Menopause Diet
Menopause is a natural transition in a woman’s life as her menstrual cycles come to an end — 12 months in without those cramping weeks means you have entered your menopause stage.
The transition and symptoms that follow menopause can last for several years; declining hormone estrogen and disrupting cyclical patterns of estrogen and progesterone are one of them. These symptoms negatively impact your metabolism, cholesterol levels, and digestive system, potentially leading to obesity. Furthermore, the hormonal changes lead to a decline in bone density resulting in a high risk of fractures.
A large percentage of women experience added symptoms like hot flashes and insomnia during the transition. While women go through this painful period coping with such uncomfortable symptoms and risk of certain diseases, a tailor-made diet may help reduce the trouble.
Foods to Eat
Dairy Products: As your estrogen levels fall, the risk of fractures increases. Here is when calcium comes in handy — milk, yogurt and cheese become your survival tactics. Calcium, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, vitamins D and K are all essential for bone health.
Healthy Fats: Consuming healthy fats from Omega-3 is a great way to reduce inflammation and combat mood swings and irritability. It helps to deal with depression, which is very common while entering the perimenopause phase. It is recommended to have at least two 4-ounce servings of fish per week or complete your healthy fat intake through fish oil supplements and flaxseed oil.
Cool Foods: If your body is suffering from hot flashes causing a sudden feeling of unbearable warmth around your face, neck, and chest, then opt for foods that have a cooling effect on your body. Including apples, bananas, spinach, broccoli, eggs, and green tea in your diet may help you cool down when your body begins to boil up.
Fruits and Vegetables: The potion for forever young; fruit and vegetables are packed with vitamins, minerals, fiber, and antioxidants to keep your health on top priority. Cruciferous vegetables are extremely helpful for postmenopausal women. It decreases the risk of breast cancer caused by decreasing estrogen levels. Dark berries are vital for women going through menopause as it lowers blood pressure.
Phytoestrogen-Containing Foods: These compounds found in foods act as weak estrogens in the body creating a naturally-occurring hormone to fight cell damage. Soybeans, chickpeas, peanuts, flax seeds, barley, grapes, berries, plums, green and black tea are some of the foods that contain phytoestrogen.
Foods to Avoid:
Sugar and processed carbs: High blood sugar, insulin resistance, and metabolic syndrome are directly proportionate to the incidence of hot flashes in menopausal women. Added sugar and processed foods are known for such diseases — the more processed a food is, the more pronounced effect it has on blood sugar. Therefore, substances such as white bread, crackers, and baked goods should not even exist on your diet chart.
Caffeine: Coffee, tea, fizzy drinks, or any other product that contains caffeine is a no-no during menopause. These are the main sleep disruptors making it more difficult for a woman to sleep. Caffeine has a big part in making hot flashes come out in an even worse form — it increases the severity of the warmth rising in your body during one of your menopausal episodes. Switch to decaf instead.
Spicy Food: There is something odd about hot flashes, they make you crave spices while your body is on fire itself. However, despite what your body craves, avoiding spices is the number one recommendation given to women going through menopause.
High-Salt Food: Sodium is the main component found in Salt — excessive addition of it to the diet is linked to high blood pressure. Go easy on smoked, salt-cured, and charbroiled foods as they contain high levels of nitrates that have the power of releasing cancerous elements in your body.
Giving our women-crowd the wings to fly away from menopausal symptoms with these tiny changes made to the diet. Say cheerio to your monthly cycles the smarter way!