What happens during menopause? A LOT! Your hormone levels decrease (specifically estrogen, progesterone and testosterone – yes we care about low T in women). Your body temperature and weight may increase, your sleep pattern may change, your nutrient needs increase and let’s face it, just about everything that can change for a woman does. Ok cool, so you don’t have to bleed once a month, but sometimes the trade off isn’t worth it!
So what are some common ways to cope with hot flashes, mood swings, low energy, decreased muscle mass and bone density and low libido? For the purposes of this post, we’ll leave the debate of HRT vs. BHRT off the table. I certainly have an opinion and my preference starts with a B, but that’s for another post. Today we’ll focus on the other things we can do to best support our bodies during this time.
We know having a well-balanced diet is crucial during all stages of life, and if you’ve been eating a Standard American Diet (SAD) for years, it’s time to turn the ship. The SAD (most fitting acronym ever) causes inflammation among a host of other issues and it’s the opposite of what you need while your body is going through such a massive metabolic and hormonal shift.
With all the noise in the nutrition space it’s hard to know what nutritional advice to follow. While there’s rarely a one size fits all approach to food plans, if you want something easy to follow (and Pinterest), give the Mediterranean style food plan a try. This food approach focuses on lean meats, high amounts of vegetables, and small to moderate amounts of complex carbs. Load up your diet with foods high in calcium to offset bone density loss and I’m not talking about dairy either. Instead, go further upstream to where the cows actually get their calcium… Greens! All of them. Kale, spinach, and swiss chard all pack a nutritional punch when it comes to calcium.
In addition to clean(er) eating you can find our favorite natural supplements for menopause support and symptom management here.
Have more questions? Check out this video from Dr. Aliya explaining our Functional Medicine program and schedule a consultation call.
