Just like menstruation, menopause is a natural transition in a woman’s life that happens as early as her 30s. The menopausal stage is the phase wherein a woman’s menstrual cycle has come to an end—indicating another set of different changes to be experienced in this stage.
The menopause stage is confirmed 12 months after your last period and is accompanied by symptoms associated with menopause which can last for several years. While the symptoms felt during this time is linked to many uncomfortable symptoms and increases your risk of certain illness, what you eat may help reduce the symptoms or make it worse. Thus, here are the things you need to know about menopause diet.
The Changes that Happen During Menopause
During the transition from menstruation to menopause and beyond, the most affected in these transitions are the estrogen and progesterone. The hormone estrogen begins to decline which disrupts your normal cyclical patterns.
Because of the declining estrogen levels, a woman’s metabolism is impacted negatively which possibly leads to weight gain. This type of changes in your body might perhaps lead to many health risks like gaining cholesterol levels and how your body digests carbs.
In terms of symptoms, the most common women experience is hot flashes and sleep disruption due to the changes in a woman’s hormones in the body. Additionally, because of hormone changes, a decline in bone density will occur, increasing the risk of fractures for women.
Foods That You Should Eat
To give you clues about how to start on your menopause diet or in preparation for this type of transition in your life. Here are the foods that you should eat, that will help your body get the right nutrients to alleviate any symptoms that you may feel, or is currently experiencing due to menopause.
Many studies support that certain foods may help relieve some symptoms of menopause like poor sleep, hot flashes, and bone density. The foods include the following:
Whole Grains
Whole grains have vital nutrients that have been linked with a reduced risk of heart diseases, cancer, and premature death. With whole grains, the nutrients fiber and vitamin B such as thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, and pantothenic acid are present.
In terms of menopausal issues, since you might be prone to accumulating cholesterol levels and diabetes, researchers found that people who ate three or more servings of whole grains per day had a lower risk of developing diabetes and heart diseases compared to those who ate mostly refined carbs.
Fruits and Vegetables
Since when did fruits and vegetables not ever get on the top list of healthy foods? Fruits and vegetables are packed with minerals, vitamins, fiber, and antioxidants which all help alleviate symptoms of menopause and keep your overall well-being healthy.
There was a conducted one-year intervention study in over 17,000 menopausal women wherein those who ate more fruits, vegetables, fiber, and soy experienced a 19 percent reduction in hot flashes compared to those who ate less. As a part of the result, the reduction also attributed to a healthier diet that led to weight loss.
Omega-3
Healthy fats like Omega-3 fatty acids may benefit women going through the menopausal stage. There’s a review study conducted with 483 menopausal women that were concluded to have a decrease in the frequency of hot flashes and night sweat severity due to the omega-3 supplement consumption.
If you want to incorporate Omega-3 into your diet without using supplements, then you may go for the foods that contain the highest omega-3 fatty acids which include fatty fishes such as salmon, mackerel, and anchovies. For vegetables, you may go for seeds, like chia seeds, hemp seeds, and flax seeds.
Protein
One of the main concerns during menopause is the decline in estrogen, which is linked to decreased bone strength and muscle mass. Because of this, women that go through menopause should eat more protein.
Meat, poultry, egg, fish, and dairy products, these are some of the foods that you can put with your diet to get the protein that your body needs.
Takeaway
Menopause is an irrevocable part of a woman’s natural disposition, and it is often linked to changes in metabolism, the risk of heart diseases, and reduced bone density. However, how one will feel the symptoms and develop certain illnesses can surely be eased through eating the right food.
Many women suffer the unpleasant symptoms that menopause brings. Which is why if you feel worst more than your regular days, it is best to see a doctor. There are also medications that your doctor would be prescribing, such as climara, which can be bought with climara coupon at local pharmacies.