You are not alone if you feel that your body has changed during and after menopause.
The menopause transition brings changes in hormone levels, body composition, muscle mass and where your body tends to store fat. As oestrogen levels decline, fat is more likely to be redistributed towards the abdomen and visceral fat can increase. At the same time, some women also experience a gradual increase in body weight with ageing and changes in activity, muscle mass and energy expenditure.
This change in body shape can be frustrating, particularly when your eating and exercise habits haven’t changed dramatically.
But there is plenty you can do to support your health.
Movement is an important part of the picture, particularly a combination of aerobic and resistance exercise. Resistance training helps maintain muscle mass and strength, while weight-bearing exercise supports bone health. Regular physical activity also supports cardiovascular health and healthy body composition.
Nutrition is another important piece.
Rather than focusing on restrictive diets or trying to “fight” every change in your body, let’s look at some foods you can add to support your bones, muscles, heart and overall health.
Rolled Oats
Rolled oats are a fantastic wholegrain food and an easy way to increase your intake of fibre.
Oats contain a type of soluble fibre called beta-glucan, which can help reduce LDL cholesterol when eaten in sufficient amounts as part of a healthy diet.
They also provide:
- Protein
- Iron
- Magnesium
- Zinc
- B vitamins
- Other vitamins, minerals and plant compounds
One particularly useful feature of oats is their fibre content.
The beta-glucan in oats can help support healthy cholesterol levels, while the fibre contributes to digestive health and can help make meals more satisfying.
How much counts as a grain serve?
The Australian Dietary Guidelines count ½ cup (120 g) of cooked porridge as one standard grain serve. A standard grain serve is approximately 500 kJ.
For women aged 51–70, the recommended average intake is 4 serves of grain foods per day, with most being wholegrain and/or high-fibre choices. Individual requirements can be higher for women who are taller or more active.
Try:
Rolled oats + milk or yoghurt + berries + walnuts
This combines wholegrains with protein, calcium, fruit and healthy fats.
Yoghurt
Yoghurt is another particularly useful food during and after menopause.
It provides:
- Protein
- Calcium
- Phosphorus
- Riboflavin
- Vitamin B12
- Other vitamins and minerals
Protein becomes increasingly important as we age because maintaining muscle mass and strength supports physical function and healthy ageing.
Calcium is also particularly important after menopause because bone loss can accelerate around this stage of life.
For women aged 51–70, the Australian Dietary Guidelines recommend an average of 4 serves per day from the milk, yoghurt, cheese and alternatives group. A standard serve is approximately 200 g of yoghurt.
You don’t necessarily need to consume four serves of yoghurt and dairy foods every day. The serves can come from a combination of milk, yoghurt, cheese and appropriate calcium-fortified alternatives.
What about probiotics?
Some yoghurts contain live cultures, and some contain specific probiotic strains.
Remember, however, that not every yoghurt is a probiotic food, and probiotic effects are strain-specific.
Yoghurt is still an excellent food whether or not it contains a probiotic strain.
Seafood
Seafood is another food worth keeping on the menu during midlife and beyond.
Oily fish such as:
- Salmon
- Sardines
- Mackerel
- Trout
- Herring
provide long-chain omega-3 fatty acids, particularly EPA and DHA.
Omega-3 fats have important roles in cardiovascular health and can help lower blood triglycerides. Eating oily fish regularly is therefore a useful part of a heart-healthy dietary pattern.
It’s important to correct one common nutrition claim here: omega-3 fats are not simply “LDL-lowering fats.” Depending on the amount and form consumed, high-dose fish oil can actually increase LDL cholesterol slightly in some circumstances.
The practical message is much simpler:
Eat fish regularly, particularly oily fish, and focus on the overall pattern of fats in your diet.
The Heart Foundation recommends eating oily fish 2–3 times a week.
Seafood also provides protein, iodine, selenium and other nutrients.
And while research has explored whether omega-3 intake affects appetite hormones such as ghrelin and peptide YY, this isn’t a strong enough basis to recommend seafood specifically as a weight-loss food.
Its value is the overall nutritional package.
Legumes
Beans, lentils and chickpeas are fantastic foods to include during midlife.
They provide a combination of:
- Plant protein
- Fibre
- Folate
- Potassium
- Magnesium
- Iron
- Other vitamins and minerals
Their fibre content can help with bowel health and can also slow digestion of carbohydrate-containing meals.
