Emma Ellice-Flint
Emma Ellice-Flint is a qualified nutritionist, nutritional therapist, and experienced chef. She has worked alongside Dr. Louise Newson, one of the UK’s leading menopause specialists, and is passionate about helping women use nutrition to support hormone health, gut function, and overall wellbeing.
Emma is an expert on:
How estrogen shifts impact your digestion and gut bacteria
Key signs your gut needs support in midlife
The role of food and fibre in restoring balance
Why poor gut health impacts weight in midlife, and what you can do about it
Why gut health affects mood, sleep, and resilience
Understanding new food intolerances in menopause
Which supplements and probiotics are worth considering
Emma’s Nutrition
Throw-It-Together Artichoke & Butter Bean Salad
This easy throw-it-together salad is a lovely way to enjoy a range of prebiotic fibres, with leeks, butter beans and artichokes all helping to nourish your beneficial gut bacteria. Fresh parsley, pumpkin seeds, lemon and parmesan bring plenty of flavour and texture, making it feel both light and satisfying. It’s the sort of simple, gut-friendly dish that works beautifully for lunch or a quick no-fuss meal.
Serves 1
½ leek, white part only, finely chopped
½ tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 small handful cooked butter beans (from a tin/can/jar or cook your own)
3-4 cooked artichoke hearts (from a tin/can/jar), sliced in half, or if large, quartered
1 small handful chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
1 tablespoon pumpkin seeds
3-4 strips of freshly shaved parmesan
Optional - 1 teaspoon capers
Dressing
½ tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon zest from lemon skin
Pinch of salt and pepper
In a frypan gently cook the leeks on a low heat with ½ tablespoon olive oil. Pop a lid on the pan so the leeks cook but don't catch on the base of the pan. (I like to have cooked leeks ready in my fridge, so I can throw them into salads such as this)
Once cooked , toss in with all the other ingredients. Add whatever protein you prefer - I like to eat a cooked white fish fillet with this salad, it pairs beautifully. But I also like some cooked eggs too.
Emma’s Nutrition
Fudgy Chocolate & Prune Bliss Balls
Cocoa does more than add a rich chocolate flavour - it also brings some impressive health benefits, particularly for the gut and brain. The polyphenols in cocoa, natural plant compounds with anti-inflammatory effects, can help support a healthier gut microbiota by nourishing beneficial microbes. Cocoa may also help support blood flow to the brain and encourage the production of feel-good neurotransmitters, helping to boost energy, mood and overall vitality. Added to that the prunes also contain great fibre and more polyphenols - making these bliss balls a really good sweet choice.
A quick note: although cocoa has many benefits, it can sometimes be a trigger for somepeople. If you find it brings on headaches, migraine or itchy skin, it may be best avoided.
Makes about 16 balls
1 cup (120g) nuts (I like raw almonds)
2 heaped tablespoons ground flax/linseed
1/3 cup (40g) cocoa or cacao powder, plus extra for rolling
400g pitted prunes
Leave as is or add in:
Finely grated zest from 1 unwaxed orange
Or 1 teaspoon cinnamon powder
Or ½ teaspoon cardamom powder and ½ teaspoon star anise powder
Blitz the nuts in a food processor until ground. Then add the rest of the ingredients and blend until well combined.
Roll into 1 tablespoon size balls, then coat the outside by rolling in either cocoa powder or toasted coconut flakes or leave nude.
These bliss balls store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week, or freeze well.
Emma’s Nutrition
Flax & Miso Crisp Breads
5 tablespoons (50g) sesame seeds
5 tablespoons(50g) sunflower or hulled hemp seeds
6 tablespoons(55g) ground flaxseed / linseed
6 tablespoons (70g) buckwheat flour or other whole grain flour
1 sachet / 1 heaped teaspoon miso powder
or
1 heaped teaspoon miso paste
or
dried oregano & ½ tsp salt
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
100ml water
1 tablespoon Pumpkin seeds (optional)
Set your oven to 180ºC (350ºF) fan forced or 200ºC (390ºF) regular. Mix all the ingredients together well in a bowl using a spoon or fork - it’s a sticky mass!
