Eating well through the menopause

SASian Anderson, Writer and editor, MyGLP. Sources checked 5 November 2026.

What changes, and what food can do

After the menopause, bones weaken and heart risk rises. The NHS early menopause page names osteoporosis and cardiovascular disease as the main long-term risks of low oestrogen. Food cannot replace oestrogen, but it can supply what bones and muscle need, cut flush triggers and support a healthy weight.

This guide adds the menopause-specific detail. For the basics, our protein guide covers how much protein you need and how to fit it in, and our bone health guide covers bone loss during weight loss and when to ask for a scan.

Calcium: 700mg a day, mostly from food

The NHS calcium page says adults need 700mg a day and should be able to get this from a daily diet. The NHS menopause self-help page names milk, yoghurt and kale as calcium-rich foods to eat for bone health.

If you take a supplement, the NHS says 1,500mg a day or less is unlikely to cause harm. Doses above this may cause stomach pain and diarrhoea. Food first is the simpler plan for most women.

Vitamin D

The NHS vitamin D page advises everyone to consider 10 micrograms a day in autumn and winter. Take it all year if you are rarely outdoors, live in a care home, usually cover most of your skin outside, or have dark skin. The NHS warns not to take more than 100 micrograms (4,000 IU) a day.

Soy, red clover and phytoestrogens

Phytoestrogens are plant compounds which act a little like oestrogen. Soy and red clover contain them. Many women try them for flushes.

The evidence is weaker than the marketing. A Cochrane review of 43 trials found no conclusive evidence that phytoestrogen supplements reduce hot flushes or night sweats. Pooled data from five red clover trials showed no difference from placebo. A small group of trials using extracts high in genistein, one soy compound, did show fewer flushes, and the authors called for more research. Placebo groups improved by between 1% and 59%, so flushes often ease whatever you take.

The British Menopause Society statement on non-hormonal treatments also describes most isoflavone studies as poor quality, and says isoflavones, including red clover, are not recommended if you have had breast cancer.

Soy foods such as tofu, edamame and soya milk with added calcium are good sources of protein. Eat them because they are useful food, not as a flush treatment. For treatments with proven effect, see our hot flushes guide.

Alcohol, caffeine and spicy food

The NHS page on lifestyle changes if you cannot take HRT says caffeine, alcohol and spicy food are all known to trigger hot flushes. The NHS self-help page adds hot drinks, and advises keeping alcohol within the recommended limit because drinking may affect your symptoms and your bones.

Alcohol matters for breast cancer risk too. The BMS statement on HRT and breast cancer puts the extra risk from drinking 35 to 44g of alcohol a day (about 4 to 5 units) at around 8 breast cancers per 1,000 women aged 50 to 59 over 5 years. The BMS says the extra risk from HRT in past users is smaller than the risk from drinking 2 or more units a day. Our alcohol guide covers drinking on a weight loss medicine.

A day of eating for the menopause

Heart health on your plate

Fibre from wholegrains, beans, oats and vegetables helps with constipation, a common side effect of weight loss medicines. Our fibre guide sets out targets and swaps. The full picture of blood pressure, cholesterol and heart checks after the menopause is in our heart health after menopause guide.

Eating through the menopause on a weight loss medicine

If you take Mounjaro or Wegovy, your appetite may be small. The NHS tirzepatide page lists nausea, constipation and tiredness among the common side effects. A small appetite makes calcium and protein harder to fit in, at the age when bone and muscle need them most.

• Put protein and calcium first on the plate. Yoghurt, milk, cheese and calcium-added soya drinks cover both.
• Use drinks to carry nutrients when food is hard. A milky drink counts towards calcium.
• If you are struggling to eat enough, read eating too little on weight loss medicines and nausea-friendly meals.
• Keep up strength exercise, so the protein you eat goes to muscle. Our keeping muscle guide shows how.

For why weight shifts to the middle at this age and what helps most, read our menopause weight gain guide.

Sources

1. Calcium (NHS)
2. Vitamin D (NHS)
3. Menopause and perimenopause: things you can do (NHS)
4. Lifestyle changes to make if you're unable to take HRT (NHS)
5. Phytoestrogens for menopausal vasomotor symptoms (Cochrane, 2013)
6. Non-hormonal based treatments for menopausal symptoms (British Menopause Society, 2026)
7. Benefits and risks of HRT before and after a breast cancer diagnosis (British Menopause Society)
8. Early or premature menopause (NHS)
9. Tirzepatide (NHS)