Emma-Jayne Adams Nutrition

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Emma-Jayne Adams Nutrition Registered Nutritional Therapist
BSc(Hons) PGDip | mBANT | NLP |
Functional Testing & Nutrigenomics

07/10/2026

FINALLY - Day 25 of my

We made it! 🙌🏻 ….phew 😜

25 posts to celebrate 25 years of NRAS – sharing some of the things I’ve learnt from my own 22+ years of living with rheumatoid arthritis.

And my final lesson?

🧩Your health is a jigsaw, and the pieces will change throughout your life 🧩

There isn’t one answer. For me, medication has been an important piece, but so have nutrition, movement, sleep, stress, hormones, gut health, genetics, relationships, rest and learning to listen to my body.

And perhaps the biggest thing I’ve learnt is to keep asking questions, keep learning and to keep adapting.

Your diagnosis can be part of your story without becoming the whole story.

I also took on to raise money for NRAS, so they can continue supporting, educating and advocating for people living with rheumatoid arthritis and juvenile idiopathic arthritis.

If you’ve enjoyed the series, found something useful or would simply like to support NRAS, any donation – however small – would mean a lot 💜

DONATION LINK IN COMMENTS☺️

And if you’ve missed any of my 25 lessons, have a scroll back through my Instagram or page – they’re all there.

Thank you to everyone who has watched, shared, commented, messaged and donated along the way.

And a very happy 25th anniversary to NRAS 🥳🎂

06/10/2026

Day 24 of my

And it’s about looking beyond the joints🦴

One of the biggest things I’ve learnt from almost 25 years of living with rheumatoid arthritis is that RA is about so much more than our joints.

It may affect other areas of our health too, which is why understanding our individual risks and looking at the whole person really matters.

If you haven’t already, take a look at the SMILE-RA modules on the NRAS website. They’re a fantastic resource covering different aspects of living with RA, the associated health risks and practical ways we can support ourselves.

I’m incredibly proud to have contributed to the cardiovascular disease module, particularly the section looking at nutrition 🐟❤️

This whole-person approach is also why I love working with people diagnosed with RA in my own clinic.

Two people can have exactly the same diagnosis but very different needs.

I look at the whole picture: symptoms, medical history, nutrition, lifestyle, stress, sleep, environment and, where appropriate, genetics.

I often describe health as a jigsaw puzzle. RA may be one very important piece, but there are lots of other pieces around it.

It’s not about promising a magic cure or replacing medication.

It’s about asking:

What else can we do, alongside medical care, to support this individual and their health?

Because it’s not about just treating a diagnosis. It’s important to support the unique person.

Day 23 of my NRAS Don’t forget about your bones 🦴Following yesterday’s post about menopause, I wanted to talk about so...
04/10/2026

Day 23 of my NRAS

Don’t forget about your bones 🦴

Following yesterday’s post about menopause, I wanted to talk about something we perhaps don’t think about enough when we talk about rheumatoid arthritis: bone health.

Our bones are constantly being remodelled. Osteoclasts remove old bone and osteoblasts build new bone.

But inflammation in RA may disrupt this balance.

A fascinating 2026 review in Nature Reviews Rheumatology looked at the mechanisms that activate osteoclasts in RA and how inflammation, immune cells and the environment around our bones can drive increased bone breakdown.

And this isn’t just about the bone erosions we associate with damaged joints.

RA is also associated with systemic bone loss and increased fracture risk.

Add menopause, steroid exposure, periods of reduced movement, age and other individual risk factors into the picture, and you can see why this is something we need to think about.

The good news is that there are things we can do.

Resistance and weight-bearing exercise, adequate protein, calcium and vitamin D, controlling inflammation and understanding your individual risk all matter.

My lesson 23: don’t wait until you have a problem to think about your bones.

Ask about them. Move them. Nourish them. And find out whether your individual risk means your bone density should be monitored.

03/10/2026

Day 22 of my

Lesson 22: Perimenopause, menopause & RA

Just when you think you’ve finally got to know your RA and understand your body… your hormones decide to change the rules!

