What to eat at menopause? There comes a time in life when women ask themselves this question. And we passed it on to the expert who gave us the right advice to best face this moment of profound change in the body, suggestions that are also useful for to prevent through correct lifestyles all those disorders and diseases that can occur at the same time. «A healthy and balanced diet plays a preventive role at every stage of life, and is crucial to deal with the consequences caused by the decline in estrogen that occurs during menopause” explains Angelica Cesenanutritional biologist and author of Made for women, the right food for every stage of life (Giunti Editore). «Estrogens are female hormones and the effects of their fluctuation are different: first of all they make bones weaker and then are associated with an increase in cardiovascular risk. Furthermore, together with a series of disorders typical of this phase such as hot flashes, changes in mood, insomnia, our body also changes profoundly during menopause: the adipose tissue which previously accumulated on the legs and buttocks, after loss of fertility begins to settle on the abdomen.”
What to eat during menopause to feel good?
The problem, obviously, is not the blemishes caused by possible accumulations of fat. The real problem is weight: during menopause you have to be particularly careful to keep it under control because an excess multiplies the risks of getting sick. Furthermore, maintaining your ideal weight puts less strain on your bones which at this stage begin to weaken. What to eat then? «The best diet remains the same Mediterranean: it means eating wholemeal and as many plant-based carbohydrates as possible every day, and therefore also proteins of plant origin, interspersing them with oily fish, dairy products, eggs and white meats. Red meat and sweets are always at the top of the food pyramid: it means that they should be eaten occasionally”, says Dr. Cesena. «Furthermore, to strengthen the bones, the body must be guaranteed the necessary taste Vitamin D and Football, contained especially in milk and derivatives, in some types of water, but also in vegetables such as broccoli, artichokes, legumes. In fact, in vegetables, calcium is sometimes more bioavailable, that is, more easily absorbed, than in foods of animal origin.”
Foods to avoid during menopause
Then there is a list of foods that would be better to avoid, especially in this phase of life: «First of all advises Doctor Cesena, «the spicy foods because they accentuate hot flashes. As well as i hot foods, drinks rich in caffeine and alcoholwhich among other things makes sleep more complex, which is already compromised during menopause: it is not uncommon to suffer from insomnia.”
Why you gain more weight during menopause (and how to fix it)
In addition to eating well, however, during menopause you generally also need to eat less than in the previous period. «The characteristic alterations in hormonal balance increase the sense of hunger, and we must take into consideration that at the same time, with the passage of time (every decade), the basal metabolism also decreases slightly” explains the expert. In short, you have more desire to eat but it is more difficult to dispose of it. «In general, in addition to reducing portions (which should always be evaluated with a specialist), it is important to move: if not necessarily doing a real sport, even just trying to walk more says Dr. Cesena. «For this reason, concludes the expert, «I advise every woman to speak to her gynecologist: in addition to possible pharmacological therapy, in this delicate phase of life it is good to re-evaluate one’s lifestyle also with an expert in health sciences. ‘diet”.
