Menopause can affect sleep, mood, memory, weight, relationships, sex and how women feel in their own bodies. So why is there still so much confusion about it?

In this episode of Forkin' Good, Simon Gault and Kate Fenwick sit down with author and health journalist Niki Bezzant for a refreshingly straightforward conversation about menopause and perimenopause.

Niki helps separate good science from the enormous amount of menopause misinformation online and talks about HRT, sleep, alcohol, weight gain, strength training, brain fog and the changes women can experience through midlife.

But this isn't just a conversation for women.

They also talk about what partners need to understand, how menopause can affect relationships and intimacy, why communication matters, and what men can actually do to support the women in their lives.

Most importantly, Niki explains why menopause doesn't need to be viewed as a catastrophe or the end of something. It can also be a transition into a powerful new stage of life.

Subscribe to Forkin' Good with Simon Gault and Kate Fenwick for more open conversations about food, health and life.

This episode discusses general health information and personal experiences. For individual advice about menopause, symptoms or hormone therapy, speak with an appropriate healthcare professional.

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A product can have blinded trials, published papers, and strong safety data and still be treated like it’s dangerous simply because it works. That’s the knot we pull apart with Professor Julia Rucklidge as we look at how Medsafe regulates supplements and why therapeutic micronutrients keep getting squeezed into rules designed for pharmaceuticals, not prevention.

We talk about Daily Essential Nutrients and the broader evidence on micronutrients for mental health and wellbeing, including ADHD outcomes, stress resilience, postnatal depression support, and improvements families report beyond symptoms. Then we get into the regulatory reality in New Zealand: dose limits, the ban on prevention or treatment claims for foods and supplements, and how “public safety” can become a catch-all justification even when comparable or greater risks sit on supermarket shelves. Julia shares a firsthand story of trying to access the nutrients via a prescription pathway and why Section 29 creates a strange barrier for well people who want to stay well.

From there, we zoom out to Pharmac funding, affordability, and the equity problem when families can’t keep paying for something that helps. We also look at what prevention could actually mean: smarter natural health product regulation, clearer pathways for evidence-based supplements, and practical public health moves around ultra-processed food, marketing to kids, and nutrition education. Julia also touches on the “soil to brain” idea and why soil health, magnesium, stress, and diet all link back to mental wellbeing.

If you care about evidence-based healthcare in Aotearoa New Zealand, listen through and join the conversation. Subscribe, share this with a mate, and leave a review so more people can find it.

Tell your local MP: https://te-puna-toiora.github.io/micronutrient-access/

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Can what we eat really affect how we think, feel and behave?

In this episode of Forkin’ Good, Simon Gault and Kate Fenwick sit down with Professor Julia Rucklidge, clinical psychologist and Professor of Clinical Psychology at the University of Canterbury, whose research has focused extensively on nutrition, micronutrients and mental health.

Julia explains what micronutrients actually are, why vitamins and minerals are essential for the brain, and what her research has found when micronutrients have been studied in people experiencing a range of mental health challenges.

The conversation also explores ultra-processed food, the importance of eating a diverse range of whole foods, the idea of aiming for 30 different plants a week, and why simply looking at protein, carbohydrates and fat may be missing an important part of nutrition.

They also dive into ADHD, particularly in children and teenagers, and discuss research investigating the relationships between diet, micronutrients, attention, mood and behaviour.

Julia shares practical places to start, including putting real food first, as well as resources for people who want to learn more about her research.

Learn more from Professor Julia Rucklidge:
The Better Brain - https://thebetterbrainbook.com/
University of Canterbury Mental Health and Nutrition Research Group - https://www.canterbury.ac.nz/research/about-uc-research/research-groups-and-centres/te-puna-toiora-mental-health-and-nutrition-research
Julia Rucklidge’s TEDx talk and online education - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3dqXHHCc5lA

Subscribe to Forkin’ Good with Simon Gault and Kate Fenwick for more conversations about food, health and the things that shape how we live.

This podcast discusses research and personal perspectives relating to nutrition and mental health. It is for general information only and is not a substitute for individual medical or mental health advice.

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