Allow it to rest for 10 minutes. After resting the mixture should be very sticky, not crumbly. If too crumbly add a tiny bit more water.
Tip the mixture onto a large piece of baking paper and put a second piece of baking paper over the top. Using a rolling pin, roll the mixture between the papers so it is flattened out and thin - aim for approximately ½ cm thickness, a thin cracker thickness. Scatter over some pumpkin seeds if you wish - lightly rolling them into the top of the mixture. Then place the rolled mixture on a large baking tray.
Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes. Check how the cracker mixture is cooking after about 15 minutes - if your oven temperature isn’t very even, then turn the tray around. You want to avoid the outside bits going too brown before the inside is cooked.
These will store in an airtight container for a week. If they go soft, put them in a moderately hot oven for 5 minutes to crisp up again.
Note: Buckwheat flour is gluten-free
Emma’s Nutrition
Fig & Ginger Bites
Makes about 25 squares
12 (approx. 220g) dried large figs
100g 90% dark chocolate
1 cup (130g) raw pumpkin seeds or other seeds
1 cup (140g) almonds or other nuts
3 tablespoons (approx. 50) butter
1 cup (250g) nut butter, I often use almond butter (any nut butter is ok, but beware if you use peanut butter - it is a strong flavour)
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
½ cup puffed buckwheat*/ amaranth*/ millet* (Optional )
*Available in health food stores
Nip off the hard stalk tops from each fig, then soak in water for about 10 minutes, then drain, roughly chop, and pop into a mixing bowl.
Meanwhile slowly melt the chocolate by putting into a glass/ ceramic/ stainless steel bowl and place the bowl over the top of a saucepan containing a little gently simmering water. Once melted turn off the heat.
Melt the butter and add into the fig bowl along with the nut butter. If you have a stick blender, then use this in the bowl to ‘mash’ the fig and butters together to form a rough paste or use a fork to mash up well. Then add the nuts and seeds, ginger (and puffed buckwheat/ amaranth/millet, if using). Mix well so everything binds together.
Tip this mixture into a baking paper-lined square tin, approx 20cm x 20cm. Press the mixture down firmly, flattening it with the back of your hand. Pour over the warmed chocolate, allowing it to thinly cover the whole top. Chill in the fridge for approx. 4 hours before cutting into bite size pieces.
Store in an airtight container, in the fridge, for up to one week.
Emma’s Nutrition
Tahini & Lentil Bliss Balls
Makes about 15 - 20 balls
½ cup (65g) raw pumpkin seeds
½ cup(65g) sunflower seeds
¼ cup(30g) sesame seeds + extra for rolling
3 tablespoons(20g) whole rolled oats (leave out if celiac)
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
¾ cup(120g) lightly cooked red/ orange lentils (cook as per instructions on packet, drain well once cooked)
1 tablespoon (approx. 30g) tomato paste
1 heaped tablespoon(30g) tahini
2 teaspoons miso paste or a big pinch of salt
Big pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)
In a smoothie maker /blender mix all the seeds, parsley and oats; Grind until they are like coarse crumbs. It is ok if some of the seeds are still whole. Then tip out into a mixing bowl and add all the rest of the ingredients, mixing well. It’s sticky work!
Form small balls or patties with your hands, roll with extra sesame seeds if you wish.
Eat straight away or store in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Note: You can eat them just like this or…
Pop a frypan onto medium high heat, add a little extra virgin olive oil and fry the patties to crisp up on the outside.
Remember the mixture does not need cooking, as it is perfectly ok to eat raw, this is to warm them up and slightly crisp the outside.
Eat hot or cold. I like to eat as a snack dipped into humus or tzatziki, or made into a burger for a main meal.
