pre-menopause vs. post-menopause: key health strategies for each stage

Emily Field 00:00:00  Welcome to episode 33 of the Macros Made Easy podcast. Today, we’re diving into a topic that many women find both daunting and under-discussed: menopause. Often shrouded in societal and cultural misconceptions. Menopause is framed as something to fear, but we’re here to flip the narrative and show you how menopause can actually be an incredibly empowering phase of life. Welcome to Macros Made Easy, the podcast that takes the confusion out of tracking macros. I’m your host, Emily Field, a registered dietitian that specializes in a macros approach. In each episode, I help you learn how to eat in a way that supports your health, body composition, and athletic performance goals. We’ll cover the basics of macronutrients how to track for various goals, the role of macros in your health, and how to make sustainable changes to your habits. I’ve helped hundreds of people experience more food freedom and flexibility while navigating their nutrition. So whether you’ve tried macros and it just didn’t stick or you just heard the word macros yesterday, I can’t wait to help you too.

Emily Field 00:01:00  As estrogen levels decline, a woman’s body will undergo significant changes. Physically, mentally, and emotionally, it’s common to feel overwhelmed or unsure about what lies ahead. But the truth is this stage offers a lot of opportunity for growth, self-discovery, and new beginnings. In this episode, we’re going to break down the specific ways declining estrogen affects your health and what you can do about it. Because it’s true, you might need to do things a little bit differently as your estrogen declines over time. We’ll talk through essential changes to your diet and exercise routine that will help you navigate this transition with fewer disturbances. We’ll dive into why bone health becomes more critical, how weight management might look different now, and what adjustments you should consider to keep your metabolism and overall health in check. But it’s not just about the physical changes. Menopause can be a time of deep personal growth. You may find yourself more connected with who you are, drawing from years of experience and wisdom. I love working with women in this phase because it’s such a powerful time to redefine your goals and priorities, which might be one of the very first times people ever seek out nutrition coaching.

Emily Field 00:02:04  So whether you’re entering menopause, preparing for it, or just curious about what’s to come, this episode will equip you with the tools, strategies, and mindset shifts you need to embrace this stage of life with confidence and grace. I want to start by saying that a lot of what we’re going to be talking about here today has to do with the declining effects of estrogen or the declining levels of estrogen, which has a far reaching impact in a woman’s body. Estrogen, in particular, plays a significant role in regulating a woman’s metabolism, and so its effects differ greatly between women with higher estrogen levels. Typically, those women are under 45 years old and those with declining estrogen levels, and those typically happens with women in perimenopause or menopause. And that’s over 45 into the 50s into the 60s. So let’s talk specifically about how estrogen impacts metabolism and then the implications for women at different life stages, because this is going to change which habits you want to engage in, or which ones you want to put more emphasis into.

Emily Field 00:03:03  As your estrogen levels change over time. So before menopause, estrogen helps regulate fat distribution, keeping it stored in less risky areas like the hips and thighs. As estrogen drops, body fat tends to shift to the abdomen, increasing the risk for heart disease and insulin resistance. Just simply that shift, putting it around those internal organs changes a bit of the risk that women might experience. Many times women will come to me and they’ll say, I have done nothing different. I am eating exactly the same, I am working out exactly the same and I am gaining in my midsection. I have never seen this before and that is simply simply due to declining estrogen. You are going to store body fat in a different place than you did before you started perimenopause, and that can be super frustrating, but know that it is very normal. Estrogen also supports muscle mass and energy expenditure, so it helps maintain a higher metabolic rate for people who are younger than 45 or premenopausal. When estrogen levels fall, metabolism slows, leading to some weight gain even without changes in the diet.

Emily Field 00:04:13  We also know that estrogen affects insulin sensitivity, so it makes blood sugar harder to regulate, and it can increase your risk for type two diabetes. So the recommendations again we’ll get to this. But their recommendations for a woman premenopausal and postmenopausal should be different from a nutrition standpoint even just a little bit, because we have to take into account that estrogen has kind of a protective effect over the metabolism. You might be able to get away with a little bit more than if you are postmenopausal, and your estrogen has declined. Lastly, I will say that estrogen influences appetite regulation by moderating hunger hormones like leptin and ghrelin. These two hormones work in opposition to each other. One suppresses the appetite, one stimulates hunger, and they work in opposition. However, when we see declining estrogen, those changes in hormone levels lead to increased appetite and increased cravings, particularly for that high fat, high sugar foods, and that can contribute to weight gain during and after menopause. Maintain a healthy calorie expenditure, energy expenditure and a healthy metabolism without really trying that hard.