Some of the fibre reaches the large intestine, where it can be fermented by gut microorganisms.
This produces compounds such as short-chain fatty acids, which are one of the ways your diet interacts with your gut microbiome.
Legumes can also help make meals more filling, particularly when combined with wholegrains and vegetables.
How much counts as a serve?
The Australian Dietary Guidelines recognise legumes as part of both the vegetable food group and the lean meat and alternatives food group.
For example:
- ½ cup cooked beans, chickpeas or lentils counts as one vegetable serve.
- 1 cup (150 g) cooked or canned legumes counts as one serve from the lean meat, poultry, fish, eggs, nuts, seeds and legumes group.
This makes legumes incredibly versatile.
Try:
Lentil bolognese
Chickpea curry
Bean salad
Baked beans on wholegrain toast
Chickpeas added to a grain bowl
Don’t Forget Your Protein
Although the original article focused on particular foods, there is one nutrition priority that deserves to be highlighted during and after menopause:
Adequate protein.
Hormonal changes and ageing can contribute to loss of lean body mass, so maintaining muscle becomes increasingly important.
Rather than simply adding protein powder, start by making sure your meals contain a meaningful protein source.
Examples include:
- Yoghurt
- Milk
- Eggs
- Fish
- Seafood
- Chicken
- Lean meat
- Tofu
- Tempeh
- Lentils
- Chickpeas
- Beans
- Nuts and seeds
Pairing protein with resistance training is particularly useful for maintaining muscle strength and function.
Fibre Is Your Friend
Fibre is valuable at every stage of life, but it can be particularly useful during midlife and beyond.
Fibre can support:
- Bowel health
- Gut microbiome health
- Blood cholesterol management
- Blood glucose regulation
- Satiety
Good sources include:
- Oats
- Wholegrain bread
- Wholegrain cereals
- Fruit
- Vegetables
- Legumes
- Nuts
- Seeds
Instead of trying to reach a fibre target overnight, gradually increase the variety of plant foods you eat.
And remember that whole foods provide much more than fibre alone.
They also provide vitamins, minerals, healthy fats and thousands of other plant compounds.
What About Weight Around Your Middle?
This is one of the most common concerns during menopause.
The hormonal changes of menopause can contribute to a redistribution of body fat towards the abdomen, particularly visceral fat. However, weight gain during midlife is influenced by ageing, lifestyle, physical activity, muscle mass and many other factors, rather than menopause alone.
This distinction matters because it means you don’t need to blame yourself or assume that your metabolism has simply “stopped working”.
There are practical things you can do to support your health:
Move regularly.
Do resistance training.
Eat enough protein.
Include plenty of fibre-rich plant foods.
Choose mostly unsaturated fats.
Eat fish regularly.
Prioritise sleep.
Limit excess alcohol.
Build meals around nutritious foods rather than relying on restrictive rules.
And if you’re carrying extra weight, even modest improvements in body composition and cardiovascular fitness can be beneficial for health.
The Mediterranean Diet Is Worth Considering
You don’t need a special “menopause diet”.
One of the best-studied dietary patterns for midlife health is a Mediterranean-style eating pattern.
It is generally rich in:
- Vegetables
- Fruit
- Wholegrains
- Legumes
- Nuts and seeds
- Fish
- Extra virgin olive oil
and contains less red and processed meat and highly processed foods.
The Australasian Menopause Society identifies the Mediterranean diet as the best-studied dietary pattern for overall health during menopause, with benefits for cardiometabolic health and potentially mood and cognitive health.
It’s not a rigid menu.
You can adapt the principles to the foods you enjoy and the way you actually live.
Calcium and Vitamin D Become Even More Important
Bone health deserves special attention after menopause.
Oestrogen plays an important role in maintaining bone, and bone loss can accelerate around menopause.
For women aged 51 and over, Australian guidance recommends 1,300 mg of calcium per day. The preferred approach is to obtain most calcium from food.
Useful sources include:
- Milk
- Yoghurt
- Cheese
- Calcium-fortified soy milk
- Calcium-set tofu
- Sardines with bones
- Canned salmon with bones
Vitamin D is also important for calcium absorption and bone mineralisation.
Sun exposure is an important source of vitamin D in Australia, while some foods contribute too.
Whether you need a vitamin D supplement depends on your individual circumstances.
What About Fats?
You don’t need to eliminate fat from your diet to support a healthy weight after menopause.