One of the challenges is that symptoms associated with perimenopause may look remarkably similar to those we associate with RA:

Joint pain and stiffness
Fatigue
Poor sleep
Brain fog
Mood changes
Changes in body composition

So when symptoms change, it’s easy to wonder: Is my RA getting worse? Has my medication stopped working?

But hormonal changes may also be playing a part.

Oestrogen and progesterone interact with our immune system and inflammatory pathways, and the fluctuations and eventual decline of these hormones during the menopause transition may influence inflammation and how we experience symptoms.

And this isn’t just anecdotal.

A UK survey of 779 women with RA found that 80% felt their arthritis was worse during menopause, yet 93% had never had a medical discussion about menopause.

That really highlights why we need to talk about this more.

If something changes, don’t automatically assume it’s RA. But equally, don’t assume it’s “just menopause”.

It could be RA. It could be perimenopause. Or it could be a bit of both.

Talk to your rheumatology team, GP or menopause specialist and look at the whole picture.

And yes it’s the weekend so this is me without make up, filters and after a very long week 😜

02/10/2026

Day 21 Part 2: RA after pregnancy 👶🏼

Planning for pregnancy when you have rheumatoid arthritis shouldn’t stop when the baby arrives.

This was something I learnt very personally.

The postpartum period brings another huge hormonal and physical shift, alongside sleep deprivation, recovery from birth and suddenly having a newborn to look after.

And then there’s your RA.

It’s worth talking to your medical team before the birth about what might happen if your RA flares afterwards, which medications you may need and how those choices fit with breastfeeding, if that’s something you hope to do.

I also wish I’d understood more about how pregnancy, hormones, inflammation, medication, disrupted sleep and changes in activity could affect my body and metabolism afterwards.

There can be so much pressure to “lose the baby weight” and somehow bounce back.

But your body has just grown and delivered a human being. Add RA, medication, very little sleep and caring for a newborn into that equation and it may not be quite so simple.

My experience after my first pregnancy taught me a huge amount, and I went into my second pregnancy much better informed and prepared.

So my advice is: don’t just plan for pregnancy. Plan for postpartum too.

Ask about flares. Ask about medication. Ask about breastfeeding. And think about what support you might need once your baby arrives.

Because looking after Mum matters too. 💚

02/10/2026

Day 21 part 1. of my

Part1. Pregnancy and rheumatoid arthritis 💚

If having children is something you hope for, my biggest message is: plan ahead.

When I was planning my first pregnancy, I personally waited six months after stopping methotrexate before trying to conceive, based on the advice I was given at the time. Guidance changes, so always speak to your rheumatology team about what is right for you.

Research suggests that some women with RA can take longer to conceive, particularly when disease activity is higher. It took me 18 months to conceive my first daughter, and we were incredibly lucky to conceive naturally just before starting IVF.

I think about preparing for pregnancy a little like preparing for a marathon. You wouldn’t run one without training, thinking about recovery and making sure your body had the right nutrition. Pregnancy is obviously different, but your body is about to do something extraordinary.

My second pregnancy was a much easier journey. I understood my body better, knew more about preparing for pregnancy and, importantly, knew which questions to ask.

Both of my daughters also arrived earlier than expected, but thankfully both were healthy. 💚

Plan ahead. Get your RA as stable as possible. Think about nutrition. Ask questions. And work with your medical team.

PregnancyWithRA PreconceptionHealth LivingWithRA AutoimmuneDisease

30/09/2026

Day 20 of my

RA may change as you change 💙

One of the biggest things I’ve learnt from living with RA for more than two decades is that it doesn’t necessarily stay the same.

And neither do we.

Pregnancy, having children, hormones, stress, perimenopause and simply getting older have all changed my body over the years. At different points, my RA has changed too.

Medications that once worked have stopped working. Other treatment options have been taken off the table as my wider health picture has changed, including developing anti-Ro autoantibodies.

And yes, it can be frustrating. You finally feel like you’ve found something that works… and then the goalposts move.

