Menopause can be a challenging time in your life. Suddenly, after a number of years where you pretty much know what to expect each month, it can feel like your whole body has gone haywire.
Menopause can be a challenging time in your life. Suddenly, after a number of years where you pretty much know what to expect each month, it can feel like your whole body has gone haywire.
While the medical definition of "menopause" is the moment in time when your monthly menstrual cycles have ceased for a full 12 consecutive months, the period leading up to it, or perimenopause, can last for months or even years.
It can really help to know what to eat to minimize your symptoms and feel your best during this time of transition. In this article, learn about the best menopause diet to minimize uncomfortable symptoms like hot flashes.
1. Dairy.
During perimenopause and at the onset of menopause, your natural calcium stores are beginning to decline due to changes in levels of the two most important female reproductive hormones, estrogen, and progesterone. This is why many women first hear that they have fragile bones - osteoporosis - after menopause.
Replenishing your calcium stores is vitally important to keep your bones healthy and strong. Not only does dairy have plenty of calcium, but it contains many other nutrients essential for bone health and strength, including Vitamins D and K, phosphorus, magnesium, and potassium.
If you cannot eat dairy for other health reasons, be sure to talk with your doctor about taking a high-quality calcium supplement.
2. "Good" fats.
Essential fatty acids like omega-3 and omega-6 are important all throughout life, but never more so than when your body is going through the kind of sweeping changes that occur in menopause.
Good fats are found in abundance in foods like avocado, salmon, anchovies, mackerel, chia seeds, flax seeds, and hemp seeds. If you are suffering from hot flashes, these foods will be particularly welcome as a potential source of relief, according to WebMD.
3. Whole grains.
Whole grains not only contain naturally high levels of dietary fiber to regulate your gastrointestinal system, but they have also been shown to increase longevity overall.
Whole-grain foods like warm breakfast oatmeal and other grains, rye, barley, quinoa, kamut, and brown rice are also packed with essential B vitamins to support heart health and fight cancer and diabetes.
According to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, adopting a healthy diet that includes whole grains will also help you fight off any extra unwanted pounds that may start creeping in as your body transitions into menopause.
Some physicians are now calling this the "metabolic midlife crisis" and your body needs healthy and natural sources of vitamins, minerals, and dietary fiber to stay trim and balanced during perimenopause and into menopause.
4. Fresh fruits.
Not only are fresh fruits tasty and hydrating and loaded with vitamins, minerals, and nutrients, but they can also help to control cravings and assist with weight maintenance or weight loss during perimenopause and into menopause.
Making a point to consume fresh fruits each day also gives your body nutrient-dense food sources that contain plenty of beneficial dietary fiber to detoxify your digestive tract and aid in elimination.
Berries, with their potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, can also help guard against toxicity that causes fluid retention and weight gain.
5. Soy.
During the reproductive years, many women try to reduce their soy intake to help regulate their estrogen levels. But starting in perimenopause, many health providers are now advocating for a return to soy consumption.
This is because soy contains phytoestrogens in the form of isoflavones, which are a natural plant-based estrogen source that can help to stabilize and replenish lost estrogen as the body shuts its reproductive function down.
As early as 2003, according to WebMD, physicians and researchers were already aware of soy's potential to help ease hot flashes and night sweats, two of menopause's most unpleasant health symptoms.
Some researchers believe the key to finding relief is to consume soy in whole foods rather than as a stand-alone supplement. Soybeans, tofu, tempeh, soy milk, and other soy foods are all great ways to take in soy to ease hot flashes.
6. High-quality protein.
The type of protein sources you take in can have an impact on your body's available calcium as well as your immune system's ability to fight off infection, cancer, osteoporosis, early mortality, and other menopause-linked health issues.
While healthy fatty fish like salmon provide essential fatty acids that your body also needs, in general, many physicians are now advocating for a transition to plant-based protein sources during perimenopause and into menopause.
The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine states that women who consumed more animal protein were more at risk of fragile bones and fractures after menopause. This is because digesting animal protein can leach calcium from the bones and excrete it into the urine. Switching to plant-based protein helps the body hold on to calcium.
High-quality plant-based protein sources can include beans, nuts, soy, lentils, spinach, quinoa, lentils, and seeds.
7. Dark green leafy veggies & cruciferous veggies.
Dark green leafy veggies and cruciferous veggies like spinach, kale, turnip greens, mustard greens, broccoli, collard greens, beet greens, and similar others are full of naturally healthy nutrients.
Dark leafy greens and cruciferous vegetables are known to be rich in calcium, vitamins, minerals and plenty of natural dietary fiber to help regulate metabolism and weight, mood, sleep, joint aches and pains, and other unpleasant menopause symptoms.
8. Green tea.
Green tea or matcha green tea (green tea with the leaves included) is one of the best resources you can give your body to fight serious disease risks that are frequently associated with menopause, including cancer.
But green tea also delivers powerful doses of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and anti-inflammatory properties to detoxify the body and ease hot flashes.
9. Seeds and nuts.
Seeds and nuts can deliver significant relief from perimenopause and menopause symptoms when consumed in moderation daily.
Seeds and nuts provide essential fatty acids, natural dietary fiber, plant lignans (a natural source of estrogen), calcium, magnesium, zinc, potassium, protein and other nutrients.
In addition to helping with weight maintenance and metabolism, seeds and nuts stave off the threat of osteoporosis and may also ease depressive symptoms and mood swings.
10. Pure water.
Pure water is less in fashion today in an era of vitamin waters, energy drinks and cold-pressed fruit and vegetable juices. But when your body enters perimenopause, it needs pure water more than ever before.
Taking in sufficient quantities of plain, pure water every day can help ease skin and tissue dryness associated with a drop in systemic estrogen levels. One author even calls water "liquid oxygen" for its ability to nourish cells, detoxify and moisturize, according to Very Well Health.
Armed with these 10 delicious, nutritious and wholesome foods, you can give your body all the natural tools it needs to fight off hot flashes, mood swings, joint aches and pains, bone fragility, weight gain, food cravings, depression and anxiety and other unsettling symptoms that often occur during perimenopause and into menopause.
As always, if you are under a doctor's care for the management of any health condition, it is smart to talk with your doctor before making major changes to your diet.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional consultation or advice related to your health or finances. No reference to an identifiable individual or company is intended as an endorsement thereof. Some or all of this article may have been generated using artificial intelligence, and it may contain certain inaccuracies or unreliable information. Readers should not rely on this article for information and should consult with professionals for personal advice.