Emily Field 00:05:24  And there may be something to say about as you move through menopause, having to try a little bit harder in order to maintain some of that protective effect that you once had prior to menopause. I’m trying to make the case that there should be nuanced differences in nutrition recommendations for women based on their hormonal stage, so pre menopause versus post menopause, if we understand the differences between these two groups, then a woman in your care specifically talking to coaches will feel much more taken care of. They will feel like they’re heard, and they’re going to have a more control over their results and outcomes. So let’s dive into some key areas where nutritional needs might be different as estrogen levels change. Number one I’ll start with this. Bone health. Women under 45 are pre-menopausal. The estrogen plays a vital role in maintaining bone density, so the risk of osteoporosis is generally low. Nutrition recommendations typically focus around ensuring that a woman has adequate calcium and vitamin D to support that bone health. But we know that getting some resistance training, strength training that strike against pavement, you’re really moving your body against harder surfaces, for lack of a better way to describe it, is another great way to support strong bones to help initiate bone or prevent bone loss, especially while estrogen levels are higher.

Emily Field 00:06:49  So for a woman who’s under 45 and identifies as pre menopause, I probably would look at their diary and encourage dairy products, leafy greens, maybe some fortified foods, making sure they get enough sunlight. Vitamin D comes from the sun. We change that in our skin, convert it in our skin to the active form. If we’re living in an area where we’re not really getting a lot of sunlight, or we don’t spend a lot of time in the sun, then we might want to look at supplementation for vitamin D, and usually recommendations like that are enough. Now for a woman who is over 45 or is, you know, experiencing a decline in estrogen levels, the risk of osteoporosis and bone fractures significantly increases. So it’s crucial to really be looking at that calcium in the diet, the vitamin D and the diet to support strong bones. So this might involve higher doses of supplements and dietary adjustments. Obviously we want to take a foods first approach and then add on the supplements on top. But I think this would be the perfect time to incorporate some weight bearing exercises.

Emily Field 00:07:51  Even things like walking, jogging, strength training, you know, really that strike against a harder surface is what initiates the bone recycling process, and it can help maintain that bone density and reduce the risk of osteoporosis. I think a lot of what you’ll hear in some of these examples. So the health areas that we might want to pay different attention to pre menopause and post menopause, what you’re going to hear is that there is something that you can do about it. And you should feel empowered to take some action. If you are not currently doing it. Please start now and it’s okay if you’re late. I mean, there’s no such thing as late. It’s just your life. Like just start and there will be some benefit there. Everyone wishes they started lifting weights earlier or everyone started wishes they really took care of their diet or like really started eating better earlier. We can’t go back, so just start now. The earliest that you can do is right now. So don’t be caught up with the fact that you haven’t started or you didn’t know this information.

Emily Field 00:08:48  You can start now and it can have a profound impact. The next piece I want to talk about is that metabolism and weight management if a woman is in pre menopause. They typically have a faster metabolism due to that supportive role of estrogen in preserving muscle mass. We’ve talked about this before on this podcast, but one of the main drivers of your calorie burn every single day is the amount of muscle mass you have on your frame. Okay, just so happens that estrogen tends to be pretty protective of that muscle mass. It tends to be easier to gain and easier to maintain that muscle mass. Of course, you need to eat enough protein, and you need to strength train in order to gain that lean muscle. But if you have higher estrogen, you are under that kind of 45 and that premenopausal life stage. It might be easier to maintain your weight just simply because that muscle mass really drives your metabolic rate. It tends to be that you can get regular physical activity and eat a balanced diet, and you can maintain your weight effectively.

Emily Field 00:09:46  We’re not talking about being the leanest, most cut version of yourself, but we’re talking about yeah, like basically you can pretty much maintain your weight within 5 or £10. Nothing too significant is changing about your weight on any given day based on your habits and behaviors. Now, for a woman who’s in post menopause, that metabolic rate tends to slow down as that estrogen declines and that can result in increased fat storage. And typically that’s right around the abdomen. We want to shift towards increasing protein. This might be the first time you start thinking about the protein intake in your diet, because again, you haven’t had a problem maintaining your weight. It’s never been an issue for you. You pretty much been in the same body shape and size for so many years. And all of a sudden with that declining estrogen, we are feeling like, you know, we don’t fit into our pants, our clothes don’t fit the same. We are noticing it more. It just makes us feel more self-conscious. We feel uncomfortable.

