Good nutrition is essential for women of all ages, but it’s even more crucial for menopausal women. There are a variety of health risks that increase during menopause, and lots of these dangers are exacerbated by a poor diet. Menopausal women are at much increased risk of osteoporosis, weight gain, and other health issues because of an unhealthy diet. As women approach menopause, the body starts to reduce its production of progesterone and estrogen.
Гормональные изменения
While we usually think of them almost exclusively in terms of their functions as female reproductive hormones, these hormones also play an essential role in bone health. Decreases in estrogen levels accompany a decrease in a woman’s bone density. This reduction actually begins well before menopause, particularly in women with inadequate intakes of calcium and vitamin D through the crucial young adult years of bone formation.
The loss of bone density is significantly accelerated during menopause, which makes girls around seven times more likely to fracture a bone than men, and placing them at risk of osteoporosis.
Metabolims
During menopause, a woman’s metabolism also starts to slow down, particularly if she’s not already active. Digestion of food gets sluggish, causing higher absorption of nutrients from food. Unfortunately, this also means that poor fats, sugars, and other processed food items will have a larger effect on a menopausal woman’s health. The reduction in female reproductive hormones combined with changes in metabolism and digestion may result in weight gain.
Weight gain, in combination with these other changes, also puts menopausal women at higher risk for heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and associated ailments. The fantastic news is that eating a healthy diet during menopause can help cut the risk of developing both osteoporosis and cardiovascular ailments.
Здоровая диета
The trick to a healthy diet that could help stave off osteoporosis, weight reduction, and related health issues, is balance. Start by eating at least three healthy meals every day. Eating more frequent, smaller meals is much better. Avoid focusing too much on calories, and instead focus on moderate portion sizes and eating foods that pack a good deal of nourishment into few calories.
Some examples include leafy greens, cruciferous vegetables, and brightly colored yellow and red vegetables. A daily multivitamin is also a great idea to ensure adequate intake of important nutrients. Remember that fiber is the friend.
Обратите внимание
- Fiber helps move food through the digestive tract to fight a sluggish metabolism. This promotes digestive health, and helps suppress excess weight gain. Whole grains, beans, fruits, and vegetables are healthy foods which are high in fiber. In conjunction with a high-fiber diet, avoid fried and fatty foods. Limit overall fat intake to less than 30% of caloric intake.
- Some fats, however, are crucial for good health. Do include sources of omega-3 fatty acids. Some common food sources of omega-3s are salmon and other cold water fish, seeds, and nuts – especially walnuts. Omega 3 fatty acids decrease inflammation, and may minimize specific bothersome symptoms of menopause.
- For handling common symptoms of menopause such as hot flashes and irritability, consider reducing or eliminating caffeine and spicy foods out of your diet.
- Avoid excess sugar, particularly corn syrup and other highly-processed foods.
- Drinking at least eight glasses of water every day may also help fight hot flashes, as can eating foods rich in plant phytoestrogens, like beans and other legumes, apples, potatoes, and carrots. Soy also contains high levels of phytoestrogens, and there are lots of tasty flavored beverages, yogurts, as well as frozen desserts, that contain soy.
- Make certain your intake of calcium is sufficient. The recommended daily allowance for calcium for women over age 50 is 1200 mg, but try for this amount even if you’re younger than age 50.
- Vitamin D aids in absorption of calcium, so eating low-fat dairy products that are fortified with vitamin D is a fantastic choice. Consuming sufficient bone-protecting calcium might help slow down bone loss, lowering the chance of developing osteoporosis.
Заключение
The risk of osteoporosis, weight gain, and other health problems can be significantly reduced through good nutrition during menopause. A nutritious diet will also offer you additional energy, and will help you reduce or eliminate annoying symptoms of menopause.