Struggling with symptoms of menopause?
Unfortunately, this phase of life has been under-served for many women. Menopause occurs when you no longer menstruate for over 12 months. It’s often accompanied by symptoms like hot flashes, poor sleep, night sweats and mood changes.
This mainly comes from hormonal shifts – however, there is hope for comfort. Food and nutrition can be leveraged as a tool for self-care and to help reduce these symptoms, while ensuring a higher quality of life and reducing risk for disease.
Reduce ultra-processed foods
Ultra-processed foods can worsen symptoms of menopause, particularly poor sleep and fatigue. Swap ultra-processed convenience foods for their less-processed counterparts – this can help to stabilize blood sugars, sustain energy levels and improve mood and sleep.
For example, swap French fries for roasted potatoes, sugary cereal for oatmeal, and chips for roasted lentils. Fill your fridge with more produce, dairy, meat and alternatives. Try to cook more at home, and enjoy takeout with intention, not habit.
As a whole, focusing your dietary pattern on more whole and less processed foods can do wonders for your physical and mental wellbeing.
Focus on calcium and fibre
After menopause, it’s a good idea to pay extra attention to bone health and heart health. Enjoy lots of calcium-rich foods to maintain bone mineral density, such as Greek yogurt parfait for breakfast, firm tofu as your protein at dinner, and snack on almonds with fruit in the afternoons.
Eating more fibre is a wonderful way to promote heart health – it helps to reduce harmful cholesterol levels, and fibre-rich foods tend to be higher in minerals that help blood pressure regulation. Enjoy tons of fruits and vegetables (aim for 5/day), legumes, whole grains, nuts and seeds. Remember to drink plenty of water!
Practice mindful eating
Do you struggle with emotional eating and subsequent food guilt? Although there is nothing inherently wrong with eating in response to emotions, we certainly don’t want it to become your primary coping mechanism.
Enter: Mindful eating. It’s the practice of eating with intention and paying attention to the eating experience, without judgment. In essence, it’s approaching your meals with neutral curiosity, and tuning into your body cues and focusing on how you feel.
There are tons of benefits to mindful eating – ranging from improved mental well being and relationship with food, to improved digestion and blood sugar control!
Next time you eat, try your best to approach your meal in a relaxed environment, and eat with all senses – notice the texture, flavour, temperature, and satisfaction factor of the food. Notice how your body is responding – is it getting full? Satisfied? Uncomfortable? Let that feeling guide you – true nourishment also includes listening to your body.
Menopause is a natural stage of life. Focusing on less ultra-processed foods, paying more attention to bone and heart health, and practicing mindful eating can help improve quality of life during this time.
Author: Trista Chan Nutritionist/Dietitian, RD, MHSc