Emily Field 00:10:40  And so this might be the very first time you ever learned that you need 100, 120, 140g of protein a day. So increasing protein is a main recommendation here for this age group, because that muscle mass is going to decline at a more rapid rate if you are not eating enough protein, if you’re not strength training. So paying attention to portion sizes might become more important for this age group. Possibly reducing overall calories might be important for this age group just to kind of counteract that slowing metabolism and to prevent the unwanted weight gain that we can sometimes see. Man, this one gets me heart health. Women under 45, that premenopausal group that estrogen provides protective effects against heart disease. So heart health is generally maintained with a diet that is rich in whole foods. We’ve got fruits, vegetables, whole grains, healthy fats. You get some regular physical activity and you probably aren’t thinking about your heart health too much. But as our estrogen levels drop, the risk for cardiovascular disease increases. And that’s because estrogen actually has a role in the clarity of our arteries.

Emily Field 00:11:46  Pretty cool right? And I don’t know when I learned this several years ago, we always we talk about men dying from heart disease, typically because their events are pretty significant and they don’t tend to go to their preventive appointments at the doctor. Women have higher rates of heart disease. So we’re getting it. And it tends to be because that protective role of estrogen so is as a woman has a declining estrogen. I probably want to talk to them about their heart health. I want to talk to them about their diet, making sure they’re getting enough omega three fatty acids, fatty fish, flaxseeds, walnuts. We want to see some of this in their diet. We also maybe want to look at stress in their life, that blood pressure is going to play a role in their cardiovascular health. We want to mitigate the risk of heart disease. They’re by increasing whole foods, reducing refined process and packaged foods which might have more sodium. So things like that. So yeah, I mean, I again, I could go off on a tangent about how cardiovascular disease and how the protective effects of estrogen on our arteries.

Emily Field 00:12:49  And it’s I just don’t feel like it’s talked about so much. It’s really it’s not our fault. We could be doing the exact same thing with our diet and our exercise, and our risk is just simply higher because we are moving into this life stage. It just means that you might have to care a little bit more and pay attention a little bit more to the quality of the diet as you age. Next thing I want to talk about is that blood sugar regulation. We talk a lot about that in the Macros Made Easy podcast. Having balanced meals, eating in regular intervals, not going long periods of time without eating can be so powerful for balanced blood sugar, and that balanced blood sugar is going to make us feel more energized, more stable throughout the day. We’re not going to feel high highs and low lows. We’re going to prevent cravings and munchies and things like that. As long as you’re eating a balanced meals with plenty of protein and really looking for those meals every 3 to 4 hours, again, not going long periods of time without eating, you’re not going to experience a ton of blood sugar irregularity, okay? Barring that, you have some sort of predisposition for glucose or insulin issues.

Emily Field 00:13:50  You shouldn’t have much problem here. Estrogen actually plays a role in that. So estrogen helps us maintain that insulin sensitivity. Meaning our cells are sensitive to insulin. They’re able to pull that glucose out of the blood and maintain our blood sugar at a fairly narrow rate. We’re not going to have too high highs or too low lows. It can really regulate that blood sugar pretty efficiently. So again, maybe not a ton of attention is paid to the balance of your meals when you’re premenopausal. However, when we have declining estrogen levels that insulin resistance can become more pronounced. So that’s going to increase our risk for type two diabetes. This is essentially meaning that our cells are less receptive to pulling that glucose out of the blood, meaning that blood sugar is going to stay higher for longer. And that can have some consequences. So if I’m coaching a woman who is in perimenopause or menopause, I’m going to be a little bit more mindful of incorporating or suggesting that they incorporate complex carbohydrates, more high fiber foods. Really looking at the carbohydrate intake of their eating pattern, making sure that their meals are well balanced with protein, fat and carb.

Emily Field 00:15:00  Not super high in car or super low in fat or protein because that’s going to send the blood sugar more on a roller coaster. All right. So typically with a macros approach we can eliminate a lot of this blood sugar dysregulation. Because in order to hit your macros by the end of the day it tends to be easiest if you split those macros, those totals in meals fairly evenly spaced across the day. So you’re actually having fairly balanced meals without really trying and thinking about it. It’s kind of a natural consequence to tracking macros and eating to your macro needs. But again, if this is somebody that I’m working with and this is the stage of life that they’re in, I might want to be a little bit more mindful of the fiber intake that they have. You know, the carbohydrates that they’re reaching for are more of the whole real food variety, not the refined, processed, packaged carbohydrate variety. We’ve kind of already talked about this, but there is going to be a difference in muscle mass and strength for women under 45, or in that higher estrogen level versus women that are maybe over 45 and have that lower estrogen level.

