Healthy Savoury Snacks That Are Menopause Friendly

Getting inspiration for healthy savoury snacks is challenging enough. Add the need for them to be menopause friendly and delicious? Suddenly the task seems impossible. But not to worry! Here are my top, menopause nutritionist-approved healthy savoury snacks that are filling, tasty and packed with nutrients to make your menopause more bearable.

Is there such a thing as a menopause-friendly snack?

Nutrition is one of the key ways you can make yourself feel better (or worse) during perimenopause and menopause. Every time you eat something, you are feeding your body, not only to satisfy your hunger but to provide it with nutrients.

The foods you choose to eat can impact the way you feel physically, emotionally and mentally, and the connection between diet and menopause symptoms is extraordinarily strong.

While there are many lists out there for the best menopause recipes for dinner, there aren’t many for snacks. Considering we all love a cheeky snack throughout the day, we’re able to use this as an opportunity to fuel our body with something that will relieve symptoms and boost health rather than foods like chocolate bars and crisps that can make our symptoms worse.

Plus, how much better will it feel when you no longer experience guilt when you’ve snacked? Instead, you’re feeling nourished and proud that you’ve eaten healthy savoury snacks throughout the week that has benefitted your body and made you feel better!

Healthy savoury snacks for a better menopause

When it comes to healthy savoury snacks that are also menopause-friendly, we have to consider a few factors:

• How long it takes to prepare before you can eat it
  • Snacks are meant to be a quick fix for busy people. It has to be accessible and fast to prepare.
  • We’ll rank this as the speed value.
• How much it costs
  • Affordability is important when it comes to snacking. We are, as a whole, quite regular snackers. So, costs can rake up if we’re snacking every day.
  • We’ll rank this as the affordability value.
• The nutritional value of the snack
  • This is key for our menopause-friendly aspect. What nutrients are in this snack and how will it impact our menopause symptoms?
  • We’ll rank this as the nutritional value.
• How good it tastes
  • There’s no point in having a snack that doesn’t taste good. As a nutritionist, I will never recommend food that doesn’t bring joy and pleasure.
  • We’ll rank this as the taste value.

In our list, each value will be scored out of five, with five being the highest and 1 being the lowest.

Remember, though, taste is subjective. All of the healthy savoury snacks on this list have earned their place and should be tasted and ranked by your family, too!

1. Nuts

Nuts are one of the best healthy savoury snacks when you’re in perimenopause and menopause. Each bite is packed with energy and nutritional value.

If you’re having trouble with focus, memory and brain fog, snack on walnuts.

Walnuts, for example, are fantastic for brain function (I firmly believe that’s why they look like brains!) which make them an excellent solution for the dreaded menopause brain fog.

Walnuts also contain omega-3 and are little drops of nourishment for glowing skin and less hair breakage.

If you want a general health boost and to focus on balancing your hormones, have a handful of Brazil nuts for a snack. Brazil nuts are fantastic for general health and wellbeing and aid with hormone imbalance.

If you are suffering with aches and a loss of bone density, almonds are a great snack. When you eat almonds, you’ll be nourishing your body with a load of protein, vitamin E (also fantastic for your skin), calcium and magnesium, which aids with a loss of bone density (another common menopause symptom.)

Finally, if you’re struggling with your bowels and you’re constipated, snack on hazelnuts. Hazelnuts help with sluggish bowels because of their high fibre content. Plus, they’re great for your skin and hair, too.

Nuts as healthy savoury snacks rankings

2. Seeds

Next on our list are seeds – specifically pumpkin seeds. Many seeds are packed with nutritional value, so what makes pumpkin seeds one of the best healthy savoury snacks?

Each little seed is bursting with oils. These oils help with aching or sore joints as well as aiding with brain function, meaning they will work wonders to improve memory loss, lack of focus and general brain fog. Not to mention, pumpkin seeds are also full of calcium, zinc and magnesium.

The zinc found inside pumpkin seeds will strengthen brittle nails and help hydrate and clear the skin.

If you’re struggling with perimenopause or menopause fatigue, snack on a handful of chia seeds and flaxseeds. Pumpkin seeds, too, will help with energy.

Chia seeds are packed with omega-3, fibre and antioxidants, leading to better and more consistent energy levels. Not to mention, they are rich in protein and essential minerals.

Flaxseeds are fantastic for both energy and digestive health. So, if you’re suffering from constipation in menopause (as so many women do,) add some flaxseeds to your diet. If you’d rather not eat flaxseeds as healthy savoury snacks, instead sprinkle them into a smoothie for breakfast. My banana and berry smoothie, for example, lends itself well to added flaxseeds.

Seeds as healthy savoury snacks rankings

3. Tahini

Tahini, a paste made from ground up sesame seeds, is one of the tastiest healthy savoury snacks on our list, and the nutritional value is pretty high too!

The oil found in sesame seeds is extracted before being mixed with lemon juice or water. One of the best things about tahini is its versatility. Use it as a dipping sauce, as a salad dressing, a condiment or a spread.

Think: hummus but with a twist.

