk pace and then went to a hyperbaric oxygen session. I was really hungry when I got home, and forgot to take a pic of my lunch, which was a big green salad topped with some roasted grated tempeh. When looking at my intake on , I realised my intake of a lot of B vits was low, so I made a dressing of tahini, olive oil, lemon juice and nutritional yeast - really good!

Dinner was organic lamb steak with capers, a little bit of celeriac mash (good low carb root) and crispy roasted kale.

Improving GKI (glucose-ketone index) readings throughout the day 🥳

I attempted my Greek yoghurt breakfast again this morning with fewer berries, but it still didn't work. My blood sugar was really low but I didn't produce many ketones - looking at the macro ratios they are all wrong, even with full fat yoghurt. This is a big disappointment, as eating eggs for breakfast makes me feel a bit queasy (I'm fine with them later in the day). Ideas welcomed! Maybe it'll work in a few weeks when my body has got more used to making ketones?

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27/03/2026

Today's attemp at a keto menu, although having eaten it and monitored myself it had some flaws, so I wouldn't wholeheartedly recommend it.

Breakfast, top left, was Greek yoghurt with lots of seeds and some raspberries. I feel really reluctant to leave my yoghurt & berries behind, but this put me out of ketosis even though it was about 6g net carbs. I will try again another day, but I'm switching to eggs tomorrow. Bizarrely when I have eggs for breakfast I get really hungry mid-morning, but maybe it'll be different now 🤞

Hubby and I went out for lunch and it went a bit more wrong! I asked for king prawn and avocado salad, please hold the usual dressing and just give me olive oil and lemon juice. Well, there must had been about a teaspoon of olive oil and I went home hungry. Note to self - bring my own EVOO next time! This was then a problem as carbs were mounting yet calories were low, and the thought of guzzling EVOO at home didn't appeal...

Mid-afternoon and I was back in ketosis but my blood sugar was too low at 3.6. I didn't really want a big carb load but didn't want it going lower, so I had some toasted coconut chips, and my glucose went up to 4.2.

Dinner was leftovers from last night: mackerel coconut curry, cauliflower rice and a spoonful of homemade red sauerkraut.

Ketones 1.0, blood glucose 4.7.

I need to increase the fats and squeeze the carbs a bit. What has surprised me the most is how all the individual grams of carbs from low carb veg add up over the day! Lots of tweaking still needed - this is definitely a steep learning curve!

26/03/2026

So begins my journey in ketoland.

I find it hard to believe that in 13 years of dealing with cancer, and 8.5 years of being a nutritional therapist often working with people with cancer, I have never done a ketogenic diet myself. I felt strong antipathy to it!

Now the time feels right. I have been strongly influenced by the amazing education provides in her Substack and elsewhere about mitochondrial flux. Plus my poor liver feels like it needs all the anti-inflammatory benefits it can get.

On Tuesday - chemo day - I did a water fast all day and then started eating keto on Wednesday. I was watching my blood sugar fall then stabilise, but I didn't want to test ketones (with my meter) until this afternoon, not wanting to be discouraged. I was pleasantly surprised to find I'm just into nutritional ketosis - I thought it would take longer.

There is a way to go before I reach more therapeutic levels of ketones, and longer still before I become fat adapted. At this stage it gets easier to switch between keto and more glycolytic diets - the holy grail of metabolic flexibility. But this is a start and I was pleased to see the ketones on the meter.

I'm tracking macros with , which is pretty easy. I'm keeping it pretty simple in terms of diet - no fancy recipes yet - but if you're interested in seeing what I'm eating, let me know.

17/02/2026

Concerns over hospital food aren't a new thing. This from the Lancet in 1945, as part of a medic history display in a hospital waiting room.

It's ironic that a hospital chooses to show this, and yet the present day food at the same hospital trust leaves a lot to be desired! When I was an inpatient a couple of years ago, the only veg on offer was a mix of peas, sweetcorn and diced carrot, on repeat day after day. Don't you even have any broccoli, I pleaded?

25/01/2026

Don't miss your chance to make a meaningful impact on your future health in menopause!

