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Amy | Plant-Based Perimenopause + Menopause Nutrition

@blissfully.amy

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Plant-based, in perimenopause, losing strength on a good diet? Been there.
Board-certified IFNCP • NASM-CPT
Hong Kong • global
Free Clarity Call ↓

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I thought I knew my body.

In my late forties, everything I had always relied on stopped working the way it used to.
I was plant-based. I trained. I slept well.

Then perimenopause turned up, and none of it added up anymore.
Most of what I read was written for someone else. Someone who eats differently, or who would rather be smaller than strong.

I did not want to shrink. I wanted to know why.

So I went back to school. I studied functional nutrition and strength training, and earned my credentials as an Integrative and Functional Nutrition Certified Practitioner (IFNCP) and a NASM-certified personal trainer.

Then I put it together with everything I already knew from twenty years of teaching, movement, and cooking, and built something that actually fit.

Now I work with plant-based women in perimenopause and menopause who want to understand what is happening in their bodies, and get stronger while they are at it.

If that is you, stick around. When you want to talk it through, my Perimenopause free Clarity Call is in my bio.

#plantbasedwomen #menopausenutrition #perimenopausehealth #functionalnutrition #menopausefitness by @blissfully.amy

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2 months ago

Cortisol naturally rises after you wake, then gradually falls throughout the day. Morning light helps tell your body it’s daytime.

That’s why I like to start my mornings outside with Mia. 🐾 by @blissfully.amy

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16 days ago

Think soy is just tofu?

These are eight kinds of soy I use in my kitchen: firm tofu, edamame, koya tofu, soy milk, silken tofu, doy yogurt, natto, tempeh and TVP.

They taste different, and I use them in completely different meals. Coffee, smoothies, soups, avocado toast, bolognese.

They all provide complete protein, with all nine essential amino acids, which is why I keep them in rotation past forty to help maintain muscle.

Which ones have you tried, and which one is going on your shopping list?

Save this for later and send it to someone who thinks soy is boring.

#SoyFoods #PlantBasedProtein #PlantBasedNutrition #MidlifeNutrition #WomenOver40 PlantBasedDiet by @blissfully.amy

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a month ago

You can hit 30g of protein at a meal and still miss an important signal for muscle building.

That signal is leucine, an essential amino acid that helps trigger muscle protein synthesis, the process your body uses to build and repair muscle.

Plant foods already contain leucine. The goal is not to find a special leucine food or add another supplement. It is to build a complete meal with a substantial protein serving.

When I developed these lentil waffles with tofu cottage cheese for my programme, I looked at the whole plate. Both the waffles and the topping contribute protein, leucine and the other amino acids your muscles need.

For active women in midlife, a practical target I use is 30 to 40 grams of protein at a main meal.

Want a clearer plan for supporting your nutrition and muscle health through midlife? Book your free Clarity Call through the link in my bio.

#PlantBasedNutrition #MenopauseNutrition #PerimenopauseHealth #PlantBasedProtein #MuscleHealth #HealthyAging #Leucine by @blissfully.amy

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a month ago

Protein isn’t the only thing I’m looking at when I build a meal.

These are plates from my program. For a full meal, I usually start around 30g of protein to support muscle as we get older. Then I look at the rest of the plate. Is there enough fibre? Enough carbohydrate to support energy and training? Are we covering things like iron and iodine? Is there enough plant variety?

One of these five is a side, and I kept it in for a reason. Not every single plate needs to hit 30g of protein. The whole meal does.

I’m very much food first. Supplements are there to fill the gaps food can’t reliably cover, and B12 is the obvious one on a plant-based diet.

If you’re plant-based, in perimenopause or menopause, eating what looks like a really good diet and still feeling like you’re losing strength, that’s exactly the kind of thing I look at. The Clarity Call is free, link in bio.

Photos by @trixmalan by @blissfully.amy

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2 months ago

The potatoes in this breakfast were cooked yesterday, on purpose.

Cooking and then cooling potatoes increases their resistant starch content, which can support gut health and may help reduce the post-meal glucose response.

The rest of the plate is simple. Tofu and natto bring the protein, with the natto adding vitamin K2. Avocado gives me some fat, spinach and tomatoes add plant variety, and the potatoes provide carbohydrates plus resistant starch.

