It’s no secret that middle-aged women are the new target of the wellness and nutrition industries, and as a dietitian, I’ve had about enough of it. No more shady menopause diets!
With more disposable income, higher stress levels, and a sense of urgency and anxiety around their changing bodies, we’re the perfect demographic to understand the narrative that menopause is something that needs to be “fixed” and the shame we’ve been sold around our evolving appearance.
I constantly hear many myths about menopause and the female body that are told to sell products and services. Here are some of the most common, why they’re wrong, and the truth women should know.
Menopause Myth #1: Menopause is a hormonal deficiency. All menopausal women must take hormones.
Let’s get this straight, because I know at least one well-known menopause “expert” who insists that this is the case.
Menopause is a very normal physiological state that results from a decrease in the production of hormones by the body.
A “deficiency” of anything in our body tends to mean that we need treatment – usually replacement or supplementation – of whatever is deficient. It implies that menopause is a disease or an abnormal condition, which is inaccurate. Do pre-adolescent girls also have hormone deficiency? How about pregnant women? Are they suffering from estrogen overload?
A recent article in The Lancet describes how companies (and, I’m going to add, some menopause doctors who have popular books and large followings) co-opt feminist narratives and the concept of “empowerment” to sell products while convincing women that menopause is a disease.
Framing this natural transition period as an estrogen deficiency disease that can only be alleviated by replacing the missing hormones fuels negative attitudes about menopause and exacerbates stigma. In addition, appropriation of feminist narratives from commercial organizationsthat positions the use of menopausal hormone therapy (MHT) as a way to empower women to regain control over their bodies while downplaying the risks further supports the characterization of menopause as a disease.
I’ve said this many, many times in the comments section of the social media posts of some “menopause gurus” who are peddling misinformation and this “empowerment” agenda to sell their latest diet book, but I’ll say it again:
MISINFORMATION DOES NOT EMPOWER WOMEN. IN FACT IT DOES THE OPPOSITE.
While menopausal hormone therapy is beneficial for many women, other women either find no benefit or cannot take hormones at all.
This joint position statement 2022 from the British Menopause Society, the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the Society for Endocrinology outlines best practice for managing menopausal symptoms. As a dietitian (and menopausal woman), I think one of the most important statements in the entire document is this:
All women should have access to advice on how they can optimize their transition to menopause and the years beyond. There should be an individualized approach to the assessment of women experiencing menopause, with particular reference to lifestyle advice, dietary modification as well as discussion of the role of interventions including HRT.
Managing our bodies is up to each of us and should include a two-way conversation with our healthcare providers. There is no one size fits all solution to menopause symptoms and we are not all the same!
Menopause Myth #2: Pill/natural hormone treatments are better than “synthetic” ones.
The Appeal to Nature fallacy is everywhere in the wellness industry, and it’s doing full court in convincing menopausal women that “Big Pharma” is evil and that pharmaceutical products like MHT are “harmful.” This narrative often accompanies content promoting “natural” alternatives such as hormone pills, herbal supplements, and alternative treatments (coffee enemas, anyone?)
Amanda Thebefitness trainer, speaker and author of Menopocalypse (Highly recommend this book! You can buy it here), says, “compound hormones can be mixed with sawdust and mouse sh*t.”
He’s right, but that doesn’t stop women from using them. He explains the rationale here:
The term bioidentical has been sold to women as a more natural way to take hormones for menopause symptoms, when in reality it is just marketing jargon. Bioidentical means that the hormones are similar to those produced by the body and can either be regulated or not regulated.
When a hormone is compounded, it is often sold as individualized or more natural than hormones made by “Big Pharma”. The statement is quite ironic given that all hormones come from the same manufactured source and are actually controlled.
The drugs are then compounded by compounding pharmacies or used by pellet companies like BioTe to create new formulations. In this way, the dosage, safety and efficacy of the formulations cannot be guaranteed and in fact create public health concerns, according to the National Academies of Engineering Sciences and Medicine.
If you are considering prescribing hormones, use only approved brands prescribed by legitimate health professionals.
Menopause Myth #3: Fasting is the only way for menopausal women to lose weight.
I know this may come as a surprise, but there is no specific menopause diet.
We need to pay special attention to certain nutrients in middle age, such as protein and fiber, but when it comes to weight loss, there is no magic bullet.
