Welcome to Menopause Nutrition!

Nutrition and Lifestyle Strategies for Managing Menopause

Hello, and welcome to Menopause Nutrition, a place to learn and talk about nutrition and lifestyle during the menopause transition (also called perimenopause) and after menopause occurs.

Let’s Talk About Menopause

You may be puzzled by the changes going on in your body during perimenopause and afterwards. Join the club! Your confusion can probably be chalked up to a lack of education about menopause, especially since few people (especially our mothers!) talk openly about this stage of life. Women are just supposed to know that perimenopause is the reason they can’t zip their favorite jeans, their moods are riding a roller coaster, and they’re having hot flashes, right? Wrong. You deserve more.

Once you reach menopause - which is literally just one day long - you’re in the post-menopause phase. Menopause forever changes your body, and it’s possible to live up to 40% of your years after menopause occurs. That’s why it’s a good idea to learn how to eat, exercise, and reduce stress during perimenopause and afterwards.

Why I’m Here

As a post-menopausal woman, I want to feel my best, age more slowly, and reduce the risk of chronic conditions, so I am vested in this topic. I’m also a registered dietitian nutritionist (RDN) with more than 30 years of experience in women’s health, and the co-author of The Menopause Diet Plan, A Natural Guide to Hormones, Health, and Happiness.

I base my information on research published in peer-reviewed scientific journals. I also weave in my personal experience with menopause and midlife, and you will always know when I’m doing that because I will tell you.

What I Write About

I won’t be penning pieces about how to lose belly fat with the newest fad diet, but I will let you know about the latest trends in menopause weight research that can help you take a reasonable, long lasting path to weight control. I won’t promote supplements purported to prevent hot flashes, but I will report on how diet and lifestyle affect them and what may help to reduce their intensity and frequency. I will weigh in on topics that are of interest to midlife women, such as intermittent fasting, vitamin and mineral supplements, and so-called “hormone balance.” (Stick around to find out how I feel about that term.)

I aim to provide a balanced, factual perspective on menopause nutrition and wellbeing and do deep dives into topics that often need more explaining, such as how nutrient needs change after 50, and what menopausal and midlife women should consider about alcohol, bone health, making muscle, and eating to support their heart and brain health, to name just a few topics. You can expect a newsletter from me every other Wednesday (about twice a month).

Join me!

There is so much misinformation on the internet about nutrition for women in their 40s and beyond, and so many of us try to muddle through menopause, rather than manage it to the best of our ability. Let’s cut through the clutter together!