Protein & Menopause: The Missing Key to Weight, Energy, and Bone Health
You’re eating less, moving more, yet the scales won’t budge and your energy feels flat. Sound familiar? For many women in perimenopause and menopause, one nutrient is often overlooked but could be the missing piece of the puzzle: protein.
Protein isn’t just for bodybuilders. It is essential for maintaining muscle, supporting your bones, balancing blood sugar, and keeping your energy and mood steady. As your hormones shift during midlife, your body’s protein needs increase. Let’s unpack why protein is so important right now and how to make sure you’re getting enough.
Why Protein Needs Change in Menopause
During perimenopause and menopause, declining oestrogen levels accelerate muscle and bone loss. This can lead to sarcopenia (age-related muscle loss) and increased risk of osteoporosis. Protein provides the building blocks to maintain lean muscle and support bone structure through collagen formation.
Protein also plays a vital role in supporting metabolism. A higher protein intake helps preserve lean muscle, which is metabolically active tissue, so you burn more energy even at rest.
It also helps calm the nervous system by providing amino acids needed to produce neurotransmitters like serotonin and GABA, which promote relaxation and steadier mood.
And importantly, protein helps promote satiety. By slowing digestion and triggering satiety hormones, it keeps you feeling fuller for longer and reduces cravings.
Beyond these benefits, protein helps stabilise blood sugar, which becomes harder to control as insulin sensitivity declines. Without enough protein, it is easier to gain weight, especially around the middle, and harder to feel satisfied after meals.
The Protein and Weight Connection
Because protein supports metabolism, calms the nervous system, and promotes satiety, it plays a central role in managing weight during menopause.
Here’s how it works:
Satiety hormones: Protein stimulates hormones like GLP-1 and reduces ghrelin (your hunger hormone). This helps you feel fuller for longer and prevents overeating.
Thermogenesis: Your body burns more calories digesting protein compared to carbohydrates or fats, which boosts your daily energy expenditure.
Increased muscle mass: Protein supports muscle growth and maintenance. Muscle tissue is metabolically active, so the more lean muscle you have, the more energy your body burns at rest.
Improves insulin sensitivity: Protein helps stabilise blood sugar and reduces insulin spikes, which can otherwise drive fat storage around the abdomen. Better insulin sensitivity makes it easier to lose or maintain weight in menopause.
Steady appetite control: By reducing cravings and improving satiety, protein makes it easier to manage portion sizes without feeling deprived.
Weight regain prevention: Research shows higher protein intake reduces the likelihood of regaining weight after weight loss, making it a sustainable long-term strategy.
In short, protein is not just about building muscle. It is one of the most powerful tools you have for regulating appetite, supporting metabolism, and maintaining a healthy weight through menopause.
Protein and Energy
Many women in perimenopause and menopause describe feeling constantly drained, relying on sugar or caffeine to get through the day. Protein can make a significant difference to your energy levels by working on several fronts:
Stabilises blood sugar: Protein slows the absorption of glucose into the bloodstream, preventing the sharp spikes and dips that leave you feeling tired and irritable.
Supports steady energy release: When protein is included with complex carbohydrates and healthy fats, meals provide a slow, sustained release of energy rather than a quick burst followed by a crash.
Neurotransmitter production: Protein supplies amino acids like tryptophan and tyrosine that are used to make serotonin and dopamine. These neurotransmitters influence motivation, focus, and mood, which all contribute to your sense of energy and vitality.
Reduces fatigue from muscle loss: With declining oestrogen, muscle mass naturally decreases. Adequate protein intake helps preserve and rebuild lean muscle, which supports stamina and endurance in daily life.
Protects against stress-related depletion: Chronic stress, common in midlife, depletes key nutrients and increases cortisol. Protein-rich meals help stabilise cortisol rhythms, keeping energy more balanced throughout the day.
Protein is not only about muscles and weight - it plays a critical role in keeping your energy stable and your daily performance stronger through the menopause transition.
