Nutrition For The Menopause

Menopause is a natural part of ageing when your menstrual cycle comes to an end.

Menopause itself is divided into three stages – perimenopause, menopause, and post menopause.

Perimenopause is the time leading up to menopause and can occur 8-10 years before, and this is where there is a decline in oestrogen production from the ovaries.

Menopause is the time when they are no longer menstrual periods. At the is stage oestrogen production has stopped from the ovaries, and the ovaries have stopped releasing eggs. Menopause is diagnosed when there is no menstrual period for 12 consecutive months.

Post menopause is the name given when there is no period after a year, or for the rest of your life after menopause. During this stage of menopause some of the symptoms, like hot flushes, can get better. However, some symptoms may occur for a decade or more after menopause.

The onset of menopause usually occurs between the ages of 45 and 55 but this can differ between individuals.

Some of the symptoms of menopause are hot flashes, night sweats, vaginal dryness, urinary urgency, difficulty sleeping, and emotional changes (low mood, depression, or anxiety) to name just a few.

There are several conditions that you could be high risk to because of menopause.

The decline in oestrogen levels effect bone health so osteoporosis risk is elevated.

Lower oestrogen levels can also increase weight gain which can increase the risk of heart disease. There can also be a negative change in cholesterol profile, and an increase in blood pressure due to hormonal changes.

In this article I wanted to give you some nutrition tips that could be of benefit during the transitional changes throughout menopause. I have highlighted eight different nutritional strategies that you can begin to implement to help reduce some of the risk factors of menopause and could potentially help offset some of the symptoms associated with menopause.

Read on for more details.

Protein

With the onset of menopause (perimenopause) and all the way through to post-menopause there is a reduction of muscle mass in the body. This in turn can cause weight gain in the body with the same calories being consumed. Muscle cam help boost metabolic rate and in turn help to burn more calories.

Including good amounts of protein in the diet is a good way to combat this event and keep lean body tissue. It would appear that the protein recommendation is varied with 0.8g/kg up to 1.6g/kg recommended. I would start at the lower end and work up to a sustainable amount and effective amount for that individual.

Include quality protein in the diet through many different sources like chicken, fish, seafood, eggs, legumes, pulses, nuts, and seeds.

In conjunction with optimal protein intake, it would also be beneficial to include some sort of resistance training which will help preserve muscle and help with weight management.

Calcium and Vitamin D

Are we start to lose calcium from our bones as we get older making them weaker.

The onset of menopause also has an effect on bone loss with the reduction in oestrogen levels playing a part. With the ever-advancing years the likelihood of osteoporosis increases as well.

To help reduce these risk factors we are looking to increase the levels of calcium in the body with calcium rich foods, like milk, yoghurt, green leafy vegetables, and tinned fish with the bones still intact.

Vitamin D is also critical for the health of our bones, and you can get this through healthy sun exposure, which is about 5-30 minutes between 10am and 4pm. If you are like me and live in the UK supplementation of vitamin D can help to keep levels elevated

through the winter months, and there are too many of them!

For more information on bone health please check my previous post titled ‘Bone Health 101’.

Omega 3’s

Menopause can increase the risk of heart disease so consuming foods that can decrease this risk is a must.

Omega 3’s can do this by lowering LDL cholesterol in the body and reducing

inflammation which are both contributing factors towards heart disease.

To increase Omega 3 levels in the body, try and consume two oily pieces of fish a week which could include tuna, salmon, mackerel, or sardines.

If you find it hard to consume two pieces of oily fish a week then supplements can help. Omega 3’s can also be found in plant foods like walnuts, chia seeds, and flaxseeds.

Fruits and Vegetables

Both provide many beneficial vitamins and minerals. They also provide good amounts of fibre which will help reduce the risk of heart disease, lower cholesterol, stroke, and control blood glucose levels.

Fruits and vegetables also contain plant compounds called phytoestrogens or plant oestrogens. These compounds are very similar to human oestrogen. If eaten regularly they can oestrogen like effects in the body, which is great for elevating those decreasing oestrogen levels during menopause.

The BDA website states that it could take three months for the beneficial effects to become visible. The phytoestrogens work better for some women than others. They recommend trying to consume fruits and vegetables multiple times a day.

Fibre

Increasing fibre intake will help control weight gain and high fibrous foods are surprisingly filling and prevent overeating.

As previously mentioned, fruits and vegetables are a great source of fibre. The general guidelines are to consume five portions of fruit and veg a day.

Additionally, try and consume wholegrains like brown rice, brown pasta, and oats.

Nuts, seeds, pulses, and lentils are other foods that are a fibre rich.

Switch To Unsaturated Fats

Reducing saturated fat intake and increasing unsaturated fat intake will help reduce the risk of heart disease and help to lower LDL cholesterol levels.

Reduce the consumption of butter, coconut oil, red meats, cheeses, savoury products, and baked treats.

Increase the consumption of unsaturated fatty foods like olive oil, avocado, nuts, seeds, and fish.

Reduce Alcohol and Caffeine

Reducing the amount of alcohol and caffeine you consume throughout the menopause could potentially help with hot flushes. This again is dependent on the individual.

Try consuming moderate amounts of caffeine (2-3 cups a day) from tea, coffee, or colas. If this still has a negative impact on you then try switching to decaffeinated drinks.

With alcohol consumption the recommendation is no more than 14 units of alcohol per week, with a maximum of 2 units per day. For example, a small glass of wine is about 1.5 units whilst a pint of beer is 2.4 units.

This is a link to the NHS website of units per alcoholic drink and how you can work out how many units each alcoholic drink contains - Alcohol units - NHS (www.nhs.uk)

Reduce Salt Intake

Trying to reduce the consumption of processed foods like ready meals, savoury snacks like crisps and pastries, and processed meats will help to reduce overall salt intake.

Preparing meals from scratch will also help you to control the amount of salt you add to foods and overall consumption will be controlled.

Increased salt or sodium intake has been linked to an increase in blood pressure. This could potentially lead to hypertension and further complications associated with cardiovascular disease. Reduction in salt intake by 50% has been shown be reduce blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, and all-cause mortality (refers to death from any cause).

I hope this article has be helpful and informative in what changes that can be made to the diet to improve symptoms of menopause, and other health issues that can occur because of it.

As always I have linked various websites and articles for further information on menopause. The BDA website I have linked is particularly helpful and the guidelines listed are used by dietitians and the information used is from evident reviewed research and studies.

If you are unsure where to start with your diet or need more specific guidance then send me a message through my message form on my homepage and I would be happy to help you.

Until next time.