Menopause and Perimenopause Meal Plan Justification

FiveDinners Menopause & Perimenopause Assessment Criteria

FiveDinners assesses each recipe against a consistent set of food-based nutritional criteria designed around the needs that can become particularly important during menopause and perimenopause. A recipe must provide meaningful nutritional benefits as part of a balanced, complete meal.

Our criteria are informed by recognised UK guidance (see bottom of this page) and focus on supporting muscle maintenance, bone strength, heart health, digestive health and healthy weight management. They are intended as practical, general guidance and do not suggest that individual foods can treat or prevent menopausal symptoms.

1. Adequate protein ✓

Protein helps preserve muscle mass, which naturally declines during and after menopause.

Target:

• Approximately 25–30g protein per serving, or enough to be considered a high-protein meal.

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2. Calcium-rich foods ✓

Loss of oestrogen increases the risk of osteoporosis, so meals should contribute meaningful calcium.

Examples:

• Milk
• Yogurt
• Cheese
• Calcium-set tofu
• Sardines
• Fortified plant milks

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3. Vegetables and/or pulses ✓

The recommended amount of vegetables, fruits per day is 5 portions (about 80g per portion = 400g per day). Recipes should include at least 1 portion of vegetables or pulses per serving, but we aim for more, 120g per main meal. If a recipe contains less than approximately 120g of vegetables across the entire recipe (excluding potatoes), FiveDinners recommends adding additional vegetables.

This supports:

• Fibre
• Gut health
• Weight management
• Heart health

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4. Healthy fats ✓

Preference is given to recipes containing predominantly unsaturated fats.

Examples:

• Olive oil
• Rapeseed oil
• Oily fish
• Nuts
• Seeds
• Avocado

Limit:

• Large amounts of butter
• Cream
• Fatty processed meats

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5. Whole-food carbohydrates ✓

Where carbohydrates are included, preference is given to:

• Wholegrain rice
• Wholemeal pasta
• Wholegrain bread
• Beans
• Lentils
• Sweet potatoes

Meals with excessive refined carbohydrate without sufficient protein or vegetables may not qualify.

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6. Micronutrient support ✓

Recipes score positively where they naturally contain nutrients commonly encouraged during menopause, including:

• Calcium
• Vitamin D (where naturally present)
• Iron
• Magnesium
• Potassium
• Folate
• Omega-3 fats
• Phytoestrogens (e.g. soy foods, flaxseed)

A recipe does not need every nutrient, but should contribute several.

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7. Moderate salt and saturated fat ✓

Meals should avoid being dominated by:

• Highly processed meats
• Large quantities of saturated fat
• Excess sodium

Small quantities are acceptable if the overall meal remains balanced.

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8. Complete meal ✓

The recipe must function as a nutritionally balanced meal rather than being:

• Mostly carbohydrate
• Mostly cheese
• Mostly pastry
• Mainly processed meat
• A side dish

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A recipe is not deemed suitable if

Any of the following apply:

• Protein is insufficient.
• Very low vegetable content.
• Lacks meaningful calcium or other supportive nutrients.
• Predominantly refined carbohydrates.
• Excessively processed or high in saturated fat/salt.
• Not nutritionally complete.

Where possible, FiveDinners recommends the smallest practical change (e.g. “add 200g broccoli”, “swap to wholemeal pasta”, or “add beans”) to bring the recipe into compliance.

Primary evidence sources

FiveDinners aligns its assessment with guidance from:

• NHS – Menopause and healthy eating; Eatwell Guide.
• British Menopause Society (BMS) – Nutritional recommendations during menopause.
• Royal Osteoporosis Society – Calcium, vitamin D and bone health guidance.
• British Dietetic Association (BDA) – Food-based dietary guidance.
• British Heart Foundation – Healthy fats and cardiovascular nutrition.
• NICE – Menopause guideline (NG23) and healthy lifestyle recommendations.

This approach is intentionally food-based rather than disease-based. It does not claim that individual foods treat menopausal symptoms; instead, it assesses whether a recipe supports the nutritional priorities consistently recommended by UK evidence-based organisations.