10 Quick and Delicious Meal Ideas for Menopausal Women

When it comes to managing the impact of menopausal symptoms, there’s one easy place we can begin: in the kitchen.

Our diets play a significant role in either reducing or increasing the severity and frequency of menopausal symptoms. While no two women will experience menopause in exactly the same way, certain foods can either provide our bodies with crucial support during this time of transition, or they can make symptoms even worse. By understanding the role our diets play in our menopausal experiences, we can shift our eating patterns to suit, making the most of natural opportunities to enhance our well-being through the meals we eat.

We’ve gathered ten of our favourite quick and delicious meals, giving you plenty of inspiration the next time you’re hunting for a menopause-friendly option.

First things first: what to avoid

Before we look at the kinds of foods we should be eating more of during menopause, it’s also important to know what to eat less of, including:

• Spicy foods. Unfortunately, spicy foods and menopause aren’t the best of friends. Foods that sit highly on the heat scale can directly contribute to increasing menopausal symptoms, including hot flushes and night sweats.
• Fast food. While fast food can offer convenience, they don’t offer much else to menopausal women. Not only can fast foods increase your risk of developing heart disease, but they can also contribute to weight gain, which can be increasingly difficult to manage as a result of menopause’s hormonal changes.
• Caffeine and alcohol. While caffeine and alcohol don’t need to be avoided entirely, reducing your intake of both of them can help to alleviate your menopausal experiences, contributing to a higher quality of sleep, and reducing the likelihood of anxiety or depression developing throughout menopause.
• Fatty foods. While certain fats are welcome throughout menopause (looking at you, Omega-3s!), it’s advised to keep your intake of foods high in fats to a minimum.

Foods to embrace

If you love experimenting with flavour and food, you’ll have plenty to work with throughout menopause. There are a number of food groups that can be of direct benefit to your health, supporting your longevity and daily wellbeing throughout every phase of your menopause experience.

These include:

• Fruits and vegetables. With the natural bounty of antioxidants, vitamins and nutrients fruits and vegetables provide, it’s no surprise that the age-old advice of ‘eat the rainbow’ is at the forefront of recommended menopausal diets. Dark green leafy vegetables, colourful berries and nutrient-dense vegetables can all play a key role in supporting your health throughout menopause.
• Fatty fish. Thanks to the healthy Omega-3 fats in fish, it’s recommended they play a prominent role in your menopausal diet. Regular consumption of fatty fish can help to support your brain health and heart health throughout this time of transition (and beyond).
• ‘Cooling foods’. Did you know that some foods can have more of a cooling effect than others? With numerous foods offering cooling properties, this is one way you can naturally support your body in reducing the impact of hot flushes and night sweats.

Breakfast recommendations

Starting the day with a menopause-friendly breakfast can give you a fantastic boost of support for the demands ahead. If you’re used to skipping breakfast, now’s the time to build a healthy new habit – with nutritionally balanced breakfasts helping to balance blood sugar and appetite control, this meal can be particularly useful throughout menopause.

We recommend trying:

• Hard-boiled eggs. You can whip up a batch of these to give yourself an easy, on-the-go breakfast protein option, supporting your daily protein needs even when you’re on your way out the door.
• An omelette. If hard-boiled eggs aren’t your preference, an omelette can give you the flexibility of adding in your favourite vegetables, all while delivering that protein hit.
• Quinoa Breakfast Bowl. With fibre and antioxidants from quinoa, healthy fats from avocado, and protein from eggs, this breakfast bowl gives you a beautiful balance without sacrificing on flavour. It can also be made ahead of time, making it easy to enjoy without needing to sacrifice your morning to the stove.
• Chunky nutty granola. Packed with oats, nuts, seeds and dressed up with some fresh berries, this granola’s going to fuel you for hours, and can be stored for up to two weeks in an air-tight container.

Lunch recommendations

If you’ve started the day off strong, it’s time to continue the pattern with your lunch choice. Lunch is a great chance to give your body more natural fuel for its changing needs.

Our lunch recommendations are:

• Baked salmon. As delicious as it is nutritional, baked salmon is an easy, filling option that’s going to give you the benefits of healthy fats and Omega-3 fatty acids.
• Grilled chicken and capsicum salad. Grilled chicken is a great source of lean protein, also delivering essential nutrients that are helpful throughout menopause. With versatility in its flavour pairings, finding a favourite grilled chicken recipe can make easy work of weekday lunches.
• Kale and berry smoothie. Kale’s dense in nutrients and vitamins which help to maintain healthy skin, immunity function, and bones. Rich in antioxidants, kale is also low in calories, making it a strong choice for those looking to maintain a healthy weight throughout menopause. We recommend adding some berries into this kale smoothie base to tweak it to your flavour preferences.

Dinner recommendations

You’ve made it through the day – now it’s time to finish strong. Thankfully, eating to support your body through menopause doesn’t need to be difficult when it comes to dinner options.

Our favourites include:

• Spinach and mushroom carbonara. With powerful amino acids from spinach, zinc from mushrooms and Omega-3 from pine nuts, this carbonara delivers a wealth of health benefits within one simple serving.
• Dhal. This lentil dhal offers a natural source of protein that’s plant-based and rich in prebiotics. This is a great meal to make ahead for busy weeks, with the flavours of ginger, cumin and turmeric only intensifying over time.
• Cauliflower fritters with garlic yoghurt. As cauliflower is a brassica vegetable, it’s able to target proteins in our body that reduce inflammation and help to balance hormones, making it invaluable throughout menopause. This fritter recipe will have you coming back for more.

Conclusion

Simple lifestyle modifications can play a major role in reducing the impact menopause has on your overall wellbeing. By adopting these recipes into your rotation, you can benefit from the natural support offered by health-promoting foods, lessening, rather than increasing, menopause’s symptoms.