Key benefits of this successful 6 week course include:
- clarity over exactly what you need to do to give your body the nutrients it needs to feel strong, energetic, well rested and lighter
- a strong focus on nourishment rather than restriction
- a bank of recipes so that you can get started straight away
- support from me in a private Facebook group
- a friendly atmosphere in which to share experiences and tips with other course participants
- all handouts and recipe books are yours to keep, with recordings available to you for 6 months
- safe for breast cancer survivors who have finished active treatment; women living with secondary breast cancer can contact me to discuss their suitability

If you're undecided about any aspect, comment on DM me and I'll be happy to help 😀

Book your place here:
https://my.practicebetter.io/ #/5eccf29a2a902910706ba999/bookings?c=695947134a7adae0c5a53b34

20/01/2026

You go for a well woman check at the GP and are told that your cholesterol is too high. Or maybe it's your blood glucose that is edging out of control.

What's going on? You have never had any problems before, and you haven't changed what you eat or how you exercise.

Welcome to your menopausal body. The drop in oestrogen and progesterone doesn't only result in periods stopping. The hormonal changes have wide-reaching effects across multiple systems in your body, including the heart and how you manage sugar. The first time you might be aware of this is after a routine blood test.

If this is you, don't worry. These are signals from your body that the ways you used to look after it need an upgrade. Think of them like warning lights on a car dashboard - blood test results that are out of range are a prompt to change things.

That's where Healthy Metabolism, Healthy Weight can really help. Over 6 weeks, we do a deep dive into all aspects of your health in menopause. It's not just about weight, it's about keeping you fighting fit well into the future!

Take action when the "warning lights" flash up! We start on Monday 26th January, so book your place today!
https://my.practicebetter.io/ #/5eccf29a2a902910706ba999/bookings?c=695947134a7adae0c5a53b34

15/01/2026

I'm delighted to be leading a session on this issue which is important and emotional for many in our community. Weight is not a simple issue in secondary breast cancer. I'll be talking a bit about unintentional weight loss as well as unwanted weight gain, so if either of these apply to you, do join us.

As part of our new Wellbeing Programme, we're delighted to launch the first of our monthly Wellness Education Workshops.

On Tuesday 20 January, 7pm, registered nutritional therapist Joan Faria will be hosting an online workshop called: Healthy Ways to Manage your Weight while Living with Breast Cancer.

Weight gain and weight loss are two ways that secondary breast cancer can affects overall health. Joan will explain the changes in the body that commonly contribute to weight changes during treatment. She will also give practical advice on diet and lifestyle changes that can support you in moving towards a healthy body weight, without leaving you malnourished or adversely affecting your overall health.

Please register to take part in our first Wellness Education Workshop: https://make2ndscount.co.uk/support/community/wellbeing

Massive thanks to Joan for doing this session for us - we can't wait to hear from you!

14/01/2026

Instead of telling you what's so life changing about "Healthy Metabolism, Healthy Weight", find out from women like you who have already done this 6 week menopause health programme.

Here's just one example (read more on the slides):

“I can’t begin to stress how amazing this course is. I learnt so much, I gained confidence in food choices and I lost 6lb in six weeks! There are not enough words to endorse Joan for her brilliance and expertise. I looked forward to Monday evenings so much. The addition of recipes is genius! I am now cooking and eating in a whole new way. Thank you so much, Joan!”

This could be you. The next course starts on Monday 26th January. Book your place at https://my.practicebetter.io/ #/5eccf29a2a902910706ba999/bookings?c=695947134a7adae0c5a53b34

12/01/2026

Oestrogen plays an important role in supporting the health and strength of our bones and muscles. When it drops in menopause, we lose this protection.

That's why the risk of osteoporosis increases in menopause.

Perhaps even more stealthily, we can lose muscle mass, which makes us more frail as we age. Losing muscle mass also has BIG implications for our metabolic health. Muscles are a sink for glucose, so if we have more muscle mass it's better for our blood glucose control and also for controlling chronic inflammation. Maintaining muscle mass is not just about staying strong, it's about staying well.

Nobody wants to have to give up the activities that they love because they find them too physically demanding. Giving your body the nutrients and the stresses (in the form of exercise) that it needs in menopause can allow you to keep doing the things that you love as you get older.

Who doesn't want that?

My "Healthy Metabolism, Healthy Weight" course is all about giving your perimenopausal or menopausal body what it needs to stay as vibrant, energetic and healthy as possible. We start on Monday 26th January. Book via
https://my.practicebetter.io/ #/5eccf29a2a902910706ba999/bookings?c=695947134a7adae0c5a53b34