Menopause Nutritionist
Looking for a menopause specialist? In this article we will discuss how a nutritionist can support you through your menopause.
Menopause is a natural process in women resulting in the cessation of menstruation and reproduction potential, caused by the loss of ovarian follicular function and a decline in circulating blood oestrogen levels. Normally the whole menopause can last for around 7-10 years from beginning to end and can be divided up into stages.
Perimenopause
Peri-menopause typically begins around 45-50 years of age (although it can start as early as late 30’s) when hormonal changes start to occur and the first symptoms appear like anxiety, irritable mood or breast pain. During the menopause transition, which can last approximately 3 years, women first experience irregular periods, where the cycles vary in length by 7 or more days or involve surprise flooding, and then skipped periods, starting with 60 days without flow. The late stage of the menopause transition is characterised by night sweats, sleep issues and body shape change. All these symptoms are due to the effect of the progesterone drop which leaves the oestrogen unopposed, therefore high and fluctuating throughout the whole transition.
Although the clinical definition of perimenopause focuses on functional changes in the reproductive system, many symptoms are largely neurological in nature. In fact it is linked to deficits in brain glucose metabolism and mitochondrial dysfunction. Symptoms include: temperature regulation, depression, insomnia and cognitive dysfunction.
Menopause
During the last perimenopasal stage the oestrogen will drop causing a temporary drop in brain energy, memory loss, brain fog and weight gain. At this stage the actual menopause happens, around the ages of 50-55 with the cessation of periods, confirmed to be 12 consecutive months after your last period.
When no more periods occur and generally the worst of the hormonal symptoms have passed, women are in the post-menopausal stage.
Menopause Symptoms
Typically women go through the menopause with few symptoms (which is the biological norm) whilst others can experience multiple symptoms, making life very difficult. Menopause is characterised by uncomfortable symptoms of hot flushes, night sweats, sleep disturbances and vaginal dryness. Women can experience weight gain, mood swings as well as feeling fatigued, dizzy and experiencing headaches. In addition, feeling irritable, anxious, depressed, and experiencing bladder issues and breast tenderness are other symptoms. Decreased muscular strength and increased risk of osteoporosis can also be a consequence of the hormonal changes.
What is the Best Diet During Menopause?
Everyone is different, so individual menopause diet plans are best, however general rules of keeping your blood sugar levels balanced will be beneficial. Complex carbohydrates are great for slower energy release (in comparison to simple carbohydrates) including wholegrains, legumes and vegetables. Eat two pieces of fruit and six vegetables per day to increase antioxidants and support healthy hormone metabolism through fibrous foods. Have a protein serve with your meals like eggs or fish and eat more good fats such as avocado, oily fish, nuts, seeds and olive oil. These are great for hormone balancing and can help reduce inflammation. Cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage and kale have been linked to lower menopausal symptoms. Also, increasing water consumption (2 litres daily little and often) is important to reduce symptoms of fatigue, headaches and UTI’s.
Phytoestrogens
Phytoestrogens are plant compounds with oestrogen-like properties they are very useful for helping the body replace some of its naturally lost oestrogen levels. These foods include flax seeds, oats, legumes and non-genetically modified soy products such as organic tempeh. It is thought Asian diets generally involve a lot of phytoestrogens (in comparision to America or Europe) and these women typically experience less hot flushes during menopause. Therefore reduced phytoestrogen consumption could be a contributing factor. Chen et al (2015) suggested phytoestrogens appear to reduce the frequency of hot flushes in menopausal women, without serious side-effects.
What Foods Should you Avoid During Menopause?
High blood sugar, insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome have been linked to higher incidence of hot flashes in menopausal women (Lee et al 2012). Therefore, avoiding processed foods and added sugars which cause spikes in blood sugars should help to reduce symptoms. Try to limit white bread, baked goods and added sugars to help stabilise your blood sugar levels. High salt diets have been linked to lower bone density in postmenopausal women (Kwon et al 2017). Avoid spicy foods is a common recommendation for women. However, research is varied, so it’s best to see whether there is a correlation for you. We are here to help you with your diet during menopause.
What Drinks Should you Avoid During Menopause?
Caffeine use has been associated with increased hot flushes in menopausal women (Faubion 2015). Caffeine and alcohol will also disrupt your sleep patterns so if you are already struggling, alcohol and caffeine will not help matters. In addition, excessive drinking during menopause can increase risk of heart disease, developing central obesity, affect you liver, brain and nervous system.
What Vitamins are Good for Menopause?
The decrease in oestrogens function observed during menopause results in increased bone metabolism, a decrease in bone mineral density and the related elevated fracture risk (Matyjaszek et al 2015). If you are peri-menopausal, dark skinned, overweight and/or have a gastrointestinal condition you have an increased risk of vitamin D deficiency. Vitamin D helps your body absorb and use calcium, which gives your bones their strength and hardness. Therefore making sure you include vitamin D rich foods as part of a well balanced diet like oily fish and eggs is important. It is a good idea to test your vitamin D levels either through your GP or a private healthcare practitioner. If you have sub-optimal levels, it would be worth consulting with a nutritionist. They would discuss your situation, diet, current medications and whether taking Vitamin D supplements to support you through menopause would be a good idea.
