Top Healthy Fats for Perimenopause: What to Eat for Hormone Balance
There’s a lot of debate online about fats. Are seed oils harming your hormones? Should you load up on butter and tallow? It’s easy to feel overwhelmed.
The truth is, the type and quality of fat you eat matters hugely and helps dictate how you feel during perimenopause and beyond.
In perimenopause, estrogen and progesterone begin to fluctuate. Blood sugar becomes more sensitive, inflammation can rise, and many women experience symptoms like fatigue, brain fog, weight gain, and mood changes. Choosing the right healthy fats can stabilize blood sugar, reduce inflammation, and provide the building blocks your body needs for hormone production.
Before we share our top picks, here’s one key shift:
Minimize Highly Refined Seed Oils
Industrial seed oils like canola, soybean, corn, and generic “vegetable oil” are highly processed, oxidized and inflammatory. They are typically very high in omega-6 fatty acids, which can contribute to inflammation — something many women in perimenopause are already struggling with.
Swapping these oils for more stable, nutrient-dense fats is a simple but powerful upgrade for hormone health.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)
Extra virgin olive oil is one of the most researched and widely supported healthy fats. Made from pressed olives, it’s rich in monounsaturated fats, which support heart health, hormone balance and metabolic function, which are all critical in perimenopause.
EVOO is also packed with polyphenols like oleuropein, powerful antioxidants that reduce oxidative stress and inflammation.
Best practices:
Choose cold-pressed, unrefined, high-quality olive oil.
Do your research to be sure to avoid low-quality EVOO cut with seed oils (sadly it’s very common!)
Use for low-heat cooking or drizzle over finished meals and salads.
Avocado Oil
Avocado oil is another excellent monounsaturated fat that supports stable blood sugar and reduces inflammation. It has a higher smoke point than olive oil, making it ideal for sautéing or roasting at moderate temperatures.
It’s neutral in flavour, versatile in the kitchen, and a great everyday swap for processed vegetable oils.
Coconut Oil
Coconut oil is rich in saturated fats called MCTs (medium-chain triglycerides). These fats are quickly used for energy and may support metabolism — something many women notice slowing during perimenopause.
Coconut oil is heat-stable and works well for cooking or as a dairy-free butter swap in baking for sustained energy.
Tired? Bloated? Moody? Stubborn Weight?
Download our Perimenopause Guide to learn how to balance blood sugar, reduce inflammation, balance cortisol and support your hormones naturally through nutrition, supplements and lifestyle. It’s a simple, practical roadmap designed specifically for women in this season.
Grab your FREE Thrive Through Perimenopause Guide now!
Grass-Fed, Grass-Finished Beef Tallow
Beef tallow from grass-fed, grass-finished cattle is a traditional fat that’s excellent for hormone balance. It’s rich in stable saturated fats and fat-soluble vitamins. When sourced properly, it has a more favourable omega-3 to omega-6 ratio than conventionally raised animal fats. It’s also rich in conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), a good omega-6, that supports metabolic health and weight.
Tallow is excellent for higher-heat cooking and is far more stable than industrial seed oils, making it highly anti-inflammatory.
Grass-Fed, Grass-Finished Butter
Is butter hormone-friendly? It depends on the person.
If you’re sensitive to dairy, butter may not be the best choice for you. But for many women, high-quality grass-fed, grass-finished butter can be a beneficial addition.
Benefits include:
Rich source of hormone-supportive saturated fats
Contains butyrate, which nourishes intestinal cells and supports gut health
Better omega-3 to omega-6 balance when cows are 100% grass-fed (aka more anti-inflammatory)
Rich in fat soluble vitamins like vitamin A, E and K
Look for organic, fully grass-fed options. Some countries, like New Zealand, maintain strict grass-fed standards, making their butter a reliable choice.
The Bottom Line
Healthy fats are not the enemy in perimenopause — they’re essential.
By replacing inflammatory seed oils with stable, nutrient-dense fats like olive oil, avocado oil, coconut oil, tallow, and high-quality butter, you support hormone production, blood sugar balance, and inflammation control.
Ready to finally have clarity on how to support your hormones?
Contact us today to book with one of our Holistic Nutritionists and let’s create a hormone-supportive plan tailored to you.
Asher Kleiber
Registered Holistic Nutritionist