Emily Field 00:16:02  So, for example, higher estrogen levels support muscle mass and recovery. So eating a standard amount of protein, maybe not even thinking about it too much, is usually adequate for maintaining muscle strength and overall fitness. That can be super frustrating to hear, because a lot of you have been working really, really hard to gain muscle and strength. You’re really doing all the things you’re doing that progressive overload strength training. You’re really putting in the time 3 or 4 times per week. You’re eating enough. It’s just a slow process in general, so I don’t want to take that away from you. However, it’s even slower if you’re postmenopausal, and I’m so sorry about that. With declining estrogen, that muscle mass tends to decrease, and it makes it even more important to increase your protein intake and engage in that regular strength training, that regular resistance training. This is going to help preserve muscle mass, maintain your strength, which has far reaching impacts. We talk a lot about this in previous episodes. Having muscle mass is more than just your physique, more than just your aesthetics.

Emily Field 00:17:01  What you look like, it is your independence. It’s your flexibility. It’s your resilience to disease. All risk mortality. If you have more muscle mass on your frame, pretty much everything else is better for you from a health perspective. So the message here is really, if you are not engaging in strength training and supporting muscle mass maintenance or building muscle mass, now is the time. Start now. Do that with eating enough protein and strength training. With progressive overload, it’s going to only help your metabolic health as you age. I will lastly say that you know, obviously every woman’s experience of menopause is going to be different. And it’s fascinating, right? All of us women will experience a decline in estrogen. But the impact of that declining estrogen is going to feel different depending on who you are. And part of it’s genetics and part of that is your lifestyle behaviors and how well you take care of yourself. So if I’m working with somebody who’s premenopausal, maybe under 45, I’m generally not too concerned about dietary adjustments to mitigate menopausal symptoms.

Emily Field 00:18:05  Right. They’re not experiencing them barring another hormonal issue that they might have, typically not changing much about their diet or asking them to consider any changes in their diet because they’re not experiencing any negative symptoms. Now over 45 or post-menopausal, we can see women with hot flashes, mood swings, sleep disturbances, and all of this is going to impact their ability to see progress and changes, especially in their health, their body composition, their athletic performance and nutrition can play a really supportive role in managing those symptoms. So sometimes we might look to include more foods that are rich in phytoestrogens, like flaxseeds and soy products we might be talking more about minerals and hydration. We might also be talking about limiting caffeine and alcohol to alleviate the frequency or the severity of some of those symptoms. And again, this is highly individual. So we might have to do a little bit of tinkering and experimenting. But usually when we’re in the nurturing nest of a coaching relationship, it can be really fun to experiment with some of that stuff.

Emily Field 00:19:08  And seeing a woman’s quality of life improve in menopause by doing those little tweaks is really, really fun. All right, so I’ve just reviewed some of the differences in nutrition recommendations that I might make for a woman who is under 45 or premenopausal, versus a woman who is over 45, entering that perimenopause and menopause. You could probably deduce from some of those differences in recommendations where I might be going next, but I’m going to spend the rest of the episode really talking about how to prepare for menopause with the fewest disturbances. So whether this is far off from you, or you think you might be starting to go through it right now or you’ve already gone through it. I know you can glean something from what I’m about to share. Now, I will say that many people who apply for coaching do like to put in their application that they are postmenopausal or they have gone through. Maybe they’ve gone through cancer treatment and they are on estrogen blockers. They have some sort of hormonal disturbance of some kind. They are looking for super unique recommendations for their specific hormonal picture.

Emily Field 00:20:19  And while I do think there are probably some minor tweaks that we might make to their plan because of their unique hormonal situation, it’s not vastly different than what I would recommend to someone premenopausal, and that might be hard to hear, because I think that in the online space, in order to differentiate between each other as far as coaches go and like health practitioners go, sometimes we have to go to really like far corners to like, just show how different we are and how much we could help our potential client. And so that gets us on this like crazy island, like super far away. Like making claims that are not factual or like, not justified in science and research. What I mean is that somebody might make themselves seem so different, and that you, as the person that’s very desperate for information and wanting to feel better and wanting to make some significant changes, might think that the more different the plan is, the better it’s going to be for you. And I have to just remind you that the basics have never gone out of style.

