Digestive support is SO important and often overlooked. Especially if you want to start eating more protein rich food or more pulses or vegetables or raw food. We need adequate digestive secretions - stomach acid, bile and pancreatic enzymes - to break down proteins, fats and carbohydrates so that their nutrients can actually be absorbed.

Could your digestion use some TLC?

Some signs that your digestive function may be a little sluggish include:

• Getting full very quickly

• Not feeling particularly hungry

• Feeling uncomfortably full after meals

• Reflux or indigestion

• Bloating

• Changes in bowel habits

• Feeling tired after eating

And one of the biggest digestion disruptors is: stress.

Being constantly in fight or flight mode reduces our digestive ‘fire’. Your body is essentially asking, “Do we need to digest this right now, or do we need to get out of danger?” If we have low stomach acid, we don’t create something called intrinsic factor which is needed for B12 absorption, which is incredibly important for energy production among many other things. If our stomach acid is low then once it reaches the small intestine it might not be acidic enough. The acid tells the small intestine to release an enzyme called secretin, which signals to the pancreas to release digestive enzymes.

So how can we support our stomach acid?

Well this is all about the supporting the cephalic phase of digestion because it stimulates our gastric juice production (around 30 per cent is stimulated by the anticipation of food), bile secretion by the gallbladder (which is needed to digest fat), gut motility, and gastric and pancreatic endocrine secretions, including insulin, the hunger hormone ghrelin and the satiety hormone leptin.

We need to take time to get hungry - how many of us ever allow ourselves to feel true hunger, which starts gradually from the gut? So many of us experience hunger as a stress response like HANGER and that need to eat now which is often to do with lows in blood sugar. It’s important to savour the thought of food - think Ivan Pavlov’s dog which was the first research into ‘psychic secretions’ not due to actual food but the thought of food.

Bitters have traditionally been used to aid the start of digestion, served as a first course before the main meal to increase appetite. These herbs and leaves initiate the production of stomach acid and pancreatic juices and help the liver to release bile into the small intestine ready for the next stage of digestion. Examples include globe artichoke, chicory, radicchio, dandelion leaf, bitter gourd juice and rocket. Bitter salads are often served first in Italy, as well as bitter aperitifs like Campari and Aperol!

Apple cider vinegar has a long history as a remedy for better digestion. It’s mainly made up of acetic acid, and its primary action in the body is to delay gastric emptying to allow more time for digestion. Always buy it with the ‘mother’, raw and unpasteurised. I like the brand Willy’s.

Slow down your eating. From my observations in clinic people who inhale their food, who are super fast eaters, are either from a big family or have been to boarding school! And then there is Hara Hachi Bu. One of my favourite Japanese concepts: the practice of eating until you are around 80% full. It comes from Okinawan culture, where it has traditionally been used as a mindful approach to eating. I love the idea because it shifts the goal away from: “I’m full” towards: “I no longer feel hungry.” Even the French expression je n’ai plus faim literally translates as “I am no longer hungry.” There is something wonderfully intuitive about that.

And our digestive enzymes?

There are some foods which contain naturally occurring digestive enzymes:

Bromelain is a protein-digesting enzyme found in the core, stem and leaves of pineapples.

Papain, which is found in papayas, is another protein-digesting enzyme, while avocados contain the digestive enzyme lipase, which digests fats.

Kiwi fruits, figs, pineapples and mangos all contain actinidin. Ginger contains zingibain, both of which are protein-digesting enzymes.

And avocado contains lipase, an enzyme involved in fat digestion.

Good nutrition isn’t just what you put on your plate, it’s how well your body digests it too.

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One last space on my rewilding Food as Menopause Medicine Day Retreat on 4th September, just £150 which includes talks by me, a beautiful seasonal lunch from Knepp’s market garden, an incredible gift bag, wood fired sauna with facemasks, and some wild swimming.

Knepp Wilding Estate, Friday 4th September from 930am to 430pm. The last GOLDEN TICKET is available here.

I’ve written a new book: The Post Menopause Method: a nutritional guide to ageing well.

My healthy ageing manifesto, and the final part of my Menopause Trilogy (move aside Tolkein!). It’s about healthspan not lifespan and how can we take back agency over our health with what’s on our plate. I wanted to write an optimistic book too, one without any fear based narratives which is often the case when it comes to ageing….

Food has rather been overlooked when it’s battling against the trillion $$$ wellbeing industry where we are being convinced that wellbeing is something that we need to buy. My book highlights the extraordinary body of research showcasing how what we eat can influence how we age - research that rarely makes the front page and should do in my opinion!

I explore four key pillars of healthy ageing - metabolic, cardiovascular, brain and musculoskeletal health - and the foods and lifestyle habits that can help support each of them, that we can start today. No complicated protocols or expensive kit needed.

And then there is The Longevity Larder: my hand picked list of 18 ingredients with an impressive body of research behind their health promoting potential.

It is available to pre-order now from wherever you buy your books. Pre-orders help MASSIVELY especially for us without platforms like the big guns! The Amazon link is here.

