Her Nutritionist

Her Nutritionist Fertility and Women's Health Dietitian (NZRD). Myth Busting, nutrition and supplementation advice, 1:1 coaching. From precoception to menopause 🏋️‍♀️❤️

02/06/2026

If you've heard you need to switch your folic acid to methylated folate 🤔, here's what you need to know.

5-MTHF is the most bioavailable form of folate used by the body. That part is true.

👂But folic acid is the ONLY form proven to reduce neural tube defects. And because we don't fully understand the mechanism by which it does this, we can't say the two are interchangeable.

Why don't we just compare them directly? Once folic acid was shown to reduce neural tube defects, it became unethical to withhold it in pregnancy research. Those trials simply can't be done. 🤷‍♀️ Yes, there is a plausible mechanism by which methylated folate could reduce neural tube defects, but it ISN'T proven. 🎤

In New Zealand, MTHFR testing isn't routine, so most women making this swap don't know their status.

If you have a known MTHFR variant, don't ditch your folic acid. Consider adding methylated folate alongside it. Not instead of it. Individual advice is really important here.

Follow along if you'd like evidence based nutrition tips to cut through the noise ❤️

On average, New Zealanders are eating around 20g of fibre per day. And that's at absolute best. 🫣As diets become more pr...
26/05/2026

On average, New Zealanders are eating around 20g of fibre per day. And that's at absolute best. 🫣

As diets become more processed and reliant on convenience foods, fibre is one of the first things to disappear.

Whole food sources of fibre are associated with reduced rates of type 2 diabetes, colorectal cancer and heart disease. Concerningly, rates of early onset colorectal cancer in younger New Zealanders are rising.

University of Otago research published in 2024 found early onset bowel cancer has increased by 26% per decade over the past twenty years. But most of us simply aren't getting enough of the things that helps protect against it.

For women, the daily fibre target is 25–28g. The swaps in this carousel take you from 10g to 33g: same meals, smarter choices.

Here's how easy swaps across a single day can make or break your daily fibre intake. Small changes add up.

So start today.

📌 Save this for your next grocery shop.

Follow for more simple nutrition tips you can actually use.

What a Women’s Health Dietitian actually eats in a week. Including the blueberry custard croissant. 🥐This isn’t a templa...
19/05/2026

What a Women’s Health Dietitian actually eats in a week. Including the blueberry custard croissant. 🥐

This isn’t a template. Your budget, taste and life looks completely different to mine and that’s exactly as it should be. But maybe it’s a reminder that eating well doesn’t have to be complicated.

Stewed rhubarb with brown sugar, leftover salmon pasta in 10 minutes, scrambled eggs on a tired Tuesday, a solo risotto lunch, loaded nachos from the batch cook pot, a Friday market salmon bagel, Ottolenghi’s charred tomatoes on lemon yoghurt, and a blueberry custard croissant that was utterly delicious.

Nutritious doesn’t have to mean complicated. ❤️🙌

📌 Save this for the weeks when you need a reminder.

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🚨📰BREAKING NEWSPCOS has a new name!Researchers have officially renamed polycystic o***y syndrome to Polyendocrine Metabo...
13/05/2026

🚨📰BREAKING NEWS

PCOS has a new name!

Researchers have officially renamed polycystic o***y syndrome to Polyendocrine Metabolic Ovarian Syndrome (PMOS). Yes, it's a bit of a tongue twister and it'll take some getting used to.

You'll likely still hear PCOS for a while as the transition happens globally.

But here's why it matters.

The old name implied your ovaries were covered in cysts. In my clinic, I saw so many women who had dismissed the idea of PCOS entirely because they'd been told they didn't have cysts on their ovaries. And that's exactly the problem... you can have this condition without any cysts at all.

Hopefully this name change makes diagnosis quicker, simpler and a whole lot less confusing for women and clinicians alike.

PMOS is so much more than an ovarian condition. It involves hormones, metabolism, ovarian function, mental health, skin and sleep.

Swipe through to see what the features actually look like. If any of them resonate, it's worth booking in with your GP for a conversation.

I've done a full deep dive over on Substack, link in bio if you want to read more. ❤️

If you’re 35+, you’re already losing bone… 🩻🦴..even if you feel perfectly healthy. And for women in their 40s, the pace ...
25/11/2025

If you’re 35+, you’re already losing bone… 🩻🦴
..even if you feel perfectly healthy. And for women in their 40s, the pace of bone loss can speed up fast due to a decline in oestrogen, long before menopause is officially “here.”

The good news? Nutrition and exercise in your 30s–50s have a powerful impact on the strength of your bones later in life. 💪

You don’t need perfection… but you do need consistency.