Emily Field 00:21:19  I guess I’ll just say that many of the reasons why you might not be seeing changes, or you might not be seeing results, is probably not because of your hormones. It’s because you haven’t given it enough time and enough consistency. And that is a really hard pill to swallow. But it should make you feel a little bit empowered that you’re not missing something major. You’ve got all of the pieces. You probably have heard this once before. I might color in the details a little bit more, but I like to visualize it like a Venn diagram. So the Pre-menopausal under 45 group is on the left in a circle. And the habits that will help them and the recommendations that I commonly give them is going to they’re going to land in that circle. And then we’ve got another circle that’s over 45, maybe postmenopausal. That declining estrogen group that’s a circle in and of itself. And most of the habits and behaviors are going to overlap in that middle. The habits and behaviors that I’m going to recommend, and the plans that I’m going to make for people are going to be independent of age, okay? They’re going to be the same no matter your age.

Emily Field 00:22:19  Now, there are going to be a few things that might be different. So that’s what we’re going to talk about here today. So you can hold on to your special unicorn status. If you are pre or postmenopausal there might be some things that are different, but by and large, I want you to hear me when I say the majority of recommendations that you’re going to hear on this podcast and like from your bigger, more science based health practitioners that are just super solid. They’ve been doing this for years and years, even decades, they’re going to be saying some of the same messages because the basics really do work, and the basics are going to give you the biggest movement towards the results that you’re seeking. Okay, so one of the biggest recommendations I’m going to make for somebody who wants to prepare best for menopause or is currently in menopause, is to prioritize that strength training and physical activity. Strength training is crucial because it helps build and preserve muscle mass. That’s going to play a key role in maintaining a healthy metabolism.

Emily Field 00:23:09  As estrogen levels drop during perimenopause and menopause, that muscle mass is naturally going to decline, leading to a slower metabolism. And, you know, like a higher likelihood of weight gain. So by engaging in regular resistance training, we know that weight training, the body weight exercises, resistance bands, using weights, using machines, things like that, that can counteract muscle loss and support a higher basal metabolic rate. And that is typically just going to prevent the age related decline in muscle tissue. That is so common for people who don’t. Strength training. So if you you’re approaching menopause and you’re not strength training, please start. If you are in menopause and you have not started strength training, please start. There is wide ranging benefits, but we’ll just focus on the one which is our metabolism or metabolic rate when it comes to minimum effective dose for strength training. I would love to see your routine include 2 to 3 times per week. You’re targeting major muscle groups for optimal results. I mean, even better would be if you combine that strength training with aerobic activities like walking, cycling, swimming.

Emily Field 00:24:11  That’s where, you know, running could come in elliptical, pickleball, tennis, something like that. Because aerobic exercise not only supports your cardiovascular health, but it also helps you maintain a healthy weight, can enhance your mood. Be great self-care and connection time with friends. So again, this is just in general. Having a well-rounded routine for physical activity can be really helpful, especially during hormonal transitions of perimenopause and menopause. The next recommendation that I would have in this Venn diagram as you would is to focus on that high protein diet. So we know that protein is crucial for muscle preservation. So we are breaking it down through strength training. And now we need to recover and build it back up with a higher protein diet. We know that protein can stoke the metabolic fire, meaning your metabolism is increased each time we eat protein and protein is also the most satiating macronutrient, so that means that you’re going to feel fuller longer when your diet is higher in protein. And we know that eating enough protein is going to prevent muscle loss, which happens as a result of declining estrogen.

Emily Field 00:25:18  I think you’re probably seeing some themes here. So when we’re talking about premenopausal women, I’m going to recommend a moderate protein diet for them, especially if there’s somebody that really wants to focus on building muscle and strength. You’re going to have to have enough protein to support that. In general, the number here you’re looking for is 0.8g of protein per pound of body weight up to 1.2g of protein per pound of body weight. There’s a little bit of wiggle room here, so please don’t think that this is prescriptive. I am a dietitian, but I’m not necessarily your dietitian. So if you want a, you know, a more personalized recommendation, I have resources for that. But in general, it becomes more important for you to emphasize that protein amount as you get older and as you are in that postmenopausal range, because the muscle loss and the decline in your metabolic rate, we really want to preserve the muscle as much as we can. We want to counteract all the stuff that’s kind of working against us with that lower estrogen.

Emily Field 00:26:16  So eating enough protein can be one of the ways that we do that. Now, one of the best ways to support a healthy metabolism stay fuller longer, support your muscle mass and strength gain is to spread that protein evenly across all meals, and that’s going to just maximize your results. So while I would always give a recommendation to somebody working with me, even if they’re pre-menopausal or postmenopausal, I will recommend that they eat that protein spread more evenly across the day. That’s probably 25, 30, maybe even 40g per meal, 3 to 4 meals per day, depending on what your total gram goal is for the day. It becomes even more important when you are postmenopausal, because sometimes we just have to do a little bit more because we have less of the protective effects of estrogen. That’s what I’m trying to get across here, is that there is a bit more buffer to handle, quote mistakes or laziness, or a kind of a laissez faire attitude. When you have estrogen in your system, you have high estrogen circulating levels, and as those decline, you have little bit less bandwidth to be able to do that, little bit less bandwidth to handle that.

