PERIMENOPAUSE & PUBERTY: SIMPLE WAYS TO SUPPORT YOUR HORMONES AND YOUR DAUGHTER’S

I knew perimenopause had the potential to be rough - but I wasn’t prepared for the chaos of going through it while my teenage daughter was riding her own hormonal rollercoaster.

At one point, our house felt like a hormone war zone - mood swings, tears, interrupted sleep, and random emotional outbursts over things that made no sense.

One day, she was in tears because she had “nothing to wear.” The next, I found myself getting emotional because none of MY clothes fit right anymore.

And while I understood, academically, what was happening to our bodies, and we tried to eat well, get enough sleep, and look after ourselves, in the thick of it, it was nearly impossible to take an objective view.

But when I did step back, I could see something clearly: our habits had slipped.

The way we were eating, how we were sleeping (or not sleeping), how we were handling stress - it wasn’t working for our changing hormones.

And here’s the thing: our mothers and grandmothers didn’t have to deal with this.

They had kids earlier, so by the time they hit perimenopause, their children were already adults. But now, more women are having kids later, which means a modern-day struggle: perimenopause and puberty happening under the same roof.

The result? Two hormone-ravaged brains under one roof, but only one of you gets the luxury of extra sleep and minimal responsibility.

But there’s good news - the same lifestyle changes that support your hormone health can also help your daughter.

And more importantly, you have the opportunity to break the cycle of body distrust, diet culture, and hormonal confusion that so many of us grew up with.

This isn’t about strict rules, cutting foods, or overcomplicating meals.

It’s about understanding what your body needs - so both of you can feel your best. And that’s what we’re talking about in this blog!

FOOD ISN’T ‘GOOD’ OR ‘BAD’ - AND YOUR DAUGHTER NEEDS TO HEAR THAT TOO

The way we feed ourselves and our daughters shapes their relationship with food for life.

For so many of us, the way we learned about food was toxic - diet culture taught us that some foods are “good,” while others are “bad” or “naughty” and that eating a certain way made you a better person. You KNOW how damaging that mindset is.

We have the opportunity to change that.

But here’s the truth: food doesn’t have a moral value. You are not a better person because you eat kale, and you’re not a bad person or a failure because you eat chocolate.

And while you may be actively working to unlearn these food rules, it’s just as important to make sure you’re not accidentally passing them down to your daughter.

Teens are watching and absorbing everything we do, and this is the time when disordered eating patterns often take root.

Instead of labelling foods as ‘good’ or ‘bad’, focus on how they function in the body. Food is fuel, nourishment, and information for your cells. Some foods help to balance hormones, support energy, and keep blood sugar stable - while others may leave you feeling flat, wired, or sluggish.

When talking about food with your daughter (or yourself!), try using language like:

✅ “This meal will keep you full and focused for hours.”
✅ “These fats help your brain function and reduce anxiety.”
✅ “This snack will give you energy now, but won’t keep you full for long.”

This subtle shift removes shame around food choices and empowers both you and your daughter to make food decisions based on how you want to feel.

THE “HORMONE STABILITY PLATE” APPROACH (NOT JUST ‘EAT WHOLE FOODS’)

Instead of focusing on restriction, let’s focus on nourishment.

HOW TO BUILD A HORMONE-BALANCING PLATE AT EVERY MEAL

For balanced hormones, stable moods, and consistent energy, aim to build every meal with these four elements:

✅ Protein – Essential for metabolism, muscle, and mood
✅ Healthy Fats – Supports hormone production and brain health
✅ Phytoestrogens – Natural plant compounds that help balance estrogen
✅ Fibre (Vegetables) – Feeds gut bacteria, detoxifies excess hormones, and stabilises blood sugar

PROTEIN – WHY IT’S CRITICAL FOR BOTH PERIMENOPAUSE & PUBERTY

Protein is non-negotiable when it comes to hormonal balance, mood stability, energy levels, and metabolism. But many women and teens aren’t eating enough - and it shows.

For teens, low protein can lead to hanger, poor focus, mood swings, fatigue, and even slower growth and development. Their bodies are in a rapid state of change, with hormones, muscles, and brain function all needing a steady supply of amino acids from protein-rich foods.

For women in perimenopause, protein is essential for maintaining muscle mass, keeping metabolism strong, and reducing cravings. As estrogen fluctuates, the body becomes less efficient at maintaining muscle, leading to sluggish energy, weight gain (especially around the belly), and increased carb cravings. Low protein intake can also contribute to mood swings, poor sleep, and a lack of focus.

HOW TO GET ENOUGH PROTEIN:

• Aim for a palm-sized portion of protein at every meal.
• Best sources: Eggs, yogurt, tofu or tempeh, lentils, beans, chicken, fish/seafood, and slow-cooked red meats (which are easier to digest).
• If digestion is an issue, collagen powder or bone broth can be a gentle way to add protein to smoothies and other meals.

