Food for Menopause

Menopause is the time of change in a woman’s life marking the end of fertility, usually occurring between the ages of 45-55 years. The level of the hormone estrogen in the body falls which can cause symptoms such as weight gain, hot flushes, night sweats, irritability, mood swings, poor concentration, frequent headaches, joint pains, or irregular periods.

Before menopause, women are protected against a number of diseases by estrogen such as heart disease and osteoporosis. The changes that occur during the menopause due to the loss of estrogen can increase the risk of heart disease and bone weakness. (Source: INDI)

Changes in your diet and lifestyle can help you manage the symptoms of the menopause. Be sure to take this time to look at what you eat and try to get the balance right. Exercising regularly and eating a healthy balanced diet including plenty of fruit and vegetables, oily fish and low in saturated fat will protect your heart and bones and prevent weight gain during the menopause while also helping to relieve difficult menopausal symptoms.

Improved nutrition alone is not a complete one-size-fits-all solution for menopause, but it’s a good place to start if you want to find trigger patterns and alleviate symptoms to help reduce the long-term effects of lower estrogen such as cardiovascular disease and osteoporosis.

Here at Back to Balance presented by Enrich by KSG we support the intention of taking a holistic wellness lifestyle approach.

These lifestyle changes may help women to reduce menopausal symptoms, keep bone density and reduce risk of heart disease. So, in addition to eating healthily, you should:

• Keep to sensible alcohol limits

• Take regular moderate exercise, and especially weight bearing activity and resistance training

• Limit to a moderate intake of caffeine from drinks like coffee, tea, and cola.

• Sleep in a cool room

• Dress in layers to allow easy temperature control

• Develop effective ways of dealing with stress and learn to relax

(Source: INDI)

So, what else do we need to know:

Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) is a treatment used to relieve symptoms of the menopause by replacing hormones that are at lower levels as you approach this stage.

While organisations such as the NHS have stated that there is no evidence to support the belief that HRT leads to weight gain, some research studies have shown that the change in the hormonal milieu at menopause is in fact associated with an increase in total body fat and an increase in abdominal fat.

In addition to this, studies have shown that muscle mass diminishes, and fat levels increase with age. Losing muscle mass is linked to reduced metabolic rate (i.e., a slower rate of metabolism), making it more challenging to maintain a healthy weight without changing your routine. Furthermore, declining estrogen levels that result from the menopause can also negatively impact your metabolism.

While there is no ‘one diet fits all’, there are some lifestyle changes that can be made to help with any weight gain associated with HRT.  

Cortisol is a hormone in the human body, often dubbed the stress hormone. When the body is in a state of stress, cortisol increases blood sugar, enhances your brain's use of glucose, and increases the availability of substances that repair tissues. Cortisol also curbs functions that would be nonessential or harmful in a fight-or-flight situation to protect you.

Menopause has been linked to increased cortisol levels and in turn increases in intrabdominal fat. Cortisol stimulates your fat and carbohydrate metabolism to create a surge of energy in your body which is essential for survival situations. However, this increase has also been linked to increases in appetite and can also cause cravings for sweet, salty, and fatty foods.

So, what is causing your body to be under ‘stress’? While the menopause has been linked to increase cortisol levels, other factors may also be influencing this. One physical factor that has been associated with increased cortisol levels is inflammation. While cortisol is useful and necessary in the short term, if levels are sustained over a longer period it creates ‘stress’ in your body, leading to more inflammation, continuing the cycle.

Lifestyle Changes to Reduce Cortisol Levels

• Manage your Stress  

• Follow an Anti-Inflammatory/Mediterranean Diet  

• Consider Natural Supplement

This fact sheet has been prepared using resources such as Women’s Health Concern which was reviewed by the medical advisory council of the British Menopause Society. It is for your information and advice and should be used in consultation with your own medical practitioner

Menopause & Other factors To Consider :

It is important to be aware of other health conditions that can result from changes in hormone levels, to ensure you are eating to achieve optimal health.

Bone Density

Womens bone density begins to decline from the age of 25, however some of the largest changes can be seen around the stage of the menopause due to changes in hormone levels. To reduce your risk of fractures it is important to consume adequate levels of Vitamin D, Calcium, Phosphorus and Magnesium to name but a few. Good sources of these essential nutrients include dairy products such as milk, yoghurt & cheese.

Foods to Reduce Symptoms

While HRT is used to reduce symptoms of the menopause, you can also assist this through your diet. Increased intake of healthy fats such as Omega-3’s have been linked to decreased frequency of hot flashes. Similarly, other studies have shown increased vegetable, fruit, fibre, and soy consumption to reduce hot flash symptoms in a cohort of women.

Protein Quality

Ageing and the menopause are both linked to a decrease in muscle mass. It is therefore essential to consume an adequate amount of protein when going through these stages. The current recommendation sits at approximately 1.0-1.2g of protein per kg of body weight i.e., if I way 65kg I would need approximately 65g of protein every day, spread out across the day. Over the next 21-days ensure you are choosing protein dense food options, from a variety of sources, across your day. To assist you with this, we have attached some suitable protein options to help you on your journey!  

Eating to Reduce Inflammation

Anti-inflammatory foods contain natural anti-inflammatories that can help to lower your odds of having inflammation.

Inflammation and these inflammatory foods have been linked to chronic illnesses such as Type 2 Diabetes. To help avoid diet and lifestyle related illnesses such as the above you can increase the anti-inflammatory foods in your diet.

This can include but is not limited to:

Removing/Reducing

• Refined Grains  

• Fried Foods  

• Sugar Sweetened Beverages (i.e., fizzy drinks)  

• Red Meat  

Including/Increasing

• Tomatoes  

• Olive Oil  

• Green Leafy Vegetables (Kale/Spinach)  

• Nuts & Seeds  

These non-inflammatory foods contain antioxidants and polyphenols which are protective compounds naturally found in plants.

The Back to Balance menu on site can be so supportive of you on your wellness journey as it aligns with so many of the menopause recommendations.

Here is why:

All Back to Balance dishes are made with wholegrain and less refined grains, lean proteins, nuts and seeds, more of the good fats and lots of seasonal fruit and vegetables. As well as this we have removed deep fried foods from the menu and created recipes that have significant reductions in added sugars.

Be sure to check out our videos where Aisling will show you to create some delicious recipes that can help support you on this specific wellness journey too.

From our Ancient Grain Pancakes for breakfast to our stress-fighting Moroccan vegetable tagine with herby ancient grains and a creamy tzatziki.

Additional Source of Information :

Source : https://www.onstella.com/the-latest/your-body/best-foods-for-menopause/

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