The foods you can eat to help before, during and after the menopause?

When menopausal symptoms hit, some women manage as best they can, others try hormone replacement therapy (HRT). But there is another scientifically proven measure that can help: adjusting your diet.

Not only can the type of food you eat affect the intensity of symptoms like hot flashes and night sweats, it can also delay the onset of menopause, in some cases by years.

This has been proven by good quality research, including a 2018 study from the University of Leeds, which found that women who incorporated Better Body habits into their diets, consuming 90g of fatty fish (such as mackerel, salmon or trout) a day went through menopause by nearly three and a half . years later than average (mean age was 51).

Those who ate legumes (such as lentils, chickpeas and kidney beans) delayed their menopause by about a year daily, reported the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.

Meanwhile, women who ate a lot of refined foods (like pasta and rice) went through menopause an average of a year and a half earlier.

This is more than coincidence.

Fatty fish and legumes are just the kind of food your gut microbes need to thrive — and one of the many roles these little guys have is to “recycle” estrogen. It is the drop in production of this hormone that underlies many menopausal symptoms.

Estrogen is made primarily in the ovaries and is pumped through the blood, playing a role in regulating the health of the heart and blood vessels, brain, bones, skin and more.

When “old” estrogen reaches the gut after its tour of the body, it is either expelled in the poop or a group of gut bacteria (known as the estrogen) produces an enzyme, beta-glucuronidase, which actually reactivates it.

This recycled estrogen is pushed back into the blood where it can get back to work.

That’s why as women enter their 40s, when typical estrogen production starts to decline, if they don’t have a good community of gut microbes that recycle the estrogen they have, they’re more likely to be hit earlier and harder by menopausal symptoms.

So at this stage, it’s more important than ever to pack your diet with plant-based foods (aim for 30 different types a week) and oily fish, which your gut microbes will feast on.

And limit processed foods, which research increasingly suggests may harm that microbe community.

Once your period stops, the makeup of your gut microbes changes and becomes less diverse and more like men, according to research from last year in the International Journal of Women’s Health.

It’s not just the microbes in your gut that are changing; researchers now believe that your chance of developing menopause-related vaginal dryness and tissue thinning may be related to the community of bacteria in your vagina (yes, you have them there, too).

For example, a recent study in the journal Frontiers in Reproductive Health noted that postmenopausal women with vaginal dryness and tissue thinning tend to lack lactobacilli, beneficial bacteria present in our bodies but also found in fermented foods such as sauerkraut, kimchi, and yogurt.

So consider adding a daily portion of, for example, live yogurt to that varied, plant-rich diet.

These changes may also reduce hot flashes. When US researchers analyzed the diets of 17,000 women, they found that those who reduced their fat intake and increased more fruits and vegetables (up to five servings per day) and whole grains (up to six servings per day) were significantly more likely to experience hot flashes. to get rid of.

And don’t forget to add oily fish to that diet, too — here’s why.

Estrogen has an anti-inflammatory effect and acts as an antioxidant, ie it addresses the oxidative damage that occurs as part of normal metabolism or as a result of exposure to everyday things in our environment.

If left unchecked, it can damage cells and lead to diseases such as heart disease and osteoporosis. In the absence of estrogen, such problems become more likely.

Oxidative damage is also linked to menopausal symptoms — a 2019 study in the journal PLOS One found that the more oxidative markers women had in their blood, the more severe their hot flashes were.

In addition to fatty fish, eat plenty of other antioxidant-rich foods, such as almonds, walnuts, berries, spinach, tea, dark chocolate (containing 90 percent cocoa solids), coffee — and, in moderation, red wine.

In addition to adding these foods to your diet, pay attention to your blood sugar levels.

Postmenopausal women are more likely to have higher blood sugar and insulin levels after they eat than premenopausal women, according to research published last year in The Lancet.

One theory is that it’s related to inflammation, but in any case, you’ll want to avoid blood sugar spikes, as they can make you feel tired when your blood sugar drops again. You then want more sweet food to get your energy back up.

So if you eat sugar – and anything that is digested into sugars, including complex carbohydrates like bread – take it with protein (e.g. hummus) or a healthy fat (e.g. avocado) as this slows down sugar release.

Similarly, if you eat fruit (and please do, because your gut bacteria love it and it has impressive antioxidant potential), have it with yogurt.

Cutting back on the sweet stuff will also help with that dreaded mid-calf weight gain that menopausal women are prone to — also because estrogen affects metabolism and fat distribution.

This is compounded by the fact that menopause occurs at an age when we begin to lose muscle mass – another cause of weight gain. So try to keep exercising, even if you feel lethargic.

And while it can be hard when your hormones are working against you, focus on good sleep practices.

My colleagues at King’s College London found that people tend to eat an extra 385 calories a day when they are sleep deprived.

So stick to good sleep hygiene habits: expose yourself to bright light as soon as you get up (this regulates your sleep hormone production), limit caffeine after lunch, and put your screens away after 8 p.m.

But if you don’t do anything else, keep eating those plant foods. It will pay dividends.

TRY THIS: BREAKFAST BEAN WRAPS

Start your day off right with a plant-based breakfast that will keep your appetite satisfied all morning and keep your blood sugar stable.

FOR 6 PEOPLE

• Olive oil
• 1 onion, sliced
• 1 red bell pepper, sliced
• 1 yellow bell pepper, sliced
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 4 large tomatoes, chopped
• 1 tbsp paprika powder
• 1 tbsp cumin
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 2 handfuls of arugula
• Optional: Natural yogurt
• 6 large lettuce cups or whole wheat tortilla wraps

Heat olive oil in a frying pan and sauté onion and bell pepper over low heat for 10 minutes, until softened. Stir in the tomato paste. Take half of the kidney beans in a bowl and mash to a coarse paste.

Mix the remaining whole beans, finely chopped tomatoes, spices – and season to taste. Transfer the mixture to the pan with the onions and peppers to combine.

Cook for about 5 minutes until heated through, adding the handfuls of arugula at the last minute to wilt.

Spread a few tablespoons of yogurt (if using) in the lettuce cups or tortilla wraps. Place the filling in the center of each cup/wrap and fold over.

ASK Megan

I am middle aged, have celiac disease and have been gluten free for almost 20 years. I miss porridge more than I miss bread! Is there a gluten-free substitute that can have the same effect on cholesterol as oats?

Lisa Cozens, by email.

Standard oats are often produced in the same place as wheat, barley and rye, so there is a risk of gluten cross-contamination.

But you can get gluten free oats. While these contain a protein called avenin, which is similar to gluten, research suggests that most people with celiac disease can tolerate this protein.

But if you’re one of those who can’t have avenin either, rest assured that you’re taking in the cholesterol-lowering fiber in oats (known as beta-glucan, it binds to cholesterol, limiting its absorption in the gut). can get others. gluten free food.

These include seaweed, certain types of mushrooms such as reishi and shiitake, as well as nutritional yeast (which has a delicious cheesy flavor and is available in most supermarkets).

Please contact Dr. Megan Rossi

Email drmegan@dailymail.co.uk or write to Good Health, Daily Mail, 9 Derry Street, London, W8 5HY — please include contact details. Dr. Megan Rossi cannot comment on personal correspondence. Answers should be taken in a general context; Always consult your doctor in case of health problems