Perimenopause & Menopause
If you feel frustrated, confused, and unsure about how to eat for perimenopause/ menopause, you’re not alone. Nutrition science can be complicated and the growing commercialization of menopause has added to the confusion. Everywhere you look, health misinformation and fear-based messaging leave you vulnerable to ineffective and potentially harmful “quick-fixes”. This puts you in a tough spot: trying to manage debilitating symptoms while preparing your body for aging healthfully, all while navigating a sea of incorrect, contradictory, and often predatory advice.
Some concerns I regularly see about nutrition for perimenopause/ menopause are:
- An over-simplistic approach is used – one nutrient fixes everything (e.g. protein) or one nutrient is to blame (e.g. carbohydrates)
- A restrictive and unsustainable diet approach is used, resulting in frustrating weight fluctuations1,2 and increased risk of psychological distress2
- False or misleading claims about specific foods or nutrients are used to “fix” hormones
- Claims about supplements are used to profit, without sufficient evidence
You deserve compassionate, evidenced-based guidance that you can trust – the kind that empowers you rather than exploits you. Every woman will come to this stage of life at some point, yet few get help from a Registered Dietitian. Having worked in women’s health for my entire career thus far (in both public healthcare and private practice), you can trust that when it comes to food, I’ve got both the qualifications and experience to guide you through. First, we will address any immediate nutrition-related concerns when it comes to perimenopause/ menopause. Then, given nutrition’s crucial role in heart, brain, and bone health3 – key areas of concern for aging women – we will talk about your health for the years to come.
Working with me, you can expect:
- A thorough, perimenopause/ menopause specific nutrition assessment
- Evidenced-based nutrition information
- Nutrition suggestions for symptom management (if applicable)
- Personalized recommendations to optimize eating pattern for consistency, balance, variety, and adequacy of nutrients relevant to the menopausal transition and beyond for healthy aging
- Support to reconnect with your body’s hunger and fullness cues (if applicable)
- Evidenced-based, compassionate, and nuanced conversations about weight and overall health
- Support to explore and navigate body image challenges (if applicable)
- A nutrition supplement review (if applicable)
- Behaviour change counselling for nutrition – changing the way you eat to support your health and well-being
The process:
Armed with the knowledge and skills to nourish yourself, approach perimenopause/ menopause and the years to come with confidence.
Sources
- Dulloo AG, Jacquet J, Montani JP. How dieting makes some fatter: from a perspective of human body composition autoregulation. Proc Nutr Soc. 2012;71(3):379-389. doi:10.1017/S0029665112000225
- Tylka TL, Annunziato RA, Burgard D, et al. The weight-inclusive versus weight-normative approach to health: evaluating the evidence for prioritizing well-being over weight loss. J Obes. 2014;2014:983495. doi:10.1155/2014/983495
- Erdélyi A, Pálfi E, Tűű L, et al. The Importance of Nutrition in Menopause and Perimenopause-A Review. Nutrients. 2023;16(1):27. Published 2023 Dec 21. doi:10.3390/nu16010027