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What you eat can directly or indirectly affect your hormone levels. During menopause, keeping your hormone levels balanced may help you maintain your health and manage certain menopause-related symptoms.

Hormones are your body’s chemical messengers. They influence almost every physiological process in your body.

Balanced hormone levels are essential to keeping your body functioning properly. Certain foods in your diet may influence these levels.

Eating a balanced diet is also essential, especially if you’re experiencing menopause. During this natural transitional period of a person’s life, hormonal imbalances may lead to adverse health effects.

You can’t directly obtain estrogen from the foods you eat. However, what you eat can either raise or lower your estrogen levels indirectly.

During perimenopause, your estrogen levels can fluctuate wildly. Once you reach menopause, these levels drop significantly.

Lower estrogen levels can contribute to symptoms like hot flashes, night sweats, and mood changes. Some research indicates that eating foods containing estrogen-like compounds called phytoestrogens may help manage menopause symptoms, but the evidence is mixed.

Phytoestrogens are compounds found in various plant foods, such as soybeans and seeds. These compounds weakly act like estrogen in your body. Some types of phytoestrogens, such as isoflavones, may raise estrogen levels slightly.

More research is necessary to determine whether certain foods or nutrients may help raise estrogen levels during menopause.

Some foods also lower estrogen levels

Foods rich in fiber, including whole grains and many fruits and vegetables, may actually reduce estrogen levels. However, this doesn’t mean that people experiencing menopause-related low estrogen levels shouldn’t eat them.

These foods come with a variety of beneficial health effects. Instead of thinking of foods solely in terms of how they affect estrogen levels, aim for a well-balanced diet rich in nutrient-dense foods.

What you can do

It’s not completely clear whether eating foods rich in phytoestrogens may help relieve menopause symptoms. However, these foods may have other health benefits.

Soy is a rich dietary source of phytoestrogens, especially isoflavones. Eating soy may help improve your blood cholesterol levels and lower your risk of heart disease.

Flaxseed is another significant source of phytoestrogens. It specifically contains a type of phytoestrogen called lignans. Like the isoflavones in soy, lignans can act like estrogen, although to a much lesser degree.

Insulin may be one of the most well-known hormones that your diet affects. When you eat macronutrients called carbohydrates that are found in a variety of foods, the glucose (sugar) from these carbohydrates travels into your bloodstream.

Some carbohydrates raise your blood sugar rapidly, while others release sugar into your bloodstream more slowly.

When the sugar in carbohydrates enters your bloodstream, your pancreas releases insulin. Insulin attaches to the glucose molecules and carries them to your cells, which use the glucose for energy.

Glucagon is another hormone that has the opposite effect of insulin. When you go without eating for an extended period of time, your pancreas releases glucagon.

This signals your liver to release glycogen (the stored form of glucose) into your bloodstream, where it serves as an energy source until your body receives more food. This physiological feedback system helps keep your blood sugar levels steady.

Why this matters for people experiencing menopause

The hormonal changes associated with menopause can increase the risk of insulin resistance. This is when the body’s cells don’t respond to insulin properly and can’t use the sugar in the bloodstream effectively.

Eating foods that quickly raise your blood sugar may also increase the risk of insulin resistance, which can lead to prediabetes or type 2 diabetes over time. Therefore, it’s important for people experiencing menopause to focus on foods that raise blood sugar more slowly.

What you can do

Opt for foods that release sugar into your bloodstream more slowly, such as:

  • oats
  • bran
  • whole grain breads
  • beans
  • lentils
  • vegetables

Try to limit refined carbohydrates that raise your blood sugar more quickly, such as:

  • white breads
  • crackers
  • cookies
  • other foods with added sugars

Some dietary factors, including alcohol and foods or drinks containing caffeine, may increase cortisol levels.

Your adrenal glands secrete cortisol, which is also known as “the stress hormone.” It’s part of your body’s fight-or-flight response, which is a physiological reaction that occurs in times of stress or perceived danger.

As part of your fight-or-flight response, cortisol is vital to your survival. However, having chronically high levels of cortisol in your body may be associated with a number of adverse health consequences, including:

  • bone loss
  • high blood pressure
  • heart disease
  • sleep disruptions
  • cognitive decline

High levels of cortisol may also contribute to changes in body fat composition, which is already associated with menopause.

What you can do

If you’re experiencing menopause, you may want to limit your caffeine and alcohol consumption. This may help keep your cortisol levels balanced.

It may also relieve symptoms like hot flashes, since caffeine and alcohol can be possible triggers.

At any stage of life, eating a well-balanced diet is important for good health.

Enjoy a variety of vegetables, fruits, whole grain products, low fat dairy products, and lean sources of protein. Limit foods that are low in nutrients and high in calories, processed sugar, saturated and trans fats, and sodium.

Making a few adjustments to your eating habits can potentially make a big difference to your health.

If you need help creating an eating plan for menopause, it may help to talk with your doctor or a registered dietitian.

Your diet can affect your hormone levels in a variety of ways. For people experiencing menopause, maintaining balanced hormone levels may lower the risk of certain conditions and relieve menopause-related symptoms.

Ask your doctor about ways to adjust your diet during menopause.