Is There an Anxiety and Menopause Diet? Here’s What the Science Says

Are you navigating menopause and struggling with anxiety? You’re not alone—and your diet could be playing a bigger role than you think.

In this episode, we explore the powerful connection between nutrition, anxiety, and menopause. You'll learn how specific foods and simple lifestyle habits can help ease anxious feelings—without relying on supplements or medication.

We dive into what the anxiety and menopause diet might look like, why gut health matters so much for mood, and how stress, hormones, and food all work together in this stage of life. Plus, I’ll share the story of Nancy, a client who found real relief through small but impactful changes in her daily habits.

👉 What you’ll learn in this episode:
• What does an anxiety diety for menopause really mean
• Why so many women experience increased anxiety in perimenopause and menopause
• Foods that support mood, calm the nervous system, and nourish hormonal health
• The connection between gut health, neurotransmitters, and mental well-being
• How to create a sustainable, stress-free eating routine that supports your mind and body

Whether you're already in menopause, approaching it, or supporting someone who is, this episode is packed with practical, compassionate insights.

👍 Like this episode? Don’t forget to subscribe and share with a friend who needs to hear this!

When you're ready, here are 3 ways I can help you to feel your best during perimenopause and menopause:

1. Want more science-backed health tips? Click here to sign up for my free weekly newsletter for practical advice on navigating menopause with confidence:

2. Click here to get the free guide: 5 Natural Ways To Reduce Menopause Symptoms.

2. For more information about Lynda and how she supports women on their health journey, click here to learn more.

3. Interested in seeing if nutrition coaching with Lynda is right for you? Click here to book a free discovery call with Lynda.

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
If you're a woman in yourforties or fifties who's
suddenly dealing with anxiety,mood swings, or that constant
feeling of an unease and yourdoctor just handed you a
prescription, you're not aloneand you're not crazy.
This episode is all about what'sreally going on in your body and
how nutrition can help calm thechaos.
So let's get started.
Menopause doesn't have to feellike you are living in someone

(00:22):
else's body.
Your host, Lynda Enright, hasspent the last 25 years helping
women to thrive in midlife.
Here you'll find science-basedpractical advice that you can
start using today to get realresults for your health.
Welcome to Joyful Menopause.
Us.
Hello and welcome to the JoyfulMenopause Podcast.
If you've ever felt anxious andwondered if your diet might be

(00:45):
playing a role, if or if you'realready taking medications and
you wanna know how nutrition canhelp to support your mental
health, then this episode is foryou.
Today we are diving into thepowerful connection between
nutrition and anxiety.
We'll explore how the food weeat can directly influence your
mood, stress levels, and overallmental wellbeing.

(01:07):
And if you're in perimenopauseor menopause, you're not
imagining things.
This phase of life can bring asharp rise in anxiety, even for
women who've never struggledwith it before.
Today we're going to talk aboutwhy and what you can do about it
with food and lifestylestrategies that truly support
your brain and body.
So let's jump in.

(01:28):
So anxiety first of all, isincredibly common and rates are
going up.
Statistics show that anxietydisorders affect about one in
five people in the US and womenare two times as likely as men
to be affected.
But here's something that mostpeople don't talk about.
Rates of anxiety increasesignificantly during

(01:48):
perimenopause and menopause.
Some studies estimate as much as60% of women in midlife report
new or worsening anxietysymptoms, often alongside mood
swings, sleep problems, andbrain fog.
So this isn't just acoincidence.
There are actually realbiological and lifestyle reasons
behind it.
So let me give you a fewdifferent explanations and see

(02:11):
what might resonate with you.
First of all, there arefluctuating estrogen and
progesterone levels, and theseaffect our neurotransmitters
like serotonin and GABA, whichplay a big role in feeling calm,
clear, and emotionally juststeady.
Second of all, sleepdisruptions, hot flashes, night
sweats.
These can leave you feelingexhausted, which I know for me

(02:34):
can make me much more emotional,and I hear that from my clients
too.
And third, let's not forget, thereal life pressures of this
phase could be aging parents,career stress, parenting teens,
or launching kids, and justnavigating changes at this time
in life in relationships, healthare all kinds of different
areas.

