What happens when two dietitian-friends who are also writers go through menopause together? They write a book, of course.

Elizabeth Ward and Hillary Wright are coauthors of the new book The Menopause Diet Plan: A Natural Guide to Managing Hormones, Health, and Happiness. Their book highlights key research regarding nutrition and hormone changes at midlife, their own personal experience, and tasty and nutritious meal plans and recipes.

Elizabeth (Liz) is a registered dietitian, writer, recipe developer, and nutrition consultant specializing in nutrition communications. She is the author of several books including Expect the Best: Your Guide to Healthy Eating Before, During and After Pregnancy.

Hillary is the Director for Nutrition Counseling for the Domar Center for Mind/Body Health in Waltham, MA, where she specializes in nutrition and women’s health, and diabetes prevention. She is the author of two other books including The Prediabetes Diet Plan: How to Reverse Prediabetes and Prevent Diabetes through Healthy Eating and Exercise 

This was timely as I’m currently in the process of researching nutrition for my book for women in midlife. We sat down to talk about nutrition during menopause and why it matters.

A woman’s body changes at midlife as does her feelings about her body. Many women become unhappy with these changes while others find them freeing. Either way, how women choose to live in their bodies as they age is important to their health and well-being.

Body image is important because it lays the groundwork for both physical and emotional self-care women need at this time. If a woman fights her body, it can be harder to give it what it needs. And bodies speak up a lot during midlife demanding attention whether we women like it or not.

To help me find answers, I interviewed Hillary McBride who holds a Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from the University of British Columbia, as well as a Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology. She works as a therapist and has advanced training in trauma, eating disorders, body image, and marriage and relationship therapy. She is the author of Mothers, Daughters and Body image, Embodiment and Eating Disorders, and the upcoming book This is My Body.

We talk about her book, the many facets of body image, and what this all means at midlife.

A couple of years ago when I considered doing my first half marathon in years, I discovered Jeff Galloway’s book Running Until Your 100. In it, he advocates for people – especially those 45 years and older – to add walk breaks to their running. When done right, he claims that people of all ages can remain injury-free while obtaining the many benefits of running.

Galloway is an Olympian runner and coach that has made it his mission to improve people’s quality of life through running. He is the creator of the Galloway Run-Walk-Run Program and for 33 years he has coached over ½ million runners and answers an average of 100 emails a day.

Since the Coronavirus pandemic, I’ve seen many people and families taking walks. Of course, we all keep from each other but many of us relish the time spent outside. And this got me thinking about how this is the perfect time for people to try running with a much gentler and enjoyable strategy.

As people get older, they often think they can no longer run or that running is bad for them. In episode 29 of The Healthy Family Podcast, Jeff Galloway explains how his Run-Walk-Run program can help people at midlife and beyond enjoy running without getting injured. It's also a great way for anyone at any age to start running.

Estrogen plays an important role in a woman’s body. During very early perimenopause, levels fluctuate and can often be higher than normal. But as women approach menopause (about 2 years before their final period) estrogen starts to decline. By two years after the final period, estrogen levels are depleted.

This decline in estrogen brings on many symptoms women can feel such as hot flashes, night sweats, mood swings, fatigue, and memory problems. But it also brings symptoms they cannot feel like weakening bones and increased risk of heart disease.

The problem is that there are many misconceptions and unfounded fears about taking estrogen. Not only that, most doctors are not up on the latest research and have little experience giving hormones like estrogen when it’s needed. To clear up the confusion, we have Dr. Mache Seibel.

Dr. Mache Seibel is an international health expert and leading authority on women’s wellness and menopause. He is author of The Estrogen Fix and The Estrogen Window and founder of The Hot Years: My Menopause Magazine.