Best Winter Meals For Women Over 40

Looking for some winter meal inspiration? Here are our favourite, healthy meal options which are perfect for women over 40.

We often get asked by our clients about how to make healthy winter meals. From soups to stews, there are a number of incredible, low calorie recipes which you can enjoy to stay fit and lean into the winter months. 

We’ve worked with so many women in their 40s and 50s who felt stuck because they didn’t know what they should be eating over winter to get the scales moving.

They’d try their hand at some new recipes, then they’d step on the scales and see zero movement (or maybe even be heavier than before)! And when you’re not seeing results, it’s very hard to stay motivated.

The reason this happens is simple. Women’s bodies and hormones start to change as they get older which can make it easier to gain weight (especially around the middle) and harder to lose it again.

But with the right nutrition approach, and the right winter food choices, you can quickly and easily get the scales moving and drop a few stone in as little as 12 weeks!

In today’s blog we’re going to reveal the best winter foods to eat for women over 40, so you can reach your weight loss goals. We also talk about this on our podcast.

The key for winter meals

For the women we work with, there are a number of things which they need to consider when planning their meals. These women are usually very busy, and their bodies and hormones have changed since turning forty. Therefore, their meals need to be the following 3 things:

1. Quick and easy
2. Hit the key 3
   • Not too many calories
   • Enough protein
   • Plenty of fibre
3. Avoid hormone-disrupting foods (80% of the time)
   • These foods include: wheat, alcohol, dairy, and sugar

What to avoid

For women over forty, there are a number of things to avoid in order to see progress towards your goals. These include overly starchy foods, foods low in protein, and fatty meals.

Here are some examples of what to avoid:

• Pasta-based dishes
  • Pasta bake
  • Lasagna
• Pastry-based dishes
  • Pastry is super calorie-dense (butter and flour)
    • Pies
    • Salmon en croute
    • Toad in the hole
    • Big Yorkshire puddings
• Fatty meats
  • Pork belly
  • Fattier beef/steak, such as rib eye, wagyu, and burgers
  • Sausages (other than chicken)
• Sauce-y takeaways
  • Chinese, with extra oil and sugary sauces
  • Indian, including cream, butter and oil in sauces

What to choose instead

However, all isn’t lost. There are plenty of excellent choices you can make when it comes to winter meals for women over 40.

Here are some examples of what we recommend to our clients:

• Lean stews
  • Chicken casserole
    • Choose chicken breast, not thighs (thigh is 25% more calories and fat)
  • Lots of root vegetables e.g. carrots, parsnips
  • Venison casserole
    • This has 50% less calories than beef stewing steak
• Lean bolognese or courgette lasagna
  • 5% beef mince or Quorn
  • Loads of vegetables, which you can chop using a mini chopper/food processor
  • Courgetti
• Homemade soup
  • Lots of veggies
  • Boost protein with peas, lentils, or shredded chicken breast
  • Avoid too much bread and butter
• Christmas dinner
  • Turkey or chicken breast
  • Boiled or steamed veggies to avoid added oil and calories
  • Cranberry sauce
  • Watch out for pigs in blankets, fattier meats, stuffing, and bread sauce 

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