A UK nutritionist has revealed the top five dietary changes women in their 30s and 40s should make to manage menopausal symptoms.
Menopause involves a reduction in the body’s estrogen levels and can lead to 150 different symptoms, lasting from one to ten years.
Changes to your diet, such as drinking more leafy greens and less coffee, can manage some of the worst peri-menopausal symptoms, including hot flashes and bone health.
A nutritionist has shared her top five nutrition tips to manage menopause symptoms, including increasing dairy and omega-3 intake
The nutritionist’s first tip was to increase your omega-3 intake. The nutrient is found in ground flaxseed, walnuts, and fatty fish, including salmon, mackerel, and sardines.
Omega-3 has been proven to reduce hot flashes, improve mental well-being and maintain normal blood cholesterol levels.
She also recommended eating more green leafy vegetables, as they are rich in magnesium, which is necessary for more than 600 processes in the body and improves energy, sleep and muscle and nerve relaxation.
Magnesium is also found in flaxseed, almonds, fish and meat.
The nutritionist recommended increasing your intake of leafy greens to increase magnesium levels, she also suggested eating more omega-3 rich foods, such as flaxseed
The nutritionist’s third tip was to eat a lot of dairy to keep the bones healthy. Dairy is rich in calcium, which is necessary because estrogen levels decline during peri-menopause and can lead to: lower bone mineral density.
Calcium can also be found in calcium set tofu, tahini, green peas and nuts and seeds. Vitamin D and vitamin K also support bone health.
She also advised cutting back on caffeine, sugar, and alcohol. Substances such as alcohol can cause blood vessels to widen and may make hot flashes worse.
Her last tip was to increase the amount of lignan you eat. The plant’s natural chemical mimics the effects of estrogen and therefore helps manage peri-menopausal symptoms.
Lignan can be found in soy products such as tofu and soy yogurt, health food brand Linwoods also sells a seed mix packed with lignans called Menoligna.
Linwood’s teamed up with a UK nutritionist to highlight the importance of nutrition for managing menopausal symptoms.
October is National Menopause Awareness Month and the company wanted to raise awareness of the topic as menopause is still a ‘taboo topic’.
Menopause is technically just one day which means a year without periods, but perimenopause refers to the lead up to this time and is associated with a myriad of symptoms.
Peri-menopause can be a ‘challenging time’ and normally starts between 40-65, but its unpredictable nature means women aren’t sure when the ‘creeping up’ is going to start.
Some people may experience symptoms earlier than age 45 as a result of genetics, cancer treatments, or hysterectomies.
The drop in estrogen that causes menopause has a wide variety of effects on the body, some of which are totally bizarre
The decline in estrogen leading up to menopause causes a variety of symptoms that last an average of seven years.
They are different for each person and vary from month to month.
The 150 symptoms can include changes in weight distribution, stress, anxiety, bad mood, hot flashes, vaginal dryness, impaired sleep, impaired memory or ability to concentrate, lower bone mineral density, and decreased energy levels.
While diet alone cannot control symptoms, proper nutrition and pre-menopausal habits can make it more manageable.
