Nutrition for menopause in women
When a woman is on the verge of maturity, one of the most important questions is how not to gain weight by continuing to eat your favorite food? What is the secret of proper nutrition during menopause?

Menopause is inevitable – you just have to put up with it and continue to enjoy life. But it is very important during this period to be especially sensitive to your body. Diagnostics of the state of health, cosmetic procedures, physical activity, and – in no case do not forget about healthy food. What should be proper nutrition for menopause in women, what foods should be added to your diet, and what should you say goodbye to without pity?

What foods can be consumed with menopause

Have you noticed: with age, our body tends to increase in volume, and getting rid of extra pounds is becoming more and more difficult? It’s all about our hormones.

– During the period of hormonal decline, which is perimenopause, the cause of weight gain is a decrease in estrogen levels and a decrease in metabolic rate. A sedentary lifestyle and stress exacerbate the situation, says gynecologist Margarita Khalimova. – Therefore, it is necessary to adhere to a healthy diet – this will allow you to maintain a normal weight and hormonal levels. The diet should be adjusted to maintain optimal hormone levels, both with and without hormonal treatment.

Proper nutrition is first and foremost a balanced diet. Your diet should contain proteins, fats and complex carbohydrates.

What are we eating?

Proteins

This is the foundation for building new cells.

– Consumption of proteins, especially derived from animal products (animal meat, poultry, fish, eggs), contributes to the production of steroid hormones. And proteins are also actively involved in the most important metabolic processes, says Dr. Khalimova.

Vegetable crops should also be considered as protein sources: buckwheat, wild and red rice, quinoa, couscous, chickpeas, white lentils, mung beans, red and white beans, nuts.

Fats

The benefits of saturated fats are great. This includes: eggs, liver, butter, animal meat, poultry meat.

“However, an excess of fat leads to adverse effects,” says Margarita Halimova. – In addition, it is worth giving preference to non-denatured products. Since in the process of cooking at high temperatures, the molecular structure of fats changes and acquires toxic properties.

It is useful to add avocado and avocado oil, flaxseed, rapeseed, olive, coconut, and sea buckthorn oils to the diet, which contains both omega 3 and omega 6. Flaxseed is a source of alpha-linolenic acid, flax seeds contain water-soluble and fat-soluble vitamins, help in lowering blood pressure, with cardiovascular diseases.

Carbohydrates and more

Be sure to include plenty of greens in your diet. The more varied the choice of greenery in terms of type and color, the greater the benefit. Fruits and dried fruits should be reduced, it is better to focus on berries. And pay attention to seaweed: it is a storehouse of various trace elements.

How to make the right nutrition so as not to get better

It is important not only what we eat, but also in what quantities, sequence. Meat is good, but overeating pork is unlikely to be healthy. Still, proper nutrition is not only a well-composed combination of proteins, fats and carbohydrates, but also a certain regimen.

Recommendations from a gynecologist:

  1. Three meals a day, portions – increased, 400-500 mg each.
  2. Instead of snacks between meals – water, tea or a cup of natural coffee.
  3. Simple carbohydrates are taboo. The exceptions are fruits with a low glycemic index (apples, peaches, pears, grapefruits) and berries.
  4. Water is a must! How much to drink, calculate for yourself according to the scheme: 30 ml per 1 kilogram of ideal weight.
  5. Add more fiber to the diet (cabbage, corn, buckwheat, green beans, etc.), non-starchy vegetables (cucumbers, onions, spinach, bell peppers).
  6. Dairy and sour-milk products should be consumed to a limited extent and only until 17-18 hours. The digestive tract in adulthood is not designed for dairy products of cow and goat origin. Excessive passion for milk threatens not only problems with digestion, but even atherosclerosis and cardiovascular insufficiency.
  7. Give preference to vegetable fats: linseed oil, avocados, nuts. Replace meat with oily fish two to three times a week.

Popular questions and answers

What foods should be avoided during menopause?

– First of all – sweets. In particular, sugar, chocolate, cookies, muffins, sweet soft drinks and fruit juice,” says Margarita Halimova. – Sweets sharply and quickly increase blood sugar levels within 10-20 minutes, and excess sugar levels lead to an intense reduction in the production of adrenal hormones. Sweet tooth faces problems of the endocrine system. What else should be excluded from the diet? Grain products (bread, pasta, rice) irritate the gastrointestinal tract, contribute to the formation of food allergic reactions, so it is better to give preference to sprouted grains. Alcohol consumption contributes to the reduction of many hormones, possibly due to the sugar in the composition, but it is possible that ethanol is the cause.

How to speed up metabolism during menopause?

– Get some physical exercise. 30 minutes of brisk walking 4-5 times a week and strength training twice a week will keep your metabolism up to par. Consider 5000-10000 steps of Nordic walking a must! – Strongly recommends Dr. Halimova.

Sleep is an important aspect. When menopause comes, you need to help your hormonal system. The lack of melatonin prevents the production of the necessary hormones: insulin, testosterone, adrenaline, etc., which in turn can cause a bunch of diseases and premature menopause or difficult menopause. The production of melatonin begins closer to 22:00, while it should be dark, so it is not recommended to sit at the computer or scroll through the social media feed on your smartphone before going to bed. It is also important to remember that the last meal should be no later than 3 hours before bedtime.

What vitamins to take with menopause?

– This is the so-called “Health Quartet” – something that affects the increase in the duration and quality of life, – says the gynecologist. – This includes: 1) sex hormones (used to maintain physiological levels; hormone replacement therapy for deficiency of sex hormones); 2) vitamin D (to maintain the physiological level, in case of deficiency); 3) omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (permanently); 4) thioctic or alpha-lipoic acid (permanently). And it is also very important to compensate for the lack of iron, if necessary.

Your doctor will help you choose a vitamin complex containing antioxidants, vitamins that help maintain healthy skin, hair and nails, as well as improve overall well-being and control body weight.

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