Podcast Summary

Podcast: Better! with Dr. Stephanie
Episode: Menopausal Nutrition: Improving Belly Fat, Snacking and Heart Health with Sarah Berry PhD
Date: April 7, 2025
Host: Dr. Stephanie Estima
Guest: Prof. Sarah Berry, King’s College London & Zoe

Overview

This episode explores the science and practical realities of nutrition for women navigating menopause and midlife. Dr. Stephanie Estima welcomes Professor Sarah Berry—a leading nutritional epidemiologist, chief scientist at Zoe, and expert in the "food matrix"—to discuss the impact of food structure, healthy snacking, social media misinformation (dubbed "nutribollocks"), and actionable dietary strategies for improving brain fog, belly fat, and heart health in peri- and postmenopausal women. The episode is infused with empowering, myth-busting, and practical advice to help women take ownership of their midlife nutrition, particularly amidst social media confusion.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Food Matrix: Structure Over Macronutrients

• Definition & Importance
  • The "food matrix" describes the structure of food, which influences digestion, nutrient absorption, satiety, and metabolic health more than macronutrient or calorie content alone.
  • Example: A whole apple, applesauce, and apple juice with identical nutrition labels have drastically different effects on hunger, blood sugar, and overall health ([06:49], Sarah Berry).
• Processing Matters
  • Heavily processed foods (ground, pureed, emulsified) disrupt the natural food matrix, leading to:
    • Quicker eating and overconsumption.
    • Increased calorie absorption.
    • Decreased satiety ([09:05], Sarah Berry).
  • Example: Eating whole almonds results in only absorbing 120 out of 160 labeled calories, while ground almonds lead to full calorie absorption ([10:40], Sarah Berry).
• Practical Takeaway
  • "If a smoothie is the way for you to eat more of these helpful foods, absolutely, it's going to improve your health. However, if we were to want to go for optimization, then I think it's better to eat the whole food." ([10:40], Sarah Berry).

2. Snacking: Quality, Timing, and Impact on Health

• Prevalence and Potential
  • Average adult gets 20–25% of calories from snacks—making snack choice a powerful modifiable factor ([17:59], Sarah Berry).
  • Snacking is often under personal control, unlike main meals.
• Healthy vs. Unhealthy Snacking
  • Substituting typical snacks (chips, sweets) with nuts significantly improved cardiovascular health markers in just 6 weeks: "30% predicted risk reduction in cardiovascular disease" ([17:59], Sarah Berry).
  • Positive changes seen in body composition, blood lipids, inflammation, insulin sensitivity, and gut microbiome.
• Timing
  • Snack frequency is less critical than quality, except for late-night snacking.
    • Snacks after 9 pm—healthy or not—are linked to higher BMI, inflammation, and worse lipid profiles ([17:59], Sarah Berry).
  • Actionable summary: "If you are a snacker, great—use it as a way to improve the healthfulness of your diet...but avoid snacking after 9 o'clock at night." ([17:59], Sarah Berry).
• Defining a Snack
  • No global consensus, but typically "an eating event between main meals" ([23:10], Sarah Berry).
• Best Healthy Snacks
  • Diversity of nuts/seeds, whole fruit, hard-boiled eggs, cheese, and even leftovers or "mini meals."
  • Nut butters and rye/whole-grain breads also beneficial if portioned appropriately ([25:06], Sarah Berry).

"The ultimate healthy snack is a mixture of seeds and nuts... and having them in their whole form is absolutely great. It will keep you full for longer." ([25:06], Sarah Berry)

3. "Nutribollocks" and Social Media Misinformation

Seed Oils: Are They Really Bad?

• Myth-Busting
  • Popular online narratives claim seed oils (e.g., canola, soybean) cause inflammation and disease.
  • Human clinical trials contradict this: "People who have a higher intake of seed oils have lower risk of cardiovascular disease, lower risk of total mortality... seed oils result in more favorable health outcomes [compared to butter or lard]." ([43:19], Sarah Berry).
• Why Do Myths Spread?
  • Influencers use confident, fear-based messaging for attention; scientists generally communicate nuance and uncertainty.
    • "We are always taught to self-doubt, to doubt the evidence, to question the evidence, to caution..." ([33:46], Sarah Berry).
  • The "natural = good" fallacy is debunked—many "natural" things are hazardous ([43:19], Berry & Estima).
• Evidence-Based Takeaway
  • Instead of worrying about seed oils, focus on eating less ultra-processed foods, and more whole foods rich in poly- and monounsaturated fats.

