Menopause Diet Tips: Know What To Eat And Avoid To Reduce Symptoms

Menopause marks the end of menstrual cycle in women. It usually begins between 45 to 55 years of age. This signifies that women cannot get pregnant naturally after menopause. During this period a woman's body goes through several hormonal changes. Irregular menstrual cycle is the most significant sign of menopause. It can lead to some unpleasant symptoms like vaginal dryness, hot flashes, mood swings, weight gain, slow metabolism, night sweats, hair fall and much more. A healthy diet and lifestyle can help manage these symptoms of menopause. In this article, Ms. Edwina Raj, senior dietitian at Aster CMI hospital shares some diet tips to manage menopause symptoms.

Menopause: Diet tips to manage menopause symptoms

Diet, nutrition and lifestyle collectively influence menopausal symptoms. Due to a drop in oestrogen hormone menopause is quite challenging for most of the women.

Ms. Edwina explains, "This is commonly observed that most women pay less attention to their diet due to their busy schedule. High consumption of caffeine, alcohol, smoking, lack of exercise and nutritional deficiencies such as zinc and vitamin B6 are major culprits for early menopause. Furthermore, eating processed, refined foods such as maida/white bread/baked goods, sugar, junk food and white rice can impact one's body fat percentage, metabolism and also increases the risk of insulin resistance which could interfere with hormone production."

Also read: Menopause Symptoms: 5 Tips That Can Make Menopause Easy For You

Know what to avoid

Menopausal symptoms can be extremely distressing and painful but can be tackled in most women through lifestyle modifications, therefore it is necessary to restrict intake of caffeine such as coffee, tea, aerated drinks, chocolates, to limit alcohol, unhealthy trans-fat sources like packed foods, ready to eat, baked goods, sugar and limiting saturated fat such as red meat, rich desserts and outside food. It is also important to watch out the intake of Vitamin A in supplements used routinely and salt intake as high intake of salt often increases the risk of calcium deficiency. Hence it is necessary to limit the hidden sources of sodium in our diet and to consult Nutritionist before you supplement yourself.

Also read: Weight Gain And Menopause: Reasons Why You Gain Weight During Menopause; Know Some Weight Loss Tips For Women During Menopause

Know what to eat

Foods which are promising to help women during menopause are:

1. Mindful and healthy eating with right balance in nutrients will not only delay but ease the symptoms of menopause and prevent you from nutritional deficiencies. Get personalized diet advice today!

2. According to research data consumption of foods containing antioxidants, zinc and vitamin B6 is beneficial by including daily intake of fruits, vegetables, leafy, nuts, oilseeds and fish.

3. Phytoestrogens that have oestrogen-like activity such as isoflavones present in soya bean/soya paneer, legumes, beans, dals and sprouts. Also, women can include flaxseed, cereals, fruits and vegetables.

4. Vitamin E rich foods such as sunflower seeds, vegetable oils, leafy vegetables, nuts or supplement will help to relieve you from perimenopausal symptoms

5. Choose healthy fats rich in omega 3 such as fish, nuts, oil seeds etc. and avoid unhealthy saturated fats.

6. Focus on Vitamin D sources like mushroom, fatty fishes and from fortified foods like milk, cereals, oil etc. This helps your body to utilise the intake of calcium.

Also read: Can Early Menopause Affect A Woman's Health? Know Symptoms, Causes And Complications Of Premature Menopause

Other herbs which are commonly used to treat menopause lack adequate data to prove its efficacy but most of them can be toxic to your liver, therefore, do not supplement yourself without consulting your gynaecologist or qualified dietician.

(Ms. Edwina Raj, Senior Dietitian, Aster CMI Hospital, Bangalore)

Disclaimer: This content including advice provides generic information only. It is in no way a substitute for qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist or your own doctor for more information. NDTV does not claim responsibility for this information.