Diet for Menopausal Women

Thanks to everyone for their questions. Keep them coming! This came in from a few people so I thought I would tackle it first… “What can I eat to avoid weight gain during menopause?” During menopause your body is going through many changes and is actually craving nutrient rich foods. Typically, your metabolism will begin to slow and you may need to readjust the amount of calories you are taking in. Of course this depends on your activity levels!

What to eat?
Try to eat 50% raw foods: lots of fruits and vegetables, uncooked. Pick up a Raw Food cook book, you will be amazed at the dishes you can make with a few vegetables and herbs! If you are not already taking vitamins, now may be a good time to start. Your body will need additional calcium, magnesium, maganese, copper, B6, B12, Vitamin E and Vitamin K. Phytoestrogens in the form of flaxseeds, chickpeas and other legumes, essential fats (Udo’s Oil is popular with vegan’s as there is no fish oil) and bioflavonoids (from all the fruits and veggies you eat). Be sure to read the back of the labels as there are multi-vitamins for vegetarians, it will literally say made from plant sources.

What to avoid?
Avoid animal protein and dairy as much as possible as this will promote the hot flashes. Alcohol, caffeine, spicy foods, salt, and sugary drinks should also be avoided as they aggravate urinary incontinence and make mood swings worse. They also contribute to making your blood more acidic which prompts the bones to release calcium as a buffer. This is a key factor to bone loss during menopause.

Keep exercising, avoid stress as much as possible, drink lots of water and add 2 teaspoons of cold pressed linseed oil into your diet. These should all help in reducing the negative effects of menopause as well as helping to control weight gain.

Let us know your story. Please feel free to share any thoughts or ideas you have on the site.

Planning Your Meals

Being a vegan/raw foodist, I often get asked what types of meals we have at home. Well, vegetables of course! is always the answer… though we have the odd tofu here and there, it is mostly vegetables. How then do we mix up the variety so that we can still enjoy our meals? Since we both work and then often have training before and after working hours, our time at home is limited and precious. We don’t really want to be spending it trying to figure out what we are going to have for dinner. About a year ago, I started planning all the meals on a weekly basis. On Sundays I sit down, spending at most 45 minutes and plan every single meal from Monday morning to Friday evening. It is incredible how helpful this is for your trip to the grocery store. You know exactly what you will be eating and what food vegetables you will need to buy. I go through many of our recipe books and choose new recipes, perhaps select a few favourites along the way as well.

This approach has really broadened our eating habits, as it is easy to fall into the trap of eating the same old things, especially after a tough day at the office. It reduces a lot of stress, as I know in the mornings exactly what I am packing for my breakfast and lunch and when I get home after training late in the evening I know exactly what needs to be done to prepare for dinner. Try it out and let me know how it goes for you! I promise, it will free up more time in the week with just a small investment of 30 minutes on the weekend. Bon Appétit!