Oats: Carbs, Blood Sugar, and Phytic Acid

• Are Oats Bad?
  • Oats are often demonized online for spiking blood sugar or containing "anti-nutrients" like phytic acid.
  • Reality: Oats, especially less-processed forms (rolled/steel-cut), have a modest blood sugar impact, provide valuable fiber (beta-glucan), and lower LDL ("bad") cholesterol ([76:00], Sarah Berry).
  • "Beta glucans can significantly reduce cholesterol levels... a large bowl of porridge oats will significantly reduce your bad cholesterol." ([74:19], Sarah Berry)
  • Pairing oats with protein and healthy fats (“proats”: protein + oats) further improves nutritional value and glycemic response.

4. Menopause, Symptoms, and Dietary Interventions

Symptom Burden

• Prevalence
  • 99% of women experience menopausal symptoms; 66% experience 12 or more at once.
  • Brain-related symptoms (brain fog, memory loss, anxiety, mood swings, sleep disturbances) are more common than vasomotor symptoms (hot flashes, night sweats) — affecting 85% of women ([00:00], [56:13], Sarah Berry).
• Workforce Impact
  • 10% of women in the UK leave the workforce because of menopausal symptoms ([57:48], Sarah Berry).

Diet and Symptom Relief

• Personalized Nutrition Study
  • In Zoe's cohort, adopting a plant-diverse, higher-fiber, lower-processed food diet led to a 35% reduction in symptom prevalence and severity over 12–18 weeks ([57:48], Sarah Berry).
  • "There was about a 35% reduction in the prevalence of these symptoms... after they had modified their diet." ([57:48], Sarah Berry)
• Caveat
  • Observational data—no control group—so results are encouraging but not proof of causation.

Dietary Strategies for Longevity and Heart Health

• Menopause and Heart Disease
  • After menopause, risk for CVD rises sharply due to loss of estrogen: "As soon as you reach the perimenopausal phase, your blood pressure shoots up... cholesterol goes up... insulin sensitivity gets worse..." ([45:21], Sarah Berry)
• Action Steps
  • Prioritize type of fat over total fat:
    • Increase: Poly- and monounsaturated fats (olive oil, avocados, nuts, seeds, seed oils).
    • Decrease: Certain saturated fats, refined carbohydrates, and ultra-processed foods.
  • Eggs/dietary cholesterol are not a major concern for most.
• Cholesterol is Not “Bad”
  • Cholesterol is vital, and dietary changes modestly influence blood levels compared to genetics and liver production ([50:46], Dr. Stephanie).

Vivid Quote on Confidence and Social Expectations

“I still get memory loss, I still get brain fog, I still get confused... and I feel really sad about the amount of women that don’t realize it’s the menopause and think there’s something really wrong with them... they lose their confidence to the extent that even driving to a supermarket becomes a challenge.” ([62:03], Sarah Berry)

5. The Menowashing Phenomenon

• Definition: The predatory practice of labeling products “meno-” to target menopausal women at a premium price, often without scientific evidence (“meno-washing”).
• Advice: If it works for you and you can afford it, use it—otherwise, move on ([71:36], Sarah Berry).

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On Nutrient Optimization vs. Real Life
  • "As a mum of teenage kids, if they're happy to have a smoothie every morning, I'd be singing from the rooftops with joy." ([15:48], Sarah Berry)
• Truth on Social Media Nutrition Fears
  • "I would prefer to listen to someone like you more, than some bro shirtless in a grocery store yelling about canola oil." ([34:40], Dr. Stephanie)
• On Empowerment
  • "It's not about being perfect; it's about being better." ([00:40], Dr. Stephanie)

Important Timestamps

| Segment | Topic | Timestamps | |---------|-------|------------| | Food Matrix, Whole vs Ground Foods | [05:18]–[14:37] | | Snacking Science & Tips | [17:59]–[29:33] | | Nutribollocks: Seed Oils & Social Media | [31:43]–[43:19] | | Heart Health & Menopause | [45:21]–[52:53] | | Diet, Symptoms & the Menowashing Trap | [55:50]–[73:07] | | Oats & Carb Fears Debunked | [73:12]–[80:01] |

Where to Find More

• Dr. Sarah Berry: Instagram, King’s College London, Zoe Science & Nutrition Podcast, MenoScale for symptom tracking (MenoScale link)
• Dr. Stephanie Estima: betterwithdrstephanie.com, Spotify, Apple Podcasts

Takeaway Messages

• Food structure matters more than labels. Prioritize whole, minimally processed foods to improve satiety, metabolic health, and nutrient absorption.
• Snacking is powerful: Swap out junk snacks for nuts, seeds, eggs, or fruit, and avoid late-night snacking for cardiometabolic health.
• Do not fear seed oils or oats: Both are health-promoting when part of a varied, minimally processed diet.
• Menopausal symptoms are common and modifiable: Diet quality—especially whole, plant-based, diverse, and fiber-rich—reduces both physical and mental burdens.
• Watch for 'menowashing': Be skeptical of products marketed to menopausal women; evidence matters more than branding.
• Empowerment > Perfection: “It’s not about being perfect, it’s about being better.”