What To Start — And Stop — Eating During Menopause

Hormone fluctuations in your gut can actually make it harder to digest some foods.

No one ever said this would be easy. If you’re currently experiencing menopause, you know there can be some tough moments as you navigate through the life stage that officially begins 12 months after your last period.

Those physical and mental changes are real, according to Dr. Talia Sobel, assistant professor for women’s health internal medicine at Mayo Clinic Arizona. “During menopause transition, women may experience a variety of symptoms including hot flashes, night sweats, sleep disturbances, brain fog, mood changes, hair thinning or loss, weight gain, joint pain and sexual health changes,” she said.

As if that’s not enough, you should prepare for fluctuations in your gut, too, said functional medicine practitioner Erika Siegel. “The microbiome starts to have a smaller variation of microbes, and there’s often reduced hydrochloric acid production,” she said. “Both can make it harder to digest some foods. Because the drop of estrogen is also associated with an increase in cortisol production, there’s often an increased stress response, which can result in less digestive efficiency, along with more indigestion and belly aches.”

With your body undergoing the biggest upheaval you’ve likely experienced since you got your first training bra, you really need to take good care of yourself right now. “Even though every woman who lives long enough will go through menopause, and every woman has a different experience,” Sobel said, “ensuring a healthy lifestyle with sufficient nutrition intake and exercise is very important for overall health.”

Since women can live 40% of their lives after menopause, you might as well enter this period feeling as good as you possibly can.