Food, Mood & Peri/Menopause — Jenn Huber RD ND

As any woman in perimenopause/menopause will tell you, mood swings are very common. And it no longer only happens as part of PMS. Why does our mood swing like a pendulum over the month?

Estrogen and Serotonin

Estrogen is the hormone that helps our body to mature an egg every month. Along with progesterone, it’s the main female sex hormone. I think we’re all familiar with it. ;) Serotonin is a mood neurotransmitter and is partially responsible for feelings of happiness. It’s the target of many treatments for depression.

BUT, the two are very closely linked because estrogen activates and increases the number of serotonin receptors in our brain! So as estrogen fluctuates throughout the month (and even moreso in perimenopause), so do our serotonin levels. And since fluctuating levels of estrogen are the hallmark of perimenopause, it’s no longer a mystery as to why we experience so many mood swings over the course of our cycle.

Food and Mood

But what about food? Can you eat your way to fewer mood swings? I talk about food, mood and menopause from a weight neutral and intuitive eating approach because most of the information that’s available is heavily rooted in diet culture. Eat this, not that. Avoid this, eat only this, etc. And, some of the more popular diets encourage severe carbohydrate restriction (ie. keto) which can have an even more profound effect on mood in women in perimenopause and menopause.

There are some well known relationships between food and mood that you may already know about!

Low blood sugar can cause anxiety
Omega-3 fats, vitamin D and B vitamins support healthy mood
Depression and/or low mood from restrictive diets lacking pleasure and satisfaction

BUT, the most overlooked relationship is between carbohydrates and serotonin. Carbohydrates support the production of serotonin because they help shuttle tryptophan (an amino acid) into our brain. Tryptophan gets converted to serotonin. Eat carbs, feel better.

It’s this relationship that’s often blamed when explaining “emotional eating”. In diet culture, if you’re an “emotional eater”, you’re told to try and make “healthy swaps”. Instead of a cookie, have a carrot. Instead of a bun, have a lettuce wrap. It often looks like this:

But as an intuitive eater, it may look like:

In my experience, cutting carbs during perimenopause isn’t the solution because we’re already experiencing big swings in serotonin production. We don’t need to add more to that problem!

Phytoestrogens are a woman’s best friend

Phytoestrogens are the cornerstone of a food-based approach to peri/menopause. What are they? They are plant compounds found primarily in beans and legumes, including soy, black beans, lentils, flax.

How do they help us?

These foods are all good sources of protein and fiber, which can help stabilize blood sugar and keep you feeling full and satisfied.
They’re also good sources of iron, magnesium and the B vitamins which support mood and energy.
They can help stabilize fluctuating estrogen levels! Does that mean they’re dangerous? No because they are very weak estrogens when compared to what our body is used to. They provide just enough estrogen receptor activity to help when levels start to fluctuate.

So, if you’ve been avoiding beans and lentils because they’re high in carbohyrates there’s never been a better time to bring them back into your diet.

What can I do?

As you can see, there’s a lot going on between food and mood, and lots of easy things you can do to help maintain a healthy and happy mood in perimenopause and menopause.

My 4-week program for women in perimenopause and menopause incorporates all of this info, along with how to manage hot flashes, night sweats, sleep changes and body changes naturally from an intuitive eating approach. More info here!

Interested in learning more about how food can help with perimenopause and menopause?