Changing your diet to counter midlife hormone shifts can pay major health dividends, nutritionist Sam Rice says.
Hormonal changes, a slowing metabolism and changes in gut health can all lead to midlife weight gain. Here are nutritionist Sam Rice’s recipes to combat it.
The accumulation of fat around the middle, also known as visceral fat, is something that even a nutritionist can struggle with.
I, too, have experienced that slow, post-40 waistline creep, when no amount of “sucking it in” will help and we find ourselves reaching for the elasticated trousers.
What’s even more baffling is that this can happen even if your lifestyle remains largely unchanged. So there must be something else going on under the bonnet. Indeed, research has shown that changes in hormone levels in women during perimenopause and menopause can lead to a redistribution of fat, from the hips to the waist, and can also affect our appetite and mood.
Dr Louise Newson, the country’s leading voice on hormone health, explains: “Low hormone levels that occur during perimenopause and menopause can lead to sugar cravings and increased hunger. These hormones are also important for metabolism and insulin control, so both can be negatively affected with low and changing hormones.
“Also, perimenopausal and menopausal women are often tired, have low moods, are anxious and have reduced concentration, so they are less interested in cooking for themselves and tend to eat a worse diet.”
Men are also prone to “midlife middle” for reasons which are not yet fully understood, but some studies also point to hormones, in this case declining testosterone. In males, fat tends to accumulate upfront – the classic D-shaped belly. This is a particular cause for concern because, regardless of your overall weight, having a large amount of belly fat increases your risk of a range of diseases such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes and colorectal cancer.
Alongside hormonal changes, a slowing metabolism, due largely to declining muscle mass, and changes in gut health (our gut diversity and consequently the efficiency with which we digest and metabolise food declines after 40), create the perfect storm for weight gain.
When my book, The Midlife Kitchen, (written with Mimi Spencer) came out eight years ago, it was one of the first books to address the nutritional challenges of middle age head-on. I had noticed a shift in how what I ate affected not just my waistline but also my skin, hair, nails, joints, energy levels and general joie de vivre.
Out went the overly carb-heavy plates of pasta in favour of complex carbohydrates, such as beans and wholegrains, to help sustain me through the day. Snacking on nuts helped keep the munchies at bay and prevented me from reaching for a cheese twist on the way out of the supermarket.
Oily fish began to feature more prominently; my childhood favourite, sardines on toast (this time on wholegrain toast) made a reappearance, full of precious omega-3 fatty acids that are brilliant for brain health. I also looked for lower-calorie ways to pack flavour into my food with herbs, spices, and seasonings.
I’m happy to say the book has now been updated and republished for a whole new wave of midlifers. So what’s changed in that time? What do we know now about the health challenges of our middle years that we didn’t know back then?
Undoubtedly, much of the advice remains the same: a healthy, balanced diet with plenty of lean protein, healthy fats and complex carbs, but when it comes to targeting the dreaded middle-aged spread, there are five foods I’ve found to be particularly effective.
These are them, with science-backed reasons to eat them, along with my favourite recipes from the book.
Beans are your weapon in the battle of the bulge. A 2023 study published in the journal Nutrients found that a diet rich in legumes was associated with lower body mass index (BMI) and smaller waist circumference. But beans are boring, you cry. Well, let me introduce you to my Middle-aged Spread – a tasty alternative to the ubiquitous hummus.
Don’t get me wrong, I love hummus, but it’s very calorific, at almost 1000 calories per 300g pot. Instead, I make a batch of my Middle-aged Spread every week and stick it in the fridge. It’s less than half the calories, and is perfect on an oatcake as a delicious mid-afternoon snack, or add a big dollop to your lunchtime salad.
Makes 500g
If you’re a shop-bought cereal lover, it might be time to step things up nutritionally and switch to an oaty breakfast. Oats are packed with fibre, which is good news for us midlifers.
A 2022 Spanish study of 1476 overweight and obese participants aged 55+ found that improving the quality of carbohydrates in the diet, including more fibre-rich wholegrains like oats, can help reduce visceral fat.
I find plain old porridge rather boring and gloopy, so I make Black Forest overnight oats instead. This recipe is very rich and chocolatey, so you only need a few tablespoons to feel full, and the cherries, dark cocoa and nuts bring more fibre to the party, which helps keep your appetite at bay even longer. Muffin tops be gone!
I know what you’re thinking: nuts are high in calories and fat, so how can this help with weight control? Well, findings from the 2022 green-MED diet study showed that a higher consumption of walnuts was significantly related to greater visceral fat loss. Nuts are rich in both protein and fibre, which promote feelings of fullness and help us eat less overall.
I switched from snacking on toast and biscuits to nuts around 10 years ago because I found they were absolutely the best thing for nixing cravings.
But be sure to have no more than 30g a day, as otherwise the excess calories can outweigh the satiating benefits. Walnuts are my favourite, and a delicious way to enjoy them is this sophisticated yet simple assembly of creamy blue cheese, sharp peppery red chicory and crunchy walnuts. Also fabulous as a canapé.
Serves four
If there’s one thing I eat way more of in midlife than I did before, it’s oily fish – delicious, convenient (particularly tinned and smoked) and rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which have been shown to help reduce visceral fat.
In a 2022 study, overweight participants were divided into two groups. The group that was given daily omega-3 supplements lost more abdominal fat mass over 12 weeks than the group that wasn’t.
I don’t know about you, but I’d much rather eat my red lentil & smoked mackerel kitchri than pop a few fishy capsules. Instead of being made with only rice, as is traditional, I mix in red lentils, which increases the fibre and protein content, to aid that all-important appetite control. I make a batch of this most weeks because it works for breakfast, lunch or dinner, and it keeps wonderfully in the fridge for a couple of days. Top with a dollop of thick Greek yogurt for extra tang and gut-friendly probiotics.
Serves two
The microbiome has been the big health story of the last 10 years, and recent studies confirm it’s a crucial player in midlife health, affecting the onset and progression of obesity and obesity-related diseases.
Eating more probiotic foods, which contain live bacteria, like miso paste, alongside a wide range of plant foods, is key to keeping our gut bacteria rich and diverse, and this recipe for Miso King Prawns delivers all of the above.
If you’re not familiar with miso, it’s made from fermented soybeans, as is soy sauce, which is why they share a similar flavour profile. Miso is used in Japanese cooking as a salty seasoning, often as the base for soup, but here it is put to delicious use in a marinade. I often make this dish for dinner when I’m home alone, as it’s so simple to prepare, naturally low-calorie, and delivers a range of gut health benefits.
Serves two
For the marinade
For the salad