Did You Hit Your Lifetime Limit for Pasta? (It Might Be Peri/menopause)
Please know this important thing about feeling lousy in peri/menopause: with declining estrogen, you may be susceptible to gluten sensitivity.
I remember the night I ate a way too large bowl of pasta and felt so cruddy I thought, I’m only 51 but apparently I’ve hit my lifetime limit for pasta. Which, considering how much I love pasta, is not outside the realm of possibility.
But the science behind it is that estrogen helps with gut lining integrity, and as those levels decline, the gut wall can become more permeable — meaning things that didn’t bother you before, including gluten, can now trigger an immune response. (Liaquat et al., 2025, via PMC)
So one thing to try if you feel lousy, sickish, bloated, have achy joints, or — here’s a really lovely and weird one — your digestive system feels numb, creating incontinence or constipation: have a gluten free week and notice the impact.
YES IT’S A HORRIBLE THOUGHT. But it’s totally survivable. Here’s how:
Barilla gluten free pasta (this is a corn and rice blend, the chickpea gf pastas are gross)
Cauliflower crust pizza
Schar gluten free bagels
Mary’s Gone Crackers GF crackers
Corn chips
Oatmeal, muesli, Cheerios — remember, gluten is in wheat protein, not grains, so non-wheat grains including oats are fine
And I’m going to be honest with you: gluten free bread sucks. Just skip it. Get your sandwich as a salad.
Go for a week trying to eat as little gluten as possible, and pay attention to how much better you feel. You can still have your giant bowls of pasta, but how nice it will be to feel fine afterwards.
Cited: Liaquat M, et al. "The gut microbiota in menopause." Journals of Women's Health, Sage Publications, 2025. Available via PMC.
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