Emily Field 00:27:25  I’m not looking for the word perfect. I’m just saying you might need to focus a little bit more than you had to when you were premenopausal. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. Again, we’re in a unique time during perimenopause and menopause, and sometimes there’s just intense clarity in this time. You have wisdom that you didn’t have in your 20s and 30s. You perhaps have more time and more financial freedom than you had in your 20s and 30s, and this could be a great time for you to really master these habits that you didn’t have the bandwidth to focus on when you were younger. The third recommendation here that’s going to land in the Venn diagram, steps to prepare for menopause or to go through menopause with the fewest disturbances is going to be to support that bone health early. So if you’re a premenopausal, you’re going to do everything that you can to build up that bone density and strength, because it’s really a matter of just keeping it there. Because as you approach menopause and as estrogen declines, that protective effect goes down and the risk for osteopenia and osteoporosis increases.

Emily Field 00:28:24  So estrogen plays a really, really big role here. So prior to menopause, the best thing that you can do is to, you know, really look at that daily intake of calcium of at least 1000mg before menopause. Try to do that every day that can be found through dairy products like milk, cheese, yogurt, but also leafy green vegetables like spinach and kale and collards. We also see calcium found in fortified plant based milks and almonds, so if your dietary intake is insufficient, then you might be a good candidate for calcium supplements to fill the gap. That’s what I’m looking for as a dietitian working with somebody that’s premenopausal. I might also look at vitamin D, because this is equally important to help you absorb the calcium and support your overall bone health. We should be getting about 600 to 800 international units of vitamin D daily, and that can be from sunlight exposure, fortified foods, fatty fish, you know, like salmon, mackerel, sardines here and supplements if necessary. We know that without adequate vitamin D, even a calcium rich diet is not going to be as effective for building and protecting bones.

Emily Field 00:29:33  But we know in addition to nutrition, one of the best ways to support strong bones is going to be with regular weight bearing exercise. So walking, jogging, hiking, strength training that strike is what we call it. Resistance against another surface helps the bones become stronger. We need to be standing, walking, moving in our daily life and there might even be some benefit, like additional benefit from plyometrics, like jumping and skipping and leaping and things like that. So think about tennis. Think about your pickleball, think about your strength training. This also is going to help support bone formation because it applies pressure to the bones and makes them stronger over time. If you’re not doing strength training or any of those activities yet, start doing them now because it really is kind of a race to see how much you can maximize your bone density before that estrogen declines in menopause. So next, I’ll say that in the Venn diagram of healthy habits that we want to encourage premenopausal into postmenopausal transition would be to maintain a diet that is rich in antioxidants and fiber.

Emily Field 00:30:39  As estrogen levels decline, the body becomes more vulnerable to inflammation, oxidative stress, and metabolic changes that can increase the risk of heart disease. You’ve already talked about that insulin resistance and weight gain. Antioxidants from our nutrient rich whole foods and fiber plays super key roles here in counteracting those effects. It helps support heart health, digestion, overall well-being during those hormonal transition. So when I’m speaking to a woman that’s premenopausal, I might be looking at the quality of her diet, sure, but as she’s postmenopausal, I might be putting a little bit more emphasis on that fiber intake, because we know that fiber is essential for healthy estrogen recycling system maintaining a healthy recycling system. I’ll say you may already know this, but antioxidants are compounds found in fruits, vegetables, and other whole foods that help neutralize harmful free radicals in the body. Free radicals are unstable molecules that cause oxidative stress and contribute to inflammation, cellular damage, and higher risk for chronic diseases, including heart disease and certain cancers. Since declining estrogen reduces the protective effects that it has on the cardiovascular system, it’s shown that having more antioxidant rich foods in your diet becomes even more crucial during that time, so it helps you maintain your heart health.

Emily Field 00:32:01  So I would love to see you if you’re postmenopausal, incorporating some brightly colored fruits and vegetables like berries, spinach, kale, carrots, bell peppers, as well as nuts, seeds, healthy fats like olive oil and avocado can be helpful here too. A lot of times we hear women who are postmenopausal complain of digestive tract changes. Primarily, we’re seeing more constipation as women age, and so we might put more of an emphasis in that postmenopausal group to get more dietary fiber. Dietary fiber is found in whole grains, legumes, fruits and vegetables. It promotes digestive health by aiding in regular bowel movements and preventing constipation, which, like I said, can be more common during menopause. Fiber also helps regulate blood sugar levels because it slows down the absorption of sugar, so it slows down the absorption of carbohydrates, which turn to sugar and eventually to glucose and float around in our blood to give our cells energy. But keeping fiber high in the diet helps regulate those blood sugar levels. And if you recall that declining estrogen makes our cells a little bit more insulin resistant.

