What foods make the best diet for menopause?
Understanding diet and food during menopause
The Ideal Menopause Diet
Menopause puts a woman’s body through a huge amount of stress and the symptoms can be intense! That’s why finding the ideal menopause diet for you and understanding the impact of food during menopause is so important. So what is the best diet for menopause?
THE MEDITERRANEAN DIET
Although there’s no one perfect menopause diet, the Mediterranean diet is a good start! This eating plan is a great yardstick and if you’re looking for something that already exists to follow, this could be the best diet for menopause. The Mediterranean way of eating includes lots of fresh fruit and vegetables, whole grains and healthy fats including oily fish, avocado and olive oil. Healthy fats are an important food during menopause, as they’re essential for hormone production and overall skin health.
This is also a great menopause diet as it limits alcohol and red meat and is associated with the highest life expectancy and lowest rate of heart disease in the world[i]. This is what makes the Mediterranean diet a candidate for the best diet for menopause, as decreased oestrogen in menopausal women puts them at a higher risk of future cardio complications[ii]. Other risk factors for all people, not just women experiencing menopause include smoking, obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure and diets high in salt and saturated fat.
EAT THE RAINBOW
A classic nutritionist phrase for a reason, eating this kind of food during menopause is a great way to ease some of the symptoms. Helping to manage the hormonal fluctuations in the body, this diet includes plenty of natural variety.
Having lots of different colours at each meal should also be supplemented by the right amount of protein. The recommendation is a palm sized amount of protein at each meal and a small handful at each snack. Consider foods like fish, chicken, eggs, tofu, beans and lentils.
The goal of this menopause diet is 10 portions of fruit and vegetables a day from around 30 different plant sources in a month. This is crucial for good gut health, ensuring you’re eating enough fibre and the right food during menopause.
This eating plan can be the best diet for menopause as it helps manage blood sugar levels, easing fatigue and helping to keep your mood stable.
THE IMPORTANCE OF CALCIUM
1 in 2 menopausal women are impacted by osteoporosis, a disease which causes the bones to become brittle and susceptible to easy fracture. Fractures in weakened bones can be fatal, so the best diet for menopause must include plenty of calcium[x].
The recommended daily intake for women under 50 is 700mg, increasing to 1,200mg for women over 55. Some essential foods during menopause that contain plenty of calcium include dairy, leafy greens like kale and broccoli, and some kinds of tofu.
Vitamin D is another essential, as it is key to supporting bone health. During winter it’s worth looking into supplementation, the recommended amount is 10mcg daily between October and March if you live in the UK.
Although eating the right food during menopause is important, so is getting enough exercise. Bone is a living tissue that grows stronger with weight-bearing exercise, and it’s important to supplement any menopause diet with plenty of dynamic exercise.
WHAT TO WATCH OUT FOR
Some of the most common menopause symptoms include hot flushes, with 3 in 4 menopausal women suffering regularly. Hot flushes can be hugely impacted by habits and food during menopause, and can be triggered by stress, caffeine, alcohol and smoking. The best diet for menopause includes not smoking, as a study has shown that women who stopped smoking at least 5 years before menopause had a significant decrease in severity and frequency of hot flushes.
You can also keep on top of hot flushes by controlling what you eat and drink, staying hydrated and eating foods high in phytoestrogen like seeds, sprouts and some tofu.
BEYOND THE MENOPAUSE DIET
Although your food during menopause is important, sometimes medication is necessary. Speak to your healthcare professional if your symptoms are causing you discomfort or becoming unmanageable, even if you are implementing what you think is the best diet for menopause based on these tips.
Your doctor may prescribe HRT, a hormone replacement therapy that can balance declining hormone levels. However, HRT is not right for everyone and there is a non-hormonal alternative. Sérélys® Meno is formulated to help ease symptoms of menopause. Women in a clinical trial using Sérélys® Meno found this scientifically proven supplement to be highly effective.
85.5% of women in this trial experienced fewer hot flushes, while 91% of women found their hot flushes to be less intense and 60.8% of women found themselves feeling less tired. * Lachowsky M. et al., Evaluation of the quality and tolerance of Serelys ® in women during perimenopause and menopause. Genesis, 2015. Volume 183, 10-13.
If you’ve tried the menopause diet and feel you need greater support, why not try Sérélys® Meno?
[i] Lopez-Garcia E, et al. The Mediterranean-style dietary pattern and mortality among men and women with cardiovascular disease. Am J Clin Nutr 2014;99:172–180.
[ii] Baker L, et al. The role of estrogen in cardiovascular disease. J Surg Res 2003;115:325–344.