🔹 Struggling with meat? Read: “Why You Don’t Tolerate Meat Anymore” blog for digestion tips.

WHY YOU NEED FATS FOR HORMONE HEALTH

For years, we were told that low-fat diets were the key to good health - but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Fats are essential for hormone production, brain function, and blood sugar stability.

• Your body uses fats to create estrogen, progesterone, and other essential hormones. If you’re not eating enough, you may experience irregular cycles, worsened PMS, or increased perimenopause symptoms like brain fog and mood swings.
• Fats help stabilize blood sugar and keep you full longer, reducing the rollercoaster of sugar cravings and energy crashes.
• The brain is 60% fat, and all your cells are made of 2 layers of fats - that our body can’t make! - which means getting enough omega-3s and healthy fats is crucial not just for focus, emotional regulation, and memory, but every single function in your body.

HOW TO GET MORE HEALTHY FATS:

• Include a source of healthy fat in every meal - this could be avocado, extra virgin olive oil, flaxseed oil, butter, ghee, coconut oil, avocado oil, nuts, seeds (especially flaxseeds for phytoestrogens), or oily fish like salmon, sardines, mackerel, and kippers.
• Avoid processed vegetable oils (sunflower, soybean, canola) as they promote inflammation, which can worsen perimenopause and PMS symptoms.

PHYTOESTROGENS – NATURE’S HORMONAL SUPPORT (MORE THAN JUST SOY!)

Phytoestrogens help balance estrogen levels - they don’t increase them.

Best Sources:

• Flaxseeds
• Sesame seeds
• Chickpeas and lentils
• Fermented soy (tempeh, miso)

🔹 Read more about my thoughts on soy to clear up confusion around including it in your diet. 

FIBRE – THE UNSUNG HERO OF HORMONE BALANCE

Fiber isn’t just for pooping - it helps clear excess estrogen from the body, preventing PMS, bloating, and hormonal acne.

How to Get More Fibre:

• Fill half your plate with non-starchy vegetables at every meal. EG leafy greens, cabbage, cauli, broccoli, radish, artichoke, carrot.
  * Include lentils, beans.

GUT HEALTH, DETOXIFICATION & PROTEIN DIGESTION – WHY IT’S EVEN MORE

Important in Perimenopause and Puberty

Your gut is more than just a digestion machine - it’s one of the body’s primary detoxification pathways. And when your gut isn’t working well, hormones don’t get processed properly, leading to bloating, constipation, PMS, acne, and mood swings.

But here’s something most people don’t realise: As estrogen fluctuates in perimenopause and puberty, it directly affects digestion - slowing down gut motility, reducing stomach acid, and even impacting bile production.

And if bile production slows down? You’ll likely experience:

• Trouble digesting fats (feeling heavy or nauseous after eating)
• Reflux, bloating, or sluggish digestion
• A feeling of fullness even when you haven’t eaten much

This means that even if you’re eating all the right foods, you may not be breaking them down and absorbing them properly.

And this matters especially for protein.

Protein requires stomach acid, enzymes, and bile to break down. If digestion is compromised, you might:

• Feel bloated or heavy after protein-rich meals
• Notice you’re not building muscle as easily
• Struggle with low energy, brittle nails, or hair thinning

Your gut does so much more than just digest food - it’s also one of the most important pathways for clearing hormones like estrogen from your body.

If digestion is sluggish, estrogen doesn’t get properly eliminated, and instead, it gets reabsorbed into your system - leading to symptoms like bloating, PMS, acne, mood swings, and weight gain.

This is why chronic constipation or poor gut health can make perimenopause symptoms worse and why teens dealing with poor digestion or frequent bloating might also experience worsened period symptoms.

So if perimenopause or puberty is feeling rough, start with digestion and gut health!

HOW TO SUPPORT GUT HEALTH FOR HORMONAL BALANCE:

• Eating bitter and sour foods (rocket, dandelion greens, radicchio, apple cider or balsamic vinegar) stimulates stomach acid and bile production.
• Eat fibre-rich foods at every meal. Fibre binds to excess estrogen in the gut and helps flush it out through your stool. Aim for leafy greens, flaxseeds, chia seeds, and cruciferous vegetables like broccoli and Brussels sprouts.
• Support gut bacteria with probiotics and prebiotic fibres. Include fermented foods (sauerkraut, kimchi, kefir, yogurt) and fibre-rich foods like garlic, onions, leeks, other fibrous veggies like cabbage, broccoli, lentils, beans, and seeds like flax seeds.
• Drink enough water. If you’re dehydrated, your digestion slows down, making it harder to eliminate waste (and excess hormones).
• Manage stress. High stress leads to higher cortisol, which directly impacts gut function and hormone balance.

