I asked a dietitian which seeds women should eat in midlife—here are her five top picks

I’ve been adding pumpkin seeds to everything I eat.

I read that they contain phytoestrogens—plant compounds with a similar chemical structure to human estrogen—and wondered if they might help with my perimenopause symptoms.

While some research suggests phytoestrogens could help reduce hot flushes, the evidence is mixed.

So, I asked registered dietitian Johannah Katz to tell me about the best seeds for women in midlife, and how they could support cardiovascular, bone and metabolic health as our bodies change.

“The biggest point is that seeds should be viewed as one piece of a much bigger picture,” explains Katz.

“During the menopause transition, cardiovascular risk factors can begin changing and bone loss accelerates in late perimenopause, so the overall diet matters much more than any individual seed.”

Katz explains that while seeds wouldn’t be her recommended treatment for menopause symptoms—with the possible exception of flaxseed—they are nutrient-dense foods that can help support areas of health that become particularly important in midlife.

Here, she breaks down her top five seeds and explains how they can support your health.

1. Ground flaxseed

“I’d put ground flaxseed at the top because it has the most direct research related to the menopause transition,” says Katz.

“For most of the others, the benefit is less about treating perimenopause itself and more about helping women build a nutrient-dense eating pattern that supports cardiovascular, metabolic, digestive and bone health during a time when those areas become increasingly important.

“Flax is particularly rich in lignans—plant compounds that are metabolized by gut bacteria into enterolignans [which have a chemical structure similar to estrogen]—as well as fiber and the plant omega-3 fat alpha-linolenic acid, or ALA.”

ALA is particularly useful in midlife because of its role in supporting cardiovascular health, an important consideration as women’s cardiovascular risk factors can increase during and after menopause.

Katz points to a 2024 randomized trial with 145 perimenopausal women that found 10g of flaxseed powder daily for 12 weeks improved menopausal symptom scores compared with a placebo.

But older trials in postmenopausal women have had mixed results, so she adds: “I’d describe the symptom evidence as promising but not definitive—rather than positioning flax as a treatment.”

She recommends ground rather than whole flaxseed, as studies have shown grinding makes its beneficial compounds, including ALA and lignans, more available to the body.

How to eat it: A practical amount is around one to two tablespoons per day, says Katz. “I’d start closer to one tablespoon if someone isn’t accustomed to much fiber, and increase gradually.

“Stir it into yogurt or oatmeal, blend it into smoothies, sprinkle it over cereal, or add it to muffin or pancake batter.”

2. Chia seeds

Chia is another great choice because it provides a substantial amount of fiber and ALA, along with minerals including calcium and magnesium.

Individual studies on chia seeds have had inconsistent results, explains Katz, but meta-analyses suggest they may have modest benefits for blood pressure and some other markers of cardiovascular and metabolic health.

“I wouldn’t say chia specifically treats perimenopausal constipation, because we don’t have good evidence for that particular claim,” she says. “But it is an easy way to increase dietary fiber, and fiber supplementation overall can improve stool frequency and consistency in people with constipation.”

How to eat it: One to two tablespoons per day is a very reasonable amount. “Chia works well in overnight oats, yogurt, smoothies and chia pudding,” says Katz.

“Because it absorbs a lot of liquid, I prefer mixing it into something moist rather than eating spoonfuls of it dry.”

Chia seeds can absorb around 10 times their weight in liquid, therefore swallowing them dry is not advised, they can swell in your throat or stomach, leading to a choking hazard or severe digestive blockage.

3. Pumpkin seeds

Pumpkin seeds provide plant protein, unsaturated fats and minerals including magnesium, zinc and iron, making them a very nutrient-dense snack or topping, says Katz.

“There is much less direct menopause research here. A small randomized pilot study in 35 postmenopausal women found improvements in HDL cholesterol, diastolic blood pressure and some menopausal symptom scores with pumpkin seed oil.

“But that study used 2g of oil rather than whole pumpkin seeds, so I would not assume those findings categorically mean that eating pumpkin seeds treats menopausal symptoms.”

How to eat it: Katz says a small handful, around 20-30g, is a practical serving. “They’re easy to eat alone or add to salads, yogurt, oatmeal, soups or roasted vegetables.”

4. Sesame seeds and tahini

Sesame provides unsaturated fats, minerals and distinctive lignans including sesamin and sesamolin.

A 2025 systematic review and meta-analysis of 11 randomized trials found that sesame oil improved several blood-lipid measures in adults with metabolic conditions. However, the research looked at sesame oil rather than whole sesame seeds or tahini, so the findings can’t necessarily be applied to these foods.

Katz says: “Tahini is particularly useful because it’s an easy way to eat a meaningful serving. Sesame can also contribute calcium, although calcium content varies considerably depending on how the sesame is processed and whether the hull is retained, so I wouldn’t position tahini as a replacement for other reliable calcium-rich foods.”

How to eat it: “I’d suggest around one tablespoon of tahini or one to two tablespoons of sesame seeds as an easy addition. Tahini works beautifully in salad dressings, hummus, yogurt sauces or drizzled over roasted vegetables.”

5. Hemp seeds/hemp hearts

If you want to up your protein intake, hemp hearts are a good ingredient to add to your shopping list, says Katz.

Protein is essential during perimenopause to combat declining estrogen, which causes muscle loss to accelerate, metabolism to slow, reduces bone density, and can trigger blood sugar instability.

“Dehulled hemp seeds are relatively protein-dense and provide essential amino acids, although lysine is a limiting amino acid, so I would think of hemp as one contribution to daily protein rather than a complete solution for maintaining muscle,” she says.

Katz says that there isn’t good evidence that hemp specifically improves perimenopausal symptoms, so again, this is more of a nutritional-support recommendation than a hormone recommendation.

How to eat it: “Two to three tablespoons works well in Greek yogurt, oatmeal, smoothies, salads or grain bowls,” says Katz. “They’re also incredibly easy because they don’t require grinding or soaking.”

Do women need to eat all these seeds every day?

Katz says variety is more important than frequency when it comes to seeds.

“Someone could have ground flax for breakfast, pumpkin seeds on a salad another day and tahini with dinner,” she says. “There is no established ‘perimenopause dose’ for most of these seeds.”

However, she says, if you are going to eat anything consistently, make it ground flax—ideally one to two tablespoons “most days”.

“It contributes fiber, ALA and lignans and has at least some direct clinical research in women around menopause. But even then, I’d frame it as a nutritious food rather than a hormonal therapy.”