Here’s what actually moves the needle for bone health ⬇️

✨ 1. Lift weights + impact training
Weight-bearing and resistance exercise stimulate bone remodelling. Even 2–3 sessions/week makes a meaningful difference (Daly et al., 2019).

✨ 2. Hit your protein target
Protein isn’t just for muscle. It provides the building blocks for bone matrix and helps maintain muscle mass that protects bones (Wallace & Frankenfeld, 2017).

✨ 3. Calcium consistently (not perfectly)
You don’t need huge amounts at once. You need ~2–3 servings/day spread across meals. Dairy, fortified milks, tofu set with calcium, almonds, leafy greens… it all counts (Weaver et al., 2016).

✨ 4. Vitamin D (check your levels!)
Vitamin D increases calcium absorption and supports bone turnover. Many women in NZ are low without knowing it (Cashman, 2021).

✨ 5. Magnesium & Vitamin K
You don’t need to supplement unless advised, but food sources (nuts, seeds, legumes, leafy greens) support healthy bone metabolism alongside calcium (Rondanelli et al., 2021; Beulens et al., 2013).

If you’re in your 40s (or approaching perimenopause), this is the decade to prioritise your foundations. Even small changes now pay off for decades.

💛🙌 Tag a friend in her 40s who needs to see this let’s build strong bones

23/11/2025

I’m a women’s health dietitian and was recently interviewed for an article about protein and the ‘protein-washing’ trend, but the article missed an important point for women. 🤓

Protein needs increase ⬆️ during weight loss, when taking appetite-suppressing medications, and through perimenopause and menopause. In fact needs can be more than double the estimated average requirement of younger women.

Combining higher protein intake with regular strength training is essential for maintaining muscle, supporting metabolism, and improving long-term health.

Busy evening? Between work, school commitments, sport and horses, sometimes it's 7:30pm before I step inside. Last night...
19/11/2025

Busy evening? Between work, school commitments, sport and horses, sometimes it's 7:30pm before I step inside. Last night we were hungry and late after a very active day so this pasta dish ticked all our boxes. 👏

I loved this simple Salmon & Feta Spaghetti because it takes your weeknight dinner to the next level, literally ready in just 15 minutes! 🍝✨And best of all, aside from taste of course, is that it ticks my protein box, healthy fats for my heart and brain and free from anything ultra processed. Let's take a look 🔍...

✅ Omega 3 & Protein-packed salmon for muscle, brain health & hormones.

✅ Feta for flavor 🤤 (also protein and some calcium for my bones).

✅ Cherry tomatoes for antioxidants and because you HAVE to have at least 1 vegetable! 🙄😬

✅ Fresh basil & grated garlic for a punch of freshness and phytonutrients (great for your gut microbiome)

✅ Olive oil for heart-healthy fats - anti inflammatory

Quick & nourishing. Weeknight dinners don’t have to be boring. 🌿💛

Tip: Swap in wholemeal or chickpea pasta for extra fibre. I'd recommend adding spinach for more low starch veggies. This is all I had in my kitchen, so made do.

🍴

You’re doing everything right — eating well, exercising, sleeping — yet you’re still exhausted. Your doctor says your ir...
22/10/2025

You’re doing everything right — eating well, exercising, sleeping — yet you’re still exhausted.

Your doctor says your iron is normal, so you start thinking maybe it’s just stress… or burnout. Sound familiar?

Here’s the truth: normal lab ranges for ferritin (15–200 µg/L) only detect deficiency — not whether your iron is optimal. Research shows many women start feeling symptoms when ferritin drops below ~50 µg/L, even if haemoglobin is normal (Vaucher 2012; Verdon 2003; DellaValle & Haas 2011).

This is called iron deficiency without anaemia, and it can cause:

💤 Fatigue & low energy
🧠 Brain fog & poor focus
💇 Hair shedding
😣 Restless legs
🏃‍♀️ Poor exercise recovery
💔 Low mood

Too often, women are dismissed because their ferritin is “in range,” and treatment is delayed until anaemia develops — months or even years after symptoms start.

Ask your GP or dietitian for:
✅ Ferritin + CRP
✅ Full blood count

If ferritin is under 50 µg/L with symptoms, it’s worth discussing treatment (Vaucher 2012; DellaValle & Haas 2011; Allen et al., 2018).

Focus on diet first 👇
🥩 Iron + vitamin C combos (steak + tomato, lentils + citrus)
🚫 Avoid tea/coffee & calcium around meals
💊 Supplements? Consider alternate-day dosing or gentler forms like iron bisglycinate (with guidance from your provider).

Your energy, focus, and wellbeing matter — you deserve more than “normal.” 💛 It might not be hormones it could be your iron!

Save this post 💾 and share it with a friend who’s always tired!



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