(02:54):
So it can actually be a reallyperfect storm situation for
rising anxiety.
But here's what I want you toknow, which hopefully helps you
feel empowered.
How you nourish yourself reallymatters right now.
You don't need to muscle throughit or just wait it out.
So let's talk about hownutrition and lifestyle habits
can support your mood and helpyou feel more grounded.

(03:17):
So today we're talking aboutanxiety during perimenopause and
menopause and how your nutritioncan really help.
But first I want to talk aboutsome of the frustrations around
this because I believe thatwomen are not being heard in our
medical system.
Um, if you've gone to yourdoctor about anxiety, mood
swings, or even just sort offeeling off, there's a good
chance you were offered aprescription maybe for an

(03:38):
antidepressant or ananti-anxiety medication, or even
sleeping pills.
And of course these can beappropriate tools for some
women.
What's often missing though fromthe conversation is why you're
feeling this way in the firstplace.
So here's what I believe to betrue is that many women in
perimenopause and menopause arebeing misdiagnosed or just
dismissed.

(03:58):
Instead of looking at hormonalfluctuations, nutrient
deficiencies, gut health, or thechronic stressors that women are
juggling, the focus often jumpsstraight to a mental health
label and medication.
You're not broken, you're notcrazy.
You're going through a majorphysiological shift and it
deserves more than a 10 minuteappointment and a prescription
pad.

(04:19):
Low estrogen and progesteronecan impact serotonin, dopamine,
and GABA, all of which influenceyour mood and resilience.
Nutrient deficiencies, like lowlevels of magnesium, B vitamins,
and omega threes can mimic oramplify anxiety symptoms and
unbalanced blood sugar, which isvery common in women over 40 can
make anxiety worse.

(04:40):
So many of the women I work withhave said, I wish someone had
told me this years ago.
That's why this episode matters,because nutrition and lifestyle
changes may not be the onlyanswer, but they're often
overlooked answers and they canmake a profound difference.
So now let's take a look at howthis actually works.
We're gonna start with your gut.
When we're talking aboutanxiety, two key brain chemicals

(05:03):
often come up.
Mentioned them already.
Serotonin and gaba.
Serotonin helps to regulate moodand GABA helps to calm your
nervous system and ease thetension that so many women
describe to me.
Supplements can be helpful, butyou can do a lot with the food
that you eat.
So let's take a look at how foodcan naturally support these
neurotransmitters.

(05:23):
Fermented foods like yogurtkefir for sauerkraut.
Kimchi provide probiotics thatsupport a healthy gut and a
healthy gut supports betterbrain chemistry.
Foods that are rich inprebiotics, onions, garlics,
leaks, oats.
They help feed the good bacteriain your gut.
And then leafy greens, nuts,seeds, wild salmon, avocados.

(05:45):
These offer healthy fats,magnesium, and B vitamins that
help regulate mood and reducestress.
At the same time, reducingsugar, ultra processed foods and
excess caffeine can really helptoo.
These can spike stress hormones,crash your blood sugar, and
leave you feeling jittery andirritable.
So it's not about restriction,it's about creating a foundation

(06:08):
of nourishment that helps yourbrain to function at its best.
Beyond food, daily habits canmake a real difference too.
Laughter, for example, is morethan just fun.
It's actually biochemistry.
It triggers the release ofendorphins.
Your body's feel good chemicals,and whether it's laughing with a
friend, watching your favoritecomedy, this simple act helps

(06:30):
reduce stress and improve mood.
There's other really powerfullifestyle tools that you can use
too.
Move your body.
Even a short walk boosts GABAand reduces anxiety and deep
breathing or mindfulnesspractices.
They can go a really long way tocalm your nervous system too.
And then third, spending time innature that can actually lower

(06:52):
cortisol your stress hormone,and promote relaxation.
So going for a walk whilebreathing in nature triple
benefit to helping to reduceyour anxiety.
These habits, they don't have tobe time consuming.
They don't have to becomplicated.
Think of them as just sort ofmini doses of nervous system
nourishment.

(07:13):
If you're currently takingmedications like SSRIs or
anti-anxiety meds, nutrition canstill play a really valuable
role.
So while you always want tocheck with your healthcare
provider before making any majorchanges, food-based strategies
are generally safe andsupportive.
A nourishing diet will help toreduce the intensity of your
symptoms.
Support better sleep.

