A Dietitian's Guide on the Foods and Nutrients That Could Help Ease Your Perimenopause Transition

Hot flushes, mood swings, brain fog… perimenopause can feel like your body is suddenly playing by a whole new rulebook.

“Did you know this midlife hormonal shift is one of the most important times to check in on your health?,” says Accredited Practising Dietitian, Trish Guy. “Making targeted lifestyle changes, such as getting more of the nutrients you need, can help to ease symptoms and set you up to cope with the transition and age well.”
Here, Trish answers all our questions on this natural stage of life for women.

Trish, what is Perimenopause?

Perimenopause is the reproductive phase occurring before a woman’s final menstrual period, or menopause. It is a time of fluctuating hormones, especially oestrogen and progesterone, which can affect nearly every system in the body.

It generally begins in a woman’s 40’s and it can occur up to seven years before menopause.

How Can You Spot the Symptoms of Perimenopause?

While symptoms like hot flushes are commonly joked about, perimenopause can bring a range of physical, mental and emotional symptoms that are no laughing matter. They include sleep disturbances, mood swings, anxiety, brain fog and heavy or irregular periods.
If you’re unsure, I recommend you visit the Australian Menopause Society which has a heap of valuable factsheets and resources.

Are there any natural ways you’d suggest to help ease perimenopause symptoms Trish?

Maintaining a healthy weight can be helpful, as can regular exercise and getting plenty of rest.

Research has shown that women who stick to a Mediterranean diet may experience relief from hot flushes, improved mood, and a reduced risk of depression and common heart disease risk factors such as blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood glucose levels.

The Mediterranean diet is plant-based and loaded with fresh fruit and vegetables, legumes, wholegrains and healthy fats to provide the nutrients you need during perimenopause and menopause.
As well as eating healthier, it’s also important to cut back on foods that may inflame the symptoms such as caffeine, alcohol, spicy foods, and watching your intake of discretionary foods and added sugars.

What are the nutrients to focus on during perimenopause?

I recommend six key nutrients to focus on during perimenopause.

1. Protein

Protein is essential for healthy ageing. It helps keep your bones healthy and most importantly, it helps preserve muscle mass to stay strong. From as young as 30, you start to lose muscle mass and strength. Eating a slightly higher protein diet – around 1 to 1.2 grams per kilogram of body weight per day - combined with resistance training will help slow this down and preserve strength, metabolism, and bone health.

Eating more protein can also help boost satiety and make it easier to manage your weight.

My tip is to spread your protein across the day and includes some at every meal and snack. Plant-based sources include chickpeas, kidney beans, soybeans, tofu, nuts and seeds, and high-protein plant milks on your cereal or in smoothies

2. Calcium and Vitamin D

Oestrogen levels begin to drop in perimenopause, increasing the risk of bone conditions, such as osteopenia and osteoporosis.

Calcium and vitamin D are essential to help maintain your bone health. You should be aiming for 1000mg a day of calcium. Try adding some nuts, tofu, chickpeas and leafy greens to your diet and look for fortified plant milks that are high in calcium and added vitamin D.

Vitamin D helps your body absorb that calcium. You mainly get vitamin D from sunlight, but as you get older your skin is less efficient at producing it, so food sources matter more. You can get vitamin D from vitamin D rich mushrooms, fortified foods, eggs, and oily fish.

3. Magnesium

Magnesium is an important all-rounder. It plays a role in bone health, mental function, lowering blood pressure, improving sleep quality, and energy production. Magnesium also supports calcium balance in bones and works with vitamin D.

You can get Magnesium from leafy greens, legumes, nuts and wholegrains.

4. Healthy Fats

Perimenopause is associated with an increase in cardiovascular health risks including rising blood pressure, insulin resistance and unhealthy cholesterol and blood fat levels due to reduced oestrogen levels.

Healthy fats are a key part of a Mediterranean-style diet and they have shown to help support heart health. You can boost your intake of healthy fats by enjoying more nuts and seeds, avocado, and olive oil throughout the day. It is also important to cut back on saturated fat from animal products, processed meats and fried foods, to look after your heart.

5. Prebiotic Fibre

It’s important to increase your intake of prebiotic fibre to help look after your gut health during perimenopause.

Perimenopause can impact the gut in different ways, including changes in bowel function, such as bloating, constipation and indigestion.

Research shows declining estrogen can also negatively impact the health of the gut lining, gut microbiota and may in turn contribute to menopause-related conditions such as weight gain, bone health, cancer risk and cognitive health.

Eating a wide range of different plant foods is one of the easiest ways to get more prebiotic fibre.

6. Phytoestrogens

Found in soy foods and some seeds, phytoestrogens are plant-based compounds that can mimic some of oestrogen’s beneficial effects in the body.

The main type, isoflavones, are especially abundant in soy foods. They offer antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits. Isoflavones may help reduce hot flushes, support heart health, improve cholesterol levels, and counter some of the changes linked to lower oestrogen, such as loss of bone density.

Aim for two to three serves a day of foods that contain phytoestrogens such as tofu, tempeh, miso, edamame, soy milk, flaxseeds, or dried fruits such as dates, prunes and apricots.

As you reach your 40s, I always say that it’s a good time to visit or speak with your doctor to have a general health check and discuss any perimenopause symptoms.

Trish Guy: is an Accredited Practicing Dietitian, completing a Bachelor of Health Science (Nutrition and Dietetics) at the University of Newcastle. Trish has been a part of the nutrition team for over 20 years, supporting food brands she loves and enjoys daily. Trish is mum to two kids and enjoys encouraging her them to try something new and helping them develop everyday food preparation and cooking skills.  She is also fascinated in learning and sharing about how plant foods can help with energy, vitality and long-term health.  Homemade pizza is always on the menu.