The MenoPantry story (“Women-owned Portland nutrition company aims to ease menopause,” May 18) gets something right that most of the wellness industry fumbles: food is medicine for women in midlife and protein and fiber are the foundation.

I want to add one piece the article didn’t mention, and people won’t find it in a powder or a supplement.

I started strength training at 56. Through perimenopause, I had been eating fairly well and doing cardio, but I still gained weight, developed high blood pressure and high cholesterol and felt my energy tank. I changed my nutrition — more plant-based protein and fiber — and added weight lifting. I lost 45 pounds, reversed the kind of metabolic decline many women are told to simply manage with medication and was featured in STRONG magazine at 59.

Better nutrition got me started. Building muscle got me there.

After menopause, women lose muscle mass at an accelerating rate. That loss contributes to weight gain, fatigue, blood sugar instability and declining bone health. If we’re not actively building strength, we can optimize our smoothie and still be losing ground.

Women need both halves of the equation: eat well and lift weights. At 60, I’m stronger and healthier than I was in my 40s. I carry groceries differently. I hike differently. I move through the world differently. That didn’t come from a supplement. It came from building muscle, and it’s never too late to start.

Randi Hogan
Scarborough