Anxiety, Cravings & Comfort Foods: The Missing Blood Sugar Link

#anxiety #perimenopause #womenshealth #comfortfoods #fallfoods #cravings #bloodsugarbalance #bloodsugarandanxiety #womenover40 #cortisol #adrenaline #lowsexhormones #brainfog #shakiness #restlessness

As it gets colder and darker outside, many of us instinctively reach for comforting, warming foods. It’s natural - our bodies crave grounding nourishment when light and energy start to fade. It’s the season, sometimes stress, but also our hormones make many of us crave comfort foods for emotional relief.

Most often the foods we turn to for comfort = carby, starchy foods or that late-afternoon chocolate fix, can actually fuel the very anxiety we’re trying to calm. 

What’s happening? Your body is asking for calm - but instead, most comfort foods send your blood sugar on a rollercoaster that ends up doing the opposite.

Anxiety is probably one of the main things impacting women in perimenopause and we partly have to thank our lack of progesterone for that: when progesterone goes low, cortisol goes up and we find ourselves feeling less resilient to stress but also much more anxious, restless, nervous or however you want to call it. 

But there’s another hormone that plays a big role in anxiety: insulin. If I hadn’t seen it myself so many times, I probably wouldn’t believe it, but blood sugar fluctuations have a HUGE impact on anxiety levels!

In perimenopause, this becomes even more pronounced. Declining estrogen and progesterone make blood sugar less stable and your stress response more reactive, which explains why so many women suddenly notice anxiety creeping in - even when they’ve never struggled with it before.

When you eat foods high in refined carbs or sugar, your blood sugar spikes. That quick rise triggers insulin to bring glucose back down - but unfortunately at our age, our cells are less responsive to insulin, so that process doesn’t work so well anymore. Any high or low in blood sugar is a stress on our brain, which then communicates accordingly to release adrenaline and cortisol, the same hormones involved in anxiety.

Result? You may feel:

• Heart racing or palpitations

• Irritability or sudden “hangry” feelings

• Shakiness, restlessness, or brain fog

• A “wired but tired” feeling that makes it hard to sleep

And in perimenopause, this blood sugar–stress feedback loop can become even more sensitive. Lower estrogen and progesterone make your blood sugar less stable and your nervous system more reactive - a perfect recipe for increased anxiety.

The Good News: You Don’t Have to Give Up Comfort Food

Comfort food isn’t the enemy. It’s simply about choosing comfort foods that warm, satisfy, and calm both your body and mind without the blood sugar crash.

Here are a few easy swaps and strategies I use with my clients:

1. Add Protein to Every Comfort Meal Protein slows the release of glucose into the bloodstream, keeping energy and mood steady. For example, have grain-free breakfast cereal instead of oatmeal or enjoy soup with collagen powder, lentils, chicken, or beans.

2. Go for Complex Carbs + Fiber

Choose slow-burning carbs that stabilize blood sugar and feed your gut microbiome.Think root vegetables, pumpkin, quinoa, lentils instead of white bread, pasta, or pastries.

3. Balance Your Plate

Visual rule:½ colorful veggies 🥦 + ¼ quality protein 🍗 + ¼ slow carb 🍠 + healthy fats 🥑 = happy hormones + steady mood.

4. Soothe with Real Comfort: Warm, Nourishing, and Balanced

Comfort comes from satisfaction and stability, not just sweetness. Try:

• Pumpkin - make high protein pumpkin bread, chocolate pudding, or soups

• Grain-free breakfast cereal with a scoop of collagen (see p.18 of my cookbook)

• Vegan saag with a side of protein or white beans

• Make your own chocolate bites with nut butter, cocoa powder, protein powder, stevia and warming spices like cinnamon and cardamom  (low-sugar, high-magnesium - your nervous system loves it!) - or try Cardamom cashew balls on p. 59 of my cookbook)

If you’d like some inspiration, my Hormone & Blood Sugar Balance Cookbook includes plenty of cozy, blood sugar–friendly recipes for this time of year - like my pumpkin bread or pie, full of magnesium, fiber, and B vitamins to nourish your nervous system and help you feel calm and grounded.

• Golden latte p.69

• Grain-free breakfast cereal with a scoop of collagen p.18

• Cardamom cashew balls p.59

• Vegan saag paneer p.44

• Pumpkin bread p.62

• Ground beef w cabbage & kale p.26

👉 [Check out the cookbook here] - also available as hard copy on Amazon!

Food can be deeply comforting - when it works with your body instead of against it.

Many women I work with report feeling calmer and less anxious just within 1-2 weeks of stabilizing their blood sugar - even before adjusting hormones.They sleep better, have fewer “jittery” mornings, no afternoon energy dip, yelling at the kids, and no longer reach for snacks every two hours.

One client told me, “I can actually function now and cross off things from my to-do-list. Before, my day was over at 3PM. ”

That’s the power of food that works with your body, not against it. No supplements, no testing, just making some easy changes to your diet!

The Bottom Line

Anxiety in perimenopause can be supported by how you fuel your body throughout the day.Every balanced, blood sugar–friendly meal sends a calming signal to your nervous system, helping your hormones find steadiness too.

So, next time you crave comfort, remember:You don’t need to give it up.You just need to choose it differently - with balance, warmth, and nourishment.