Emily Field 00:33:06  So we want to help ourselves as best we can by promoting behaviors that reduce insulin resistance, but also promoting behaviors that help reduce the absorption of glucose or mellow out the absorption of glucose from our meals. But even the simple fact that fiber promotes a feeling of fullness can help manage a woman’s appetite and help support a healthy weight if that’s something that they’re looking to do. So overall, you know, good recommendations on both sides of the coin for premenopausal women and postmenopausal women. But there might be a heavier emphasis on the fiber and the antioxidants in the postmenopausal group because of the impact it can have on reducing inflammation, supporting your heart, helping you maintain blood sugar and weight during those hormonal shifts of perimenopause and menopause. I will say that one of the biggest things that might differ from my recommendations for a woman that’s premenopausal versus postmenopausal is the emphasis on stress management and prioritizing good sleep hygiene. Chronic stress and poor sleep can have a profound effect on your body, disrupting hormonal balance and increasing levels of cortisol, the body’s primary stress hormone.

Emily Field 00:34:18  Elevated cortisol levels lead to a whole host of negative effects, including weight gain, especially around that midsection, fatigue and increased cravings for sugary and high fat foods. So over time, this can make weight management much more challenging and disrupt metabolic health in general. So for the woman who is postmenopausal, I might be doing a little bit more coaching around stress reducing techniques like mindfulness meditation, yoga, deep breathing exercises to help that woman stay grounded and reduce the physical and emotional impacts of stress. Because these practices promote relaxation, improve emotional resilience, help lower cortisol levels, and it might make it easier for your body to manage weight and your energy levels overall health. All of that. I will also probably emphasize with both groups of women, but maybe a little bit more for a postmenopausal woman engaging in activities that you really enjoy spending time outside connecting with loved ones, because these can be very powerful stress relievers as well. I’ve said this several times before, but I want to reiterate that estrogen has such a protective effect on the woman’s body.

Emily Field 00:35:25  The bandwidth to handle stress is simply higher when estrogen levels are high. So the declining estrogen allows for little less bandwidth. And if we think about the women in perimenopause and into menopause and what’s on her plate, here’s what I’m typically seeing. I’m seeing a woman who has perhaps kids at home, but also has aging parents. So they’re navigating that sandwich generation. We call it lots of division, of responsibility and lots of tabs open in the brain to manage both of those. We’ve also have a woman who’s probably at the peak of her career. If she is a working woman, she is now been there for a couple decades, and that might be higher stress situation, perhaps a richer social life. You’ve deepened your friendships. You’re well-connected in your community. You have a busy, full social calendar. You like to eat good food. Maybe you like to drink good wine. Maybe those two things kind of go together with the social life and the place in your career. This is what I’m just typically seeing from the women that I typically work with.

Emily Field 00:36:30  It’s just kind of this cluster of habits that independently are not necessarily bad in any way, and having a rich and deep family life and community life and social life is not necessarily a bad thing. Enjoying good food and enjoying good wine is just part of life. But when we have a lower bandwidth to handle stress, the body is perceiving those stressors exactly the same. So even though their joy and a packed schedule, maybe it is a little bit of emotional stress or whatever the body is perceiving that all the same, and your bandwidth is just simply lower. So the consequences of those stressors is maybe more perceived by the body. Is that the right grammar there? I think you get what I’m trying to say, but essentially you could be doing a lot of the right things with your nutrition and your physical activity. You could have really been doing nothing different than you did in your 20s, 30s and now you’re into your 40s. 50s, and you’re wondering why it’s just not working anymore. And it really does have to do with this, like stress management, peace, and possibly sleep.