I will be doing a special Beyond Menopause event on 21st October in Hove at Platf9rm with talks by me and some of my brilliant contributors to this book. I haven’t started promoting it as yet so if you would like to secure your spot then do follow the link here for tickets.

During the evening we will be exploring healthy ageing, female longevity and life beyond menopause. Longevity though a uniquely female lens. How does our food and lifestyle support our energy, brain health, bone strength and heart health?

I will also be joined by an expert panel of practitioners and contributors to my new book:

Kate Codrington, author of Second Spring: The ultimate self-care guide to help you through menopause, on reframing ageing and embracing the opportunities of the post-menopause years.

Professor Joyce Harper, reproductive scientist and author of Your Joyful Years, on finding purpose and true happiness post menopause.

Melinda McDougall, medical herbalist, on the role of herbal medicine in supporting healthy ageing and notes from her menopause clinic.

Suzy Reading, psychologist and author of How to be Selfish, on building boundaries, self advocacy and finding everyday joy.

There will also be the opportunity to ask questions during the Q&A, meet the speakers, and have books signed after the talks.

Join me and my brilliant guests for an evening of knowledge, connection and inspiration—and discover how to make your post-menopause years your healthiest and happiest yet. I look forward to welcoming you! Get your tickets here.

And finally, if you have thought about buying my Cookbook and haven’t as yet, or if you want to buy it as gifts, then there is a huge 64% off Amazon this weekend! The link is here.

_{Roasted Squash and Feta with Almond Pesto (in the I can’t sleep section). Photo Credit: Laura Edwards}

Have a fun and restful weekend!

Karen x

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I’ve just returned from a few days in Switzerland, roaming the medicinal herb gardens of Swiss herbalist Alfred Vogel, founder of A.Vogel.

The energy of the place was phenomenal and the herbs I tasted were so flavoursome, full of medicinal properties that protect the plant but also protect us. The echinacea fields took centre stage (Echinaforce is A.Vogel’s hero product) with stacks of research on it’s anti viral and immune supportive effects.

In the 1950s Alfred travelled to North America and met Ben Black Elk, from the Oglala Lakota people who introduced him to the purple cone flower (Echinacea purpurea). He gave him a handful of seeds to take back to Switzerland. Used for generations by Native Americans externally for snakebites, wounds, burns, and bruises and internally for sore throats, coughs, toothaches, and general immune support.

_{Alfred Vogel and Ben Black Elk}

🌿 Five medicinal herbs to bring into your kitchen

Here are five of my favourites to grow, cook with and sip — particularly useful during menopause, but brilliant at any age.

Rosemary - for remembrance

This herb was traditionally used by the ancient Greeks as a tonic and stimulant to strengthen mental function and improve memory and concentration, and students would wear crowns of rosemary during exams for this reason. Modern-day research shows that this cognitive improvement might be due to rosemary’s polyphenol, rosemarinic acid, which may protect brain cells and preserve the memory neurotransmitter acetylcholine, along with antioxidants such as carnosic acid, which protects against oxidative stress linked to cognitive decline.

Nasturtiums - for a peppery punch

Perfect for summer salads with a pungent peppery taste. It contains mustards oils which have an anti microbial effect and why they have been traditionally used in teas or tinctures to clear chest congestion, soothe coughs, and ease bronchitis or mild airway inflammation.

Sage - for cooling and cognition

Known for its cooling effects. It may also help slow the breakdown of a key brain chemical called acetylcholine, which is important for memory, concentration and focus. It has been shown to have a positive effect on Alzheimer’s patients too.

Lemon balm - for calm

This lovely lemon-scented herb has calming effects due to it’s supportive role of GABA, the body’s overarching calming neurochemical. It has been shown to reduce the breakdown of the memory neurotransmitter acetylcholine.

Peppermint - for digestion

Pick the leaves for a post meal tea to calm digestive issues such as bloating, nausea, and digestive comfort. Best grown in a pot otherwise it might take over your flowerbed!

As Alfred Vogel said, ‘We need to get back to nature’ and I think this has never been so important as it is in 2026…..

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I recently recorded a podcast with Kimberley Ann Johnson which was a frank and open discussion on non HRT ways to navigate menopause with food and lifestyle shifts and why this is often so hard for us. We discussed menopause myths, regaining agency over the transition and how to look after ourselves more when we have no time or bandwidth. You can listen to the episode here:

I’ve been back on QVC recording a Live Well cooking episode with Eilidh Nairn. We got through a lot - what should we eat in midlife to support energy, blood sugar balance and healthy ageing and how to build better breakfasts, reduce energy crashes, and make simple food choices that support wellbeing during perimenopause and menopause. You can watch it over on YouTube here:

Feel the need for some rewilding? Come and join me for some food as medicine talks, nourishing food, meaningful conversation and time spent reconnecting with nature.

It was such a joy to be back hosting my Food as Medicine Day Retreat in July, this time in the stunning Knepp Rewilding Estate. We explored how food can be one of our most powerful forms of preventative medicine – not only for navigating menopause, but for supporting healthy ageing too. I have just 5 spaces left for my Autumn Food as Medicine Day Retreat on 4th September if you fancy a day of learning, nourishment and a little rewilding. The last tickets are available here.

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