Emma’s Nutrition
Pear & Cranberry Overnight Oats
3 tbsp (30g) whole rolled oats
½ (75g) pear, grated with skin on
1 cup (250g) natural unsweetened greek-style yoghurt or kefir
1 tbsp (10g) chia seeds
1 level tsp psyllium husk powder
1 tbsp (15g) cranberries, if possible with no added sugar and sulphites
6-8 (7g) nuts - For extra crunch, I like raw almonds and pistachios, pecans, macadamias or walnuts
Water - Add some water if you like the texture to be quite moist
1 heaped tsp chopped 90% dark chocolate or cocoa nibs (Optional)
Mix all the ingredients together in a small breakfast bowl or food-safe box-to-go (e.g large jam jar).
Cover and soak overnight in the fridge. It will keep in the fridge in an airtight container for 6 days (assuming the use-by-date on the yoghurt/ kefir/ milk has not expired).
Ingredient-by-Ingredient Fibre Quantities
30g whole rolled oats = 3g fibre
Oats provide both soluble and insoluble fibre to support digesCon, blood sugars, and gut health.
½ pear, grated with skin on = 2.8g fibre
Keeping the skin on boosts the insoluble fibre, helping regularity and feeding beneficial gut bacteria.
1 level tsp psyllium husk fibre = 3g fibre
Particularly high in soluble fibre, adored by your beneficial gut microbiome and helps to keep stools soft.
1 tbsp chia seeds = 4.1g fibre
A great source of soluble fibre and omega-3s. Chia seeds help with satiety, bowel regularity, and supporting a healthy microbiome.
1 tbsp dried cranberries = 0.8g fibre
Choose unsweetened, sulphite-free cranberries if possible.
Raw almonds, 6 nuts = 1g fibre
Almonds add fibre, healthy fats, protein, and polyphenols.
Total Fibre per serve = 14.7 g
Total Protein per serve 30g
This is a beautifully balanced, fibre-rich breakfast that supports digestion, blood sugar balance, hormone health, and gut health.
Protein Fact Sheet
Protein
Protein helps support muscle maintenance, repair, immune function and healthy ageing.
In adult women I usually recommend aiming for around 1.2 - 1.4g of protein per kilogram of body weight. So if you weigh 64kg, then that means you’re aiming for approx. 77-90g of protein per day. I tend to suggest a maximum of approx. 100g of protein per day for an average height adult woman below the age of 70 years.
The Current Minimum Protein Guidelines
(March 2026)
For most adult women, currently the general reference intake is about 0.75g of protein per kilogram of body weight per day. In Australia, Dietitians Australia gives 0.75g/kg/day for adult women. For older adults, needs are often a little higher; Dietitians Australia advises 1g/kg/day for people over 70, and UK dietetic guidance commonly suggests around 1.0–1.2g/kg/day in older age to help maintain muscle and function.
About High-Protein Diets
Very high protein intakes, often around 200g+ per day, are sometimes promoted in “high-protein diets”. Dietitians Australia notes that these diets may place added stress on the kidneys and liver, particularly in people with kidney disease or those at risk, so individual medical or dietetic advice is sensible. At the same time, older blanket claims that high protein automatically damages kidneys or weakens bones in healthy people are not strongly supported by current evidence.
Aim for enough protein, but not excess. Most people do not need extremely high intakes, and protein needs are best considered in the context of age, activity, muscle mass, kidney and bone health, and overall diet quality.
Foods That Provide About 10g of Protein:
Amounts vary by brand and style, so these are only approximate:
• Natural yoghurt: about 250g
• Greek yoghurt: about 100g
• Cottage cheese: about ½ cup
• Parmesan: about 30g
• Cooked beans or chickpeas: about ⅔ cup
• Cooked quinoa: about 2 cups
• Oats: about 90g dry
• Almonds: about ⅓ cup
• Eggs: about 1½ large eggs
• Firm tofu: varies by brand considerably, usually around 50–100g, depending on brand and firmness