How Nutrition Can Shift Your Menopause Journey - A Real Talk with Dr Susie Rockwell

Pausa isn't just about menopause Pilates, we know that that you ladies need much more support than that to help you on your mid-life journey - so, we're bringing to you the first post in our brand-new Pausa Partner Series, where we get real with the pros who are helping women thrive through midlife and menopause. No fluff. No filters. Just straight-talking insight from experts we trust. 

Each post in the interview series will cover a key area of midlife health - from diet to movement, mood, hormones and beyond. This one? It’s all about food, habits and the small everyday shifts that support big changes in hormones and health. Upcoming topics include: Perimenopause and the Lesser-Known Symptoms, Movement During Midlife: Strength, Energy and Emotional Lift, and PMS/PMDD. 

We're now one of their trusted partners

Today we’re kicking off with a woman whose years of experience mean she knows exactly what matters: A GP for over 30 years, with 15 of those specialising in hormones, Dr Susie Rockwell is one of the brilliant doctors at The Women’s Hormone Clinic in Brighton and beyond, who have honoured us by adding us to their short list of trusted partners. 

Susie’s walked the talk, taught the clinicians, and knows exactly what’s going on in your body when you’re crying over a cake craving or waking up in a puddle of 3am regret. She also coined one of our new favourite phrases: 

“One of my patients told me I’d got her from a shrivelled prune to a plum… but she wanted to feel like a luscious peach. That’s what led me to bioidentical hormones.” 

Dr Susie Rockwell talks to us about nutrition

This conversation covers sugar crashes, gut health, HRT fear, and why blood sugar might be the most powerful thing you can shift. Let’s dive in. 

Abi: Susie, what would you say are the most important dietary changes women should consider during perimenopause and menopause? 

Dr Susie: Blood sugar control is the big one. If your blood sugar is flicking up and down, so are your hormones - particularly progesterone, which affects mood, sleep and cognition. The more stable your blood sugar, the more stable your hormones. That means cutting back on carbs, especially processed ones, and going for a low-GI, low-GL diet. 

Abi: So what does that look like in real terms? 

Dr Susie: For most women, that means moving towards lower carbs, more healthy fats and protein, and loads of vegetables. And if you’re someone who’s becoming a bit carbohydrate intolerant, which is really common when oestrogen drops, then a low-carb approach can be transformational. 

Abi: And for anyone dealing with intolerances like myself such as gluten, lactose, that sort of thing, does that tie into it? 

Dr Susie: Absolutely. I’m gluten intolerant myself. And a lot of the gluten-free alternatives are ultra-processed and full of additives. If it lasts a month in the fridge? That’s a red flag. Best to eat real food. Meat, fish, eggs, veg, full-fat dairy if you can tolerate it, and things like coconut alternatives if not. Real food is always the foundation. 

Susie says: If it has 25 ingredients and lives in the fridge for a month, it’s not helping your hormones. 

Abi: So tell me about cravings. We talk a lot in Pausa about people reaching for the cake when hormones dip. What’s going on there? 

Dr Susie: Oestrogen is closely tied to appetite regulation. When it drops, you produce less leptin (which tells you you’re full) and more ghrelin (which tells you you’re hungry). So you’re not imagining it - you really are hungrier and craving sugar. Oestrogen also helps boost your metabolism and supports a hormone called CCK, which also tells you you’ve had enough. 

Abi: What can women do in that moment when the cravings hit? 

Dr Susie: Think about the glycaemic load. If you are going to have chocolate, have it with some nuts. The fat and protein slows down the sugar spike. Or have nut butter on a low-carb cracker. The worst thing you can do is eat sugar on its own - that just keeps you on the rollercoaster. 

Also: don’t try to lose weight the week before your period. That’s when your blood sugar needs to be most stable. 

Abi: We see a lot of fear around eating fat, especially when people are putting on weight around their middle. What would you say to them? 

Dr Susie: Don’t be scared of fat. Be scared of sugar and stress. Sugar spikes insulin and cortisol, which makes you store fat around your middle and depletes progesterone. That’s what I call the wine belt effect. 

Abi: Love that. So would you ever recommend something like keto? 

Dr Susie: For some women, short-term keto (20–50g carbs a day for 4–6 weeks) can really help stabilise blood sugar and shift cravings. I wouldn’t do it long term, but as a reset, it can work wonders. 

Abi: Let’s talk about foods that help support hormone balance. What are your go-tos? 

Dr Susie: Cruciferous veg like broccoli, kale, cabbage, they help with oestrogen metabolism. Flaxseeds and soy are natural oestrogen mimickers. Fermented foods are brilliant - sauerkraut, kimchi, kefir - because your gut microbiome is key to everything: mood, sleep, weight, oestrogen recycling. 

Abi: Speaking of the gut, how do caffeine and alcohol play into all this? 

Dr Susie: If you’re relying on caffeine to push through exhaustion, that’s bad news. It triggers stress hormones and makes everything worse. But one coffee with a friend? That’s different. Same with alcohol. Some women tolerate it, some don’t. It’s trial and error.  And yes, both can aggravate the gut, especially if you’ve got underlying issues. That’s where testing and working with a nutritional therapist can make a huge difference. 

Susie says: It’s not about cutting everything out. It’s about how and why you’re using it. 

Abi: Are there any supplements you recommend? 

Dr Susie: Vitamin D in winter. B12 for vegans. That’s about it for across-the-board. The rest should be personalised. You can waste a lot of money on supplements that don’t do much because the doses are too low or the blends are too generic. 

Abi: And what about collagen? Everyone’s drinking it, spreading it, selling it...

Dr Susie: Honestly? I don’t know. I’ve done loads of nutrition training and it’s never come up. Which tells me a lot. I’m not saying it’s useless, just that it’s probably not the miracle it’s marketed to be. 

Abi: Can nutrition help with symptoms like fatigue and sleep issues? 

Dr Susie: Yes - through blood sugar control again. When I wore a continuous glucose monitor, I could see the nights I’d had wine or chocolate were the nights I woke up hot and restless. It was all tied to sugar spikes. 

Also, magnesium can help, dietary or Epsom salts in a bath or foot soak. But again, it’s mostly about stabilising sugar. 

Abi: What’s your personal go-to when you’re having a tough day? 

Dr Susie: Rainbow salad with avocado, hummus and either salmon or chicken. Organic if possible. And if I can, I’ll get down to the beach for a yoga or pilates class, a five-minute cardio blast, a sea swim and coffee with a friend. But even just one of those helps. 

Abi: And finally, for someone who feels totally overwhelmed by it all, what’s one small shift they can start with? 

Dr Susie: Stabilise your blood sugar. Cut out ultra-processed foods. Start there. It changes everything. 

So there you have it. Sugar really is the devil for those of us heading into our mid-life merry go round. Drop a sugar from your tea and remember nuts are your friend when you really can’t resist a sweet treat! 

We’ll be sharing more expert chats over the coming months as part of our Pausa Partner Series. Because this phase of life deserves more than generic advice and shrinking into the background. We’re here to lift you - body, mind and mood. 

Big love, Abi x