9 minutes read
Women's health
Evidence Based
An image of the Author and Top Nutrition Coaching nutritionist, Nicolette
Nicolette Star Maggiolo, RD, LDN

10 Tips On Following The Best Diet For Women Over 40

9 minutes read
Women's health
Evidence Based
An image of the Author and Top Nutrition Coaching nutritionist, Nicolette
Nicolette Star Maggiolo, RD, LDN

10 Tips On Following The Best Diet For Women Over 40

An image of the Author and Top Nutrition Coaching nutritionist, Nicolette
Nicolette Star Maggiolo, RD, LDN

10 Tips On Following The Best Diet For Women Over 40

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Are you a woman in your 40s who needs to focus on healthy weight loss? Or are you trying to maintain a healthy weight?

Regardless, your metabolism is slowing, so you must focus more on what you eat. While weight loss isn’t the be-all-end-all, optimizing your nutrition will help you transition into the next stage of your life. 

So, the tips below can help you lose weight if necessary–but our guidance goes beyond weight loss. 

Instead, this article focuses more on weight management. Yes, some options we examine will double as a “best weight-loss diet plan.” However, more than weight-loss diets, our priority is super-charging your lifestyle in your 40s. 

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The Bottom Line

  • Why is Following the Best Diet Plan So Important For Women in their 40s? – As you age, you lose muscle, which slows down your ability to burn calories, making weight maintenance more difficult.
  • How to Plan the Best Diet for Women in their 40s - Eating more vegetables, introducing more protein into your diet, embracing heart healthy fats, and saying goodbye to processed foods are some ways you can develop healthier eating habits.
  • How Can Top Nutrition Coaching Help Women In Their 40s Follow The Best Diet? - Top Nutrition Coaching has a team of specialized registered dietitians focused on the healthiest forms of weight loss and weight management for women in their 40s.

Why Is Following The Best Diet Plan So Important For Women In Their 40s?

Weight gain is prevalent as you age. You lose muscle, which slows down your ability to burn calories, making weight maintenance more difficult. Equally as vital as weight loss is increasing disease immunity. The same goes for keeping your blood pressure in check and reducing risks of heart attacks, diabetes, cancer, and bone loss. 

All the same, if weight gain is a growing problem for you, then you need to prioritize weight loss. Still, you shouldn’t be too fixated on the number on the scale. But finding the best weight-loss diet could be a strategy that contributes to enhanced nutrition, wellness, and quality of life in your 40s. 

The best diet for your needs will help you achieve your ideal health outcome. Undoubtedly, that need could be weight loss. Conversely, if your goal isn’t to lose weight, it could be to help you feel more energized and improve your mental health.

10 Suggestions To Plan The Best Diet For Women Over 40

Based on factors such as weight loss and wellness, the dietary suggestions below will enhance your quality of life in your 40s and beyond:

Focus On Vegetables To Lose Weight, Prevent Muscle Loss, And Build Muscle Mass

The best diet for women over 40 should consist of non-starchy vegetables (e.g., spinach, other leafy greens like spinach, cucumbers, onions, and cabbage). These foods can aid in weight loss and should fill the bulk of your plate.

Starchy vegetables (e.g., black beans, peas, lentils) are carb and protein-rich .foods that should take up a bit less of your plate due to their heightened calorie content. 

Pros

Cons

  • Getting the right mix of veggies can be difficult

The Bottom Line On Vegetables: Non-starchy vegetables help you lose weight. Alternatively, starchy vegetables give you protein to help build muscle mass and prevent muscle loss as you age.

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Introduce More Protein Into Your Diet

While you should ramp up the protein-rich foods in your diet after you hit 50, it’s best to get a head start in your 40s.

Lean protein helps with weight loss since it aids your body in burning calories and increases satiety. Focus on lean meats, poultry, seafood, tofu, and eggs, while avoiding red meat and processed meats like ham, bacon, and cold cuts. 

Pros

  • Proteins are filling
  • Proteins also come in many forms
  • They  help with muscle maintenance as you age

Cons

  • Not all proteins are created equal–be sure to avoid processed and red meats

The Bottom Line On Protein: Introducing healthy proteins into your diet will be crucial as you enter your 40s.

Ensure You’re Getting Enough Calcium

Bone health is pivotal for women as they enter middle age. Getting enough calcium is the remedy to potential problems like osteoporosis. Low-fat cottage cheese, greek yogurt, and low-fat milk are all viable options. 

Aim for 2 to 3 servings of calcium per day. 

Pros

  • Getting enough calcium optimizes the health of your bones
  • Many calcium-rich foods are also often packed with vitamin D and protein

Cons

  • Too much calcium can lead to gastrointestinal symptoms like bloating, gas, and constipation

The Bottom Line On Calcium: Women over 40 will bolster their bones and muscle maintenance by finding the right dietary balance of calcium.