In terms of health benefits, tahini has been seen to lower your cholesterol and blood pressure. As cholesterol often raises during perimenopause and menopause, tahini is a natural strategy to improve your levels without compromising on taste. Not to mention, tahini boosts your calcium intake, aiding with a loss of bone density which is also common during perimenopause and menopause.

Tahini as healthy savoury snacks rankings

4. Avocado

Despite avocado being a fruit (yes, really!), it fits into our healthy savoury snacks rather than sweet ones. Though, it does have a sweet edge. That’s why it fits in recipes like my avocado and dark chocolate mousse. This shows how versatile avocado is.

Avocados are also packed with vitamins and minerals and bursting with nutritional value. It’s a great source of healthy fats. When making a sandwich, try swapping mayonnaise with smashed avocado. It’s much healthier and still provides the creaminess that mayonnaise provides.

Avocado is menopause friendly because of the high good fat content. Healthy fats help with hormonal imbalances and changes.

Whether you’re making guacamole, making it into a dip, spreading it on a cracker or having sliced avocado on toast with a poached egg, you’re helping to balance those hormones.

Avocado as healthy savoury snacks rankings

5. Edamame beans

Next up on our list of healthy savoury snacks – the humble edamame bean. Edamame beans are growing in popularity recently, not only because they are delicious but they’ve been shown to offer a multitude of health benefits that aren’t exclusive to menopause and perimenopause.

For example, edamame beans are excellent snacks for people with type II diabetes due to them being low on the glycemic index. On top of this, edamame can lower your cholesterol and is an excellent source of soy protein and fibre.

In terms of what makes edamame beans so great for menopausal women, it’s all about oestrogen. Edamame beans contain something called isoflavones, which mirror the effect oestrogen has in the body. When your body is confused about the hormonal imbalance that comes with perimenopause and menopause, these mirroring compounds help to balance it out again. The result? Fewer and less severe menopause symptoms, such as hot flashes, night sweats, anxiety and mood swings.

You can eat them raw – which is advised – or roast them. A little soy sauce or a sprinkling of salt (not too much!) makes them the perfect healthy savoury snacks.

Edamame beans as healthy savoury snacks rankings

6. Boiled eggs

If you’re struggling with weight control and weight loss, boiled eggs may be one of the better healthy savoury snacks.

While there’s a lot of chatter about eggs and dietary cholesterol, they’re actually one of the more nutritious foods out there, especially during perimenopause and menopause.

When thinking about weight loss and menopause, it’s really important to factor in muscle growth and energy maintenance. For that, you need protein. Eggs are full of protein. As a menopausal or perimenopausal woman, you need more protein than before to build on the loss of muscle that comes with age.

That said, as your oestrogen levels drop, it can become more challenging to build and maintain muscle. The answer? Eat more protein than you usually would, and have eggs as one of your healthy savoury snacks.

Not only are eggs great for protein, they’re also packed with nutrients such as vitamin D, B vitamins, selenium and choline. Combined, this helps with your metabolism, which aids with weight loss, brain health, which targets brain fog, memory loss and lack of focus, and general wellbeing and energy levels.

Boiled eggs are the preferred snack variation simply because they’re fuss-free. However, unlike other items on this list, they will require preparation and cooking. That said, you’ll have a nutritional boost in less than 10 minutes, making it well worth the extra effort.

Boiled eggs as healthy savoury snacks rankings

7. Hummus

The last on our list of healthy savoury snacks is hummus. Made from cooked and mashed chickpeas, hummus is popular in the Mediterranean and Middle East, being a huge player in a mezze.

Hummus is great in terms of nutritional value. Packed with fibre and healthy fats, it’s also free from cholesterol and saturated fats.

Hummus, like edamame beans, can help to balance your oestrogen levels because it’s made from chickpeas. Just like edamame beans, chickpeas are rich in phytoestrogens which mirror the effects of oestrogen in the body.

On top of this, the high fibre content will help with digestion. Constipation is such a common menopause and perimenopause symptom due to the decline in oestrogen. This, in turn, slows down your digestion which can lead to constipation, diarrhoea, excessive gas and heartburn. Hummus will help combat all digestive issues.

Not only does hummus help with hormonal balance and digestion, it’s also great for your bones, tackling the natural loss of bone density associated with menopause. Plus, it’s great for heart health.

Whether you snack on hummus as a dip with carrots, celery, cucumber or peppers, use it as a spread and swap mayonnaise with hummus or pop it on a salad, you’ll be doing your body a huge favour.

Hummus as healthy savoury snacks rankings

Healthy savoury snacks – in a nutshell

Finding healthy savoury snacks that are menopause friendly can feel like an impossible task. This becomes even more challenging if you’re trying to find snacks that are loved by the entire family.

That said, this list contains 7 of my favourite meno-friendly snacks. None of them take more than 10 minutes to prepare, with some being accessible right out of the bag.

So give them a whirl. Whether you’re into nuts and seeds, tahini and hummus, avocado, edamame beans or boiled eggs, you’ll notice a difference when you swap the crisps for the alternative. Healthy savoury snacks that’ll help you feel better every single day.

Leave a comment and let me know your findings after giving them a shot!