“I was receiving Osteopathic treatment for neck pain with Eleonora Sansoni and whilst taking the case history we discussed my menopausal symptoms of hot flushes, energy lows, headaches, increased weight and mood swings. She mentioned how nutritional therapy could help to balance my hormones through small dietary and lifestyle changes. I wasn’t aware this was an option and I was keen to try to not take HRT medication so was open to understand how. I decided to give it go, there were multiple questionnaires to complete and further questions in the case history. I had never been asked so many questions but it really felt like Eleonora was determined to provide the most effective plan possible by really understanding me and my past history. I received an individual nutrition plan with general rules, suggested alternatives and supplements to take. I didn’t feel trapped as it wasn’t an elimination diet (yes I had to avoid sugar!) but the focus was on providing options that would work for me and my lifestyle. After 4 weeks my hot flushes frequency and severity had massively reduced - I couldn’t believe it! Likewise my other symptoms started to reduce gradually through all the changes I was implementing. It really felt like I was taking control of my own situation, it was empowering and I actually started to enjoy the process as I could see the benefits. A big thank you to Eleonora and Wellthy Clinic”
How Do you Lose Weight During Menopause?
Foods that spike our blood sugar and in turn increase insulin can exacerbate menopausal symptoms and lead to weight gain, especially around the middle. Excess belly fat in turn leads to excess androgens and oestrogen which can further exacerbate symptoms. Increasing exercise to counteract menopausal weight gain through a balanced exercise programme with a mix of moderate and more challenging exercise would be beneficial. We believe the routine should include Pilates, aerobic exercises (like swimming, walking, bicycling, and running) as well as resistance training. A recent study showed an increase in Pilates activity have shown a positive reduction in weight, body mass index and fat percentages (Savkin 2017). Having Pilates as part of your exercise programme will give you a strong foundation to support more demanding exercise and help reduce stress.
Moreover, menopause symptoms can often be mistaken or be overlapped by thyroid dysfunction symptoms. As the risk of developing an underactive thyroid also increases with age, it is not unusual for women to go through peri/menopause and also have a thyroid condition. It can be difficult to establish which symptoms are related to the thyroid and which to peri/menopause but if you are struggling to lose weight it is worth testing for its function and create a thyroid nutritionist plan in conjunction to menopause support.
What is the Best Menopause Supplement on the Market?
Firstly having a well balanced diet and gaining all of your vital nutrients through foods is your best bet. However short term supplementation can be beneficial but it is important to gain the right balance when taking supplements taking into account your individual needs, interactions with other supplements and other medications you may be already taking. This is why we advise speaking with our nutritional therapist who can provide a specific nutritional plan for you which may involve taking some high quality supplements.
Can Exercise Help?
During menopause your bone density and muscle mass can decrease and it becomes harder to lose weigh. Exercise improves muscle mass, strength, balance and coordination and it helps to reduce stress, anxiety and many other menopause related symptoms. Activities like strength training, Peloton, Yoga and Pilates are all beneficial. Pilates is a fantastic low impact strength training option and for a more challenging alternative you can opt for Reformer Pilates which adds difficulty and increases resistance. You will leave sessions feeling less stressed and energised. Exercise and a personalised nutrition plan will help keep off the ‘menopause weight.’ This is particularly effective when combined with other aerobic activity (walking, cycling or swimming).
How can I get Through Menopause Naturally?
The hormonal changes during the menopause transition affect many aspects of our bodily systems including the ability to cope with stress, our cognition and our metabolism. Making sure that we implement all the diet and lifestyle changes is key to a successful journey through menopause. Sleeping 7-9h per night, exposing your eyes to morning and outdoor light, consistent physical activity and relaxation techniques are some of the lifestyle hacks that can be beneficial to stabilise general health during recalibration.
Menopause Nutritionist London
Our Nutritionist is a women’s health, gut health and musculoskeletal health specialist. We offer 15 minute FREE Discovery sessions to discuss your symptoms. You can book one for either in person at our Nutrition centre in London or online.
References
Bone, K. (2012) An Investigation into the Effectiveness of Osteopathic Treatment for Reducing Perimenopausal Symptoms UNITEC Institute of Technology https://unitec.researchbank.ac.nz/bitstream/handle/10652/1916/Katharine%20Bone%20MOst.pdf?sequence=1
Chen et al (2015) Efficacy of phytoestrogens for menopausal symptoms: a meta-analysis and systematic review Climacterichttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4389700/
Faubion et al (2015) Caffeine and Menopausal Symptoms: What Is the Association? Menopause https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25051286/
Kwon et al (2017) High Dietary Sodium Intake Is Associated With Low Bone Mass in Postmenopausal Women: Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2008-2011 Osteoporosis Internationalhttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28074252/
Lee et al (2012) Association Between Menopausal Symptoms and Metabolic Syndrome in Postmenopausal Women Archives of Gynecology and Obstetrics https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21853251/
Matyjaszek et al (2015) Clinical implications of vitamin D deficiency Przeglad Menopauzalny https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4498026/
Savkin & Aslan (2017) The Effect of Pilates Exercise on Body Composition in Sedentary Overweight and Obese Women https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27607588/
Eleonora Sansoni
Eleonora Sansoni is a Nutritional Therapist who graduated from the College of Naturopathic Medicine in London. She also gained a Master’s degree in Osteopathy in London and a degree in Physiotherapy in Italy.
Eleonora has a specific interest in nutrition for women’s health (menopause, PCOS, fertility etc), chronic pain and gut health. This stems from her own experience with acne and chronic joint pain, the cause of which had been missed by many practitioners. She was able to improve these symptoms by getting to the cause of her issues and through the support of a nutritionist and an osteopath. The whole healing process was a life changing journey which led Eleonora to retrain in both osteopathy first and nutrition afterwards. She is truly committed to make a difference into people’s health with a more natural narrative and to empower people to be more in control of their total wellbeing.