Embrace Heart Healthy Fats

Healthy fats are unsaturated fats and are entirely necessary for women over 40.

Foods filled with healthy fat (e.g., avocados, nut butter, olive oil, fatty fish) contribute to weight loss because they make you feel full. 

Pros

  • Healthy, unsaturated fats boost heart health 
  • They contribute to weight loss

Cons

  • These foods still contain fat, so portion control is important

The Bottom Line On Healthy Fat: Women over 40 must prioritize eating the right amount of “good” fats to optimize their long-term health.

Say Goodbye To Processed Foods

For the most part, processed foods lack viable nutrients, contributing to weight gain, cholesterol, and diminished heart health. 

Women over 40 should avoid the following foods:

  • Potato chips
  • Bacon, ham, hot dogs, and other processed meat
  • Sugary drinks
  • Fried foods
  • Pizza

Pros

Cons

  • Processed meal options are cheap, readily available, and convenient

The Bottom Line On Eliminating Processed Food: Women 40 and older must limit their intake of processed foods to prevent weight gain and increase life expectancy.

Welcome Healthy Carbs With Open Arms

We can’t say healthy food with “good” carbs (e.g., fruits, veggies, nuts, and grains)  cause weight loss directly, but they help prevent weight gain. Also, good carbs provide energy and fight against diseases. 

Pros

  • Healthy carbs are chockful of nutrients
  • They’re good for the brain, kidney function, central nervous system, and heart 

Cons

  • Eating too many carbs–even if they can help you stay healthy in moderation–can cause weight gain and elevated blood sugar

The Bottom Line On Good Carbs: Women over 40 should seek out healthy carbs to prevent weight gain and bolster their overall health.

Vitamin B-12 Will Support Optimal Brain Health

Women over 40 struggle to absorb vital nutrients like vitamin b-12, found in leaner meat, fish, milk, eggs, and fortified cereals. B-12 is essential to your brain function, and red blood cell production

Pros

  • On top of brain function, b-12 is crucial to blood and nerve health
  • It also prevents anemia, which can cause excess fatigue

Cons

  • Too much b-12 can cause weakness, fatigue, diarrhea, nausea, and headaches

The Bottom Line On Vitamin B-12: Women over 40 must prioritize the healthiness of their brains and thus must ensure they receive enough vitamin b-12 in their diet. 

Your Gut Health Must Take Precedence

Women over 40 can enhance the health of their gut as they eek closer to menopause by:

  • Eating fermented foods (e.g., kefir, yogurt, kimchi, sauerkraut, and kombucha)
  • Introducing prebiotic foods (e.g., whole grains and certain fruits and vegetables)
  • Following a plant-based diet

Pros

Cons

  • You might have underlying issues that hinder your healthy digestion

The Bottom Line On A Healthy Gut: Gut and digestional health and the foods that improve them are vital for women in their 40s. 

Introduce Anti-Inflammatory Foods To Encourage Healthy Joints

Your joint health will be vastly aided by foods rich with anti-inflammatory properties, such as:

  • Red peppers
  • Canned salmon
  • Cherries
  • Turmeric
  • Oatmeal
  • Kale
  • Walnuts

Pros

Cons

  • While these foods help arthritis and joint pain, there’s no cure for arthritis

The Bottom Line On Food For Joint Health: With sore joints, preventing weight gain and achieving healthy weight loss will be difficult. Thus, foods with anti-inflammatory properties are valuable elements in the best diet for women over 40.

Combine Healthy, Mindful Eating With A Workout Regimen

Whether on a weight loss journey or simply trying to maintain your physique, the best diet is only as strong as the exercise you get.

While lifting weights and strength training will help (mainly to prevent osteoporosis and heart issues), light to moderate intensity is often enough to make a positive difference. Even brisk walking for 30-minutes daily can pay significant dividends.  

Pros

  • Exercise, when paired with optimal nutrition, contributes to healthy aging

Cons

  • Exercise can be intimidating and cause injuries if you aren’t careful

The Bottom Line On Exercise: Following the best diet is winning much of the battle. But you’ll do wonders for your overall wellness in your 40s by combining it with regular exercise.

How Can Top Nutrition Coaching Help Women In Their 40s Follow The Best Diet?

You might be concerned about weight loss. Or, you may want to feel at your best in your 40s and beyond. Either way, your pathway to success will be forged through optimal nutrition and planning the best dietary approach.

A weight-loss journey or simply optimizing your nutrition is a complicated proposition. It’s a scientific and holistic process that incorporates a plethora of factors that can overwhelm the best of us.

