Foods for Menopause – Focusing On Nutrition During Menopause

Foods for menopause – worth knowing? How much can nutrition during menopause actually help reduce your menopause symptoms?

As a menopause nutritionist myself, I wouldn’t blame you for presuming I’m biased. But here’s the truth: there’s genuine science behind all of the foods for menopause that help kick your symptoms to the curb.

So, let’s go through them together and start the process of eating to support menopause, shall we?

What is menopause?

Menopause is a natural transition, occurring after perimenopause.

While perimenopause is the space between pre-menopause and menopause itself, menopause is defined by reaching one year without any vaginal bleeding (including spotting.)

The transition and symptoms of menopause can last for a good few years. And while there are a bunch of menopause symptoms that can cause discomfort and distress, there are ways to improve daily life and lessen the severity of your symptoms, including – you guessed it! – being strategic with nutrition during menopause.

Why is nutrition during menopause important?

It’s important to be strategic with nutrition during menopause because everything you eat contains different nutritional elements. Some foods during menopause can lessen symptoms while others can make them worse!

Everything you consume has the chance to impact your menopause symptoms. So, educate yourself on the best foods during menopause to ensure you’re eating the right kind of meals.

What changes in your body during menopause?

During perimenopause and menopause, your oestrogen levels start to lower. Oestrogen plays such a crucial role in your mental, physical and reproductive health, so when it’s knocked off-kilter, a whole bunch of symptoms can become a by-product.

As your oestrogen levels decline, your metabolism slows, which is why weight gain is so common during perimenopause and menopause. On top of this, your cholesterol levels may change as well as your body’s way of digesting carbs.

The best foods for menopause

Nutritional studies have found evidence that there are specific foods for menopause that will help lessen the severity of your symptoms. By focusing on nutrition during menopause and eating strategically, you can help reduce your hot flashes, improve your sleep quality and even help with bone density.

9 foods that fight hot flashes and other menopause symptoms

Hot flashes are one of the most common symptoms of menopause. They range in severity, with some women finding them debilitating.

You can also experience hot flashes while asleep, which is known as a night sweat.

The good news, though, is that there are 9 foods that fight hot flashes. Plus, these foods also help reduce other menopause symptoms such as weight gain and dry, itchy skin. So, grab a piece of paper and a pen and let’s write a shopping list that’ll kick your symptoms to the curb.

1. Foods containing phytoestrogens (soy beans are great for this!)

Don’t panic at the complicated term: phytoestrogens. In simple terms, phytoestrogens are just natural compounds that can be found in lots of different plants and foods.

Foods rich in phytoestrogens are on our 9 foods that fight hot flashes list because they mirror some of oestrogen’s functions.

You’ve got two key types of phytoestrogens:

1. Lignans
2. Isoflavones

Soy beans make one of the best foods for menopause because they are rich in both isoflavones and lignans. So, soy beans should absolutely be at the top of your shopping list.

If you love a good ol’ curry, soy beans are fantastic carriers of spices. You can also use soy beans in chilli. These two meals are good for batch-cooking, too, meaning you can organise and cook your meals at the start of the week to avoid busy chaos in the evening.

Soy beans do fight hot flashes. In fact, a clinical study that took place monitored women who consumed 20 – 60 grams of soy per day and the impact it had upon hot flashes. The result? A whopping 26% reduction in the average number of hot flashes which increased to 33% by week 4!

Other foods that are rich in lignans are:

• Cashew nuts
• A wide range of whole grains such as buckwheat, spelt, oats and rye
• A wide range of vegetables like bell peppers, courgette, carrots and green beans
• Fruits such as kiwi, pears, apricot and grapes
• Other foods such as garlic, sesame seeds and lentils
• Dairy-rich foods like cow’s milk and yoghurt

2. Cooling foods

“Cooling foods” are hugely backed by traditional Chinese medicine, and some women absolutely swear by them, ranking them as some of the best foods for menopause to fight hot flashes.

The idea is a pretty simple one and makes sense. When your body gets too hot, cooling foods are consumed to fight the heat and balance everything out.

