Why Knowing How to Cook Might Be the Most Underrated Hormone Therapy

If you’re eating “healthy” but still struggling with weight gain, cravings, low energy, or digestion during perimenopause or menopause, you’re not alone.

And more importantly — you’re not doing anything wrong.

Most women I work with understand nutrition. They know vegetables matter. They know protein is important. They know sugar doesn’t make them feel great. Yet food still feels harder than it used to.

That’s not a failure of willpower.
It’s a sign that your body’s needs have changed.

Food Is Information, Not Just Fuel

In midlife, food becomes more than calories or macros. It becomes information for your hormones, gut, blood sugar, and nervous system.

As estrogen shifts, your body becomes more sensitive to:

• blood sugar swings
• inflammation
• stress
• digestion challenges

Meals that once “worked” may no longer provide enough support. And when food doesn’t send clear, calming signals, symptoms often follow — cravings, fatigue, bloating, and frustration.

This is why “just eat healthy” often stops working in menopause.

The Missing Skill Most Women Were Never Taught

One of the biggest gaps in women’s health education is this:

We were taught what to eat, but not how to turn food into something that supports our bodies.

Cooking isn’t about being gourmet or spending hours in the kitchen. It’s a health skill — one that helps:

• stabilize blood sugar
• reduce inflammation
• support gut health
• and lower food-related stress

When cooking skills are missing, even healthy eating can feel exhausting and unsatisfying.

Why Satisfaction Matters More Than Ever

In menopause, satisfaction is not indulgence — it’s physiology.

Meals that lack flavor, fat, texture, or warmth often leave the body feeling incomplete. When that happens, cravings increase — not because you lack control, but because your body is still looking for balance.

Flavor plays a powerful role in:

• satiety
• digestion
• nervous system regulation

This is why bland “diet food” so often backfires in midlife.

A Simple Shift You Can Try This Week

Instead of changing what you eat, try changing how it tastes.

Add one element:

• a squeeze of lemon
• a drizzle of olive oil
• herbs or spices
• a sauce you enjoy

Small shifts like this can dramatically improve satisfaction and help meals work with your body instead of against it.

Menopause Needs Skills, Not Rules

Menopause isn’t asking you to try harder or eat perfectly.
It’s asking you to care for yourself differently — with compassion, skill, and consistency.

Cooking, when approached gently, becomes one of the most powerful tools for hormone support.

🎧 Listen to the full podcast episode:
Why Knowing How to Cook Might Be the Most Underrated Hormone Therapy