🔹 Read more about this in perimenopause acne blog - because poor gut health often shows up as skin issues!

THE VEGAN TRAP – WHY YOUR TEEN (AND MAYBE YOU) ARE LOW IN CALCIUM & IRON

Teenage girls often cut out animal products for ethical reasons, to follow friends, or because of misinformation about health. While there’s nothing wrong with eating more plant-based foods, many teens (and women) don’t replace critical nutrients like iron and calcium, leading to major deficiencies.

WHY THIS MATTERS:

• Low calcium now = weaker bones later. Bone mass peaks in your 20s, and if your teen isn’t getting enough calcium now, it increases her risk of osteoporosis later in life.
• Low iron = heavy periods, fatigue, and poor concentration. Iron is needed to carry oxygen in the blood, and without it, energy levels plummet.

CALCIUM – WHY DITCHING DAIRY DOESN’T MEAN WEAK BONES

If cow’s dairy doesn’t agree with you, or your teen has ditched it, you still need a calcium strategy.

BEST DAIRY-FREE SOURCES OF CALCIUM:

• Sheep’s & goat’s dairy (easier to digest and less inflammatory).
• A2 or Jersey cow’s milk (if keeping dairy, this is a better option).
• Non-dairy sources: Sardines (with bones), tahini, almonds, dark leafy greens, tofu (if tolerated), and bone broth.

IRON – WHY LOW IRON = HEAVY PERIODS

Here’s the cruel joke of female biology: Low iron makes your periods heavier - which means you lose even more iron.

WHY DOES THIS HAPPEN?

• When iron stores are low (low ferritin on a blood test), the body tries to compensate by making periods heavier, which further depletes iron levels.
• Many teens go vegetarian without knowing that plant-based iron (non-heme) is poorly absorbed.
• Women in perimenopause with erratic, heavy periods often feel tired, cold, foggy-brained, and exhausted - all classic iron deficiency symptoms.

HOW TO PREVENT IRON DEFICIENCY:

• Prioritise heme iron (animal-based sources). This is far more absorbable than plant iron. Best sources:
• Red meat (especially beef and lamb)
• Liver (nature’s best source of iron)
• Eggs & shellfish
• If vegetarian, pair iron-rich foods with vitamin C (lentils + lemon juice, spinach + capsicum) to boost absorption.
• Avoid drinking tea or coffee with meals - the tannins block iron absorption.
• Cooking tip: Use a cast-iron pan - it naturally boosts iron in food!

🔹 “Why You Don’t Tolerate Meat” blog for digestion tips.

THE TIMING OF EATING MATTERS (NOT JUST WHAT YOU EAT!)

What you eat is important, but when you eat matters just as much for hormone balance, blood sugar stability, and overall energy levels.

And yet, many women and teens fall into patterns that disrupt their hormones without even realising it.

The two most common meal timing mistakes?

1️⃣ Skipping meals (especially breakfast), leading to blood sugar crashes, cravings, and mood swings.
2️⃣ Grazing all day, never allowing the gut to fully rest, digest, and absorb nutrients.

The best approach to eating for hormonal balance is to focus on three solid meals per day, ensuring each one is nutrient-dense and satisfying. Snacks should only be included if they are truly needed, such as when there is a long gap between meals or during high-activity days.

Skipping meals, especially breakfast, can lead to blood sugar crashes, increased stress hormones, and poor energy levels. At the same time, constant grazing throughout the day can disrupt digestion and prevent the gut from fully processing and absorbing nutrients.

WHY THREE MEALS A DAY IS BEST FOR HORMONES AND DIGESTION

Both puberty and perimenopause are times of significant hormonal shifts, requiring a steady intake of nutrients to maintain energy, mood, and overall health.

For teenagers, eating irregularly can contribute to mood swings, acne, poor concentration, and unstable energy levels. Their bodies are undergoing rapid growth, and inconsistent meals can leave them feeling depleted and unfocused.

For women in perimenopause, skipping meals - especially breakfast - can elevate cortisol levels, leading to blood sugar crashes, increased stress, and disrupted sleep. Consistent, well-balanced meals help to stabilise these fluctuations, ensuring better hormone regulation throughout the day.

WHY IS 3 MEALS A DAY IDEAL?

✅ Supports blood sugar balance. When you eat regularly, your body isn’t constantly on a sugar rollercoaster, which reduces mood swings, brain fog, and cravings.
✅ Allows time for proper digestion. Your gut needs breaks between meals to fully digest and absorb nutrients - constant snacking disrupts this.
✅ Optimises hormone function. The body relies on consistent fuel to produce progesterone, estrogen, and cortisol in a balanced way.
✅ Prevents late-night overeating. When you eat enough during the day, you’re less likely to binge or snack excessively at night.