I’m training later this morning, so breakfast is part of how I prepare for that.

Simple, balanced, satisfying.

What’s your go-to breakfast? by @blissfully.amy

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2 months ago

Most menopause advice wasn’t written with plant-based women in mind.

So here’s what I want you to know.

Midlife is not the time to move away from plants. It’s when they matter most.

Legumes, whole grains, soy, fruits and vegetables, nuts and seeds support your blood sugar, cholesterol, gut and heart health. They also give you the fibre and plant compounds that support healthy ageing.

But the way we eat does need to adapt during perimenopause.

That means eating enough, being more intentional about protein, paying attention to B12, omega-3s, iodine, calcium and vitamin D, and progressive weight lifting to protect our muscle, bones and metabolism.

You can stay plant-based, build muscle and get stronger through midlife.

The problem isn’t plant-based eating. It’s that plant-based women haven’t been given guidance that understands the female body in midlife.

That’s the gap I’m here to fill.

If you’re plant-based and navigating perimenopause, what advice do you keep hearing that just doesn’t fit the way you eat?

#plantbasedmenopause #perimenopausenutrition #plantbasedwomen #menopausesupport #plantbasedprotein by @blissfully.amy

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2 months ago

84% fewer moderate-to-severe hot flashes in 12 weeks. That is what the women in this study got, and they did it with food.

For 12 weeks, postmenopausal women followed a low-fat vegan diet that included ½ cup of cooked whole soybeans every day. The control group also saw a reduction, but it was 42%.

For 12 weeks, postmenopausal women followed a low-fat vegan diet that included ½ cup of cooked whole soybeans every day. By the end, they experienced an 84% reduction in moderate-to-severe hot flashes. The control group also saw a reduction, but it was 42%.

It’s one study, but the results are encouraging. I’ve been eating this way myself, and it’s been working well for me too. 🌱

Part 2 coming soon…

If you’d like to explore what this could look like for you, book a free Clarity Call through the link in my bio.

Study: Barnard ND et al., Menopause (2021), “The Women’s Study for the Alleviation of Vasomotor Symptoms.”

#MenopauseNutrition #PlantBasedNutrition #HotFlashes #WomensHealth by @blissfully.amy

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2 months ago

Plant-based, in midlife, and stronger than I was at 30. Kinda chic. ✨ by @blissfully.amy

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2 months ago

Muscle can go before bone.

You've been told to watch your bone density, maybe get a DEXA scan. But muscle loss can start first. It's called sarcopenia. Because most people aren't routinely screened for it, you can simply feel weaker and put it down to age.

Two things make a real difference: lifting heavy enough that your last two reps feel almost impossible, twice a week, and eating enough protein to build with, about 30 grams a meal, starting at breakfast.

There's also a specific amino acid that plays a big role in switching muscle building on. That one's coming in a few videos.

Send this to a friend who's training hard and getting nowhere. by @blissfully.amy

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2 months ago

Everybody told me I looked amazing.

But I was getting smaller, not stronger.

Three years ago, I was hiking every day, doing Pilates, and eating what I thought was a healthy plant-based diet. I was lean, but I couldn't build muscle.

The reason was simple: I wasn't eating enough to support how much I was moving. My body had enough energy to keep going, but not enough of the building blocks it needed to add muscle.

In perimenopause, this matters more, not less. Muscle supports your metabolism, bones, and strength for the decades ahead. Training alone can't compensate for consistently under-fueling.

Now I eat considerably more, lift heavy, and have more muscle than I did twenty years ago.

If you're training hard and nothing is changing, you may not need to train harder. You may need to eat more.

If that's where you are, plant-based and doing everything right, this is exactly what I help clients untangle. Book a Clarity Call through the link in my bio. by @blissfully.amy

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2 months ago

I sat the exam without telling anyone the date.

Not because it was a secret. Because if I failed, I didn’t want to carry anyone else’s disappointment alongside my own.

I passed.

Integrative and Functional Nutrition Certified Practitioner.

On Saturday, I had my final call with my mentor. I asked her what would actually make the difference over the next couple of years.

She told me my clinical reasoning is strong, that she rarely had to add anything, and that I need to trust myself.

That was the part I needed.

Not the letters. Someone who had watched the whole way through and could tell me what she saw. by @blissfully.amy

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3 months ago