Menopause Diet: What to Eat to Feel Your Best During This Transition

What Happens to Your Body During Menopause

During menopause, a woman's periods are stopped permanently because, as reproductive years end, ovaries no longer release eggs. This means women also produce a lower level of hormones such as estrogen and progesterone during this time. Menopause is typically seen between the ages of 45 and 55 and is confirmed after 12 months of experiencing no menstrual cycles. 

The reduction in hormone production in women, particularly progesterone and estrogen, causes menopausal symptoms such as hot flashes, night sweats, lower libido, insomnia, mood swings, weight gain, and a slower metabolism. In addition to being challenging, these symptoms can also affect the health of the bones and heart as well as how the body metabolizes food. While all of this sounds like an uphill battle, it’s important to remember that menopause is not an illness, but a natural and normal transition in life.

Why What You Eat Matters More Than Ever

Managing weight becomes more challenging as estrogen levels decline during menopause due to changes in metabolism. Luckily, mindful nutrition in the form of a menopause diet can not only directly improve the severity of symptoms like hot flashes and sleep quality, but can also make metabolism changes less derailing. 

Even though estrogen is considered a “sex hormone,” it has many other functions including regulating cholesterol, balancing blood sugar, and slowing the activity of cells that break down bone. So, low estrogen levels that occur during menopause can cause long-term health effects like osteoporosis and increased risk of diabetes and heart disease.

There is no diet that can prevent menopause, but proper menopause nutrition can make the physical challenges associated with hormonal changes less damaging. For example, foods for hot flashes include foods that mimic estrogen and regulate body temperature like soy and omega-3 fatty acids. The best foods for menopause are also those that help keep the heart and bones strong along with preventing blood sugar spikes to help the body better regulate its metabolism despite hormonal shifts. 

The Best Foods to Include in Your Menopause Diet

Calcium-Rich Foods for Strong Bones

Menopause is characterized by bone loss that is highest during the first few years because estrogen levels decline sharply, decreasing the hormone responsible for balancing bone loss and bone formation. Though bone health isn’t something people typically think much about maintaining during most of their lives, it becomes a high priority during menopause.

Rich sources of calcium that should be included in a menopause meal plan include milk, yogurt, cheese, plant milks fortified with Vitamin D and calcium, fish with bones, and leafy greens. There’s also some calcium found in nuts and fortified breakfast cereal. To meet calcium needs, about 1 cup of dairy and 2 ounces of cheese are needed daily along with 4-6 cups of leafy greens per day. 

Calcium works best when combined with Vitamin D as the latter helps enhance the former’s absorption. However, there are surprisingly few natural food sources of Vitamin D. So, it’s advised to search for Vitamin D-fortified calcium products or take a daily supplement. 

Protein to Maintain Muscle and Manage Weight

Women already naturally begin to lose muscle mass in their mid-30s, but this loss is accelerated during the menopausal years that follow. However, a combination of regular resistance training and a sufficient amount of protein can significantly slow the reduction of muscle mass. Protein has the added bonus of keeping you feeling fuller for longer, which can help with weight management during menopause. 

The best foods for menopause that are high in protein need to be diverse and high-quality. This includes lean meat, poultry, seafood, eggs, legumes, and non-fat dairy. For menopausal women, it’s recommended that you consume 1-1.2 grams per kilogram of body weight in protein per day. Muscle mass is best maintained if you evenly distribute intake throughout your main meals. For example, a 160-pound woman would need to eat about 72-86 grams of protein daily, which equals out to 24-28 grams of protein per meal to aim for. 

Healthy Fats That Support Hormone Balance

Sex hormones, including estrogen and progesterone, are directly dependent on the intake of healthy fats because these nutrients, specifically cholesterol and essential fatty acids like Omega-3s, are needed to make these hormones. Thus, they are vital to include in a menopause meal plan. Omega-3 fatty acids are particularly important as they double in their function to also support heart health and reduce inflammation, which lowers risk of chronic diseases associated with menopause. 

Foods rich in omega-3s include fatty fish like salmon and mackerel, walnuts, chia seeds and flaxseeds. Other sources of healthy fats are avocado, nuts, nut butter, and olive oil. You can replace butter in your cooking with olive oil, have seafood as a protein source instead of red meat, and have nuts as snacks. Remember, even healthy fats can be high in calories, so you’ll want to portion them appropriately to help prevent menopause weight gain. 

Whole Grains for Steady Energy and Fiber

A menopause diet should contain mainly whole grains instead of refined grains, as whole grains help to provide lasting energy throughout the day, combat fatigue, and keep blood sugars stable. Estrogen changes can also negatively affect the gut and digestion. Luckily, whole grains are higher in fiber than more processed grains, and can help combat these changes.  

Some common sources of whole grain foods include oatmeal, brown rice, quinoa, whole grain bread, whole wheat pasta, barley, farro, and millet. Try having oatmeal for breakfast instead of cereal and swapping white rice in recipes for brown rice.