SHOULD YOU BE INTERMITTENT FASTING IN PERIMENOPAUSE? MAYBE NOT.

Intermittent fasting is everywhere, and it can have benefits, but for most women in perimenopause, it can do more harm than good.

Here’s why:

1️⃣ Skipping meals can spike cortisol. Women in their 40s and 50s are already more prone to stress and sleep issues, and fasting can add more stress to an already taxed system.
2️⃣ It can slow down metabolism. If you’re under-eating throughout the day, your body compensates by lowering metabolic rate, which can lead to fatigue, cravings, and weight gain - the opposite of what you want.
3️⃣ It’s often an excuse to skip breakfast. Breakfast sets the tone for blood sugar and hormone stability - skipping it can lead to mood swings, brain fog, and increased hunger later in the day.

If you love fasting and it works for you, keep doing what feels right. But if you’re struggling with low energy, poor sleep, or blood sugar crashes, start by eating a proper breakfast and see how you feel.

And for teens? They need regular meals, full stop. Skipping meals in puberty can set the stage for irregular periods, unstable blood sugar, and poor focus.

Bottom line? You don’t need to follow restrictive food rules to feel good. Your body needs fuel, and so does hers.

SHOULD YOU SNACK? (ONLY IF YOU’RE ACTUALLY HUNGRY!)

Teens may need an after-school snack if they didn’t eat enough at lunch or had a long gap between meals. But many people snack for the wrong reasons: boredom, stress, FOMO, or emotional eating.

Before reaching for a snack, ask:

• Am I actually hungry, or just tired/bored/emotional?
• Did I eat enough at my last meal? If lunch was just a smoothie or salad, that’s not enough to hold you over.
• Will I be eating a proper meal soon? If dinner is in an hour, it’s better to have a full meal, so either wait or bring the meal forward if you can.

Good snack options (if needed):

✅ Protein-based: Greek yogurt, boiled eggs, nuts & seeds.
✅ Balanced carbs & fats: Apple with almond butter, hummus with veggies.
✅ Quick energy boost: Smoothie with protein & healthy fats.

Avoid:

❌ Sugary snacks (spikes blood sugar, then crashes it).
❌ Grazing all afternoon (leaves you never fully satisfied).

WHY BREAKFAST MATTERS MORE THAN YOU THINK

Skipping breakfast is one of the biggest mistakes I see for both teens and perimenopausal women.

🔹 For teens: Breakfast sets the tone for blood sugar and brain function for the entire day. If they skip or eat ultra-processed foods, they’ll likely crash by mid-morning and struggle to focus.
🔹 For perimenopause: Skipping breakfast increases cortisol, which can worsen stress, cause weight gain, and disrupt sleep.

WHAT MAKES A GOOD BREAKFAST?

A balanced breakfast should always include protein, healthy fats, and fibre to provide sustained energy and hormonal stability. Meals high in refined carbohydrates, such as cereals or white toast, cause rapid blood sugar spikes followed by crashes, which can worsen symptoms like irritability, fatigue, and cravings. Instead, opt for protein-rich choices such as eggs, Greek yogurt with nuts, or a chia pudding with almond butter to support stable energy and long-term hormone health.

✅ Protein + healthy fats + fibre = balanced hormones, mood, and energy.
✅ Avoid ultra-processed cereals and toast-heavy meals (spike blood sugar too fast).

EASY, HORMONE-FRIENDLY MEAL IDEAS:

• Greek/plain/natural yogurt + ground flaxseeds + berries (Protein + healthy fats + fibre)
• Scrambled eggs + avocado on sourdough (Sustaining and blood sugar friendly)
• Chia pudding with almond butter (Great for digestion and omega-3s)
• Teen swaps: Protein smoothie, nut butter on toast

LISTEN TO YOUR BODY, BUT STICK TO A RHYTHM

• Eat 3 balanced meals a day to stabilise energy, support digestion, and optimise hormone health.
• Snacks are optional, but should be intentional, not just habit.
• Skipping meals = hormone, mood, and energy chaos.

💡 Your gut, hormones, and blood sugar thrive on rhythm and consistency.

FINAL THOUGHTS – WHAT YOU DO NOW SHAPES YOUR FUTURE (AND THEIRS)

One of the greatest gifts you can give your daughter is helping her understand her body - so she never has to go through perimenopause (or puberty) feeling lost and out of control.

• Your daughter is watching you. The way you nourish your body teaches her how to care for hers.
• Food is not about restriction or fear - it’s about nourishment.
• Small, sustainable changes make a huge impact - for both of you.

Don’t forget to share this blog with another mum who’s navigating perimenopause and puberty.