7 Habits I Swear By as a Midlife Menopause Dietitian

Every woman is different. Find out which habits work for me and why.

I’ve learned a few lessons in my 30-plus years as a registered dietitian and during my time as a menopausal woman, too. Here are the rituals and routines that benefit my physical and mental health and why they work for me.

I Eat a Satisfying Breakfast

I can count on two hands the number of times I’ve skipped breakfast as an adult, although I certainly skimped on it for decades.  I started eating a bigger morning meal a few years ago because I was getting hungry around 10 AM and it annoyed me to have to stop what I was doing to satisfy my hunger – and I like to eat.   

Now, I frontload the day with a meal of that provides about one-third of my daily calories. I combine a cup of Cheerios, a handful of plain Shredded Wheat with Bran, another handful of raw oatmeal, two tablespoons of chia seeds, and six prunes (see why I eat prunes below) and top it with a cup of 1% low fat milk.  I also have 10 ounces of coffee mixed with a cup of 1% low fat milk.

This breakfast combo checks several boxes for me. It fuels my morning workout and keeps me full for about five hours, so there’s no mid-morning snack required. My breakfast is rich in total and soluble fiber (see why that matters to me below) and it provides two servings of milk for bone and muscle health. Eating a big breakfast helps control my appetite during the day, which brings me to my next habit.

I Don’t Eat After Dinner

As a mom with three children at home and very busy days, I often ate a lighter lunch as well as an insufficient breakfast, which was a recipe for overeating later on. When my hunger finally caught up with me at night, it was hard to restrain myself because I felt like I “deserved” as much food as I wanted. I was always looking for a sugary, high-fat reward at the end of the day, like ice cream or cookies, too. 

As a midlife woman, I just don’t need those extra calories, saturated fat, or added sugar, and I don’t want them, either, except for chocolate, which I’ll talk about more in a minute. Here’s another reason why I don’t eat after dinner. In my 40s, I started noticing that too much food at night made for terrible sleep because it gave me “heartburn.” As it turns out, I have gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and I pay dearly if I overdo it at dinner and beyond. It’s hard enough to sleep through the night and I’ll do everything I can to make it possible!

So, you may be asking, what if I’m hungry after dinner? You should always eat if you’re hungry. But if your pattern is like my old way of eating, it pays to ask yourself why you’re always looking for food at night. You may not be eating enough at dinner or during the day, or you may eating to reduce stress, sadness, or boredom.  

I Include About 30 Grams of Fiber Every Day

Fiber is a much-overlooked nutrient that’s vital to health in many ways, including helping to keep blood cholesterol levels in check.

After finding out my LDL-cholesterol (the bad kind associated with clogged arteries) was on the rise, I made it a point to eat more soluble fiber, the type that promotes lower levels of cholesterol and glucose in the blood. Foods rich in soluble fiber include oats, chia seeds, flaxseed, nuts, apples, berries, prunes, citrus fruit, pears, and legumes, such as black beans and lentils.

I’m always looking for an edge when it comes to weight control that doesn’t involve a drastic calorie reduction. I gained nearly 10 pounds during perimenopause, and though I’ve gradually lost most of it, my metabolism isn’t getting any faster with age. Adding foods rich in soluble fiber helps with weight loss and may slow visceral fat (belly fat) gain over time. Sign me up!  

Insoluble fiber is the other type of fiber. It helps prevents constipation and diverticulitis. Whole wheat bread, cereal, and pasta, as well as brown rice, legumes, and vegetables, supply insoluble fiber, but most plant foods supply a combination of both types of fiber.

Women should aim for about 30 grams of fiber daily. Eating five servings of fruits and vegetables (combined) and at least three servings of whole grains daily is a step in the right direction to get the fiber you need. The cereal concoction I eat for breakfast has 17 grams of fiber.

