37: Midlife Nutrition Tips for Belly Fat, Brain Fog and Sleep with Barbara Sobel

If you’ve hit your 40s and suddenly feel like your body got swapped out for someone else’s…I’m right there with you. For many midlife women, uninvited menopause belly fat shows up overnight, brain fog makes you lose your train of thought mid-sentence, and you’re wide awake at 3am pondering disasters that will probably never happen. 

In this episode, I’m joined by Barbara Sobel, a board-certified nutritionist with a master’s in clinical and functional medicine nutrition. Barb specializes in midlife and menopause nutrition and helping women in perimenopause and menopause figure out what actually helps us feel better at this stage of life.

We dive into:

•The truth about protein for women in perimenopause and menopause

•What to eat to steady blood sugar and reduce menopause belly fat

•What to do if you are pre-diabetic or have high cholesterol (both common in midlife)

•Nutrition tips to support your strength training

•How nutrition and lifestyle shifts can improve sleep in midlife women

•Key nutrients for perimenopause brain fog, hair thinning, and hormone changes

•Intermittent fasting in midlife: Yay or Nay?

Barb’s approach is refreshingly real: no rigid diet rules, no gimmicks, and no shame. Just practical, doable ways to feel like yourself again—even when your hormones have other plans.

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction

02:18 Nutrition Advice for Perimenopause

06:17 You Don't Have to Stick to One Diet ALL the Time

08:55 Use the Plate Visual

11:46 Are Dairy Foods Considered Protein or Fat?

14:54 How Much Protein Should Midlife Women Eat?

18:57 What to Do If You Are Pre-Diabetic or Have High Cholesterol

23:20 Nutrition Tips for Brain Fog, Hair Thinning and Sleep

27:31 Nutrition for Midlife Symptoms

27:48 Nutrition to Support Strength Training

31:26 What to Do About Menopausal Belly Weight

38:57 Intermittent Fasting in Midlife: Yay or Nay?

41:21 Key Takeaways

🎧 Other Episodes You Might Enjoy:

5 Habits That Improved My Sleep in Perimenopause

5 Protein Recipes for Midlife Women Who Don’t Want to Eat Chicken All Day

Connect with Barbara:

barbsobel.com

@barbarasobel_nutrition

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