The NHS advocates that making positive changes to your diet during menopause can be beneficial and help you cope with the changes you are facing during this time of hormonal transition.

Menopause is a normal physiological process that occurs when the women’s body progressively stops producing oestrogen in the ovaries usually after the age of 40. It takes about 10-15 years until periods cease and no more egg follicles are produced. Such a prolonged physical change would in theory not cause major problems however many women face serious side effects which interrupt their lives. Common side effects are hot flushes, mood swings and depression, loss of memory, increased frequency of headaches and migraines, vaginal dryness and reduced libido as well as struggle to maintain weight.

Moreover evidence suggests that physical changes encountered with menopause increase the risk of osteoporosis (brittle bones), cardio vascular disease and breast cancer. Current belief is that oestrogen affects all three diseases and with severely lower levels of oestrogen by the end of menopause the protective action for your bones has nearly ceased. This often leads to increased fractures. Added to this menopause appears also to increase oxidative damage to cells and tissues which can speed up the aging process of your body.

However some foods and a healthy balanced diet can not only help you battle these negative physical effects they can also assist in reducing some of the side effects such as hot flushes and mood swings. The most frequently discussed diet related advice for women in menopause is to increase the amount of soy products in the diet. This advice is based on statistics showing Asian populations suffer significantly less from osteoporosis and breast cancer as long as they are eating traditional

Asian menus rich in soy-products. Further investigation has highlighted that phytoestrogens a substance found in large quantities in soya mimics some actions of oestrogens in the human body and most importantly that women consuming diets rich in soy products have usually higher circulating levels of phytoestrogens.

Some studies support a reduction in hot flushes, vaginal dryness and increased libido after consumption of five portions of soya products per week for at least 5-6 consecutive weeks.

It is however important to highlight that supplementation with phytoestrogens has been suggested to increase the risk of breast cancer; hence taking supplements appears not to be a safe alternative to soy rich foods. A quick note along these lines: if you do not fancy soya, flaxseed and linseeds as well as chickpeas contain also relative large amounts of phytoestrogens and might offer some further choice.

Although soy products can make a significant difference to your wellbeing in menopause it is not the only aspect of your diet which requires a critical look. As mentioned above there is some evidence which indicates oxidative damage to cells and tissues increases significantly in menopause, therefore it may be useful to raise the amount of fruit and vegetables in your diet above the 5 portions a day recommended by the Food Standards Agency as these foods in particular are a rich source of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants which tackle oxidative damage and are beneficial for your cardio vascular health.

Increasing fibre intakes with that added fruit and vegetable and further adding whole grain products could also help you to sustain your weight and reduce the increased risk of atheriosclerosis which could cause heart disease and stroke. A further benefit of whole grains in your diet at this time might be that it could help you to avoid mood swings or even depressions and most importantly whole grain products are commonly rich in B-vitamins which will help you to preserve you memory.

Finally checking your fat intakes is just as important now as it was in other stages of your life and low saturated fat intakes (animal products and meat) will again be protective of heart disease while moderate consumption of unsaturated fats (nuts, seeds, oily fish) will supply vital antioxidants and protect against heart disease.

There are also many herbal remedies often stated to help reducing several menopausal symptoms however recent reviews came to the conclusion that there is currently not enough evidence to suggest these effects can truly help to increase health and wellbeing in menopause.

Menopause is clearly a time of transition for a women’s body added to this it is also a mental transition which reminds us that our days are counted. So it could be a moment in a women’s life to make further changes such as a healthy balanced diet. Such changes achieved with the right advice and implemented progressively can therefore not only help to alleviate side effects of the menopause but could also help to progress into a healthy and active life beyond menopause.

Andrea Zick – Esteem Fitness Nutrition
Esteem Fitness – Personal training London and South East UK