There are, however, many people (including licensed physicians) who sell diet plans and books aimed at helping menopausal women lose weight. What I’ve seen from most of them is that it’s usually some kind of mix of low carb and intermittent fasting.
The sales pitch almost always includes claims that the regimen is an “easy” solution to all hormone and body issues, but this is a huge red flag.
First of all, for many women, a low-carb diet is difficult to maintain simply because it is restrictive. Combining it with a fasting regimen is even more complicated and I believe reduces the likelihood of long-term adherence. Above all, it seems excessive and punitive to use two methods of food restriction to achieve a weight loss goal.
While fasting can lead to weight loss, it is simply a method of reducing calories. Going for long periods without food has no health benefits in itself. Improvements in metabolic health may be a result of fasting weight loss rather than fasting itself.
As a dietitian, I have serious problems with the message that a certain diet is the only way to lose weight, or that it’s some kind of holy grail for weight loss. Is not. Some women can’t fast and some don’t want to. For some women, it’s downright dangerous.
Mary Claire Haver’s Galveston Diet (read my Galveston Diet review here) and Mindy Pelz’s Fast Like a Girl (read my Fast Like a Girl review here) are both plans that honestly, I think convey the wrong message to women about how they should eat and treat their bodies.
I also want to warn you about any weight loss plan that is advertised as “easy”. Why we weigh what we weigh is often very complex and multifactorial. A weight loss plan must recognize and address these complexities, which can be different for everyone. It should also address the emotional side of our relationship with food and our bodies, but this rarely happens with commercial diets/weight loss plans.
Telling people a plan is “easy” only shames them if they find the plan too difficult to maintain and/or they don’t lose the weight they expect.
Menopause Myth #4: Middle-aged women can “get their bodies back.”
Nature dictates that bodies change during the life cycle. We don’t expect to look 16 when we’re 30, so why should we think it’s possible – and desirable – to look 30 when we’re 50?
The whole idea of maintaining a young, fresh body throughout our lives not only goes against physiology. it is also patriarchal.
Thanks, I won’t take it. Why are women in Western societies subject to shame around our aging bodies, but in other parts of the world, menopause is seen as a rebirth, or a time of empowerment and freedom?
How did we get it so wrong?
Oh! Yes. The historically male-dominated medical profession, combined with the fear of the death of our culture and the perception that aging women are no longer “useful” or attractive.
It’s no wonder so many of us see our aging bodies as something to “fix” or hide.
Sales pitches that tap into confusing expectations about the female body are on full display with “hormone diets” like Metabolic Overhaul (read my review of Metabolic Overhaul here) and the Fast Metabolism Diet. (Read my Fast Metabolism Diet review here)
There are completely unproven supplements from companies like Better Body Co. (selling Provitalize) or Happy Mammoth, whose entire sales pitch hinges on women’s anxieties and discomfort with their changing bodies.
Read my review of Provitalize here and my review of Happy Mammoth here.
I feel like (another) dishonorable mention should be given to The Galveston Diet by Mary Claire Haver, Fast Like a Girl by Mindy Pelz, and basically anything by Sara Gottfried because it implies that women’s bodies should look young forever and that it is okay to suffer to achieve that.
Read my review of the hormone reset diet here.
Menopause can be a time of great strength and exploration. We don’t need to shrink ourselves physically or emotionally to fit someone else’s idea of what we should look like or how we should “be.”
If you have menopause-related symptoms that are affecting your life and well-being, see your doctor. Not satisfied with the care you are receiving? The North American Menopause Society has a search “find a menopause professional” on their websiteas well as the Menopause Foundation of Canada.
Here are some of my favorite Instagram accounts and books for accurate menopause information:
Dr. Jen Gander @drjengunter The Menopause Manifesto
Amanda Thebe @amanda.thebe Menstruation
Dr. Annice Mukherjee @the.hormone.doc The complete guide to menopause
Elizabeth Ward, RD and Hillary Wright, RD @menopausedietplan The menopause diet plan
Dr. Jen Huber, ND, RD @menopause.nutritionist
Dr Amy Louis-Bayliss, Dr Woganee Filate, Dr Sarah Shaw @itsourtimecanada
We’re also looking forward to these two menopause and health websites:
Pause Health @pauzhealth
Nyah Health @nyahhealth
