Beyond the quick fix
A conversation with Imogen Schels, Associate Registered Nutritionist (ANutr) & Founder of Elia Nutrition
Meet Imogen Schels
Associate Registered Nutritionist (ANutr) and Founder of Elia Nutrition.
At Kahāra, we're fascinated by the everyday rituals that shape how we feel—not quick fixes.
For the first edition of Kahāra Conversations, we sat down with Associate Registered Nutritionist (ANutr) and Founder of Elia Nutrition, Imogen Schels, to discuss women's health, hormones, fibre, restrictive diets and why supporting the body consistently matters more than chasing the latest wellness trend.
Here's our conversation.
“Small, consistent habits that help your body feel well nourished can have positive ripple effects across multiple areas of health.”
Hormones are never just hormones.
Kahāra
Women's health is often discussed in separate chapters—hormones, fertility, gut health, skin and mood. How connected are they really?
Imogen
Hormones, fertility, gut health, skin, and mood are incredibly connected. As you say, we often talk about hormones, gut health, skin or fertility as if they're separate parts of the body, but they rarely exist in isolation. Nutrition, sleep, stress, movement and overall health influence all of them, which is why I always encourage women to look at the bigger picture rather than searching for one food, one supplement or one quick fix. Small, consistent habits that help your body feel well nourished can have positive ripple effects across multiple areas of health.
“Getting the basics right often makes a bigger difference than chasing the latest nutrition trend.”
Listening to your body
Kahāra
So many women are told painful periods, bloating and fatigue are simply "part of being a woman." When should someone start asking deeper questions?
Imogen
If a symptom is affecting your quality of life, it's always worth asking questions and remembering that you know your body better than anyone. If something doesn't feel right, it probably isn't.
Of course, some symptoms can be common, but that doesn't necessarily mean they're something you simply have to live with. Heavy, painful periods, persistent bloating or ongoing fatigue deserve to be explored, whether that's with your GP or another qualified healthcare professional. Even if there's no single explanation, understanding what's driving those symptoms is an important first step.
The basics matter
Kahāra
If there was one nutrition habit that could positively impact women's hormones over the long term, what would it be?
Imogen
I'd say consistently nourishing your body. For years, many women have been told to eat less, avoid certain foods or constantly strive for smaller portions. While there are times when reducing or avoiding certain foods may be appropriate, I often see the opposite problem in my clients—some women simply aren't eating enough to support their bodies and the demands of a busy, modern life. Eating regular, balanced meals that provide enough energy, protein, healthy fats, and fibre lays the foundation for healthy hormone function. I know this probably doesn't seem like an exciting one, but getting the basics right often makes a bigger difference than chasing the latest nutrition trend. You'd be amazed at how often this is the answer to problems I see.
““Rather than talking about healing hormones, I prefer to think about supporting them—and the body as a whole.”
Can we really "heal" hormones?
Kahāra
We often hear people talk about "healing hormones." Is that actually helpful language, or does it oversimplify what's really happening in the body?
Imogen
I think it risks oversimplifying something that's incredibly complex. Hormones are constantly changing—not just across different stages of life, but throughout the menstrual cycle and even from one day to the next. They're part of an incredibly sophisticated communication system within the body. Rather than talking about healing hormones, I prefer to think about supporting them and the body as a whole. Nutrition, sleep, movement and stress management can all influence hormonal health, but there's rarely one single thing that suddenly "fixes" our hormones.
Why stress affects everything
Kahāra
Stress seems to affect everything—from digestion to menstrual cycles to fertility. Can you explain why the body responds this way?
Imogen
Our bodies are incredibly clever, and so when we're under stress, they naturally prioritise dealing with what they perceive to be the immediate challenge. In the short term, that's a really helpful survival response but when stress is ongoing, systems that aren't essential for immediate survival (e.g digestion and reproduction) can be affected. That's one reason why stress can influence everything from bloating and IBS symptoms to menstrual cycles and fertility. It doesn't mean stress is the sole cause of these issues, but it can play a part.
Restriction isn't always the answer
Kahāra
Social media often encourages women to constantly eliminate foods in pursuit of feeling better. What's your perspective on restrictive diets?
