SO, DO YOU HAVE TO CHANGE WHAT YOU EAT?

We’ve chosen these four experts because they specialise in midlife nutrition. They do have common ground – they all say it’s important to focus on eating whole, fresh foods and that reducing stress and keeping active are both key. Yet their advice can conflict, too. Hopefully this short taste of each approach will guide you to the one that’s right for you.

THE SCIENCE-BASED ONE: Dr Federica Amati, head nutritionist at Zoe

Famous for its groundbreaking research into the microbiome and using blood glucose monitors to reveal people’s personal reactions to food, Zoe is at the cutting edge of science. Dr Amati also teaches nutrition to doctors at Imperial College London.

1 3 midlife musts:

Eat more plants, especially colourful ones. ‘The biggest finding in our Zoe study is that a diet that’s very high in plant intake helps to mitigate against weight gain, even for women who are already overweight,’ she says. The microbiome thrives on polyphenols, the bright colours in plants. For example, a study showed that eating 2 blueberries in perimenopause has a positive impact on symptoms and overall metabolic health. Other high polyphenol plants include cocoa, coffee, spices, olive oil, nuts and seeds.

Avoid UPFS. Most ultra-processed foods (UPFS) are engineered to contain fat and sugar that keep our appetites 3 high. UPFS also provide a high level of metabolic challenge to our bodies.

Eat whole fibre. Fibre feeds the good bugs in your microbiome. All natural foods are great, but you’ll help the body even more when you chew foods in their whole form: peanuts rather than peanut butter, an apple rather than apple juice, berries rather than a smoothie, chickpeas rather than hummus.

The perfect midlife meal Tuna salad: Serves 4 Mix in a bowl:

3 diced celery sticks,

1 chopped red onion, 250g cannellini beans, 120g canned tuna, 2 crushed garlic cloves, 1tbsp red wine vinegar, 3tbs olive oil, 3tbsp chopped parsley, 1tbsp chopped chives, 2tbsp capers, 4 sliced radishes, salt and pepper.

Most surprising piece of advice: Eat kimchi and other fermented foods. ‘A recent trial from Korea showed that a high intake of kimchi reduced the risk of obesity.’

The flipside: Dr Amati’s advice isn’t specifically about losing weight; it’s a for-life way of eating (but that’s no bad thing).

More information: zoe.com; Recipes For A Better Menopause (Kyle Books) by Dr Federica Amati and Jane Baxter; Every Body Should Know This (Michael Joseph, out 25 April) by Dr Federica Amati

THE CULT ONE: The Human Being Diet (HBD) Petronella Ravenshear, nutritionist

The HBD diet is an online phenomenon, with a passionate community of midlife followers on Instagram. ‘Although many people are drawn to HBD to lose weight, the weight loss occurs as a side-effect of returning the body to balance,’ says Ravenshear. 1 3 midlife musts:

Eat a breakfast of protein and plants, ideally within an hour of waking. This signals to the brain via the fullness hormone 2 leptin that we have enough energy, so it can reduce hunger. Zero snacking. This gives your gut microbes time to regenerate. Eat three times a day, with five hours between meals. ‘If you are always snacking, you are always producing insulin. Not only is insulin pro-inflammatory but it’s a very 3 effective fat storage hormone,’ Ravenshear says.

Start the day with 500ml water, and drink another

1.5 litres before lunch, as water may help to reduce the signal from the hunger hormone ghrelin. The perfect midlife meal Ravenshear’s favourite breakfast: Grind 35g sunflower and pumpkin seeds and mix with a grated apple, ½ teaspoon of cinnamon and salt and pepper. Most surprising piece of advice: Once a week, feast on what you want to stop your body going into energy preservation mode. The flipside: The breakfast is not very substantial and the first 16 days are brutal! And you stay on an easier form of the programme for ever, except for a weekly treat meal. More information: thehumanbeingdiet.com; The Human Being Diet (Healthy Human Publishing) and The HBD Cookbook (Thorsons), both by Petronella Ravenshear; @petronellaravenshear