You’re feeling exhausted by 3 PM, craving something sweet, and thinking, “Just one little treat won’t hurt.” But what if I told you that sugar isn’t just zapping your energy—it could be fueling your cravings, disrupting your hormones, and making perimenopause & menopause symptoms worse? Today we are discussing ‘The Sweet Truth’ about sugar and how it’s impacting your health after 40—without you even realizing it.” We will talk about how sugar disrupts hormones and what you can do about it.
Have you ever eaten something sweet, felt a quick burst of energy, and then suddenly crashed – feeling sluggish, moody, or craving more sugar? If so, that’s when your hormones talking! Sugar affects four key hormones in women’s lives.
What Hormones Does Sugar Affect?
- Insulin
- Cortisol
- Estrogen
- Progesterone
After age 40 estrogen, progesterone, insulin, and cortisol become even more sensitive to sugar intake. Why does this happen and what can you do?
Insulin and Weight Gain
Have you noticed that your metabolism seems to slow down after 40? And our cells don’t respond as well to insulin either. This means when we eat too much sugar, our body has trouble using it for energy and instead stores it as fat – mostly in the belly area.
When you eat sugar, insulin is released by your pancreas to help move the sugar into cells. Think of insulin as the key to unlock the door to let blood sugar into your cells. Cells either use it or it is converted to fat. And if you eat too much, your cells become insulin resistant, meaning the body has to pump out more insulin. Too much insulin equals fat storage mode. And I know that’s not what any of us want.
And if you remain in insulin resistance too long, you’re more at risk of developing pre-diabetes and diabetes type 2, metabolic syndrome, obesity, dementia, and heart disease.
Simple Solutions to Balance Insulin, Metabolism, and Stabilize Energy
- Avoid skipping meals which can make insulin resistance worse.
- Begin your day with protein like meat, eggs, Greek yogurt, or nuts and seeds instead of sugary pastries or cereal.
- Combine complex carbohydrates with a protein, fiber, and healthy fat to prevent blood sugar level spikes.
- Walk for 10 minutes after a meal to help regulate blood sugar naturally. Walking increases muscle contractions and blood flow which helps absorption into the bloodstream. So your blood sugar levels naturally decrease without having to release so much insulin.
What About Cortisol and Sugar Cravings
Have you noticed when you’re stressed, you crave sugar? No one craves broccoli when stressed, right? That’s because stress raises cortisol, your stress hormone, which makes your body demand quick energy – usually in the form of sweets or carbs.
When you eat a refined sugar (think cookies, cakes, candy, pasta, and even bread), your blood sugar level rises and then crashes soon after. The crash causes more stress, more cravings, and then you repeat the cycle.
Simple Strategies to Reduce Stress and Sugar Cravings
- Combine a protein plus fat which helps control cravings. The protein and the fat are slower to digest so you stay full longer which helps prevent cravings.
- Practice deep breathing – just a few deep breaths before eating actually helps lower cortisol and stop the stress (emotional) eating.
- Eat magnesium-rich foods like almonds, spinach, and dark chocolate (only 1 – 2 ounces of the chocolate). Magnesium is known to help calm the nervous system.
- Be sure you get adequate sleep at night – usually 7 – 8 hours for adults.
Sugar, Estrogen, and Perimenopause or Menopause
If you’re already in perimenopause or menopause, sugar can make your symptoms feel worse. It affects estrogen and progesterone, leading to mood swings, hot flashes, fatigue, and often weight gain.
- Hot Flashes and Night Sweats – sugar spikes blood sugar which triggers heat surges and sweating.
- Mood Swings and Brain Fog – blood sugar fluctuations can cause irritability and forgetfulness.
- Belly Fat and Weight Gain – Excess sugar raises insulin (like I mentioned above), which stores fat in your midsection. So you’ll see that on your scale and in how your clothes fit.
Simple Solutions: Try Hormone-Friendly Swaps
- Swap processed and refined carbs like breads, cookies, and pastas for fiber-rich carbs like quinoa and sweet potatoes.
- Reduce alcohol and sugar together – alcohol spikes your blood sugar also, making symptoms worse.
- Eat flaxseeds and cruciferous vegetables like broccoli and cauliflower to help balance estrogen naturally.
The sweet truth is that sugar has a bigger impact on your hormones, energy, and stress than you may realize. The good news is that small changes can make a huge difference. So just pick one of these suggestions and do it this week. Gradually you’ll develop it into a habit and will notice positive changes in how you feel, look, and think.
Feel overwhelmed on your health journey? Tired of not feeling better? Feel like giving up? If you’re a women over 40 and having digestive symptoms, weight and hormonal problems, brain fog, pain, and trouble fitting into your clothes, you’re not alone. Many of my clients (and myself sometimes, if I’m honest) sometimes feel this way. But usually it’s because we think we “have to” change everything overnight. But really success in our health journey happens when we make small daily changes – one tiny step at a time. If that’s you, know I understand. I’ve helped myself and clients over the years break down big goals into small, manageable steps to decrease symptoms and achieve their potential. Let me help you, too. Contact me here to schedule a free 20-minute consult. — Leah Cheshire, NBC-HWC
