Why you should eat carbs!
Let me introduce you to Mel. Mel is 52, she's tired, she's bloated, and she has sworn off carbohydrates entirely. Breakfast is basic. Lunch is sadness on a plate. By 3pm she's raiding the office biscuit tin and wondering why she has zero willpower.
Here's the thing, it wasn't a willpower problem. It was a blood sugar problem.
Not all carbs are created equal
Carbohydrates are your body's primary fuel source, especially for your brain. The real question isn't whether to eat them, it's which ones to choose.
Simple carbs (think white bread, sugary cereals, biscuits) digest fast, spike your blood sugar, and then drop it just as quickly, leaving you tired, cranky, and reaching for something sweet. Complex carbs do the opposite. Wholegrains, legumes, starchy vegetables, oats, these digest slowly, keeping your energy and mood steady throughout the day. In menopause, when blood sugar stability becomes even harder to maintain, this distinction really matters.
But wait! What about fruit?
Fruit contains natural sugars, but thanks to its fibre content, it actually behaves more like a complex carb in your body. So yes, eat the apple. Enjoy the berries. The fibre slows everything down beautifully and supports stable blood sugar.
Your muscles need carbs too!
Carbohydrates are your muscles' preferred fuel for exercise and recovery. If you're trying to build or maintain strength during menopause (which you absolutely should be), cutting carbs too low will work against you.
Fibre - the unsung hero
Fibre is technically a carb, and it deserves a standing ovation. Most women eat less than half the recommended 25–30g daily, and in menopause, that gap really shows up. Fibre feeds your beneficial gut bacteria, supports bowel regularity, helps lower cholesterol, and keeps blood sugar stable. Oats, legumes, vegetables, fruits, wholegrains, nuts and seeds - these are your fibre all-stars.
The Simply Nourish approach
Rather than cutting carbs, the focus is on choosing the right ones. Slow-digesting, fibre-rich, whole-food sources that nourish rather than spike. Eat the rainbow of vegetables and fruit, include wholegrains and legumes daily, and let your body do what it does best - when you actually feed it properly.
Mel eventually figured this out, with Brenda’s help. She added oats back to breakfast, swapped white rice for brown, and started including legumes a few times a week. Her energy came back. The 3pm biscuit raids stopped.
Carbs weren't her enemy. They just needed a better introduction.
