My Top Tips to Balancing Blood Sugar in Midlife

Many of my clients notice their energy, appetite and weight begin to shift around perimenopause and menopause. Even if your diet hasn’t changed much, you may feel more tired, experience stronger cravings, or find that weight gathers more easily around your middle. And all those tricks that you used to use to drop half a stone don’t work anymore.

This often links back to changes in blood sugar regulation. Hormonal shifts during menopause can affect how your body responds to carbohydrates and insulin, making it harder to maintain steady energy. The good news is that simple, food-first strategies can make a big difference.

Why Blood Sugar Balance Matters During Menopause

Blood sugar (glucose) is your body’s main source of fuel. After eating, glucose from carbohydrates enters your bloodstream, and the hormone insulin helps move it into your cells for energy.

During perimenopause and after menopause, lower oestrogen levels can make the body less sensitive to insulin. This means glucose stays in the bloodstream for longer, and the body may release more insulin to compensate. Over time, this can lead to energy crashes, increased fat storage, and higher risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

Supporting blood sugar balance helps reduce these risks while improving daily energy, focus and mood.

How to Spot Imbalances

Recognising the signs of blood sugar swings can help you spot when you might need to make adjustments.

Cravings, Energy Crashes and Weight Gain
Common signs include:

• Strong cravings for sugary or refined foods, especially mid-morning or mid-afternoon
• Energy slumps a few hours after eating
• Feeling shaky, anxious or irritable if you go too long without food
• Weight gain around the abdomen, even without eating more than usual

These symptoms can have other causes too, so it’s important not to self-diagnose – always check with your GP if something is off. But if they sound familiar, it can be worth experimenting with blood sugar-balancing strategies and monitoring how you feel.

Simple Nutrition Strategies for Steady Energy

The goal is to keep blood sugar levels gently rising and falling through the day, rather than spiking sharply and then crashing. A few small changes to your meals and eating habits can help. 

Here are my top tips to balancing your blood sugar:

Include protein at every meal
Protein slows the release of glucose from food, helping you feel fuller for longer. Aim for 20–30g per meal. Good sources include fish, poultry, eggs, dairy, tofu, tempeh, lentils, beans, nuts and seeds.

Add fibre and healthy fats
Fibre-rich foods like vegetables, fruit, legumes, nuts and seeds help regulate glucose release and support gut health. Healthy fats from olive oil, avocado, nuts and seeds also slow digestion and improve satiety.

Choose whole, minimally processed carbohydrates
Swap refined carbs like white bread, pastries and sugary snacks for veggie alternatives like courgetti, cauliflower rice, or mashed celeriac. These release glucose more gradually.

Balance your plate
As a simple visual guide, aim to fill half your plate with non-starchy vegetables, a quarter with protein, and a quarter with wholegrain or starchy vegetables. Include a small portion of healthy fat such as olive oil or avocado.

Eat three meals a day, no snacks
Spacing those three meals every within a 12-hour window helps maintain steady energy. Grazing all day can keep insulin levels raised, while skipping meals may lead to big spikes and crashes later. This will also give you a lovely 12-hour overnight fast. 

Be mindful with caffeine and alcohol
Too much caffeine on an empty stomach can spike cortisol and blood sugar, while alcohol can cause unstable blood sugar overnight. Try to pair caffeine with food and keep alcohol within recommended limits.

Move your body
Even a short walk after meals can help lower blood glucose levels by encouraging muscles to use glucose for energy. Strength training supports insulin sensitivity and helps preserve muscle, which naturally declines with age.

What next?

Blood sugar balance is one of the most impactful areas to focus on in midlife. It can help reduce cravings, stabilise energy and support healthy weight management - all while lowering the long-term risk of diabetes and heart disease.

Start by making small, sustainable changes to your meals, such as adding more protein and fibre, choosing wholegrains, and spacing meals evenly through the day. These shifts can have a powerful effect on how you feel, think and move through daily life. And if you want to know more about how to put this into practice, why not get in touch?