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Writer's pictureNikki Allen

Menopause and Nutrition - Can What I Eat Help My Symptoms?


Are you getting a little hot under the collar? Sweating when its not hot? Can't remember what you were going to do or say? Think you might be going senile? Me too!! If you think you might be perimenopausal or are experiencing symptoms which leads you to think you are approaching menopause then this post may be able to help you. I've been studying up on menopause coaching and thought I'd do a quick article to give you some pointers.


What Exactly is Menopause?

When your baby making equipment retires itself and shuts up shop this is menopause. The lead up to it when the hormones begin to fluctuate downwards, often between the ages of 42 and 52 (it can be earlier or later, every body is different), this transition stage is called perimenopause. When you haven't had a menstrual period for 12 months, you are officially in menopause (postmenopause). Symptoms can linger a decade into postmenopause. Everybody is unique and you will experience it differently to another woman.


Symptoms?

We have all heard about hot flushes and sweats but what else might you experience? Well, there's your heart pounding and racing when your temp hits the roof, then feeling chilled and shivery in the aftermath of a hot flush. Weight gain. Brain fog, sleep problems, irritability, aching joints, bone health problems. But fear not its not the end of the world, there are things you can do yourself to help alleviate the symptoms. As always if you are concerned or worried about anything contact your health provider.

Hot flushes wake you repeatedly, worsening insomnia, making you tired and irritable. you grab some calorie dense snack food or a strong coffee to get you through. Sleep disturbances disrupt appetite regulating hormones leading to more cravings and hunger. Blood sugar is like a roller coaster ride, and you feel awful. You move less when you're tired so don't burn enough calories also leading to weight gain. Sound familiar?


Here's How Nutrition Can Help!



Once you start to hit perimenopause, You may find previous eating plans no longer work as helpful or effective as before. Stuff you could get away with before leaves you feeling awful for days. Food you loved before you may not be able to tolerate, it gives you indigestion, heartburn and sleepless nights. What we consume - eat and drink - can trigger symptoms. Highly processed foods with lots of additives or spicy food are no longer your friend,

Basic good nutrition is good practice at any age. We all need nutrition and water to fuel our bodies and certain behaviours around food contribute towards overall good health. To be clear it isn't an easy fix. Somethings may work for you others may not, but work for someone else. Its worth trying to figure out what helps and what doesn't. Small sustainable diet changes, easy eating habits, trying one thing at a time may be just the thing for you, giving you better long lasting results than strict dieting.

Keeping a journal of what you eat, when, how much, and noting any symptoms and how you feel will help you to gather evidence and see if you can recognize if what you are eating or drinking is triggering your symptoms. If you would like a hand with this ask me for help.

First one, weight gain, fat loss.

I'm sorry there isn't a magic wand I can wave for this one. Our metabolism stay fairly stable between the ages of 20 and 60 after which it does slowly decline. A perimenopause symptom which is a contributing factor here is increased hunger and cravings. As our oestrogen levels drop, Ghrelin, produced by the stomach, increases making you feel hungrier. Leptin is a hormone which tells our bodies we have enough energy stored in our cells. As the oestrogen drops our cells can't respond as well to leptin's signals, again making us feel hungrier. Then estradiol and progesterone fall, causing fat to be redistributed around the belly. Multiple overlapping factors contribute to weight gain / changes in shape.

4 Weight Loss Strategies To Help You.

  1. Hunger or want, Recognizing the difference between hunger and appetite puts you in charge of your consumption. Do you need it or want it? Can you distinguish between the two? Notice your body's signals, are you hungry? If not do you mindfully satisfy the craving or distract yourself with something else, go for a walk, clean something, phone a friend? Just checking in before you eat something puts you in control.

  2. Eat slowly and mindfully. Do you sit to the table and concentrate on your food? Do you have a plate on your lap and watch TV or scroll on Facebook, not really focusing on the food in front of you. We are often too busy to eat so we grab something quick, eating while doing something else, or skipping food completely! Did you know, it takes 20 minutes for your stomach to tell your brain you are full? Sitting down and slowly and mindfully consuming a meal can help you feel more satisfied and eat less. Make each bite more enjoyable, smell it, taste it, tune into your body's fullness cues.