Top Nutrition Coaching has a team of specialized Registered Dietitians focused on the healthiest forms of weight loss and weight management for women in their 40s.

We understand that you lead a busy lifestyle, making it even harder to find time to improve your nutrition. Thus, we bring our expertise to you through our virtual coaching services. 

Weight loss and maintenance, disease prevention, and overall wellness are all top priorities for women in their 40s. Top Nutrition Coaching guides you to balance the many nutritional factors that help you become the healthiest version of yourself. Take a few moments to fill out our quiz, and we’ll match you with a Registered Dietician catered to your needs. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Below are some frequently asked questions we hear about dieting for women in their 40s:

Is weight loss harder for women in their 40s?

It is much easier to gain weight once you reach your 40s. In fact, even with a healthy diet and exercise, weight loss can be more challenging for women over 40. 

Have I waited too long to get in shape now that I’m in my 40s?

It is almost always possible to get into better shape, even as you enter your 50s, 60s, and 70s. Your journey will merely be different than if you started at a younger age. 

What’s the best diet for weight loss for women in their 40s?

There isn’t one specific best weight-loss diet for women over 40. Too many factors are at play–but for a generalized answer, your diet should be balanced, as plant-based as possible, combined with lean proteins and whole grains.

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An image of the Author and Top Nutrition Coaching nutritionist, Nicolette
Nicolette Star Maggiolo, RD, LDN
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Being the first in your family to attend college is an inspiring feat, often with its own unique challenges. First-generation students may not have the same guidance in navigating parts of the higher education system as other students, such as the application process, obtaining financial aid, and even what to expect in college itself.

Financial constraints can also be a significant roadblock for such students, which may limit their choices, force them to balance jobs, family responsibilities, and school work all at once, and make the college experience much more stressful.

Despite these struggles, first-generation college students have proven time and again to be extremely resilient, determined, and hard-working. They embody a spirit of ambition and perseverance as they work toward creating the future they want for themselves and their families.

The First-Gen Futures Scholarship aims to recognize and support exceptional students who are overcoming the barriers of being the first in their families to attend college. By providing financial assistance to deserving individuals, we seek to alleviate some financial stress so that these students can focus more on their studies.

Previous Top Nutrition Coaching scholarship winners

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Mayci H.
Awarded:
$500
On:
October 12, 2022
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Jordan C.
Awarded:
$500
On:
December 20, 2022
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Bethanie S.
Awarded:
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On:
December 27, 2022
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Romeo G.
Awarded:
$500
On:
February 8, 2023
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Ian C.
Awarded:
$500
On:
December 28, 2022
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Kristopher W.
Awarded:
$500
On:
December 14, 2022
Scholarship details:
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Amount: $1,000
Winner Announcement Date: October 31
Recurring: Quarterly
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Scholarships Awarded
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Winners
$6,000
Total Awards
Eligibility requirements:
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To qualify for this scholarship, please review the following eligibility criteria carefully. Ensure you meet these requirements prior to submitting your application.
A first-generation college student (meaning neither of their parents has obtained a four-year college degree)
A high school senior, undergraduate, or graduate student
Applicant must be a current U.S. citizen or permanent legal resident
How to Apply:
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You can apply for this scholarship on the Bold.org scholarship platform. Follow the directions and submit your application for the First-Gen Futures Scholarship, along with a short essay answering the following prompts:
Why have you chosen to pursue higher education?
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The application will be open through October 1.
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Prior to the announcement date, we may contact finalists with additional questions about their application. Recipients will be chosen based on the merit of their application. 
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The prize check will be sent to the scholarship winner’s college institution in their name and in the name of their institution (depending on the school’s requirements).
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The Top Nutrition Coaching Annual Hero's Legacy Scholarship is open to any high school senior, undergraduate, or graduate student who is a U.S. citizen or permanent legal resident and the child of at least one parent who has served in the U.S. military. The next deadline to apply is April 1st, 2025, and winners will be announced on May 1st, 2025.
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About the Annual Hero's Legacy Scholarship

Scholarship award available for both college and high school students
Military families embody resilience, strength, and unwavering support for their loved ones in uniform. There are many overlooked sacrifices they make that should be recognized and rewarded. Military families endure extended deployments, adjust to new environments, and face uncertainty on a frequent basis.

The children of military families often adapt to new schools and environments, embodying the values of adaptability and perseverance, and experience the emotional toll of their loved one being deployed in dangerous situations.

The Heroes' Legacy Scholarship is a tribute to the extraordinary dedication and sacrifice of military families who stand alongside their loved ones in service to our country. Unfortunately, there are many struggles that military families endure while a parent or guardian serves in the armed forces.