Instead, focus on the type of fat you consume.
Choose more often:
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Nuts
- Seeds
- Avocado
- Fish
and limit excessive intake of foods high in saturated fat.
These choices are consistent with Mediterranean-style eating and support cardiovascular health.
A Simple Day of Menopause-Friendly Eating
Breakfast
Rolled oats + milk or yoghurt + berries + walnuts
Wholegrain + protein + calcium + fruit + healthy fats.
Lunch
Wholegrain wrap + chicken, salmon or chickpeas + salad + avocado
Protein + wholegrain + vegetables + healthy fats.
Snack
200 g yoghurt + fruit + chia seeds
Protein + calcium + fibre.
Dinner
Salmon + brown rice or quinoa + broccoli + lentils + extra virgin olive oil
Protein + omega-3 fats + wholegrains + vegetables + legumes.
This type of pattern provides many of the nutrients that become particularly important during midlife without requiring a restrictive diet.
Your Body Is Changing — Your Nutrition Can Adapt Too
Menopause is a natural stage of life, not something you need to “fix”.
Your nutritional priorities may change as you move through midlife.
Instead of chasing rapid weight loss or cutting out large numbers of foods, focus on supporting:
Muscle + bones + heart + gut + energy + overall wellbeing.
That means eating enough nutritious food, not simply eating less.
And remember that your body doesn’t have to look the same at 50 as it did at 25 to be healthy.
Take Home Message
It’s completely understandable to notice changes in your body around menopause.
The hormonal changes of menopause can contribute to a shift towards storing more fat around the abdomen, while ageing and lifestyle factors can also influence weight, muscle mass and body composition.
The answer isn’t a restrictive “menopause diet”.
Instead, focus on adding foods that support the areas of health that matter most during midlife:
Eat enough protein. Include calcium-rich foods. Choose wholegrains and fibre-rich legumes. Eat plenty of vegetables and fruit. Include oily fish regularly. Use extra virgin olive oil, nuts and seeds as sources of healthy fats. Stay active, particularly with resistance and weight-bearing exercise.
These habits can support your muscles, bones, heart, gut and overall wellbeing as your body moves through this new stage of life.
Your body is changing — and your nutrition can change with it.
How Feed Your Future Dietetics Can Help
Nutrition advice around menopause can quickly become overwhelming, particularly when you’re told you need to eliminate carbohydrates, stop eating after a certain time or follow a highly restrictive “hormone-balancing” diet.
At Feed Your Future Dietetics, I help you cut through the myths and focus on practical, evidence-based nutrition strategies that fit your body, lifestyle and goals.
Whether you’re looking to support your bones and muscles, improve your overall diet, manage your weight or simply feel more confident about eating through menopause, nutrition can be personalised without unnecessary restriction.
With over 10 years of experience supporting Australians with their nutrition and health goals, Feed Your Future Dietetics provides individualised dietetic support Australia-wide via Telehealth using Zoom or Microsoft Teams.
To learn more or book an appointment:
ashleigh@feedyourfuturedietetics.com
References
- Australasian Menopause Society. Maintaining Your Weight and Health During and After Menopause. 2025.
- Australasian Menopause Society. Lifestyle and Behavioural Modifications for Menopausal Symptoms.
- Australasian Menopause Society. The Role of Lifestyle Medicine in Menopausal Health – Healthy Eating. 2025.
- Australasian Menopause Society. Exercise Recommendations for Menopause and Beyond. 2026.
- Australian Government. Australian Dietary Guidelines – Recommended Number of Serves for Adults.
- Australian Government. Australian Dietary Guidelines – Serve Sizes.
- Australian Government. Milk, yoghurt, cheese and/or their alternatives.
- Australian Government. Lean meat and poultry, fish, eggs, tofu, nuts and seeds and legumes/beans.
- Heart Foundation Australia. Omega-3, Omega-6 and Heart Health.
- Healthdirect Australia. Post menopause.
- D’Costa Z, Spertus E, Hingorany S, et al. Cardiovascular Risk Associated with Menopause and Menopause Hormone Therapy: A Review and Contemporary Approach to Risk Assessment. Current Atherosclerosis Reports. 2025;27:100.
- Vieira-Potter VJ, Mishra G, Townsend KL. Health of adipose tissue: oestrogen matters. Nature Reviews Endocrinology. 2026;22:76–91.
