What To Eat For Perimenopause & Menopause

While HRT gets all the attention for our midlife struggles, it’s important to remember that:

We don’t get out of having to eat well, move our bodies and tend to our mental and emotional state – even if we are taking hormones.

I know, that’s not what a lot of women want to hear and it’s even counter to what some experts say. HRT might be a big piece of your puzzle but it is not the whole puzzle. Hormone changes during midlife make our lifestyle, diet and exercise habits even more important to get right.

As I always say on the Dr Brooke Show: nothing gets out of eating protein + veggies, walking and lifting weights! HRT might make it easier, but we still have to do all the self-care and self-supportive stuff.

HRT does not solve every issue for perimenopause and menopause, but getting your hormones out of the basement can certainly make your nutrition and exercise efforts a lot more successful.  As well, when your mood is better from getting your hormone levels up, it’s way easier to make good choices.

If you’ve typed in “what to eat for my hormones” in the search bar you’ve likely come up with a lot of strategies that are better suited for women in their 20s and 30s such as foods specific for estrogen and progesterone support. I cover strategies often touted to support hormone balance that might fall short during midlife in this article.

This post however, is about what does work! Protein + Produce

 

Protein: The Mighty Midlife Macro

If there is a macronutrient that is your bestie during midlife, it’s protein. It will balance your blood sugar improving your energy, mood, sleep and overall hormone balance – as well as improving cravings so it’s easier to better more often.

Protein will also help you maintain and build your muscle mass which becomes something women really have to chase as they lose their estrogen and testosterone during midlife and into menopause. We have to strength train and eat a muscle supportive diet, it really is a non-negotiable.

I recommend a minimum of 100g protein per day from high leucine sources (i.e. animal protien) and I explain exactly why in these articles:

• Why Protein Is So Important For Women’s Health
• How Much Protein Women Actually Need & How To Get It 
• What Women Need To Know About Plant Based Protein
• Best Time Of The Day For Women To Eat Protein

Powerhouse Produce

Providing both fiber to support hormone metabolism as well as blood sugar (which means less cravings, better energy, improved sleep and an easier time controlling appetite and weight gain) and all those amazing antioxidant-phytonutrients in plants, that pound of veggies recommended in Hangry are more important than ever during midlife..

Fiber is among the most studied and well backed nutrition strategies that we have. It helps keep your blood sugar more level thus aids in keeping us full longer and balancing our blood sugar. Fiber also helps scoot out hormone metabolites out the gi tract which helps us avoid symptoms of estrogen dominance such as breast tenderness and water retention.

Fiber also is fuel for your good bacteria, your microbiome, in your gut so it can not only alleviate digestive symptoms but it’s an important part of maintaining gut bacteria ecology including the estrobolome (a subset of bacterial genes that impact estrogen metabolism) and overall keeping inflammation in check. Aging and menopause is often called “Inflammapause” because inflammation is such a key underpinning of the health issues that arise for women in midlife including brain fog, joint pain and weight gain.

I cover changes in digestion and the microbiome specific to perimenopause and menopause in this episode of the Dr Brooke Show.

 

Have You Heard Bad Things About Both Plants & Protein?

In a desperate attempt to manage midlife weight gain you may come across info on diets like Carnivore or The Lion Diet that completely eschew vegetables and plants in favor of an all animal based diet. While diets very low or void of fiber can be a useful tool in fixing certain digestive issues and lectins found in plants can be an issue for some women particularly those with autoimmune issues, the benefit of plants and fiber is far too great to ignore  for the majority of women and some of these plants are amazing for hormone balance (more on that below).

If you feel your digestion needs support or you are dealing with an autoimmuen issues by all means reach out and let’s see what’s going on! Let’s chat before you give up all the veggies, ok?

On the other hand you may be curious if a vegetarian or vegan diet is best during this phase of life where it’s all plants and no animal products. While plants are indeed a powerhouse, women also desperately need high leucein protein to build and maintain muslce mass.

I cover issues with plant based proteins in this article and why women need protein in this post.

 

Estrogen Supportive Foods

There are some real powerhouses in the plant world when it comes to supporting healthy metabolism of hormones – both those we make and those we take.

Among the standouts are the apiacia and cruciferous family. Compounds in these plants can be so helpful in supporting the metabolism of estrogen specifically helping aid in side effects from HRT and improving overall health and hormone balance.

No one here is saying eating a carrot is the same as using an estrogen patch, though I have heard this argument made on Instagram – on both sides. I often have to ask myself why we are having this particular fight, I mean can’t eat just all get along and appreciate both the carrot and the estrogen patch?

This argument – like many others – made in an effort to stand out on social media does such a disservice to women as both food and considering HRT are important aspects to her health.

As always, no dogma here, just support.

Most foods that are considered “estrogen supportive” tend to be high in nutrients that aid in processing or metabolizing estrogen via the liver’s pathways or through the gut microbiome. Think things like broccoli, kale and other cruciferous veggies.

While eating more carrots or broccoli will not raise estrogen in any way similar to HRT, nutrients found in cruciferous veggies are high in compounds like sulforaphane and these are often part of supporting a woman on HRT, to aid in safe clearance and metabolism of estrogen. They can be very helpful in reducing harmful estrogen metabolites and reducing HRT side effects. B vitamins and magnesium are also very helpful in estrogen metabolism, as is a healthy gut microbiome.

On the other hand some foods like soy contain compounds called phytoestrogens which act a bit like an adaptogen we use for stress, such as rhodiola. These very weak estrogens can produce some modulating effects that can be helpful in alleviating symptoms like hot flashes but will not raise estrogen levels near what HRT does in terms of prevention of issues like dementia and osteoporosis.

I use nutrients like sulforaphane, B6 and magnesium with my patients on HRT as well as those that are not to target areas they needs support when it comes to balancing and metabolizing hormones. I also work diligently to be sure their gut microbiome is supportive of clearing out estrogen metabolites as well. I consider them part of a well rounded approach and should not be considered a replacement for HRT.

However, when a woman is unable to utilize estrogen as part of their HRT, foods or supplements with phytoestrogens such as soy isoflavones or the herb black cohosh (such as this one) can be an option. And many women wonder if it isn’t jsut safe or better to use supplements, herbs and vitamins instead of HRT. I cover that in this article.

 

Nutrition is an incredibly important aspect for women in midlife for a few reasons:

What used to work for us to maintain our weight, body composition and strength often doesn’t work anymore due to falling hormones. We have to work with our new hormone landscape and make adjustments. HRT can be helpful but it doesn’t get us out of eating well and lifting weights. 

Nutrition can be a great tool to keep your energy and strength up so it’s important that women understand how they can use food to their advantage during this phase of life.

When we are feeling the mood and sleep changes, the weight gain around the middle and other struggles during midlife it’s so understandable to want a quick fix or a drastic nutrition plan. Believe me, I get that urge. The good news is you likely do not need a huge overhaul, just a bigger commitment to some of these basics and to better dial in your diet and exercise plan to support what your body needs now – again it is likely different than what we needed in our 20s and 30s.

I cover a few of the popular dietary strategies that fall very short during midlife here.