Nutrition for Menopause & Women Over 50
Menopause brings metabolic changes that conventional dietary advice doesn't address. Low carb nutrition can help manage weight, reduce symptoms, and protect your long-term health during this transition.
Why Menopause Changes Your Metabolism
Oestrogen plays a crucial role in metabolic health. It helps maintain insulin sensitivity, supports healthy cholesterol levels, protects blood vessels, and influences where the body stores fat. When oestrogen declines during menopause, these protective effects diminish.
The result is a metabolic shift: insulin resistance worsens, visceral fat accumulates around the abdomen, inflammation increases, and cardiovascular risk rises. Many women find that the diet and exercise habits that worked in their 30s and 40s simply stop working.
This is not a failure of willpower — it is a fundamental change in hormonal physiology. Addressing it requires a nutritional approach that accounts for the new metabolic reality, which is precisely what low carb nutrition offers.
Katherine Stewart, a registered Occupational Therapist and wellness coach, brings both professional expertise and personal understanding of the health journey for women navigating these changes. Dr Helena Popovic, a medical doctor and best-selling author, specialises in the brain–body connection and neuroscience-based approaches to weight management.
Menopause Health Challenges We Address
Weight Gain & Changing Body Composition
Declining oestrogen shifts fat storage toward the abdomen. Insulin resistance worsens, making weight harder to lose with conventional approaches. Low carb nutrition directly addresses the hormonal environment driving this change.
Hot Flushes & Night Sweats
Blood sugar instability can worsen vasomotor symptoms. Stabilising blood sugar through low carb eating — reducing spikes and crashes — often reduces the frequency and intensity of hot flushes.
Brain Fog & Mood Changes
The brain runs on glucose or ketones. When insulin resistance impairs glucose delivery to brain cells, cognitive function suffers. A ketogenic approach provides the brain with an efficient alternative fuel source.
Cardiovascular Risk
Oestrogen is protective of heart health. After menopause, cardiovascular risk rises sharply. Improving metabolic markers — triglycerides, HDL, blood pressure, fasting insulin — through diet is one of the most effective preventive strategies.
Bone Health & Osteoporosis
Adequate protein, calcium, vitamin D, and weight-bearing exercise are essential. Our coaching ensures your nutrition supports bone density while addressing metabolic health.
Sleep Disruption
Menopause disrupts sleep through night sweats and hormonal changes. Stable blood sugar from low carb eating supports better sleep quality, and we address sleep hygiene as part of a holistic approach.
Our Coaching Approach
Metabolic Assessment
We review your blood work (fasting glucose, insulin, HbA1c, lipid panel, thyroid, vitamin D) and symptoms to understand your unique metabolic picture during this transition.
Personalised Low Carb Plan
A nutrition plan designed specifically for women in menopause — rich in quality protein, healthy fats, and nutrient-dense vegetables. We ensure adequate calcium, magnesium, and essential nutrients.
Symptom Tracking
We monitor not just blood markers, but practical outcomes — hot flush frequency, sleep quality, energy levels, mood, and cognitive clarity. This gives us a complete picture of progress.
Lifestyle Integration
Nutrition is the foundation, but we also address sleep, stress management, and exercise. Resistance training is particularly important during menopause for preserving muscle mass and bone density.
Long-Term Health Strategy
Menopause is not an illness — it is a transition. Our goal is to help you build nutritional habits that protect your heart, brain, and bones for the decades ahead.
What the Research Shows
A 2020 study in Menopause journal found that women on a low carb diet experienced 50% fewer hot flushes compared to a control group.
Research published in Obesity Reviews showed that low carb diets were significantly more effective than low-fat diets for reducing visceral (abdominal) fat in postmenopausal women.
A ketogenic diet has been shown to improve cognitive function in people with insulin resistance — a common finding in women post-menopause.
The Women's Health Initiative found that low-fat diets did not reduce cardiovascular risk in postmenopausal women, prompting a reassessment of dietary guidelines for this population.
Further Reading
Menopause: Health Risks and How to Reduce Them
Cardiovascular, bone, and cognitive risks — and evidence-based strategies to mitigate them.
Sustainable Weight Loss
Why calorie counting fails — and how our hormonal approach works better.
Insulin Resistance Coaching
The metabolic dysfunction that worsens during menopause — and how to reverse it.
Best Sleep Diary App
Tracking sleep quality during menopause — an important metric for overall health.
Thrive Through Menopause
Menopause is a transition, not a decline. Book a free 15-minute consultation to discuss your symptoms and discover how nutrition can help you feel your best.