As you pass 40 your nutrition needs and habits change along with your hormones. For some women, this isn’t overly obvious til their 50s. This was the case for me. I was turning 50 when I had a rude awakening. Suddenly I couldn’t cope with as many carbs anymore and I was constantly hungry. I was feeling bloated more and more and really struggling with weight pouring on at an exponential rate. I was constantly moody, and feeling drained all the time. My nutritionist brain went to work, and I started adjusting my food to find the perfect balance for myself.
In my research to help myself I learned a lot, which I will share with you today.
The changing physiology
During perimenopause your body’s hormone balance shifts — oestrogen and progesterone fluctuate and decline. Research shows that oestrogen plays a key role in numerous factors around a women’s body. As such, when oestrogen decreases the game changes.
- Basal metabolism decreases, so weight increases, distribution changes to the waistline increasing visceral fat (dangerous fat around the organs).
- No longer suppresses hunger so calorie intake and appetite increases.
- Increase risk of health issues such as cardiovascular disease, tumors (especially in breasts), insulin resistance (cells fail to respond to insulin so glucose stays high), type 2 diabetes, and osteoporosis.
- IBS, bloating or digestive irregularities (as gut-hormone-microbiome links shift)
- Aches, joint pain and inflammation
What and how you eat now, is more important than ever before
Because your body’s hormone-environment has changed, the food that once “worked” to keep you feeling and looking great, is now sending you through a downward spiral.
- Where you could get away with some ultra-processed food, high in sugar, and processed oils, or simple carbs, perhaps on a daily basis, these heavy foods now spike insulin to a greater degree, increase inflammation and promote fat storage.
- Now more than ever, nutrient-dense whole foods ae super important to help regulate blood sugar, reduce inflammation and support digestion and liver health. The ratio of ‘moderation’ has changed.
- Previously you may have enjoyed 1-3 meals, and snacks throughout the day and gotten away with it. However, in perimenopause, super low-calorie diets, skipping meals, long gaps between meals and frequent snacking will see you riding the scariest hormone roller coaster.
My own journey now fuels client results
After making the necessary adjustments to my own eating habits, adjusting the ratio of carbs, fats, protein and fibre and developing an eating routine, everything changed. My belly bloating faded, digestion improved, and I woke up with less aches and pains, and my brain fog has cleared. Now I help women like you do the same via my Nutrition Coaching Program.
How you can help yourself
- Choose wholefoods: colourful veggies, lean protein, healthy fats, fibre-rich carb over simple carbs.
- Time your meals: eating at regular intervals, without grazing, helps stabilise insulin & digestion.
- Mind your gut: digestion issues in menopause often signal that your nutrition needs adapting.
- Manage inflammation: processed foods = more inflammation = more symptoms, so keep them to an absolute minimum.
- Recognise insulin resistance: if your belly fat has increased without changes in your eating, you’re constantly craving sugar, and having afternoon energy crashes, you are on your way to insulin resistance.
How I can help you
If you’re struggling to get on top of your nutrition so it nourishes your body through perimenopause and menopause, it might be time we work together.
My Nutrition Coaching program is designed specifically for busy women over 40, struggling with hormonal chaos.
We conduct a thorough questionnaire about your current eating habits and hormonal symptoms, which I will use to create a personalised meal plan and road map for you. This will help you fuel your body the way it needs so you can drop belly fat, say good-bye to crazy toileting, boost your energy, stabilise your mood and sleep through the night again.
No crazy diets, no deprivation, no starvation, just nourishment, whilst still enjoying food you love.
With daily support, accountability, and nutrition adjustments (if and when needed), you will never be left guessing.
This is just the tip of the iceberg of what’s included!
Just $199 per month, no lock in contracts, you have nothing to lose but the hormone symptoms!
For more information or to register now, click HERE.
- Coach Terri Batsakis
The Gut-Hormone Connection – How Your Digestion Affects Menopause Symptoms
