If your hormones feel all over the place, poor sleep, nonstop cravings, afternoon crashes, and stubborn belly weight, insulin resistance and blood sugar dysregulation needs to be addressed. As estrogen and progesterone shift during perimenopause and menopause, insulin resistance can increase (making it harder to balance blood sugar) and this is directly tied to storing more fat around your abdominal area, experiencing energy crashes, and more. 

Common signs of this can include weight gain (especially around the midsection), energy crashes, intense cravings, sleep issues, in addition to a higher risk of heart disease, Alzheimer’s disease and cancer.  

The good news: better blood sugar balance can help restore hormonal rhythm and can mitigate many of these symptoms, like improving energy, mood, sleep, metabolism, and long?term health.

The positive loop: Steady glucose ? steadier cortisol rhythm ? better thyroid conversion (T4?T3) ? more stable sex hormones ? better energy, sleep, and body composition.

Muscle is your metabolic advantage

As estrogen falls, muscle mass naturally declines—unless you actively maintain it. Muscle acts like a sponge for glucose, improving insulin sensitivity and stabilizing hormones. Less muscle ? more blood sugar variability ? faster biological aging (think glycation and wrinkles) and more inflammation. Building and protecting muscle is non-negotiable for a healthy metabolism.

Why “calories in, calories out” isn’t enough after 35

Once you’re 35+ as a woman and you’re experiencing these hormonal shifts, simply eating less and moving more won’t fix these symptoms. You need to improve insulin resistance and make blood sugar balance the base of your hormone strategy.

Hormone Pyramid:

• Base: Insulin + Cortisol
  
• Middle: Thyroid (T4 + T3)
  
• Top: Sex hormones (Estrogen, Progesterone, Testosterone)
  

You need to think about improving insulin resistance which means having blood sugar foundation as the foundation for improving hormonal balance.

Blood Sugar 101

Glucose is your cells’ primary fuel. Every cell in the body is designed to produce energy from glucose, but how efficiently this happens depends on metabolic health and insulin sensitivity. Every time you eat, blood sugar rises, triggering the release of insulin to escort glucose into cells, especially muscle, for energy.

(meaning they have more starches or added sugar without enough protein, healthy fats and fiber), you’ll experience a blood sugar spike, followed by a crash within 1-2 hours later that causes energy to plummet.  

Analogy: Insulin is the school bus driver; glucose is the students. After a meal, the bus picks up students and drops them at school (your cells). If too many students show up at once (a big sugar/starch hit), the bus system gets overwhelmed and your body calls in more buses (more insulin). Over years of spikes, plus stress and inactivity, coupled with a drop in estrogen, your cells stop responding. The “school security” (insulin receptors/GLUT-4) won’t let students in. That’s insulin resistance and it accelerates with age, perimenopause and menopause, sedentary behavior, a high carbohydrate diet, chronic stress, and more.

When cells won’t take glucose, it’s rerouted to fat cells, increasing abdominal fat OR to the liver where some becomes glycogen, but excess converts to fatty acids and triglycerides, raising triglyceride levels and risk for fatty liver. Overtime the metabolic dysfunction stacks up which increases insulin resistance further, leading to more elevations in glucose, an increased risk of prediabetes and metabolic dysfunction. 

The symptom cascade

• Fatigue and afternoon crashes
  
• Brain fog and low motivation
  
• Intense cravings and hunger soon after eating
  
• Mood swings and poor sleep
  
• Hormonal imbalances
  
• Increased inflammation and accelerated aging
  

How to Improve Your Hormone Balance with Nutrition 

These are the basics we emphasize with thousands of women. They’re not flashy, but they move the needle.

1-Focus on Blood Sugar Balance with Your Nutrition 

Use the Optimal Plate Method at most meals:

• Protein (¼–1/3 plate): fish, poultry, eggs, Greek?style yogurt, tofu/tempeh, grass?fed meats
• Fiber?rich carbs (¼ plate): beans, lentils, quinoa, oats, root veg, fruit
• Colorful non?starchy veg (½ plate): leafy greens, brassicas, peppers, tomatoes
• Healthy fats (1–2 tbsp): olive oil, avocado, nuts/seeds, tahini

2-Aim for an average of 30g of fiber per day

The research is clear that fiber intake helps slow glucose absorption, keeps you full longer, helps improve hormonal balance, decreases risk of cardiovascular disease, decreases depression and more. 

This means incorporating high fiber foods into your diet like raspberries, avocado, beans, and chia seeds. 

3-Eat Three Balanced Meals & Avoid Grazing

Consistency is key—skipping meals or eating imbalanced meals is the fastest ticket to less steady blood sugar, a higher likelihood of grazing and overeating. 

Follow My 7 Day Blood Sugar Reset Meal Plan 

I would love to help support you in improving your hormone balance by improving insulin sensitivity and supporting blood sugar balance. The meal plan prioritizes the right balance at each meal, anti-inflammatory ingredients, high fiber foods (an average of 30g of fiber per day) and satiating meals to help you stop grazing and feel more in control. Join the 25,000 women who have improved their blood sugar and hormonal health with the Blood Sugar Reset!  

Join me for the Fall Blood Sugar Reset and get instant access to the 7 day meal plan! We start October 27th! https://beingbrigid.com/blood-sugar-reset