These foods are really high in water and fibre which helps tick everything over in terms of digestion, plus they’re highly linked to anti-inflammatory properties. So, even if you find they don’t change your hot flashes significantly, they’ll still be a great addition to your diet.

Examples of cooling foods include:

• Fruits like apples, pears, cucumber and watermelon
• Vegetables like cabbage, cauliflower, carrots, bok choy and radish (these are high fiber vegetables for weight loss, too.)

3. Leafy greens

Leafy greens – the dark ones – are chockablock with magnesium, calcium and vitamin D. That’s why they’re a solid contender for the best foods for menopause.

Calcium, magnesium and vitamin D work together and harmonise beautifully to support hormonal balance. Plus, they’re great for general health and wellbeing.

Not to mention, dark leafy greens are jam-packed with antioxidants, which work to reduce any inflammation.

With that in mind, add the following leafy greens to your shopping list:

• Spinach
• Kale
• Collard greens
• Swiss chard
• Bok choy

Leafy greens are great in soups, making them cosy and nutritious. Failing that, of course, you have salads, pasta sauces, stir frys and side-dishes.

My Kale & Red Pepper Frittata is a great example of using leafy greens to reduce hot flashes.

4. Omega-3 fatty acids

I’ll level with you here: there’s still a heap of research going into the impact of omega-3 fatty acids on hot flashes. While some studies suggest that they make no difference, others show that they can help.

That said, though, they’re a great addition to your diet plan because of their advantages to other areas. So, whether they help your hot flashes or not (please do let me know your findings!), omega-3 fatty acids help with heart and brain health, lower inflammation levels and have been seen to aid with menopause anxiety and depression.

Foods that are very high in omega-3 fatty acids include:

• Fatty fish such as salmon, sardines, anchovies herring and mackerel
• Seafood like oysters (which also make a fantastic Christmas Day starter!) and caviar
• Nuts and seeds like walnuts, flax seeds and chia seeds
• And, of course, soy beans

5. Lots of fruit and vegetables

We all love a pop of colour on our plate. But in this case, it’s not just about the aesthetic.

Eating fruits and vegetables is rule number one about diet that you learn at Reception level. However, studies have shown that consuming more fruits and vegetables help with menopause weight loss and reducing hot flashes.

You’re going to want to eat fruits and vegetables that are rich in nutrients and high in fibre, such as:

• Apples
• Asparagus
• Artichokes
• Citrus fruits (oranges and grapefruit)
• Berries (blueberries, raspberries and strawberries. My Berry Smoothie allows you to get your daily intake of berries in one smoothie!)

I’m also dedicating a special nomination to dragon fruit food. Low in calories, (so perfect for menopause weight loss) but high in fibre and antioxidants, it’s a fantastic fruit to add to your shopping list.

Dragon fruit is around 80% water, so it helps with hydration (which is perfect if you’re concerned about dry skin during menopause.) Additionally, dragon fruit food is a great source of iron, vitamin D and magnesium.

6. Switch regular teas for herbal teas

While we all love PG Tips, if you’re struggling with menopause symptoms like hot flashes and mood swings, it would be beneficial to swap your standard breakfast tea to herbal tea.

The phytoestrogens that can be found in herbal teas can help boost oestrogen levels when you need them, helping to avoid a flareup based on dwindling oestrogen levels.

Teas you can try that have been found to reduce hot flashes and other menopause symptoms include:

• Sage tea
• Chamomile tea
• Black cohosh tea
• Red clover tea

Caffeine is a real instigator for menopause symptoms. Many women underestimate how much caffeine can impact your menopause symptoms. So, making the switch to herbal tea will truly make a difference.

7. Fibre-dense and complex carbs

Spikes to your blood sugar and insulin resistance are tied to more frequent and more intense hot flashes. Insulin resistance increases with menopause which is why it’s so important to keep your blood sugar levels under control.

Sugar spikes blood glucose. We know this. And sugar is found in almost all the carbs. However, if you make an effort to opt for low-GI, fibre-dense carbs, they’ll digest slower and won’t give you a blood sugar levels spike.

