Menopausal? Here's What To Eat & Avoid For The Sake Of Your Gut Health

Right around the time I turned 40, I felt like I was aging at warp speed. I watched as the hollows deepened under my eyes, the wrinkles in my neck got more prominent, and my hair became thin.

I started playing the blame game: I blamed my fatigue on my busy life as a working mom; I blamed my belly fat on my pregnancies; I blamed my wrinkles on my years of sun exposure; and I blamed my inability to lose weight on my metabolism. 

I know I'm not alone in this experience. The hormonal shifts of menopause leave many women in midlife feeling frustrated, tired, and anxious. 

Gut health, brain health, and hormonal health are all closely linked1. In fact, the gastrointestinal tract has its very own nervous system, called the enteric nervous system, or ENS, which sends information to your brain through a nerve that runs from your abdomen to your brain stem.

Given this close connection, here are a few reasons that your gut health might change during the menopausal period:

Declining estrogen levels: During menopause, your estrogen levels drop so you no longer ovulate. One of the principle regulators2 of estrogen is the gut microbiome. When estrogen levels are altered, you could experience weight gain or brain fog. 

Loss of collagen: By age 40, collagen production declines by around 1 to 1.5% a year. Collagen contains glycine, which helps stabilize the gut, so when you hit menopause, it's necessary to replace the collagen you are naturally losing. If you're looking to get more collagen in your diet, here are nine science-backed options vetted by a nutrition scientist.

The health of the gut microbiome is so important to every aspect of our bodies. The microbiome is filled with trillions of microbial cells, most of which are a mix of good and potentially harmful bacteria.

When our guts are overfilled with "bad bacteria," we start to feel tired, sluggish, and bloated. During every time in your life—but especially as you get older—it's important to keep the gut cleansed, not clogged.

If a person comes to me feeling drained or depleted, the first place I look is their diet. Oftentimes, I find that people are not eating the right type of carbohydrates for their body. Energy carbs are those that give you energy without spiking your blood sugar too much.

If your gut had a favorite food, it'd be fiber. Fiber may also help reduce the risk of Type 2 diabetes, improve cholesterol, and help keep blood pressure in check. Learn all about the lesser-known benefits of dietary fiber here.

I recommend that menopausal women fill up on fiber in the form of fruits, nuts, and cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, kale, and Brussels sprouts. Seeds are also beneficial sources of fiber—especially chia seeds. 

Drinking bone broth is a great way to replace the collagen you start to lose during midlife. In addition to being high in collagen, bone broth also contains the amino acids glycine and proline—both of which help your body build collagen on its own7.