Emily Field 00:37:33  So for a woman postmenopausal, maybe we’re kind of looking at her lifestyle and some of the things I’ve just described here. We will want to help her create a routine that incorporates more neuroplasticity and mindfulness, maybe meditation, yoga, deep breathing exercises to mitigate the consequences of stress on the system really help reduce the physical and emotional impact of stress. So stress in and of itself is not necessarily a bad thing, but it’s simply that we have a full cup and our bandwidth to handle that stress is a lot lower when estrogen is lower. So it might be working on with a woman in this group. I might be working on engaging in activities that you enjoy, helping you do that, spending more time outdoors, connecting with loved ones you know, connecting with family, connecting with community, learning how to say no. Having strong boundaries like these are all great coaching points that we can get into depending on a woman’s life place. All right. So I will lastly lead with this. When it comes to the Venn diagram of habits and behaviors that I want to encourage, for a woman that’s premenopausal and the woman that is postmenopausal, how do they differ? I’d say that like it doesn’t matter what age group you are in, if you are a woman, you will enter menopause.

Emily Field 00:38:48  So being better prepared for the changes that are to come is going to be better for you. Okay, educate yourself about menopause. Maybe this might be your first intro to that and that’s great. But if you understand what to expect during menopause, it will help reduce the anxiety and help empower you to make more informed health choices. So I think sometimes I might be one of the first people to share with a client that her symptoms with sleep and her symptoms with her joints and her symptoms with, like why she’s not seeing results from all the effort she’s putting in is because of menopause. It’s not because of any like she’s not doing anything wrong, and it might be helpful to hear from a professional that you’re doing all the right things. You just have to give it a little bit more time. It’s going to take a little bit longer because you didn’t quite get started. Premenopausal. And we want to make up some of that time, but also because that declining estrogen or that lack of estrogen, we might have more of an uphill battle.

Emily Field 00:39:44  But it doesn’t mean that it’s impossible. Okay, we know that menopause affects every woman differently, but the symptoms can include hot flashes, night sweats, mood swings, sleep disturbances, weight gain, changes to skin and hair. Knowing these changes ahead of time can alleviate that uncertainty and fear that a lot of women experience, helping them feel more prepared and proactive. To me, educating yourself around menopause also means learning about the biological shifts that occur, such as declining estrogen, its impact on metabolism, bone density, and cardiovascular health. Understanding these changes allows you to take preventive measures early on, such as incorporating strength training, optimizing nutrition, and managing stress to mitigate the negative effects of menopause on your long term health. I will also say that empowerment through education also involves exploring various treatment options available. Some women may benefit from hormone replacement therapy or HRT to alleviate severe menopausal symptoms, while others might find relief through non-hormonal treatments, natural supplements, or even just lifestyle adjustments. Learning about these options helps you make a decision that is aligned with your personal preferences and health goals, rather than feeling pressured to do like a one size fits all approach, engaging with healthcare professionals, reading reputable books on menopause, and listening to informative podcasts are excellent ways to stay informed about treatment options and new developments in women’s health.

Emily Field 00:41:09  Equally important, though, is learning about the lifestyle adjustments that can improve quality of life during menopause. This could involve adopting a diet rich in antioxidants and protein, focusing on weight bearing exercise to maintain muscle and bone health. Managing stress through mindfulness or meditation, and prioritizing sleep for hormonal imbalance. So armed with this knowledge, just the simple stuff that we talked about on this episode, women can take very proactive steps to support their health and wellbeing, minimising the disruption menopause can leave on their daily lives. Ultimately, educating yourself about menopause not only reduces the fear of the unknown, but also empowers you to make choices that support your physical, emotional and mental health during this transition. Accessing reliable resources, whether that’s through books, online articles, podcasts, or discussions with healthcare professionals, ensures that you’re equipped to approach menopause with confidence and control, allowing you to focus on living a filling, healthy life during and beyond the stage. So I’ll just round out by saying that building a strong foundation of healthy habits in your 30s and early 40s can greatly ease the menopause transition.

Emily Field 00:42:17  Emphasizing strength training, a balanced diet, stress management, and regular health monitoring can mitigate the metabolic slowdowns, weight gain, and other health challenges associated with declining estrogen, allowing women to approach menopause with confidence and resilience. If there’s anything that you heard in this episode, it’s that you are not too late. You can engage in any of these behaviors starting now. Even if you are in menopause, they will have a profound impact in a good way on your life. So if you’re waiting for a sign to get started with any of the things that I’ve shared here today, don’t wait any longer and just get started. Thank you so much for listening to the Macros Made Easy podcast. If you enjoyed this episode, take a screenshot of the one you’re listening to right now to share it on your Instagram Stories, and tag me at Emily Fields so that more people can find this podcast and learn how to use a macros approach in a stress free way. If you love the podcast, head over to iTunes and leave me a rating and a review.

Emily Field 00:43:14  Remember, you can always find more free health and nutrition content on Instagram and on my website at emilyfieldRD.com. Thanks for listening and I’ll catch you on the next episode.