What is considered to be a good diet during menopause?

Do I really have to eat huge slabs of tofu? Can I actually ingest all the fruits, vegetables, grains, and legumes I need during menopause without being constipated for life? Women experiencing menopause soon find out how much diet can affect their symptoms. A healthy diet can not only reduce the symptoms of menopause, but also lead to a healthier lifestyle and increased energy levels, leading you to do the kinds of activities that will promote a healthier body and a healthier lifestyle overall.

But where can you begin? Take a look in any bookstore, and you’ll see shelf after shelf of diet books and diet products. Watch late-night tv and you’re bound to see infomercials dealing with your outside appearance. But what should you be concerned about with regards to your diet and what can you do about it without grabbing on to the latest fad, the latest gimmick or gadget that promises to transform you—mind, body, and soul—for the incredible price of $19.95?

Don’t buy into the gimmicks, and—painful as it might be—don’t be in a rush. To know what a good diet is during menopause, you have to first look at the needs of the body during menopause:

Vitamins and minerals

Mature women, especially those experiencing mid-life change due to menopause, require vital nutrients—a nutrient “kick” if you will—to address their health concerns. Time and time again, we hear of the importance of calcium. Obviously, its benefits in helping to reduce the risk of developing osteoporosis are now well-known. But rather than just being used as a preventative measure, keep in mind that adequate calcium means strong bones, and strong bones may be used for strong exercise—one of the best ways of combating some of the stresses of menopause!

Calcium-rich foods and supplements are a good idea if you plan to have an active lifestyle during menopause. Calcium is particularly effective when combined with other vitamins and minerals like magnesium and vitamin D, which promote good skeletal health. These should be the “backbone” of any healthy woman’s diet—not just those experiencing menopause.

Whereas calcium plays a pivotal role in later years, folic acid (vitamins B6 and B12), helps to control homocysteine levels, which at high amounts, could lead to heart problems. Folic acid, then is not only important for women of childbearing age, but also for those experiencing menopause. It’s not just for mommy anymore.

Obviously, to maintain a healthy and active lifestyle, women experiencing menopause need to keep the heart–the most important muscle in the body–healthy. Omega-3 fatty acids, then, play a pivotal role. They are necessary for normal growth and development as well as good vision. Researchers have found that Omega-3 fatty acids can help reduce fatty triglyceride levels in the blood, which can build up in the arteries and cause heart attacks. In the menopausal years, many women's bodies undergo a change in the distribution of body fat, and this in turn, has been associated with an increase in heart disease, uterine cancer and diabetes. Maintaining healthy levels of the vitamins and minerals mentioned so far, then, even through supplementation if need be, becomes crucial.

But what about my eating habits?

First of all, during menopause, more than at any other time, you’ll want to cut down on sources of heavy fat—things like red meat. Instead, you’ll need to increase the amount of fruits, vegetables and grains that you ingest, which will not only fill you and help you cut fat intake, but will also help you maintain healthy phytoestrogen levels, important both during and after menopause. If you’ve had poor eating habits up until now, you’ll find it is difficult to make changes to your routine that you’ll stick with. Supplements are a small change that can make all the difference.

And keep in mind that you may have to supplement anyway. To get the recommended 1500 mg of calcium, for example, you’d have to have 40 ounces of skim milk, about 8 ounces of cheese, 10 cups of cottage cheese, or five cups of yogurt. It may not sound like much, but trying to eat that day after day as PART of your diet can be difficult.

Bad habits can get in the way too...

Think of our typical fast food habits: battered this and that (white flour and fat and oil), chocolate, sweets, and red meat (fat, fat, and more fat), sugar, and caffeine (oh the poor heart!). Not only is our typical diet unhealthy, but it actually can lead to an increase in hot flashes for those dealing with menopause. Women often report that wine, hot and spicy food (of course) and caffeine can increase their hot flashes, and it only makes sense—obviously, anything that gets the heart beating a bit faster could make you feel flushed.

So we know that soy products, beans, fruits, and vegetables are particularly healthy for menopausal women. But if you haven’t had them as a part of your daily routine, or not in large quantities anyway, these kinds of wholesale changes to your routine can be difficult to stick to. Try replacing an item at a time. Wean yourself off some of the items you know you should stay away from, and gradually introduce healthier choices. By integrating them slowly into your diet, there’s a greater likelihood that they will stay there.

And as for integrating more soybean into your diet? Don’t go out and buy a huge chunk of dry tofu for dinner. It’s not appetizing. I’ve tried it. Believe me. With all the international cooking taking place in this country, the bookshelves are filled with recipe books dealing with healthy ways to prepare soybeans and tofu, Chinese and Japanese cookbooks in particular. Healthy and tasty can go together.

Why not take a class at a continuing education facility and have fun with it? Over time, these choices will become part of your regular routine, and they’ll be more likely to remain there if you can enjoy them at the same time!