The Menopause Nutrient: Why Protein is Getting its Moment in the Spotlight

What’s all the hype with protein?

Everywhere you turn these days—It’s protein, protein protein. But what’s the deal? Why is everyone suddenly obsessed?

As someone who's been in practice for over 20 years, I’ll admit it—I didn’t fully appreciate the importance of protein when I was younger. It’s kind of like pregnancy: hard to truly understand until you go through it. Same with menopause. You can be doing all the same things—eating well, exercising—and yet suddenly, your body just... changes.

That’s because the menopausal body is different. And our approach to nutrition needs to shift to support that change.

I hear it from women all the time:

“I’m eating like I always have.”

“I’m working out just as much.”

“And yet I’m gaining weight—especially belly fat—and I just can’t lose it.”

Enter: Protein.

Here’s why protein is having a moment—and why menopausal women especially should pay attention.

1. Protein Supports Muscle Mass and Body Composition

As we age, our muscle mass declines. AND during menopause, when estrogen fluctuates and eventually plummets, this process speeds up. Peri- and postmenopausal women can lose 0.5% to 2% of muscle mass per year.

I grew up in the ‘80s and ‘90s when being skinny was plastered on billboards and in magazines.  Skinny was sexy.  But that mindset is shifting, slowly. We now know that strong is the new skinny. Being thin doesn’t necessarily mean being healthy. Many women who appear lean may still have low muscle mass and high body fat, which increases the risk of osteoporosis, fractures, and reduced physical independence.

What really matters for long-term health is body composition—the quantity and quality of muscle you have.

Protein is essential for maintaining and building muscle, especially when combined with resistance training. And here’s the challenge: menopausal women don’t process protein as efficiently, so they need more of it than younger women to maintain muscle.

Studies show that diets with at least 25% of calories from protein improve body composition in postmenopausal women. 

I am a big fan of the high protein diet for weight loss because it has a sparing effect on muscle mass, which makes weight loss more sustainable when combined with physical activity and mindset. 

2. Protein Helps Balance Blood Sugar

During perimenopause and post menopause, blood sugar becomes harder to control. Hormonal changes, a shifting gut microbiome, and increased cortisol levels from stress all contribute to higher insulin resistance and belly fat.

Stable blood sugar isn’t just about preventing diabetes. It’s essential for:

• Brain health

• Heart health

• Managing weight

When you eat carbs (bread, fruit, milk, veggies, grains), they break down into sugars.  These sugars enter your bloodstream and raises your blood glucose level. Ideally, after meals, you want your glucose to stay under 135 mg/dL.  

Spikes in blood sugar—especially frequent ones—can contribute to:

• Weight gain

• Diabetes

• High cholesterol

• Fatty liver

• Increased cancer risk

• Cognitive issues

Adding protein and fiber to meals helps blunt these glucose spikes.

For example:

• Crackers alone? Big blood sugar spike.

• Crackers + hummus or turkey? Smaller spike.

You’re probably wondering: How much protein per meal?

Aim for 20–40g of protein per meal to help keep blood sugar stable.

Want a great visual? Check out the University of Sydney’s Glycemic Index site: https://glycemicindex.com/about-gi/

3. Protein (and Fiber) Helps Control Appetite

With age, and especially during menopause, our calorie needs go down—mainly due to declining muscle mass and a slower metabolism. That means most women will need to eat less overall to maintain or lose weight.

But eating less can leave you feeling less satisfied. That’s where protein (and fiber and water) come in—they help you feel full longer, even on fewer calories.

Interestingly, menopausal women often crave more protein. This isn’t just a coincidence—it’s biological. The hormone FGF21 increases during menopause, signaling a higher need for protein to preserve muscle.  Higher protein meals can improve satiety through lowering ghrelin and increasing peptide YY.  

But there’s a problem—many modern foods are low in protein. Thanks to:

• Grain-fed meat

• Farm-raised fish

• Heavily processed foods

• Added sugars and oils

• A cultural emphasis on grains and carbs

…we’re consuming less protein than we used to.

This concept is known as the Protein Leverage Hypothesis: when the body needs more protein but doesn’t get it, we tend to overeat carbs and fats trying to satisfy that need.