In recognition of the burden higher education can place on military families, this scholarship seeks to give back to these dedicated families to honor their sacrifices.

Any high school senior, undergraduate, or graduate student who is a U.S. citizen or permanent legal resident and the child of at least one parent who has served in the U.S. military may apply for this scholarship.

To apply, tell us about your experience as the child of a military parent.

Previous Top Nutrition Coaching scholarship winners

The image features a profile icon of a young Caucasian woman with long blonde hair, styled in loose waves. She is wearing makeup with prominent lipstick and is smiling. She has a badge overlay indicating that she is a scholarship recipient, marked by a medal symbol to denote achievement or honor.
Mayci H.
Awarded:
$500
On:
October 12, 2022
The image features a profile icon of a young Caucasian woman with long blonde hair, styled in loose waves. She is wearing makeup with prominent lipstick and is smiling. She has a badge overlay indicating that she is a scholarship recipient, marked by a medal symbol to denote achievement or honor.
Jordan C.
Awarded:
$500
On:
December 20, 2022
The image features a profile icon of a young Caucasian woman with long blonde hair, styled in loose waves. She is wearing makeup with prominent lipstick and is smiling. She has a badge overlay indicating that she is a scholarship recipient, marked by a medal symbol to denote achievement or honor.
Bethanie S.
Awarded:
$500
On:
December 27, 2022
The image features a profile icon of a young Caucasian woman with long blonde hair, styled in loose waves. She is wearing makeup with prominent lipstick and is smiling. She has a badge overlay indicating that she is a scholarship recipient, marked by a medal symbol to denote achievement or honor.
Romeo G.
Awarded:
$500
On:
February 8, 2023
The image features a profile icon of a young Caucasian woman with long blonde hair, styled in loose waves. She is wearing makeup with prominent lipstick and is smiling. She has a badge overlay indicating that she is a scholarship recipient, marked by a medal symbol to denote achievement or honor.
Ian C.
Awarded:
$500
On:
December 28, 2022
The image features a profile icon of a young Caucasian woman with long blonde hair, styled in loose waves. She is wearing makeup with prominent lipstick and is smiling. She has a badge overlay indicating that she is a scholarship recipient, marked by a medal symbol to denote achievement or honor.
Kristopher W.
Awarded:
$500
On:
December 14, 2022
Scholarship details:
A white icon of a plus sign within a circle, used as a button to expand content.
Amount: $1,000
Winner Announcement Date: May 1st, 2025
Recurring: Quarterly
Read FAQ
6
Scholarships Awarded
6
Winners
$6,000
Total Awards
Eligibility requirements:
A white icon of a plus sign within a circle, used as a button to expand content.
To qualify for this scholarship, please review the following eligibility criteria carefully. Ensure you meet these requirements prior to submitting your application.
Family Background: At least one parent has served in the U.S. military
A high school senior, undergraduate, or graduate student
Applicant must be a current U.S. citizen or permanent legal resident
How to Apply:
A white icon of a plus sign within a circle, used as a button to expand content.
You can apply for this scholarship on the Bold.org scholarship platform. Follow the directions and submit your application for the Heroes’ Legacy Scholarship, along with a short essay answering the following prompt:
Tell us about your experience as the child of a parent in the military.
Scholarship frequently asked questions:
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When is the scholarship deadline?
The application deadline is April 1st, 2025. Winners will be announced on May 1st, 2025.
What is the scholarship prize? 
The scholarship award is $1,000.
When will the winner be chosen and notified?
Your privacy is a top priority on the Bold.org platform, and you can find our privacy policy in full here. You may opt out of communications from Bold.org at any time, and unless we’ve first notified you and gotten your consent, you’ll never receive communication from any third parties related to personal information you give us.
How will the scholarship be paid?
Award checks will be sent to the financial aid office of the winner's academic institution or future academic institution in their name to be applied to their tuition, and in the name of their institution (depending on the school's requirements). If the award is for a qualified educational non-tuition expense, we will work with the winner directly to distribute the award and make sure it goes towards qualified expenses.
Is this a recurring scholarship?
Yes, the Hero's Legacy Scholarship is a  Annual scholarship.
How will my scholarship application be verified?
Before we award the scholarship, the winner will be required to confirm their academic enrollment status. Depending on the circumstances, verification of Student ID and/or their most recent transcript will be required.
How can I get in touch with questions?
If you have any questions about this scholarship, please email hello@topnutritioncoaching.com, and we will get back to you as quickly as we can.
How will my application information be used?
Top Nutrition Coaching manages this scholarship with the support of the Bold.org scholarship platform. Bold.org takes student confidentiality and privacy incredibly seriously. Please refer to the application page on Bold.org for full details.