Have you ever felt like your usual healthy habits suddenly aren't "enough"?
Like maybe your cholesterol crept up despite your oatmeal breakfasts. Maybe your blood sugar stubbornly resists improvement, or your favorite jeans feel tighter despite always hitting your step goal.
This isn’t a failure on your part. It’s just a natural part of aging.
As a registered dietitian specialized in hormone health, I want to assure you: These changes are normal, but they’re not inevitable.
Let me explain why aging changes your nutritional needs and how small, science-backed tweaks can help you feel like yourself again.
Aging causes gradual shifts in our hormone production, affecting everything from our metabolism to nutrient absorption. Hormones act as metabolic conductors, coordinating how you store energy, build muscle, and process nutrients. As their balance shifts with age, your nutritional needs evolve - and the methods that once worked may fall short.
For example, during perimenopause (the transitional phase before menopause, defined as 12+ consecutive months without a period), estrogen and progesterone levels fluctuate unpredictably. These hormonal swings disrupt blood sugar regulation, muscle maintenance, and cholesterol metabolism, often altering how your body uses food.
The good news? You’re not stuck with these changes. Below, I’ll walk you through four key ways hormonal shifts impact your nutrition needs and exactly how to adapt.
1. Your Metabolism Isn’t “Broken” - It’s Adapting
Muscle mass naturally declines with age, and hormonal shifts accelerate this loss. Less muscle means a slower resting metabolism, but extreme calorie cuts backfire by worsening muscle loss and fatigue.
How can you adapt to this?
2. Blood Sugar Balance Becomes Non-Negotiable
Aging reduces insulin sensitivity, partly due to changes in hormones like estrogen (in women) and testosterone (in men), making carbs harder to process. Explaining why your go-to meals might now be making you more susceptible to energy crashes or cravings.
How can you adapt to this?
3. Your Gut Needs Extra Care
Aging disrupts the delicate balance of hormones that regulate digestion and gut function. These imbalances can slow digestion and alter the gut microbiome (leading to bloating or constipation), making you more likely to react to foods you used to eat without issue before.
How can you adapt to this?
4. Inflammation and Cholesterol Demand Attention
As you get older, natural changes in your hormones can throw off your body’s ability to handle inflammation (like internal irritation) and balance cholesterol levels. Even if your diet hasn’t changed, these hormonal changes can slowly increase your risk of heart disease over time.
How can you adapt to this?
Food is powerful. The right food is transformational. Get your first Loop session free of cost!
Why do ‘healthy’ foods now upset my stomach?”
Your gut may need gentler fiber sources. Try steamed spinach instead of raw kale, or swap chickpeas for easier-to-digest lentils.
“My doctor only tells me to ‘lose weight,’ but how do I do that?”
Focus on nutrient timing: Eat protein-rich breakfasts, front-load carbs earlier in the day, and avoid late-night snacks that disrupt sleep (and weight loss).
“Should I start taking supplements to make sure I'm getting the nutrients I need?”
Focus on food first, but supplements can help fill the gaps. A basic multivitamin, vitamin D, and magnesium cover most gaps. Always discuss supplements with your dietitian to avoid interactions with medication and over-supplementation.
Getting older is a natural transition that provides the opportunity for you to refine the healthy habits you've spent so much care and time creating.
By adding a dietitian to your care team, you gain a strategic partner who can explain labs, collaborate with your doctors, and decode symptoms. Here are some things you can expect when working with a Loop RD:
At Loop Nutrition, we help people like you with personalized, hormone-smart strategies. You deserve to feel confident, energized, and in control. (No guilt or guesswork required.)
Ready to adapt? Let us create a plan that honors your health and life experience.