Menopause-friendly foods: best foods, meal ideas, snacks & other diet tips

Menopause and your changing dietary needs

I'm often asked, "What should I eat while in perimenopause and menopause? What foods are going to help me?" There's a huge amount of research out there on the best foods for menopause, but it can be so confusing. So, I thought I'd give you some general tips, some ideas of things that you can do, the foods that you can eat, what you need to eat, and also, the things that I do to help myself.

The problem here is that when you go through menopause, there are several things that can happen. One is that that your nutritional needs go sky-high. If you think about it, all the physical and emotional changes that are going on require a huge amount of energy. And what maybe suited you in your 20s and 30s may not be enough for what your body needs at this particular time.

Also, your digestion can change. Falling oestrogen levels can have a big impact on the production of stomach acid, so you might not be breaking down and absorbing all the nutrients that you need.

Lower oestrogen levels can also slow everything down, so you end up getting more bloating and more digestive discomfort from the foods that you are eating. Therefore, because your body needs more nutrients and, because your digestion is not as good as it was, you need a much bigger, varied diet than what you may have done maybe 5 or 10 years ago.

Good foods for menopause

A varied diet packed with certain key food groups is a good place to start. Here are the menopause-friendly food groups that you want to try and incorporate into your daily diet:

1. Protein

You need protein for so many different things. You need it to build your muscles. And one of the main issues that can happen, especially in menopause and post-menopause, is something called sarcopenia. Your muscle tissue decreases, which is then going to have a huge impact on your mobility, your muscle strength, and also, your fitness. So enough good lean protein on a daily basis is vital, just for your muscles alone. You also need protein for your skin, your hair, your nails, bones, and also for your hormones. So, when your hormones are decreasing and your nutritional needs are increasing, you need more of everything to support hormone production.

If you are vegetarian or vegan, you can look at things like beans, pulses, nuts, tofu, and tempeh. Otherwise, you're looking at lean meat, loads of different kinds of fish. Eggs are fine. Dairy too, but just be careful - try and make sure that it's organic, and just have it in moderation. Remember that dairy has lots of calcium, but it doesn't have a lot of magnesium. And we need extra magnesium with our calcium at this time.

2. Fruits and vegetables

These are absolutely vital. In order to get all the vitamins and minerals that you need on a daily basis, then having a really good variety of different vegetables and fruits will be really helpful.

You also need fruits and veg for fibre, because remember, your digestion slows down so we need to keep elimination going to avoid all that bloating.

TIP: I normally recommend that you eat a rainbow on your plate every day, and that way you're getting a really good mix of different vegetables and fruits.

3. Healthy fats

Maybe, like me, you've been brought up being told that, "Fat is the enemy. Fat is going to cause so many health issues. Stay off fat." The problem is that you need fat to lubricate your joints. You need it to keep your skin nice, moist, and healthy. You need fat for brain function, and you need fat for hormone production.

It's getting the right balance of fat. I always tend to recommend things like coconut butter that you get in a jar. You could also look at avocado oil, and extra virgin olive oil. All of these can be really helpful.

I tend to advise avoiding sunflower and rapeseed oils. These are often highly manufactured fats. And the same with margarine. If you have time, have a Google at how margarine is made, and I think you'll probably never eat it again!

Fish oils are another good source of healthy fats. So, fish oils can be really good for the joints, for brain function, and for your skin.

If you are vegetarian or vegan, you can look at flaxseed oil supplements instead.

One thing though, if you are under the doctor's guidance for high cholesterol, then you really do need to follow their advice. If you're getting really confused about fats and what you need if you have cholesterol issues, then it may be worth seeing a practitioner such as a nutritional therapist, who can help and support you along the way.

4. Wholegrains, beans and pulses

You need these for fibre and also for gut health. So, you're looking at things like barley, millet, quinoa, beans, and pulses.

What I would say is, don't use a lot of them. I find, for me, I don't eat a lot of bread because I tend to blow up like a balloon, and it's the same with beans and pulses. My body doesn't like them particularly, so I tend to make sure that I get loads and loads of vegetables in order to keep my fibre intake up.

5. Phytoestrogenic foods

These are a range of foods that contain compounds called phytoestrogens. Phytoestrogens gently mimic oestrogen in our bodies. And they can help to support our hormonal balance, whilst our own oestrogen production is decreasing.

You're looking at things like broccoli, cruciferous vegetables such as cauliflower, sprouted seeds such as red clover, and soya bean products. Although, for some people, again, for myself, my body doesn't particularly like soya, so I tend to avoid it unless it’s fermented soy, which is easier to digest.

