Top Dietitians Reveal 10 Things Women Over 40 Need to Hear: ‘Perfect’ Is Not the Point

Imagine getting the kind of health and nutrition guidance you’d normally hear from a trusted friend—except it comes from some of the world’s leading dietitians. That was the experience for a food writer at the Nutrition News Update conference, where top experts shared the one message they most want women to understand about food, health and aging. Their answers were encouraging, practical and refreshingly honest.

10 things dietitians want more women to understand

From menopause and bone health to weight management and social media advice, these are the biggest takeaways from the experts.

Let go of perfection and aim for balance

Ellie Krieger, MS, RD, known for her television cooking work and bestselling cookbooks, said not to let perfect get in the way of better. She noted that people often label foods as either good or bad, then give up entirely if they feel they have not been perfect. Her advice was to step back from all-or-nothing thinking and look at the bigger picture, where balance over the course of a week matters more than flawless choices at every meal.

Get nutrition advice from reliable sources

Lauren Harris-Pincus, MS, RDN, who serves on the U.S. News & World Report Best Diets expert panel, urged women—especially those over 40—to be careful about where nutrition information comes from. She said social media can be helpful, but only if the person sharing advice is credentialed, licensed, ethical and not trying to sell something. She cautioned that a great deal of online nutrition content is harmful because the people posting it lack the proper training and expertise.

Focus on progress, not extreme “maxxing”

Samantha Cassetty, MS, RD, a columnist for TODAY.com, said women do not need to keep pushing for more and more. She pointed out that simple habits can still count as meaningful health choices, whether that means taking a walk without a weighted vest or starting with a balanced meal. In her view, the current obsession with fiber-maxxing, protein-maxxing, optimizing and biohacking can make people forget that “enough” is often enough.

Be gentle with yourself as your body changes

Maya Feller, MS, RD, CDN, said women should recognize that life comes in seasons and that their bodies and needs change along the way. Her message was to give yourself grace and adjust how you nourish yourself as your nutrient needs shift over time.

Support bone health, including with prunes

Frances Largeman-Roth, RDN, said bone health is often overlooked even though it becomes increasingly important with age. She recommended weight-bearing exercise such as strength training, running and jumping, along with dairy foods like yogurt, milk, cheese and cottage cheese. She also highlighted dark leafy greens and prunes as foods that can contribute to stronger bones.

Use mindfulness when eating

Cynthia Sass, MPH, MA, RD, CSSD, emphasized the value of mindfulness and suggested the STOP technique from mindfulness-based stress reduction. She explained that the method stands for stop, take a breath, observe your body cues and what aligns with your needs, then proceed. That pause, she said, can help people move naturally toward more consistent and balanced habits that feel sustainable.

Plan ahead for menopause

Mandy Enright, MS, RDN, RYT, who calls perimenopause “reverse puberty,” said many women feel unprepared for this stage of life. Looking back, she said she would have taken three steps sooner: find a gynecologist who specializes in menopause, make strength training a regular habit, and pay closer attention to protein at meals.

Small daily choices add up

Wendy Bazilian, DrPH, MA, RDN, said people often spend their days on autopilot, but the way they use their time affects their health and well-being. She stressed that meaningful improvement does not require a total life overhaul. Instead, she focuses on small daily decisions—what she calls “life’s currency”—and encourages people to use her motto: eat well, move daily, be healthy.

Be selective about what you absorb online

Toby Amidor, MS, RD, CDN, FAND, said women should immediately unfollow any social media account that makes them feel badly about themselves or their bodies. She said there are many credible experts who can provide trustworthy information on topics such as menopause, osteoporosis, bone health and motherhood, while also helping people feel supported and positive.

Smaller is not always healthier

Harris-Pincus offered one final reminder: being smaller should not be the goal. Instead, she said women should aim to be the healthiest, most productive, happiest and most content version of themselves. She warned that some approaches used to shrink the body can actually harm health. If weight loss or medication such as a GLP-1 is part of the picture, she said it is important to support overall health at the same time rather than focusing only on becoming smaller.

She also emphasized that every body is different, and what works for one person will not necessarily work for another. Her advice was to rely on a personal medical team for any nutritional or medical concerns so women can stay as safe and healthy as possible.

The takeaway

The best nutrition advice is not about perfection, trends or a smaller number on the scale. It is about choosing what supports your body and your life at this stage, then building from there. Start with one of these ideas and put it into practice.