An OB-GYN & Hormone Expert Shares 5 Nutrition Tips To Tame Menopause Symptoms

Menopause doesn't get enough attention from health care professionals. Every organ system in a woman's body is affected by menopause—their brain health, their heart, lungs, kidneys… Experiencing menopause involves so much more than hot flashes. So why are women still being so underserved? 

Board-certified OB-GYN and certified menopause practitioner Mary Claire Haver, M.D., is here to change all that. In her latest must-read, The New Menopause, she offers lifestyle modifications and tools to help you take charge of your health—and proper nutrition takes up a large portion of the pie. 

In the effort to maintain a healthy weight during menopause, "Fiber intake is very important," says Haver, who recommends at least 25 grams per day for most women. "After a few months, we'll push for 35 or more grams of fiber per day." 

According to Haver, research shows that women who prioritize fiber intake have less visceral (or belly) fat. 

With fiber, "the gut microbiome is happy and healthy and creates the butyrates, which are anti-inflammatory, being fed into the bloodstream," she explains. "[It's] also decreasing the rate at which your body absorbs glucose and blood sugar from the gut, therefore lowering your insulin levels, and insulin is one of the main drivers of fat to the intra-abdominal cavity."

Next, Haver recommends watching out for refined sugars—not natural sugars found in fruits and vegetables but sugars added during cooking and processing. "[They're] mostly found in drinks, additives, and condiments," Haver says. 

A diet rich in probiotics is great for everyone, regardless of hormonal status, but for menopausal women specifically, probiotics may help ease some of the difficulties of menopause by promoting gut health, bone strength, cardiometabolic health, mood, and more.

"Turmeric is not essential, but it can be really helpful because it's such a powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory," says Haver. 

Curcumin, the main active component in turmeric, is what gives the spice those major anti-inflammatory benefits, and it has been shown beneficial in helping with menopausal symptoms2 like hot flashes3—when paired with vitamin E, research finds it may even help reduce hot flashes by a third4. 

Muscle mass is crucial for metabolic health, and improved metabolic health may help ease5 menopause symptoms; poor metabolic health, on the other hand, is linked to worse menopausal symptoms5. Not to mention, muscle loss can lead to6 joint pain, frailty, osteoporosis, and more unwelcome health concerns. 

And what do you need to help maintain strong muscles? You guessed it—protein. 

Haver references the Women's Health Initiative study7, which followed over 24,000 women ages 65 to 79 to assess their protein intake and frailty. Researchers found that those who had a higher protein intake (way above the bare minimum 0.8 gram per kilogram of body weight per day) were much less likely to be frail. 

It's not the only way to tame menopause symptoms, but good nutrition does set you up for success in pretty much every aspect of well-being (hormonal health very much included!).

In fact, "The healthier you are going into your menopause will help guide the severity of your symptoms," says Haver. That's not to say you won't face any struggles at all—but don't underestimate the power of a balanced diet.