Fruits and Vegetables for Overall Health

Fruits and vegetables are great sources of fiber, which helps regulate digestion as previously mentioned. However, the antioxidants and micronutrients they contain also support overall health during menopause and reduce the risk of diseases that typically develop in menopausal age. To get a wide variety of these antioxidants, eating a range of colors of fruits and veggies is important to include in a menopause diet plan. 

So, make sure you have at least 2-3 colors of plants on your plate, make morning smoothies with a variety of fruits and veggies, and make homemade fruit or veggie trays for snacks. Fruits and vegetables can reduce hot flashes, improve sleep, and reduce mood swings by reducing inflammation and introducing phytoestrogens (foods that mimic estrogen production) to the diet. Berries in particular should be emphasized in a menopause diet as they have the highest antioxidant content of most common fruits. 

Foods Containing Natural Plant Estrogens

• Explain phytoestrogens in simple, non-technical language as plant compounds that may help balance hormones
• List common sources: soy products (tofu, edamame, soy milk), flaxseeds, chickpeas, lentils
• Address common concerns about soy in a balanced, evidence-based way
• Provide realistic ways to incorporate these foods without major diet overhauls

Foods and Drinks to Limit During Menopause

Added Sugars and Refined Carbs

When understanding what to eat during menopause, it’s also important to understand what foods to avoid that may make symptoms worse. Refined carbs and added sugars tend to be low in fiber and spike blood sugar, which causes energy crashes, makes it more difficult to control hunger throughout the day, and can increase inflammation.

Common sources include desserts, soda, candy, white bread and white pasta. Instead, choose fruit when you have a sweet tooth, switch refined grains for whole whenever possible, and check food labels for added sugar content of recurring foods in your diet. 

Alcohol

Since alcohol interferes with how your body regulates body temperature, it can exacerbate hot flashes. Alcohol also results in lower sleep quality, even for those not experiencing menopause. Finally, alcohol affects the liver’s ability to burn fat efficiently as well as contributing non-nutritious calories that can make losing weight more difficult. Now, you don’t have to give up your wine nights completely on a menopause diet, but enjoying alcohol in moderation is the most wise decision. 

Caffeine

Some women find that caffeine also worsens hot flash symptoms due to the stimulant causing the release of stress hormones that can trigger hot flashes. When caffeine is not timed correctly or consumed in excess, it can also negatively affect sleep quality. Different people have varying tolerances to caffeine, however, so it’s important to assess your individual threshold so you can assess how much is acceptable to have. If you’re particularly caffeine sensitive, switch from coffee to decaf or switch to herbal teas.  

High-Sodium Foods

High sodium intake can cause the body to lose more calcium, which can make bone loss worse. Since a healthy amount of estrogen helps to keep blood vessels flexible, they stiffen during menopause which increases risk of blood pressure as well. Too much sodium makes this risk even higher. 

So, when planning foods to eat during menopause, limit the intake of processed foods or foods with added salt such as canned soups, restaurant meals, frozen meals, and preserved meats like cold cuts and hot dogs. To reduce sodium intake, focus on including whole foods in your menopause diet, add flavor with herbs and spices, and request unsalted foods when eating out.  

Simple Tips for Building Your Menopause-Friendly Meal Plan

Menopause nutrition involves creating balanced meals that include filling half your plate with fruits or veggies, a quarter with whole grains, and the last quarter with lean protein. It’s not just about what to eat for menopause, but also how much you eat. To manage menopause weight gain, proper portion control should be exercised. It’s also important to time meals properly to manage hunger and improve sleep quality. Make sure to eat a proper breakfast not long after waking up and include a mindful portion of protein along with your other meals during the day to keep blood sugar and hunger manageable. Keeping high-fiber, high-protein snacks available to manage energy levels and hunger is also helpful. 

As a result of night sweats, hot flashes, and hormonal imbalances that impair the body's ability to retain water, it is essential to stay hydrated throughout the day as part of your menopause diet plan. Staying prepared with a menopause meal plan that is outlined in advance can make choosing the best foods for menopause less stressful, but it’s also important to make sure you adhere as closely as you can to your individual food preferences. If you still feel stuck, reach out to a registered dietitian for some guidance. 

Getting Started: Your Next Steps

Knowing what foods to eat during menopause cannot stop the biological transition from happening, but it can make symptoms more manageable. Though menopause is not a disease, the dramatic hormonal changes can lead to diseases if proper diet and lifestyle changes are not implemented. 

Try to remember that small, doable changes are going to be less overwhelming than trying to overhaul your diet overnight. Additionally, keep in mind that adherence to diet changes will never be perfect, but consistency is what is most important. Menopause nutrition is going to vary from person to person, as each woman experiences the transition differently. Professional guidance from a nutrition expert like a registered dietitian is the best way to get personalized guidance during this time. 

Take a quiz today to see if your insurance covers nutrition counseling for menopause. There are dietitians who specialize in hormonal conditions, women’s health, menopause nutrition especially that can help provide accountability, monitor how symptoms react to diet, and track weight changes as you navigate through your new diet.