(07:35):
They can help stabilize yourblood sugar, and may make your
treatment more effectiveoverall.
And if you're consideringtapering off medications in the
future, a strong foundation ofnourishment, gut health,
lifestyle support can help tomake that process smoother.
But again, it should always bedone in collaboration with your
provider.
There is no shame in takingmedications, but nutrition can

(07:57):
just be a powerful companion onyour mental health journey.
So in my Joyful Menopausecoaching program, we start with
building a strong foundationwith these practical strategies.
And the first thing we actuallydo is we do micronutrient
testing to see where are youlacking, where are some
deficiencies?
How do we create a plan that'svery specific for you?

(08:18):
And then the first thing that wedo in starting to make some
changes is we start byprioritizing your gut health.
Gut health helps your overallhealth in so many ways, your
mental health, reducing anxiety,those can be two really big
important things, which is whatwe're talking about today.
I.
Prioritizing your gut health bychoosing fermented foods and
fiber rich vegetables.

(08:39):
The next thing we work on isregulating blood sugar by
reducing or eliminating addedsugars, ultra processed foods
and excess caffeine, and forsome women, using a continuous
glucose monitor can be really ahelpful tool to fine tune how
your body personally isresponding to sugar.
Then next we want to optimizeyour diet again.

(08:59):
When we get the information fromthe nutrient testing, we can
figure out how to fill your dietwith calming nutrients, leafy
greens, nuts and seeds.
Avocados and fatty fish can besome great choices.
Nutrition is key, but there areother things you can build into
your life too.
So again, think about lifestylechoices like laughter, movement,
and nature, and optimize yoursleep.

(09:21):
Remember, consistency is key.
You do not have to make hugechanges to your diet and
lifestyle today, but when youcan take small steps over time,
they absolutely add up.
Before we wrap up, I wanna sharea story that I think many of you
will see yourselves in.
Nancy is a client that came tome because she was feeling
anxious.
She actually came to me becauseshe was frustrated with the

(09:44):
abdominal weight gain thatseemed to appear overnight when
she hit 45.
Like many women in midlife, shewas doing all the right things,
but nothing was working.
She'd done all the diets outthere.
She knew it all, but literallynothing could change.
As we talked more, it becameclear to me that weight gain
wasn't the only thing that wasreally bothering her.

(10:05):
She was also struggling withintense anxiety, something she
hadn't experienced before.
It was really starting todisrupt her work, her
relationships, and her abilityto just feel like herself, to
feel at ease in her own body.
She had no idea that nutritioncould be part of the solution.
So together we simplified herdiet.
Nothing extreme or stressful,just nourishing foods that

(10:27):
supported her body through thishormonal transition, we worked
on ways to gently reduce thestress in her life and make
space for more joy, like timeoutside, laughter, connection
with friends, great friends shealready had, but we figured out
how to make that happen moreoften.
Not only did Nancy start losingthe weight that had been so
frustrating, but even moreimportantly, she started to feel

(10:50):
like herself again.
That anxious sort of edge shetalked about was gone.
She felt calmer, she felt morepatient, and she no longer felt
that tense, sort of restlessenergy that she had been living
with every day.
Her story is a reminder thatanxiety isn't always about
what's going on in your head.
It's often about what's going onin your body and the way you

(11:11):
nourish and care for yourselfmakes a big difference.
Thank you for joining me andexploring how nutrition can
support the management ofanxiety, especially during
perimenopause and menopause whenso many women are just left
searching for answers.
If today's episode resonatedwith you, be sure to subscribe
and share it with someone whoneeds to hear that they're not

(11:32):
alone, they're not broken, andthere are real steps they can
take.
You deserve to feel heard.
You deserve to feel well, andyou deserve solutions that
address the root, not just thesymptoms.
Anxiety isn't just a mentalhealth issue, it's a whole body
issue and the way we nourishourselves physically,
emotionally, hormonally mattersmore than we've been taught to

(11:54):
believe.
Remember, small, consistentchanges in how you eat, move,
and care for yourself can make abig difference in your mood,
energy, and quality of life.
Take care of yourself and I'llsee you in the next episode.