Women’s Health Unwrapped
Episode 165:
How cutting ultra-processed foods changed everything
What if eating ‘real food’ could shift the way you feel in menopause?
“So many women come to midlife believing that if they could just change their weight, everything else would fall into place. But what I see time and time again is that it’s not about the number on the scales — it’s about how disconnected they feel from themselves. Food plays a much bigger role in that than we’ve been taught to recognise.”
— Nicola Farndell
“All my life I had absorbed the message that menopause would be something I had to endure — a time of decline, discomfort and loss of control. That simply wasn’t my experience. When I changed how I ate and supported my body with real, nourishing food, the menopause still happened, but the symptoms never arrived.”
— Susan Mandala
In this episode of Women’s Health Unwrapped:
What if the foods you lean on to get you through your busy days are quietly shaping how you feel in midlife — your mood, your hormones, your energy, even how connected you feel to yourself?
In this episode I sat down with Dr. Susan Mandala to talk about how she rebuilt her health by removing ultra-processed foods and returning to real, simple, nourishing meals. What unfolded for her wasn’t just better digestion or more stable energy — it was a profound reconnection with herself. Clearer thinking. Deeper calm. Stronger physical resilience. And a menopause experience without the symptoms she had always been told were inevitable.
If you’ve ever felt tired, puffy, foggy, or slightly disconnected from the woman you used to be, this conversation will open something new for you.
In this episode we’re unwrapping:
Why eating “real food” matters more in midlife than ever before.
How Susan recognised she no longer felt like herself.
How Ultra-processed foods disrupt far more than your weight.
The emotional and energetic shift that came from removing UPFs.
How her menopause symptoms disappeared — and why she thinks diet played a key role.
Why snacking can signal more than hunger.
The pillars of wellbeing that interact with your food choices.
Three simple ways to start reducing UPFs without feeling overwhelmed.
About Susan Mandala:
Dr Susan Mandala is a writing and language awareness consultant and founder of Writing Works Consulting. With a PhD from the University of Cambridge, she helps individuals and organisations turn complex ideas into clear, impactful communication through thoughtful use of language.
Susan works across the public and private sectors, delivering consultancy and workshops for professionals, educators and creatives. She is also an author and academic, with a long-standing interest in how language shapes the way we think, work and live.
Connect with Susan:
Do you keep making promises to yourself… but never quite follow through?
You say you’ll start again Monday. You try to eat better, move more, slow down. But life pulls you off course — again.
It’s not that you don’t care. It’s that you don’t trust yourself to keep going. And that quiet self-doubt? It’s often the real reason you feel stuck.
The Midlife Reset Quiz helps you:
💛 Spot what’s silently undermining your energy, confidence and clarity.
💛 Reconnect with what your body and mind actually need right now.
💛 Choose one small shift to rebuild trust in yourself — gently.
It takes just 2 minutes and gives you a personalised insight to move forward with less pressure and more peace.
✨ Take the Midlife Reset Quiz today to take your first step back to you.
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“I just thought I had to fight through menopause and didn’t realise
I could actually support myself to feel great!”
If you want to thrive through and beyond menopause to live a great life listen, rate and review the show to support more women — just like you — to take control of their menopause, reduce overwhelm and know how to build confidence in menopause. Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.”
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