These complex carbs include foods like:

• Cereal but only whole grain, including bran and oats
• Bread, but ditch the white bread. Instead, opt for wholegrain, multigrain, sourdough and rye.
• Pasta, choosing soba and rice noodles
• Rice – opting for basmati, brown and long grain rice
• Legumes such as chickpeas and black beans
• Nuts – especially pistachios and almonds
• Top high fiber vegetables and starchy veggies such as leafy greens, carrots, celery, green beans and sweet potatoes
• Fruits like oranges, berries, pears and apples

8. Tomato juice

Believe it or not, a study took place, proving that tomato juice help to alleviate menopausal symptoms.

Routinely sipping on a few small cups of tomato juice (salted, ever so slightly) per day helps with a range of menopause symptoms, including hot flashes. While it’s not abundantly clear why, many researchers have concluded that it’s because of the anti-oxidant properties that help reduce menopause related stress.

9. Soy, soy and more soy

We mentioned soy beans previously, but in terms of foods for menopause, soy is truly a hero.

Soy mirrors oestrogen, so when your oestrogen levels are up and down like a rollercoaster, soy can help to balance things out again. This, in turn, reduces your menopause symptoms.

Studies have proven that soy is the heroine none of us expected, helping to reduce the frequency and severity of hot flashes in menopausal women.

Soy is available in a whole bunch of different ways, such as:

• Soy milk
• Soy cheese
• Miso paste and soy oil
• Edamame
• Tofu

Foods to avoid during menopause

There are specific foods that make menopause symptoms worse. There are a lot of menopause myths out there that cause confusion surrounding what foods to avoid during menopause. No myths here! Just simple facts.

So, these foods are ones you should avoid to reduce the severity of your symptoms.

Avoid foods high in sugar

Sugar is not your friend – especially during menopause. Not only does sugary foods contribute to menopause weight gain, but can worsen insulin resistance which is already a heightened risk in menopause.

This insulin resistance, when at a high level, has been shown to trigger hot flashes and night sweats. Not to mention, you may be at a higher risk for diabetes when consuming foods high in sugar.

Swap out caffeine

Often underestimated, caffeine can be a real catalyst for your menopause symptoms. Caffeine can make sleep disturbance worse and make it harder to sleep for a good amount of time.

Additionally, caffeine has been linked to incontinence during menopause. Not to mention, your stress levels can also take a knock, resulting in menopause anxiety, headaches and mood swings.

It’s well worth swapping to a herbal alternative.

Ditch processed foods

Studies have shown that there’s a huge tie between ultra-processed foods and more severe, more frequent hot flashes.

This is because hot flashes can cause high blood pressure, and ultra-processed foods can raise your blood pressure.

It’s well worth limiting (or cutting out if you can manage it) sugary drinks, fast and fried food and baked goods.

Don’t eat spicy foods

Think about it: when you have a vindaloo curry, you tend to sweat. This is natural and happens due to the spicy food. However, if you’re already battling against hot flashes, you don’t want to encourage them with spicy food. Spicy foods are often a trigger for hot flashes, so simply cut them out as best you can.

Cut down on alcohol intake (or quit entirely)

It’s well known in the Menopause space that alcohol can worsen hot flashes and anxiety, making it harder to sleep and impairing sleep quality. On top of this, if menopause weight loss is something you’re working towards, you’ll see a huge difference when you cut out alcohol.

Foods for menopause – in a nutshell

It’s clear that nutrition during menopause is important. It matters. What you eat can help either alleviate or worsen your symptoms, so if you know the right foods for menopause, you can make daily life so much more manageable.

So, ditch the booze, spicy and processed meals, caffeine and sugar. They are all making your menopause symptoms worse. Instead, eat strategically and fill your meal plan with the best foods for menopause.

Share this post with a menopausal friend and lend a hand. We all need to help one another and by understanding what to eat and what not to eat, you could give, not only yourself but someone you care about, a brand new lease of life!