Menopause
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Menopause can bring changes in sleep, energy, weight, body composition, and how you feel from day to day. Nutrition can play an important role in supporting your health as your body adjusts to changing hormone levels.
I’m Ana Coyle of Holistic Nutrition Nut. I provide personalized functional nutrition support to help women navigate menopause with practical food and lifestyle strategies that support their changing nutritional and metabolic needs.
What Is Menopause?
Menopause is a natural stage of life that occurs when menstrual periods stop permanently. It is officially reached after 12 consecutive months without a period, when the absence of periods is not due to another medical cause.
During the transition to menopause, changing hormone levels can affect sleep, mood, energy, body composition, and other areas of health. These changes can begin during perimenopause and continue after menopause.
Symptoms of Menopause
Menopause is different for every woman. Some women experience only a few symptoms, while others notice changes that affect several areas of their daily lives.
Common symptoms may include:
- Hot flashes and night sweats
- Trouble sleeping
- Irritability or mood changes
- Low energy or fatigue
- Weight gain or changes in weight distribution
- Changes in muscle mass or body composition
- Vaginal dryness
- Changes in libido
- Joint or muscle discomfort
- Brain fog or difficulty concentrating
If symptoms are interfering with your quality of life, it is important to discuss them with your healthcare provider. Any vaginal bleeding after menopause should also be evaluated by your healthcare provider. ACOG
How I Support Menopause Through Nutrition
At Holistic Nutrition Nut, I take a personalized functional nutrition approach to menopause. Rather than simply recommending weight loss or another restrictive diet, I look at the bigger picture, including metabolic health, hormonal changes, muscle mass, bone health, cardiovascular risk, nutrition, sleep, stress, and other factors that may influence how you feel during this stage of life.
As a registered dietitian and Functional Medicine Certified Practitioner (MS, RDN, FMCP), I combine evidence-based nutrition with functional medicine principles to help you better understand your changing health needs and develop a personalized nutrition and lifestyle strategy.
Your personalized plan may include:
- Personalized nutrition coaching: I help you develop practical eating strategies based on your health history, symptoms, food preferences, lifestyle, and goals.
- Muscle and bone health support: Your plan may focus on adequate protein, calcium, vitamin D, and other important nutrients, along with resistance training when appropriate, to support muscle mass, strength, and bone health.
- Metabolic and cardiovascular health support: I consider blood sugar regulation, insulin resistance, cholesterol patterns, body composition, and other factors that may become increasingly important during midlife.
- Advanced laboratory review: When appropriate, I may review nutrient status, thyroid function, advanced cardiometabolic markers, inflammation, and other laboratory findings that can provide a clearer picture of your overall health.
- Lifestyle recommendations: Sleep, stress management, movement, resistance training, and daily habits can all support metabolic health and healthy aging.
- Nutritional supplements: When appropriate, targeted supplements may be incorporated based on your diet, symptoms, medications, laboratory findings, and individual needs.
- Progress monitoring: I adjust your nutrition and lifestyle strategy as your symptoms, health information, laboratory findings, and goals change.
My goal is not to give you another temporary diet. It is to help you nourish your changing body, preserve muscle, support metabolic, bone, and cardiovascular health, and build sustainable habits that support you through menopause and beyond.
I offer both in-person and virtual one-on-one nutrition appointments. You can choose an individual session, a 1-month package, or a 3-month package based on the level of support you need.
Nutrition counseling can complement the care you receive from your physician, gynecologist, or other healthcare professional. Medical evaluation may also be appropriate for symptoms that require diagnosis, hormone therapy, medication, or other medical treatment.
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Popular Questions
FAQs About Menopause
There is no single diet that works for every woman during menopause. A personalized eating pattern may include adequate protein, fiber-rich foods, vegetables, fruits, healthy fats, quality carbohydrates, and foods rich in calcium and other nutrients that support muscle, bone, metabolic, and cardiovascular health.
Your individual needs may vary based on your health history, body composition, activity level, food preferences, and other health factors.
Hormonal changes during menopause can affect where your body stores fat, particularly around the abdomen. Changes in muscle mass, sleep, stress, physical activity, appetite, and insulin sensitivity may also influence weight and body composition.
Rather than simply focusing on eating less, I look at protein intake, food quality, resistance training, metabolic health, and other individual factors that may be contributing to these changes.
Nutrition cannot prevent every menopause symptom, but personalized nutrition and lifestyle strategies can support your overall health during this stage of life.
Depending on your individual needs, recommendations may focus on energy, blood sugar regulation, muscle preservation, bone health, cardiovascular health, digestive concerns, and body composition. Nutrition support can also complement medical care for symptoms such as hot flashes, night sweats, and sleep disturbances.
Not everyone needs hormone testing during menopause. Menopause is often identified through your menstrual history and symptoms without routine hormone testing.
However, for some women, more comprehensive functional testing may provide additional insight into hormone patterns, hormone metabolism, and other factors that may influence how they feel. When appropriate, I may also review nutrient status, thyroid function, blood sugar regulation, cholesterol, inflammation, and other metabolic markers to better understand your overall health.
Testing is individualized based on your symptoms, health history, and goals, with the aim of developing a more targeted nutrition and lifestyle strategy.
No. My work focuses on personalized nutrition and lifestyle support. I do not prescribe medications or hormone therapy. Nutrition counseling can complement the care you receive from your physician or gynecologist, including hormone therapy or other medical treatment when appropriate.