The Health Diva

Good nutrition is vital for a trouble free menopause.

Optimum digestion, and keeping your liver in tip-top condition will help your body cope with the slings and arrows your hormones chuck at it.

A good diet will also help you feel more vital and less sluggish.

Studies have found that eating regular meals may help to suppress hot flashes, while going without food for too long may increase the number of hot flashes. Eating small and frequent meals preferably every two to three hours, snacking on healthy snacks such as nuts, seeds, fruit, and raw vegetables.

Eat a variety of whole grains, such as brown rice, rye, oats, buckwheat, millet, quinoa, pulses, lentils, and beans. These are complex carbohydrate foods that release energy at a more sustained rate.

Always eat breakfast. Get into the habit of not leaving the house without it; remember it’s the most important meal of the day.

Start eating supper; complex carbohydrate food such as porridge oats can be a good way of maintaining your blood sugar levels overnight, ensuring you sleep more soundly.

Avoid convenience foods. They contain high amounts of refined carbohydrates, and are often loaded with artificial additives and preservatives.

Eat five servings of fruits and vegetables per day, particularly dark berries and green stem vegetables; rich in dietary fibre, and packed with antioxidant nutrients.

Start eating more nuts and seeds, rich in nutrients and essential fats; taking Flaxseed (linseeds) daily has been shown to decreased the frequency of hot flushes by 50 percent in menopausal women not taking hormone replacement therapy. Ground flaxseed can be sprinkled over salads or cereal, blended into smoothies, or taken as a flaxseed oil supplement.

Drink plenty of water, approx. 2 litres per day, this is important to keep the body fully hydrated, so that we can remove toxins more effectively, and can also help to reduce fluid retention, and constipation symptoms. Often we confuse symptoms of thirst for hunger, try drinking a glass of water first, before you give in to that biscuit.

Avoid stimulants such as tea, coffee, cola, and chocolate. Try alternatives, such as the many different fruit teas, herbal teas, decaffeinate tea, or coffee substitutes, such as Caro, Barley cup, and dandelion coffee.

It’s also a good idea to limit alcohol, caffeine, and spicy food. If you’re a smoker, you should try to quit. Cigarette smoke can trigger hot flashes for some women.

Are you getting enough… Calcium, it’s critical to maintain healthy bones, particularly during and after menopause when the body stops producing estrogen. Try to increase your intake of calcium rich foods. Dairy products have long been recognized as one of the richest sources of calcium however many people have great difficulties digesting cow’s milk. Try switching to soya milk, which is rich in calcium and contains protective plant oestrogens too. Other Calcium rich foods are clams, salmon, sardines, legumes, and leafy greens such as kale and broccoli.