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Family Health Magazine - NUTRITION

Nutrition Tips for Menopause
Healthy food choices can make a difference

If you are a woman in your 40s, chances are you have experienced one of the symptoms associated with perimenopause (the time before the last menstrual period). The occasional mood swing, hot flash, memory lapse or sleepless night can begin up to 10 years before menopause. The average age at which a Canadian woman reaches menopause is 51. With the loss of the hormone estrogen at menopause, your risk for heart disease, osteoporosis and breast cancer rises. No matter which phase you are in – perimenopause, menopause or post-menopause, there’s lots you can do to protect your health. You can take control of this midlife transition to make it more enjoyable. If you are experiencing the changes of menopause, here are 10 tips to help.

Menopause is one time in your life when good nutrition is particularly important. In fact, better nutrition can reduce hot flashes, keep bones strong, help manage weight and energy levels, and keep your heart healthy. If you are experiencing the change of life, these ten nutrition tips can help you meet your body’s needs during menopause and beyond.

1.Avoid hot flash triggers

Hot flashes and the chills that follow seem to randomly come and go. However, alcohol, caffeine and spicy foods all increase the potential for hot flashes. Try limiting these trigger foods at times when a hot flash would be inconvenient, like during a business lunch. Order a non-alcoholic beverage, avoid the spicy menu choices and finish the meal with decaffeinated coffee or herbal tea.

2.

Bone up on calcium

During menopause, the level of the estrogen hormone falls. Less estrogen means calcium is lost from your bones and is not absorbed as well from the food you eat. As a result, you need more calcium and vitamin D. After age 50, women require 1200 milligrams of calcium and 400 IU of vitamin D a day to keep bones strong and reduce the risk of fractures. Three cups of low-fat milk or yogurt, plus a well balanced diet, provide the recommended amounts of calcium and vitamin D. Cheese, while high in calcium, is also high in fat, sodium and calories. Look for a light cheese and treat yourself to small amounts.

3.Eat more often

As menopause approaches, it becomes harder to manage your weight. Your metabolism (how your body handles calories) is slowing down. Your metabolic rate will fall by five per cent during the decade around menopause. For instance, if 2000 calories per day maintained your weight at age 45, only 1900 are needed to maintain it at age 55. That difference of 100 calories per day can result in a 10 pound weight gain per year!

One way to better manage your weight is to eat breakfast. Breakfast boosts your metabolic rate. Skipping breakfast or lunch leads to overeating later and weight gain as a result. Skipping meals also means a lack of energy throughout the day.

Want to start having breakfast? Begin by cutting down evening snacking. When you snack heavily in the evening, you are just not as hungry the next morning.

4.Protect your muscle mass

Exercise protects the muscle mass you already have and helps you lose body fat. If you lose muscle, as you do on many fad diets, you slow down your metabolism. Once you quit the diet and return to your regular way of eating, a slower metabolism makes it easy to gain weight back... as fat. While one pound of muscle burns 40 to 50 calories, one pound of fat only burns two calories. Protect your muscle mass and your metabolism with regular exercise, and stay clear of fad diets!

5.Drink water between meals

Pop, ice tea, juice and other sweet beverages offer significant calories and sugar. One cup of pop contains seven teaspoons of sugar and 100 calories. Surprisingly, one cup of juice contains about the same - even ‘unsweetened’ juice. Limit juice to one cup each day. Instead, drink water, diet pop or clear herbal tea between meals.

6.Beware of portion distortion

If the portion you are served is too large, don’t feel you have to finish it! Leave it on your plate or ask for a doggie bag. In restaurants, men and women are served the same amount because they have paid the same, but women usually need smaller portions.

7.Reduce evening snacking

Make yourself more aware of evening snacking habits by recording what you eat. Ask yourself, “Why am I snacking?” Perhaps you are bored, stressed, or just eat out of habit. If you find yourself wanting food around bedtime, you may be tired, not hungry. Go to bed instead.

8.Include phytoestrogens

Phytoestrogens are plant compounds that act as weak estrogens in your body. The two primary phytoestrogens are lignans and isoflavones. Lignans are found mainly in flaxseed. Grind flaxseed and sprinkle it on cereal or add it to muffins or bread. It will add a pleasant, nutty flavour.

Isoflavones are found primarily in soy products. Soy products are good for your heart because they are low in saturated fat. They are less likely to increase levels of artery-clogging LDL ‘bad’ cholesterol. Heart-healthy choices include eating soy burgers instead of beef burgers or snacking on soy nuts rather than chips.

Soy has been shown to have little effect on the severity or frequency of hot flashes in most women. However, it may make a difference for you. Use soy products containing isoflavones (see sidebar) and have one serving of soy per day. If you have a history of breast cancer, limit soy to two servings per week, as isoflavones may stimulate estrogen-sensitive tumors.

9.Load up on veggies and fruit

Vegetables and fruits provide heart-healthy antioxidants and help you manage your weight by making you feel full with fewer calories. Include vegetables in your lunch every day. For instance, try a vegetable-based soup such as minestrone, tomato juice, a salad or raw vegetables such as mini carrots. Enjoy fruit for a dessert. At supper, fill half of your plate with cooked vegetables and/or a salad.

10.Take your time

Slow down at mealtimes. Linger and relax. Food is one of the pleasures to be enjoyed in life. Eat foods bursting with flavour and relish every bite! Enjoy all foods in moderation.

In the years after menopause, many women finally have time to concentrate on their own needs and interests. Life takes on a calm not possible in the years of starting careers and raising children. Eating well and staying healthy will help you to enjoy these years to the fullest.

FAMILY HEALTH is written with the assistance of

FAMILY HEALTH is written with the assistance of

While effort is made to reflect accepted medical knowledge and practice, articles in Family Health Online should not be relied upon for the treatment or management of any specifid medical problem or concern and Family Health accepts no liability for reliance on the articles. For proper diagnosis and care, you should always consult your family physican promptly. Copyright 2006, Family Health Magazine, a special publication of the Edmonton Journal, a division of Postmedia Network Inc., 10006 - 101 Street, Edmonton, AB T5J 0S1    [NU_FHc03]