  3. Protein. Protein is a macronutrient essential for healthy fat loss. Did you know you burn more calories digesting protein than fats or carbs? And it boosts satiety, meaning you are feeling satisfied with what you have consumed. Feel fuller sooner and its lasts longer after eating. Protein builds lean muscle and muscle burns more calories too! Win win!

  4. Consuming more minimally processed foods is good for you. Focus o what you are adding to your diet, not what you are taking away. Minimally processed foods are rich in nutrients such as vitamins and minerals, healthy fats and fibre. You are filled up more effectively on fewer calories helping you to reduce your calorie intake. Eating more MPF means you consume less highly processed foods which are easy to overconsume, don't fill you up and highly calorific, leading to more weight gain. Just building in a few minimally processed choices at a time is easier and more sustainable than trying to do everything at once. ' Cravings and hunger increase during perimenopause . Grabbing a sweet treat may feel good in the moment, but lead to more sleep disturbance when elevated blood sugars fall during the night.


  5. I'm Restless and Can't Sleep at Night.

    Factors affecting sleep include a history of sleep issues, which stage of transition you are in, surgical menopause, lifestyle, genetics, chronic pain and overall health. Nutrition is just one way of helping with sleep. Everyone and every body is different. Here are some helpful nutritional tips which you can try:


    1. Avoid alcohol. It suppresses REM sleep and affects vasomotor regulation leading to hot flushes which also disrupt sleep! Avoiding alcohol 3 or 4 hours before bedtime means you are more likely to wake up rested and refreshed. This may also reduce other meno symptoms as well as other health problems such as heart disease, cancer and low bone density.

    2. Caffeine!! A well loved pick me up, we all grab a coffee or tea as a pick me up don't we? Caffeine is a stimulant, often found in coffee, tea, soda and energy drinks. On average it takes 5 hours to metabolise it from your system, some people take up to 12 hours or are more sensitive to it. So it may be worth trying decaf.

    3. Mealtimes. Experimenting with mealtimes may help you to sleep better too. Our bodies prefer a predictable schedule and will secrete digestive hormones and enzymes before regular mealtimes. By eating regularly and early enough you will finish digesting before you go to sleep, cutting down indigestion and blood sugar fluctuations.


    Hot Flushes - Feeling Hot Hot Hot!!!!

    85% of women experience hot flushes. Not just warmth, it can range from mildly uncomfortable to overwhelmingly unpleasant. Sweating, heart racing, or thumping out of your chest. Minutes later drenched in sweat, needing to change clothes , feeling cold and shivery. They may last seconds or 2,3,4 minutes. You might be more sensitive to body temperature changes. Dropping estradiol levels increase this sensitivity in the hypothalamus, which then overcorrects!! Triggering blood vessels to dilate in the skin surface signalling the sweat glands to do their thing. Your heart rate increases and leads to anxiety-like symptoms. As if the blushing and heat wasn't enough! Flushes will also last past your last period.


    Nutrition Strategies for Hot Flushes.

    1. Eating and digesting raise your body temp a little which can trigger hot flushes. It may be triggered by specific foods or drinks and sometimes a specific amount of these foods. . Keep a journal to gather information about how things affect you. More so than cols food, hot and spicy foods can be a trigger.

    2. Alcohol and caffeine both dilate blood vessels leading to BOOM hot flush. Keep a journal and experiment with intake. Reduce intake of wine for instance by filling your glass with ice, fruit, lemonade and a splash of wine to still give you a drink without the higher amount of booze. Hydrate with lots of water, this helps things like digestive issues, headaches, tiredness, poor concentration and some of the body temp issues already mentioned. Sipping cold water can help.

    3. Eat more minimally processed foods. Fish, fruit, veggies, wholegrains, etc are all full of symptom fighting nutrients. For example omega 3 and 6 fatty acids help reduce the frequency and severity of hot flushes. Isoflavones and other phytoestrogens may help too. Magnesium may help decrease the flushes, insomnia, palpitations and irritability.


    Strategies to help with hot flushes you can try also are relaxation, such as meditation, keep the room cool, dress yourself in breathable layers so you can take stuff off and put it on again. and keep a change of clothes handy. Use a fan and sip cold water. Spot triggers and try to avoid them. Talk to your doctor if you need to. And remember it won't last! Keep calm and take long deep breaths.


    I hope this helps you in some way, if you need any help and support don't hesitate to ask me.

    Nikki










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