#580: Nourishing Menopause with Andrea Donsky

I am so excited to welcome back my dear friend and colleague Andrea Donsky — nutritionist, researcher, and author of her brand new book Nourishing Menopause. Andrea has spent the last two years deep in the research, and this conversation did not disappoint. What We Cover in This Episode: Andrea's personal perimenopause wake-up call — despite being a nutritionist for 17+ years, she knew almost nothing about what was happening in her own body The results of her landmark survey with over 20,000 women and 5,300+ responses — and why hot flashes didn't even crack the top 10 most common symptoms The actual top 10: fatigue, brain fog, sleep issues, memory loss, anxiety, loss of libido, lack of concentration, joint pain, and lack of patience The surprising and lesser-known symptoms women never connect to perimenopause — phantom smells (burning is !), itchy ears, cold flashes, vertigo, and tinnitus Why weight gain isn't in the top 10 symptom-wise, but ranks top 3 in quality of life impact — and the 17 different reasons Andrea uncovered in Chapter 5 of why we gain weight during this transition (spoiler: it is not your fault) The importance of relearning everything — how to eat, sleep, move, and even how to manage your relationship and your stress — for this new version of your body My thoughts on the gut microbiome in perimenopausal women and why the same commensal bacteria keep showing up depleted in our stool testing Top supplements Andrea recommends specifically for women in perimenopause and menopause: magnesium (bisglycinate and threonate), omega-3s, fiber, Vitamin D + K2/K7, and creatine (yes, for brain AND muscle!) The fiber conversation — why most of us are getting less than half of what we need, and how Andrea's supplement Fibers makes it easier without the digestive upset Protein intake: a practical formula for how much you actually need based on your body weight (not a blanket 150g-for-everyone recommendation) Why the nervous system — not the endocrine system — is the system affected by the 103+ reported menopause symptoms The role of cortisol and chronic stress, and why managing it requires specificity and honesty (not just "reduce your stress") The beautiful reframe: perimenopause and menopause as a time of reassessment, reclaiming, and stepping into who you've always been Community, pickleball, and why finding your people outside your family matters more than ever for longevity Toronto Listeners — Live Event Alert! Andrea is hosting Perimenopause, Menopause and Beyond: The Conversation We Need to Have on May 7th in the Toronto area. Grab your ticket HERE — this episode airs May 4th so you have time! Let's dive in! Thank you for joining us today. If you could rate, review &

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#580: Nourishing Menopause with Andrea Donsky is an episode from The Simplicity Sessions by Jenn Pike.

This episode is 59:55 long.

This episode was published on May 4, 2026.

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