Just wait until I get onto perimenopause! 🤦‍♀️

But ultimately, it’s a journey. What worked for me at 24 hasn’t necessarily been what I needed in my 30s, or 40s And that doesn’t just apply to medication. I’ve had to continually reassess my nutrition, exercise, sleep, stress and how I look after myself too.

We change. Our circumstances change. Our hormones change. And our RA can change too.

So if something that used to work suddenly doesn’t, it may simply be time to look at the whole picture again.

Day 19 of my NRAS Stress isn’t “just stress”I spent more than 20 years working in a fast-paced environment, where stre...
29/09/2026

Day 19 of my NRAS

Stress isn’t “just stress”

I spent more than 20 years working in a fast-paced environment, where stress often just felt like part of being busy. You kept going, got things done and pushed through.

Living with rheumatoid arthritis has made me think differently about that.

Stress doesn’t cause RA, and having a flare certainly doesn’t mean you haven’t managed your stress properly. But prolonged stress may affect our sleep, digestion, energy, food choices and recovery. And, of course, living with a chronic illness can itself be stressful.

I’m definitely not brilliant at managing it! 😂 I still take on too much and try to fit too much into my day.

But I’m much better at recognising when I need to slow down.

For me, managing stress isn’t an indulgence. It’s part of looking after my health.

Well, this felt a little surreal! 😊After spending 20 years working at , recently I walked back through the doors for a ...
29/09/2026

Well, this felt a little surreal! 😊

After spending 20 years working at , recently I walked back through the doors for a very different reason.

This time, instead of talking about clients, strategy, projects or CRM platforms, I was there as a Registered Nutritional Therapist, talking about inflammation, why it’s about so much more than aches and pains, and the surprising ways it connects to our wider health.

We explored what inflammation actually is, why we need it, and how everyday things such as food, blood sugar, sleep, stress and even our caffeine habits may influence it.

Having spent such a huge part of my working life at HSBC, I know only too well the reality of long days, back-to-back meetings, grabbing lunch when you can (usually at your desk!) and reaching for another coffee mid-afternoon. ☕️

So this talk felt quite personal.

My message? Looking after our health isn’t about being perfect. It’s about understanding our bodies a little better and recognising that small, consistent changes can make a difference over time.

I also had the pleasure of sharing the stage with Joe from Mejuicer, who kept us supplied with his delicious juices. My favourite was EROS, with apple, beetroot and a fiery hit of ginger. 🌱🔥 A tasty little betaine and antioxidant boost!

If you’d told me during my banking days that one day I’d return to HSBC to talk about nutrition and health, I’m not sure I would have believed you.

Funny where life takes you. 💛

Thank you to everyone who came along, asked questions and popped over for a chat afterwards. I loved it.

And if you’re organising a workplace wellbeing event or corporate session and would like to bring nutrition and health into the conversation, please get in touch.

28/09/2026

Day 18 of my on 25 challenge:

Lesson: Sleep is not an afterthought.

In my 20s, “I’ll sleep when I’m dead” was a phrase you heard all the time. Sleep was something you fitted in after work, socialising and everything else on your list.

But through studying nutrition and living with rheumatoid arthritis, I’ve learnt that sleep isn’t wasted time.

It’s essential maintenance.

As it gets dark, melatonin helps signal that it’s night-time and prepares the body for sleep. And once we’re asleep, a lot is happening behind the scenes:

✨ The brain clears away waste
✨ The body repairs and restores
✨ Hormones linked to appetite, stress and metabolism follow important overnight rhythms
✨ The immune system regulates and resets

I think of it as the night shift coming in.

During the day, our bodies deal with everything we throw at them: food, movement, work, stress, thinking …basically, life.

Then, at night, another team takes over the cleaning, maintenance and repair.

Of course, living with RA can make good-quality sleep incredibly difficult. Pain, discomfort, medication, hormones and stress can all get in the way. This isn’t about suggesting we can simply choose to sleep better.

But it has changed how I think about sleep.

In my 20s, sleep was what happened when everything else was finished.

Now, I see sleep as one of the things that helps me do everything else.

Maybe it’s time to retire “I’ll sleep when I’m dead”.

Because sleep is part of what helps keep us well while we’re very much alive.

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