Menopause

Although it's not common to think that diet can affect how we experience menopause, the truth is, that when most people change their diets, eat more vegetables, reduce processed foods, take steps to manage stress and do moderate exercise 3x a week, see an improvement in symptoms. This is not just coincidental. This is backed up by science

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Unfortunately, when asked by GPs to improve our diets, we don't always know where to to start? There are so many claims on what is "healthy" on the internet, overlaid by the food industry lobbying governments to prevent negative press. So we don't always have the whole picture. 

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This is where a nutritionist can help. Tiding up a diet can be overwhelming, with most people sticking to a diet for an average of 6 months. Restricitve diets that cut out carbs or fat will make anyone miserable and will not help with menopausal symptoms, infact it can make mental health worse.

 

Instead, I would like to show you ways to use complex carbohydrates to balance your blood sugar levels, I want to explain why it's important to balance blood sugar levels! I'd like to show you that healthy fats can help to fight inflammation and are important for brain and heart health. I would like to show you the link between alcohol and perimenopausal symptoms. But above all else, I want to talk to you about stress and if you are stressed, why it's actually one of the key drivers of your symptoms. 

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So you see, nutrition and lifestyle do play a role in how women experience menopause. However, making any kind of change can be harder for some than others. Finding tasty recipes that are suitable for the whole family is a painful challenge I understand all too well. Switching off the laptop an hour before bed, cutting out sugar, starting an exercise routine, embedding meditation practice, is not always easy to incorporate into our busy lives. Sometimes, these changes can feel impossible, since you have probably already tried these a few times before and given up becuase they didn't work.

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The truth is, it can often take more than a few weeks to feel the benefits, making it a bit harder to sacrifice time and effort. Becuase, let's be honest, it's so much easier to finalise that report after the kids are asleep, or answer to that email, becuase it will help you to feel less stressed at night. Or eat that brownie or slice of cake, becuase it's been  tough day, and you deserve a treat, or that glass of wine to unwind after a long week! There are endless reasons why we shy away from selfcare. 

 

We are also less likely to persevere with changes when we are doing them on our own. It can take a special type of stubbornness, but with the support of weekly accountability meetings, making small changes week by week, suddenly starts to feel easier. Want to know more? Why not get in touch.

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