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The Ultimate Guide to Foods You Should Eat and Avoid During Menopause

For women, while menopause marks an end to the menstrual cycle, it also brings about a range of unwanted changes to the body and an increased risk of many diseases. If interested in learning more, check out our article, Everything You Need to Know About Menopause!

To manage menopause symptoms, a range of lifestyle changes need to be made as well as possibly looking into treatments, like HRT and supplements, but have you ever thought about the foods to avoid during menopause?

This article will cover what foods aggravate menopause, as well as foods good for menopause and a great menopause diet to follow. Know what you’re looking for? Jump there now:

• What Not to Eat When Menopausal
• Best Foods for Menopause
• What to Drink During Menopause
• Healthy Diet for Menopause
• End Note

What Not to Eat When Menopausal

Your body goes through a range of changes during the transition to menopause and then beyond, one of which is declining oestrogen levels. This can negatively affect your metabolism, cholesterol levels, how your body digests carbohydrates and possible weight gain.

Making changes to your diet may help relieve menopausal symptoms, including being aware of which foods may worsen certain symptoms, like hot flashes, sleep issues and weight gain.

So, what foods make menopause worse?

• Alcohol: limit your alcohol intake as excess drinking may increase your risk of cardiovascular disease and breast cancer.
• Caffeine
• Sugary drinks like energy drinks and soda
• Sugary baked goods
• Highly processed foods like sweets, potato chips and fried foods: wondering what foods are bad for menopause belly? These foods make you retain water and feel bloated, as well as increase your risk of heart disease and make you put on weight.
• Foods high in salt
• Spicy foods: may cause sweating, flushing and hot flashes.
• Fatty meats: can lower serotonin levels, making you feel grumpy, irritable and angry.

Further Reading: Can NMN Supplements Help with Menopause?

Best Foods for Menopause

Likewise, while there are certain foods you might want to take a break from during menopause, there are certain ones you can eat more of to improve menopausal symptoms like hot flashes, low bone density and sleep issues. These include:

Dairy products

Since declining oestrogen can increase your risk of fractures, you want to eat plenty of dairy as it contains calcium, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus, vitamin K and vitamin D, which are all needed for bone health. These foods include milk, yoghurt and cheese.

A study showed that women in post-menopause who consumed more dairy and animal protein had much higher bone density than those who didn’t, while another study showed that this added dairy may even help with sleep issues. You might want to even consider eating more dairy before menopause as a study found that women who have high levels of calcium and vitamin D had a lower risk of early menopause.

Whole grains

Whole grains may reduce the risk of heart disease, cancer and even premature death but they may also help reduce the severity of menopausal symptoms. This is from the fibre and B vitamins that whole grains, such as brown rice, quinoa, barley, oats, whole wheat bread, Kamut and rye, contain.

Healthy fats

For postmenopausal women, especially those who have coronary heart disease or diabetes who typically have lower levels, omega-3 fatty acids are incredibly important. A review of various studies found that omega-3 levels are linked with better health among women during this period of their life, so make sure to eat plenty of fatty fish like salmon, tuna and mackerel, edamame, nuts like walnuts, as well as seeds like hemp, chia and flax.

Fruits and vegetables

Due to fruits and veggies being full of fibre, antioxidants and vitamins and minerals, women going through menopause should be packing their diet full of them. A study found that those who ate more fruits and vegetables had less menopausal symptoms, with dark berries being great for lowering blood pressure.

Protein

Make sure to also keep up with your protein intake, as when your oestrogen levels drop, this affects your bone strength and muscle mass. Eating both dairy and plant protein has been found to lower the risk of hip fractures (8% and 12% respectively), and you might even want to take collagen supplements — high in protein — as these may improve bone mineral density. Foods high in protein include meat, fish, eggs, dairy and legumes.

Oestrogen rich foods for menopause

While more research is needed, eating more foods that contain phytoestrogen (a compound that acts as a weak oestrogen) may improve bone health as well as lower cardiovascular risk for postmenopausal women. These foods include soy products like tofu, tempeh and soy milk, peanuts, chickpeas, edamame, beans, grapes, sprouted mung beans, berries, plums, barley, flaxseed and green and black tea.

Due to the difference in our gut bacteria, phytoestrogens may only help ease menopausal symptoms in one in three women, though.

Foods that fight hot flashes

When going through a hot flash, you might want to try eating foods like eggs, apples, bananas, broccoli, spinach and green tea to help you cool down. Foods to add to your diet to regulate your hormone fluctuations that cause hot flashes include flaxseeds, soy, fatty fish, leafy greens, whole grains, nuts and seeds, avocados, herbal teas and fruits.

Best foods for menopause belly

As mentioned, it’s easy to gain weight during menopause as your hormone levels change, so you might need to look at some weight loss strategies to help you with your new menopause belly. You might find that eating about 200 calories less each day helps keep the weight off, but make sure to also eat plenty of fibrous fruits, vegetables and whole grains, as well as legumes, nuts and fish.

Further Reading: Does Menopause Affect Your Muscles?

What to Drink During Menopause

It’s incredibly important to keep yourself hydrated during menopause, so make sure to drink six to eight glasses each day, keeping in mind you get will also be getting plenty of water from the above foods. To check if you’re getting enough water, you can check the colour of your urine — it should be a pale straw colour. So, in saying that, what are the best beverages to drink during menopause?

• Water: has no calories or sugar
• Unsweetened tea or coffee: while caffeine has a slight dehydrating effect, a cup of tea or black coffee has plenty of water. You can also drink herbal teas.
• Milk: if drinking plant-based milk, make sure it is fortified with calcium.

Since you lose water from night sweats, it’s important to stay hydrated during menopause, despite the annoyance you may feel at how often you need to go to the toilet when doing so.

Further Reading: Menopause Brain Fog: Causes, Vitamins and Treatment Options

Healthy Diet for Menopause

For a healthy diet during menopause, you’re going to want to make sure it’s well-balanced and full of fresh fruits and vegetables, lean protein and whole grains. Make sure to include the foods we’ve mentioned above in your diet, making weekly meal plans so you know you’re actually consuming these foods.

While menopause and diet are incredibly important, so, too, is making sure you’re exercising enough to keep your bones and muscles strong, making sure you’re getting enough sleep and keeping yourself relaxed. You can also take calcium and vitamin D supplements if you’re struggling to get enough of these in your diet.

End Note

Menopause takes an incredible toll on women’s bodies and while it’s incredibly frustrating, there are some lifestyle changes you can make to make it just a little bit easier. Hopefully, you can take some of the tips you’ve learned in this article to make a difference, no matter how small, to the quality of your life during this trying time.

To help with your sleep, Magnesium Glycinate can help boost your levels to improve the quality of sleep you get, while Ashwagandha may help you destress. You might find our Calcium AKG helpful in building your muscle mass and bone health while NMN may help regulate your hormones during menopause.

Make sure you take supplements that are backed by research! You can find ours on our research page.

Science-First. Trusted Longevity Solutions