Nutrition and lifestyle support for perimenopause and menopause
Aging is normal – suffering is not.
What do itchy ears, creaky joints, bloating and brain fog all have in common?
They are all common symptoms of perimenopause and menopause. Ick.
It isn’t just night sweats and hot flashes, folks.
If you’re a woman in her 30s or beyond, it is a whole new ballgame for learning how to nourish your body and have hope of feeling good in your own skin. Yes, it is possible. No, the answer isn’t a fad diet.
And if any healthcare professionals are brushing you off by saying that this is just what life is like getting older, I’ll disagree.
Aging is normal – suffering is not.
So what’s going on?
In the time before menopause, our hormones are changing – big time. These hormone changes impact our bodies, from our heads down to our toes.
One of these changes is our estrogen. This important hormone performs many important functions, not all of which are related to reproduction. Estrogen supports our heart and bone health and is a powerful anti-inflammatory, which helps to explain why we feel worse with less estrogen. In our younger years, we get most of our estrogen from our ovaries. As our ovaries make less, our body gets a tad creative to squash the inflammation that is the root cause of many of our symptoms.
Where does this estrogen come from, you ask? Our belly fat.
The fatty tissue is our body’s attempt to make up for the lowering levels of estrogen. But most women are not thrilled with this change in our body’s composition.
What we need is more anti-inflammatory meals to support our body better as we are making less estrogen. A few key macronutrients are protein and fiber. The top of my list for micronutrients are vitamin D, omega-3 fatty acids and magnesium.
The Mediterranean diet is a wonderful meal plan to follow; it focuses on lots of fruits and veggies, whole grains, olive oil, and more fish than other animal proteins. Herbs and spices help, and beans are the unsung heroes of balanced eating. Unfortunately, this is easier said than done.
Supplements can certainly help, but adding supplements without optimizing your meals is kind of like putting a solar panel on a tent and wondering why your house isn’t super-duper comfy. We need – and deserve – more than that.
The best-case scenario is to work with healthcare professionals who listen to you, believe you, and help customize their recommendations to your real life. Registered dietitians are great at this! And thanks to the Affordable Care Act, insurance coverage for these visits may mean that you’re paying $0 out of pocket.
You deserve to feel good in your skin.
Holly Larson, MS, RD is a local registered dietitian who specializes in women’s health and diabetes management. To learn more, visit hollylarsonnutrition.com - your visit may be fully covered by your insurance plan.