Protein and Mood
Mood changes are one of the most common and frustrating symptoms of perimenopause and menopause. Fluctuating oestrogen and progesterone affect brain chemistry, leaving many women experiencing anxiety, low mood, irritability, or brain fog. Protein can provide valuable support in this area.
Amino acids are building blocks for neurotransmitters: Protein supplies tryptophan, tyrosine, and other amino acids that your brain uses to make serotonin, dopamine, and GABA. These are key for mood stability, relaxation, and focus.
Balances blood sugar: Unstable blood sugar is strongly linked to irritability, anxiety, and mood swings. Protein helps keep blood sugar steady, reducing these fluctuations.
Supports stress resilience: Protein-rich meals provide steady fuel for the brain and nervous system, helping buffer the effects of stress and reducing the likelihood of emotional crashes.
Improves sleep quality: By supporting neurotransmitters like serotonin (which converts to melatonin), protein can also help regulate sleep. Better sleep equals more stable mood.
In other words, protein does not just nourish your muscles and bones. It nourishes your mind as well, helping you stay calm, focused, and resilient in the face of midlife changes.
Protein for Muscle and Bone Health
One of the most important reasons to prioritise protein in midlife is its role in protecting both muscle and bone.
Muscle preservation: From your 40s onwards, muscle mass naturally declines, a process called sarcopenia. This is accelerated by falling oestrogen levels. Adequate protein provides the amino acids your muscles need to stay strong and responsive, especially when combined with resistance training.
Boosting strength and independence: Maintaining muscle is about more than appearance. It supports balance, posture, joint stability, and the ability to do everyday tasks with ease.
Bone support: Protein makes up about 50% of bone volume and one-third of bone mass. It is essential for collagen production, which forms the flexible framework of bone. Without enough protein, bone becomes weaker and more prone to fractures.
By eating enough protein each day, you are not just helping with weight and energy. You are laying the foundation for strong muscles and bones that will carry you well into later life.
How Much Protein Do Women in Midlife Need?
The official RDI is about 0.8g/kg of body weight, but this is far too low for midlife women. Research suggests 1.2–1.6g/kg body weight per day is more effective for protecting muscle, bone, and weight during menopause.
For example, a 70kg woman would need around 84–110g of protein per day.
Equally important is how you spread it through the day. Instead of eating very little protein at breakfast and then “loading” it at dinner, aim for 20–30g at each meal for best absorption and benefits.
Starting the day with a protein-rich breakfast is especially important. It helps set up your metabolism for the day ahead, keeps you satisfied, and prevents the mid-afternoon energy crashes and sugar cravings that so many women struggle with in perimenopause and menopause.
Best Sources of Protein
Animal-based sources (in no particular order):
Eggs
Fish
Chicken and turkey
Lean red meat
Dairy (milk, cheese & natural yoghurt)
Plant-based sources (in no particular order):
Lentils, beans, chickpeas
Tofu, tempeh, edamame
Nuts and seeds
Quinoa
Practical Tips for Adding Protein Without Overwhelm
Swap your morning toast to natural yoghurt with nuts and berries
Add natural yoghurt and berries to your breakfast cereal
Add boiled eggs or tuna to salads for a lunch upgrade.
Snack on cottage cheese, hummus with veggies, or edamame.
Batch cook chicken breast, salmon patties, or lentil burgers for quick lunches.
Blend up a smoothie with natural yoghurt, milk, and chia seeds for an easy option.
Final Thoughts
Protein is not a fad or a trend. It is the foundation of your health, especially during perimenopause and menopause. By prioritising protein, you will find it easier to manage weight, build strength, protect your bones, and reclaim steady energy and mood.
If you are not sure how much protein you need or how to build it into your meals, that is where I can help. In my Menopause Mastery Program, I teach you how to structure meals to hit your protein targets without stress. With Metabolic Balance®, we go a step further, using your blood values to create a personalised food list that ensures you are getting the right proteins for your body.
Book your free 20 minute clarity call and let’s discuss which program is most suitable for you.
Judy