A recent small randomized crossover study of 21 young adults in the journal Nature Metabolism, the participants were allowed to eat as much food as they wanted.  When presented with food that was higher protein and lower carb vs lower protein and higher carb (30% protein vs 13% protein) they ate less and expended more energy… even while they were sleeping.  Why? Protein is thermogenic.  It helps the body expend energy more than carbs and fats.

So one of the keys to managing weight and body composition?

Boost the ratio of protein to total calories—aka eat foods with a higher protein density.

So, How Much Protein Per Day?

Great question—and one I hear often:  How much protein should I eat?

The current RDA for protein in adult women is 0.66 g per kg (or 0.36 g per pound) of body weight. But let’s be clear: that’s the minimum to avoid deficiency, not the amount needed for optimal health—especially in menopause.

Studies show that lower protein diets don’t preserve muscle during weight loss. And remember, muscle is your metabolic engine.

For active women, the International Society of Sports Nutrition recommends 1.4–2.2 g per kg/day, spread out across meals. For menopausal women, it’s best to aim for the higher end of that range 1.8-2.2 g per kg per day.

Here’s a simpler way to calculate your minimum protein: Aim for 0.75 g of protein per pound of your desired body weight. So if you weigh 160 lbs but your healthy goal weight is 145 lbs: 145 x 0.75 = ~108g protein per day 

What About Plant-Based or Plant-Forward Diets?

Great question. It is harder to eat high protein on a plant-based diet—but not impossible.

Some tips:

• Choose higher-protein legumes like lentils, soy, and edamame

• Add nutritional yeast, peanut butter powder, spirulina

• Opt for high-protein breads like Dave’s Killer Bread

• Use chickpea or lentil pasta instead of traditional noodles

• Don’t forget that greens like spinach and arugula contain more protein than you might think

• Protein powders can help fill the gap, too

Eat your protein contextually.  Keep eating all the plant food too.  Fiber is equally as important. Stay tuned for my next post where we’ll dive deeper into fiber, another key nutrient for menopause.

Bottom line?

Protein isn’t a fad. For menopausal women, it’s a powerful tool to support muscle, manage weight, balance blood sugar, and feel fuller with fewer calories.

Want to feel stronger, leaner, and more in control during this next phase of life?

Prioritize your protein.

References

Galbreath, M., Campbell, B., LaBounty, P., Bunn, J., Dove, J., Harvey, T., Hudson, G., Gutierrez, J. L., Levers, K., Galvan, E., Jagim, A., Greenwood, L., Cooke, M. B., Greenwood, M., Rasmussen, C., Kreider, R. B. (2018). Effects of adherence to a higher protein diet on weight loss, markers of health, and functional capacity in older women participating in a resistance-based exercise program. Nutrients, 10(8), 1070. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu10081070

Hägele, F. A., Herpich, C., Koop, J., Grübbel, J., Dörner, R., Fedde, S., Götze, O., Boirie, Y., Müller, M. J., Norman, K., & Bosy-Westphal, A. (2025, April). Short-term effects of high-protein, lower-carbohydrate ultra-processed foods on human energy balance. Nature Metabolism.

Haghighat, N., Ashtary-Larky, D., Bagheri, R., Mahmoodi, M., Rajaei, M., Alipour, M., Kooti, W., Aghamohammdi, V., Wong, A. (2020). The effect of 12 weeks of euenergetic high-protein diet in regulating appetite and body composition of women with normal-weight obesity: A randomised controlled trial. British Journal of Nutrition, 124(10), 1044-1051. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0007114520002019

Isanejad, M., Mursu, J., Sirola, J., Kröger, H., Rikkonen, T., Tuppurainen, M., Erkkilä, A. T. (2016). Dietary protein intake is associated with better physical function and muscle strength among elderly women. British Journal of Nutrition, 115(7), 1281-1291. https://doi.org/10.1017/S000711451600012X

Simms, S. T., Kerksick, C. M., Smith-Ryan, A. E., Janse de Jonge, X. A. K., Hirsch, K. R., Arent, S. M., & Antonio, J. (2023). International society of sports nutrition position stand: Nutritional concerns of the female athlete. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 20(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/15502783.2023.2204066

Simpson, S. J., Raubenheimer, D., Black, K. I., & Conigrave, A. D. (2022). Weight gain during the menopause transition: Evidence for a mechanism dependent on protein leverage. BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, 129(12), 1719-1722. https://doi.org/10.1111/1471-0528.17290