Here are some examples of the fiber in food:

½ cup cooked lentils= 8 grams

1 cup raspberries = 8 grams

1 cup cooked broccoli = 6 grams

1 pear = 6 grams

2 slices (2 ounces) whole wheat bread = 6 grams

1 tablespoon chia seeds = 4 grams

¼ cup cooked canned black beans = 4 grams

1 medium banana = 3 grams

Find out more about fiber here.

I Take Dietary Supplements

Eating nutritious foods doesn’t necessarily provide all the nutrients you need.  I use dietary supplements as insurance to fill in in small nutrient gaps in my diet that could cause problems.  For example, I take about half the calcium I need daily as a supplement because I don’t consume enough calcium-rich foods (midlife women need the equivalent of the calcium found in four servings of dairy foods daily), and I also take about half the daily requirement for magnesium as magnesium glycinate.  I live in the northeast part of the U.S. which means my body makes no vitamin D from November to April, so I take extra vitamin D in the winter and get what I need from a multivitamin the rest of the time.

Speaking of multivitamins, there’s good evidence that a daily multivitamin (Centrum, to be exact) slows down brain aging, which is one of the reasons I take it every day. 

Read more about the dietary supplements you may need in midlife here.

I Eat Six Prunes Every Day

I’m all about preserving bone density, and for me, that means eating prunes every day.  A 2022 randomized controlled trial published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition showed that eating 50 grams of prunes (about six) daily for six months prevented bone loss in the hip joints of postmenopausal women.  And a 2024 study in Osteoporosis International found that consuming 50 grams a day of prunes for 12 months preserved bone structure and estimated bone strength in the tibia, otherwise known as the shin bone, among postmenopausal women. I’m sold!

Prunes may support bones in several ways.  They’re rich in vitamin K, a nutrient the body needs to produce bone tissue. Prunes also provide potassium, which may reduce acidity in the blood that has a negative effect on bone.  Prunes’ polyphenols, which are protective plant compounds, may reduce the risk for inflammation. Inflammation in bone tissue weakens it and makes it more prone to fracture.  Polyphenols and the fiber in prunes nourish the beneficial bacteria in the gut to promote the absorption of calcium and magnesium that support skeletal strength. 

Though the prune research was conducted with postmenopausal women, it’s never too early to start protecting your bones by eating prunes.

Read more about bone health here.

I Don’t Rely on Willpower

I cannot “will” myself to make healthier eating choices. Planning is my willpower.  Though I’m a planner, I’m more regular about the types of food I eat than rigid. For example, I don’t eat the same lunch and dinner every day, and I am not a meal-prepper. I prep ingredients instead, and by that, I mean I shop for nutritious foods, including canned items such as beans, lentils, fruit, and tuna, as well as frozen options like vegetables, salmon, and bread (I always have an extra loaf in the freezer). 

When I have healthy ingredients on hand, it’s possible to make a balanced meal in minutes or snacks for when I’m on the run. That means I get the nutrients I require as a midlife woman and avoid the extra calories I don’t need.

As much as planning is at the core of my eating routine, I also cut myself some slack. There are times when take-out or restaurant food is the only answer to satisfying my hunger. I don’t think twice about eating out because it’s what you do most of the time that matters most.

Read more about the myth of willpower here.

Photo by Towfiqu barbhuiya on Unsplash

I Eat Chocolate Every Day

If there’s one thing I’ve learned after decades in the nutrition field, and from personal experience, it’s that deprivation is the death knell of good intentions.  I love chocolate and there is no way that I’ll deprive myself of the pleasure of eating it every day.  I have about an ounce (sometimes more!) for dessert with dinner and it really hits the spot.

Believe me, I’ve tried to wean myself, but there’s really no point. I won’t go on about the health benefits of chocolate, because there really aren’t any benefits to the type that I eat other than pure enjoyment. There’s no need to justify eating foods that you love.

What habits have you developed that help you to eat a more balanced diet? Let me know in the comments!