What superfoods are good for menopause?

Today's topic

Today on A.Vogel Talks Menopause, I take a closer look at my five favourite superfoods.

We all know that a healthy diet with a good variety of foods can be so helpful for supporting the body through menopause. However, we are busy people and sometimes, it can be really hard to plan and organise a healthy, ongoing diet. What you can do is sometimes rely on what's called superfoods, which you can very simply and easily add into your daily diet.

What are superfoods?

Superfoods are foods that pack a real punch because they are full of nutrients, vitamins and minerals in a very small quantity. This is one of the reasons why they're so easy for you to eat daily.

Some superfoods are really expensive and have very exotic-sounding names like baobab tree, camu camu, chlorella and all sorts of other ones. Very often, they come from very exotic places that we haven't heard of and they can also be quite difficult to find if you don't have a health store near you.

What I found is there are some superfoods that are very readily available. They get missed as being superfoods, but these foods can pack a real punch too, are easy to get and easy to fit into your daily diet.

5 superfoods that are good for menopause

Today I will tell you about my five favourite superfoods – these are ones that I eat on a regular basis. I will explain what makes them a superfood and also why they can help you during menopause.

1. Cucumber

This one probably comes as a real surprise. Cucumber is packed full of vitamins and minerals, such as potassium, magnesium and vitamin K, which is really important for bone health.

It's high in fibre and also high in water which is great if you're getting a little bit dehydrated. It's great if you need a quick fix and don't have a water tap or a water bottle near you. It contains electrolytes which are combinations of minerals and vitamins that help to balance the blood very easily.

Cucumber is also anti-inflammatory so it can be great for menopausal joint aches and pains. Plus, it's an antioxidant so is also really good for keeping you detoxed, so it's a nice cleanser.

The important thing here is to have organic cucumber. Ordinary cucumbers are usually mass-produced. They are grown hydroponically, which means they're just grown in water and fed a mix of chemicals to let them grow. In order to get the best range of benefits of vitamins, minerals and everything else that's in cucumber, go for organic ones. Keep the skin on because the skin is where most of the fibre is and that can really help if you tend to get a bit bloated or constipated, which are common digestive problems during menopause.

2. Walnuts

If you look at half a walnut, it looks exactly like the scan of a brain and walnuts are great for brain function. They contain healthy fats which are needed for things like memory, so they are a good food to eat if you are struggling with menopausal brain fog. They contain vitamin E and are also high in fibre. They're high in antioxidants and they're known to help to support your friendly bacteria. If you're getting a bit bloated and windy, then anything that's going to support your friendly bacteria is going to help.

Walnuts are also really good for balancing your blood sugar levels, which can go a bit wonky during menopause. If you find mid-morning, mid-afternoon or mid-evening you get that real energy slump, then walnuts can be absolutely great. You only need to eat a couple. Walnuts, as with most nuts, are quite high in calories so you don't want to overdose on them.

To get the best benefits from them, they need to be in their shells, so you need to shell them. Ordinary walnuts that are already shelled, could have been sitting in your local supermarket for months. The oils in nuts can go off really quickly, so these types of nuts aren't really going to give you the best benefit. Nature is wonderful because it's given the walnuts a really tough shell and that keeps the nuts fresh for a long time.

What I often do is have a really nice mid-morning snack of cucumber and a couple of walnuts. I have a chuck of cucumber (about a quarter of cucumber) and a couple of walnuts that I shell just before I'm going to eat them, and that, believe it or not, will keep me going right through until lunchtime.

3. Medjool dates

I love these and they are so good if you get a real sugar craving. Medjool dates are high in fibre so unlike a lot of other dried fruits, they release their sugar content really slowly, so they're not going to give your blood sugars a really big hit and then a big slump. They can sustain you for a long time.

Two dates is absolutely fine as like most dried fruits, they are quite high in calories so two dates is roughly about 120 calories. I find that because they're so sweet, unlike chocolate, which I could chomp and chomp on, two Medjool dates really is enough. I can't overdose on the dates just because they are too sweet.

Another health benefit is they are great for constipation, wind and bloating as they are high in fibre. They also contain potassium which is great for energy, as well as copper. They are a nice one to take if you know that you've got a really busy morning and you're not going to eat until 1:00 or 2:00 in the afternoon. If you find that you get a big energy slump if you go more than 3 or 4 hours without eating, dates are great because you can put them in a little tub and take them with you. Eat them when you start to feel peckish and that can keep you going for a long time.

I like them as an evening snack so I would have them maybe an hour or two before going to bed. The great thing there is that they will keep your blood sugar more stable during the night and that can help you have a better night's sleep.

Have a look at my blog 'What to eat to sleep better during menopause' for more good foods to eat before going to sleep.

4. Sprouted seeds

I have posted a blog on the benefits of sprouted seeds so if you want a lot more detail, then please have a look at my blog 'Sprouts – the superfood everyone should eat during menopause'.

Sprouting seeds is so easy and it will give you a huge range of different sprouted seeds that are very fresh. You grow them yourself in your kitchen and you just eat them when you need to. Most of them take maybe three or four days to sprout, so you can have a continual supply of super-duper goodness just at your fingertips whenever you need something.

My favourite sprouts are alfalfa, mung beans and red clover. The great thing with these is once you're growing them, you can keep them in the fridge for a couple of days.

You can put them in sandwiches, salads or just eat them. A really nice snack is a handful of sprouted seeds with a sprinkling of mixed seeds like sunflower seeds, sesame seeds and pumpkin seeds. You can also use them as a garnish on soups and any other foods that you are preparing. This is one that just takes a couple of minutes, twice a day, if that, to grow and they are jam-packed full of just about everything that you need to help support your diet.

Explore our range of seeds and sprouters to start sprouting.

5. Cocoa powder

Again, this needs to be organic because you're going to get the best benefits from it. Remember that cocoa itself is one of the most chemically sprayed crops on the planet so definitely get it organic if you can because you're at least going to avoid that type of contamination. Cocoa is fabulous because if you're a chocoholic you can add it to so many things. You get the lovely chocolatey taste without the high calories. A heaped teaspoon of organic cocoa powder is about 12 calories so it's practically nothing.

Cocoa is full of potassium which is great for energy. It's got iron, magnesium, zinc and selenium in it. This huge range of minerals can be really, really helpful for you. One of my favourite snacks is mixing a couple of dessert spoons of full-fat Greek yoghurt and a heaped teaspoon of organic cocoa powder to make a super chocolate mousse that's full of protein, healthy fat, and all the goodness that you get from cocoa.

The only problem with cocoa is it does have caffeine in it. For those of you that really struggle with caffeine, you could substitute the cocoa for carob powder. This is not quite the same, but you can use it in all the same snacks and drinks that you would cocoa powder. It's got calcium, magnesium, iron and fibre in it.

It's another great one for balancing blood sugar levels and it's great too, along with cocoa, if you are getting chocolate cravings at any time during the day. You can put it into yoghurt or just make a small drink with it using one of the milk substitutes.

I hope you found this helpful. I love these superfoods and as I said before, they are so easy. They are cheap and cheerful, and you can eat them on a regular basis just to help to support your general diet. If any of you have your favourite superfood or something that you find really helps you on a regular basis, please share because I would all love to know.

Until next week, take care.