Imogen
Restrictive diets absolutely have their place, but they should have a clear purpose and ideally be carried out with professional support. Elimination diets, for example, can sometimes be very helpful for identifying foods that genuinely trigger symptoms. The key is that they're designed to be structured and temporary, not a long-term way of eating. What concerns me is when people begin cutting out more and more foods based on social media advice alone. Over time, that can make the diet unnecessarily restrictive and even increase the risk of nutritional gaps. If you're considering removing entire food groups, it's worth making sure you're doing it for the right reasons and with a plan to reintroduce foods where appropriate.
“What concerns me is when people begin cutting out more and more foods based on social media advice alone”
Lessons from endometriosis
Kahāra
Looking back at your own health journey with endometriosis, is there something you wish every woman understood sooner?
Imogen
Periods are a vital sign
Firstly, that heavy, painful periods aren't something you should simply accept because you've been told they're "normal". In fact, periods are increasingly being recognised as another vital sign of health or a key indicator of health. If your periods are affecting your quality of life, or if they've changed from what's normal for you, they're your body's way of telling you something deserves attention. Of course, that doesn't automatically mean it's endometriosis, but in my case, it was an early clue that was overlooked for many years. Instead, my symptoms were repeatedly managed with hormonal contraception, which helped suppress them but didn't explain why they were happening.
Diagnosis is often just the beginning.
Secondly, I wish I'd known that a diagnosis is often just the beginning of the journey, not the end. It can take years to receive an endometriosis diagnosis, and once you finally have one, it's easy to feel as though that's the end of the conversation. For me, it wasn't. Surgeries helped my symptoms, but the biggest turning point was starting to ask what was contributing to my endometriosis. Through further investigations over time, I discovered that my body doesn't process oestrogen particularly efficiently, I have a genetic variation that affects some of my detoxification pathways, and I had imbalances in my gut microbiome. None of those things caused my endometriosis on their own, but together they helped me better understand what was happening in my body. That understanding allowed me to make changes that have genuinely improved my symptoms and quality of life. Every woman's experience of endometriosis is different, and getting to the root of what's contributing to your symptoms isn't always straightforward. But I do think it's an important conversation to have, because managing symptoms and understanding what may be driving them aren't necessarily the same thing.
The power of ritual
Kahāra
If every woman adopted one simple daily ritual tomorrow—not a supplement or expensive biohack—but a genuine habit, what would you choose?
Imogen
I think I'd encourage more women to prioritise a balanced breakfast. I know that's not a one-size-fits-all recommendation. Some people genuinely enjoy time-restricted eating or intermittent fasting, and if they're healthy, meeting their nutritional needs and it works well for them, that's absolutely fine. But for the women I work with, breakfast is often the meal that gets neglected or even forgotten. Busy mornings, children, work and life mean it can easily become an afterthought. When that happens, I often see women struggling with low energy, brain fog, feeling hungry throughout the morning or reaching for sugary snacks later in the day.
Starting the day with a balanced breakfast that includes protein, fibre and healthy fats can make a real difference to energy, concentration and feeling satisfied. There isn't one perfect breakfast, but taking time to properly nourish yourself before the day gets away from you is one of the simplest habits I regularly see making a positive difference.
“Taking time to properly nourish yourself before the day gets away from you is one of the simplest habits I regularly see making a positive difference”
Why fibre deserves more attention
Kahāra
The conversation around fibre is growing, but many people still don't eat enough of it. Why does fibre matter for everything from gut health to hormones and long-term wellbeing?
Imogen
I always say that fibre does so much more than help us stay regular! And, as you highlight in the question, the majority of people aren't eating the recommended 30 g of fibre a day.
Fibre is amazing. It feeds the beneficial bacteria in our gut, supports digestion, helps us feel fuller for longer, contributes to healthy cholesterol levels and plays a role in blood sugar regulation. Some types of fibre are also fermented by our gut microbes, producing incredible compounds that help support the gut lining and our overall health. Eating enough fibre really can make a meaningful difference to your health over time.
“Fibre does so much more than help us stay regular”
Our biggest takeaways
• Health doesn't happen in isolation.
• Small daily habits often matter more than dramatic changes.
• Supporting the body is more helpful than chasing quick fixes.
• Restriction should always have purpose.
• Fibre is one of the simplest long-term investments in our wellbeing.
About Imogen Schels
Associate Registered Nutritionist (ANutr) and Founder of Elia Nutrition, Imogen helps women understand the bigger picture behind hormones, gut health and long-term wellbeing through evidence-based nutrition.