You've also got things like nuts, tempeh, tofu, and miso. These fermented soya foods are a lovely source of phytoestrogens. And if you have trouble with ordinary soya, like myself, you may be surprised that your body is quite happy with fermented soya products.

Meal ideas – what I eat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner (and snacks)

It can be quite difficult to know how to start including all these different foods. You're probably sitting there thinking, "Well, that's all very well. But how do you combine all of these together for a healthy meal?" So, I'll give you a rundown of a day’s typical diet so that you can get a good idea of the things that I eat to help myself.

Breakfast

For me, I need a proper, hearty, cooked breakfast because, if not, by 10 o’clock, I am craving sweet things like nobody's business. So, this morning, I decided to have an omelette. I sautéed some red onions, and mushrooms, and put them in the omelette with a little bit of asparagus, a crumble of feta cheese, and some cherry tomatoes. And I used a little bit of butter. This breakfast provides me with protein, a few carbs, and two or three portions of vegetables as well. That, for me, will keep me going for quite a long time.

I know, again, it takes time, but I find that in the morning it's just an extra 10 minutes of my life on a daily basis to have a good cooked breakfast, and I feel so much better eating that than maybe cereal or toast.

If you're vegetarian or vegan, or you don't like to eat a lot for breakfast, then you could try a plant-based protein powder.

Lunch

For lunch, I tend to make a lot of vegetable soup. I hate waste so, at the weekend, any vegetables that are left in the fridge get made into a big pot of soup. I maybe do a curry soup, or a tomato and paprika one, or just whatever comes to hand. I have no idea what it will taste like at the end of the day, but they seem to work out all right.

I then freeze them for the rest of the week, which means that every lunchtime I've got a good portion of soup. I will add bits of protein to it, maybe some lentils or some shredded chicken. I've also now started using bone broth powder. I'll let you know how I get on with it. I've read quite a lot about it in terms of containing collagen for your connective tissue, and it's also high in protein, so that can be a really good thing.

I always put a little teaspoon of organic extra virgin olive oil in my soup as well. So again, with the soup, I'm getting a bit of protein, I'm getting healthy fats, and I'm getting loads of vegetables in there too.

Dinner

For my evening meal, I tend to do something really simple like a mixed salad. I use my own salad dressing. I'll have some kind of simple protein like maybe some tuna, or chicken, or something like that. And that, again, keeps me going all evening.

Snacks

I do like the odd snack, especially if I'm really busy or I've got an active day. So, midmorning, I'll have something like a couple of walnuts. Mid-afternoon, maybe some full-fat Greek yoghurt and a little teaspoon of organic cocoa powder to make a nice chocolate mousse. And maybe in the evening, if I am hungry, then I will have an oatcake and some nut butter, or something like that.

Other healthy snacks that are good to eat include nuts and seed mixes, a couple of Medjool dates, or homemade energy balls.

So, as you can see, it's quite easy to incorporate these things into your daily diet. It might just need a little bit of extra planning. And I find, for me, that keeping my blood sugar stable makes a huge difference and then I tend not to get sugar cravings or snack on bad things in between meals.

My 80/20 rule

I love food, and this is really, really important. I really, really love food, but it can be difficult if you have a very basic diet. For me, having sensible food the whole time can get boring and a bit miserable too. So, I tend to follow the 80/20 rule, which means 80% of the time I will be sensible and I will follow the type of diet that I've already given you. Then, 20% of the time, I will enjoy myself. If I am out for a meal with friends or family, I'll eat what I want. If I'm on holiday, I will eat what I want and I will really enjoy it. And then, once back home, I'll go back to my original diet. That way, I’m not starving myself of the foods that I really, really love.

Intermittent fasting

One of the things I also want to mention is intermittent fasting. I get asked a great deal about this. I've just been reading some research on it in terms of how it works for perimenopause and menopause. What I've found is that blood sugar control can go totally out of whack for some people doing intermittent fasting, and that was my situation. So, for me, I tried intermittent fasting and it was a complete disaster. I felt very unwell and I just craved sweet things after about day two. And although they do say to try it for a week, I couldn't. I really couldn't follow it.

So, this is one of these diets, if you want to have a look into it, read up on it well. Don't just jump into it. Do plenty of research. Read a few books about it and try it. If it works for you, and you feel great, then that's absolutely fantastic. If, after maybe a few days or a week, you really don't feel well and your symptoms start to get worse, which is a good indication that maybe you're not getting enough nutrition at the right time, then obviously, don't continue with it.

I hope you found this helpful. There is so much research out there now showing that a healthy balanced diet can go a long way to supporting your whole body through perimenopause and menopause. Please share your stories. Let us know what diet you follow, and what difference it's made for you. Any little tips, please share them. And you know that I always love reading everything that you write.

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