A menopause diet plan involves a few key steps: Eat a well-rounded diet rich calcium, magnesium, and vitamin D. Increase your consumption of fruits, greens, colorful vegetables, and dairy products—such as yogurt, cheese, and milk.
Dairy products, such as milk, yogurt, and cheese, contain calcium and vitamins D and K, which are essential for bone health and therefore perfect to include in a diet for menopause.
Low-Fat Yogurt, Milk, and Cheese, Plus Dark, Leafy Greens and Calcium-Fortified Products Like Almond Milk, Cereals, and Orange Juice. Due to hormonal changes, women undergo significant bone loss during menopause, sometimes leading to postmenopausal osteoporosis.
Breakfast – energy-stabilising almond pancakes
Start your day with a boost of foods for menopause, such as almond flour, oats, flax seeds and fruit.
Avoid alcohol, spicy foods, and caffeine. These can make menopausal symptoms worse. If you smoke, try to quit, not only for hot flashes, but for your overall health. Try to maintain a healthy weight.
Try to avoid white refined carbohydrates such as in white bread, white rice and pizza, as these cause a rapid release of blood glucose (sugar) which can make mood swings worse. Changing to low GI (glycaemic index) carbohydrates will help maintain blood sugar levels.
Your menopause nutrition does not have to look out of the ordinary. Eggs are vitamin D-rich and full of iron, both nutrients that women often lack. Eggs are also an excellent protein source for menopausal women as they have been shown to reduce cholesterol levels, heart disease risk, and obesity.
Exercise. Exercise is key in getting to and staying at a weight that supports your health at any age. During menopause, it can help you lose belly fat. Doing “targeted" abdominal exercises to get rid of belly fat sounds like it would help, but you can't tell your body exactly where to shed pounds.
A study published in the Journal of the North American Menopause Society found that women who ate dark chocolate daily for two weeks experienced a reduction in the frequency and severity of hot flashes. Boosting heart health: Menopause can increase the risk of heart disease.
Milk is specifically designed to help a baby—whether it's a calf or a human—grow as fast as possible. And since cheese is simply concentrated milk—it, too, is packed with growth hormones and sex steroid hormones like estrogen. As a result, the negative effects of dairy products on the body only become worse with age.
Dairy products contain traces of estrogens from cows, and as milk is converted to cheese, the estrogens are more concentrated. While they are only traces, they appear to be biologically active in humans, increasing breast cancer mortality.
Calcium. Osteoporosis is a major health issue for older people, particularly women. This is where bone density reduces and so the risk of fractures increases. Good sources of calcium are dairy products such as milk, cheese and yoghurt.
Limit 'fast release' starchy carbs like white pasta, white bread, mashed potatoes, chips, cake and biscuits: women who eat a diet high in refined carbohydrates go through the menopause earlier.
Eating dark chocolate will satisfy sweet cravings and combat depression and other mood changes during menopause. That's because dark chocolate contains magnesium. The mineral helps raise serotonin levels. Serotonin is responsible for stabilizing mood.
All the benefits of sourdough mentioned above can help support women during menopause. The hormone changes happening during the menopausal transition often affect digestion and can increase food intolerances.
During menopause, consuming peanuts decreases the risk of developing heart disease. Their water and fiber content help to regulate digestion and reduce cholesterol – which is important to maintain heart health. Try eating peanut butter sandwiches with honey and fruit for a healthy and fulfilling lunch!
Magnesium typically decreases along with estrogen in menopause, making symptoms associated with low magnesium levels more noticeable. Magnesium supplements can benefit people in menopause, but be sure to talk to your healthcare provider before taking any new supplements.
During this transition time before menopause, the supply of mature eggs in a woman's ovaries diminishes and ovulation becomes irregular. At the same time, the production of estrogen and progesterone decreases. It is the big drop in estrogen levels that causes most of the symptoms of menopause.
Alcohol like bourbon, wine, and beer contain phytoestrogens (estrogen-mimicking substances), which can raise your estrogen levels, worsening PCOS, endometriosis, and fibroid symptoms.