Diet
A healthy diet in menopause can help:
- prevent weight gain
- reduce menopause symptoms
- prevent osteoporosis
Preventing Weight Gain
For most people, weight maintenance can be achieved by eating a little less and exercising a little more. Use the following diet and eating tips to help control weight.
Regular exercise
Regular exercise is an essential part of weight maintenance. It will help burn off extra calories consumed. Aim for 20 minutes of regular exercise at least 5 times a week. Try walking, jogging, cycling or dancing.
Eat from a smaller plate
Eating from a smaller plate means less food can be put on the plate, and less food on the plate means less calories are consumed.
Eat slowly and chew food thoroughly
When we eat, our stomachs expand and trigger nerves that sends signals to our brains to tell us that we’re full. This signal takes a while to get to our brains, so eating slowly will give our body time to tell you that you’re full.
Eat small amounts of food regularly
More calories are stored as fat when large meals are consumed. Calories from small, frequent meals are more likely to be used as energy and less likely to be stored as fat.
Have your smallest meal at night
Our metabolisms are slow at night, especially when we’re sleeping. Having your smallest meal at night would reduce the number of calories being stored as fat.
Avoid eating after 8 pm
It’s best to have your evening meal before 8 pm as slow metabolism at night causes the calories from “midnight snacks” to be stored as fat.
Use a list when grocery shopping
Something as simple as using a grocery shopping list helps weight maintenance as it helps prevent impulse shopping.
Avoid grocery shopping when hungry
People tend to select “bad” foods, that is, sugary and fatty foods, when they go grocery shopping when they’re hungry. Avoid grocery shopping when you’re hungry and you’ll not only help maintain your weight, but save money as well.
Balance food intake
If you’re planning on going to a restaurant to eat, eat a little less that day and the day afterwards. This will balance your food intake so the amount of calories consumed over the same period of time would be the same as if you’re not going out to eat.
Limit alcohol
Many alcoholic drinks are high in calories. Alcohol also interferes with insulin levels which can cause hunger pains and sugar cravings.
Weight loss supplements
Weight loss supplements may be useful for some people. They need to be used in conjunction with a healthy diet and regular exercise.
Reduce Menopause Symptoms
The right diet can also help reduce menopause symptoms. Phytoestrogens rich diets help reduce the severity of menopausal symptoms. Add phytoestrogen rich foods to your diet, such as:
- tofu
- miso
- soy beans
- chickpeas
- lentil
- flaxseeds or linseeds
- spinach
Prevent Osteoporosis
Calcium is also important in menopause as it helps prevent osteoporosis. See the osteoporosis page for tips on how to prevent osteoporosis through diet.