Dietary Tips to Help Women During Menopause
Menopausal symptoms signify the end of a woman’s reproductive period and it brings about physical and psychological changes. The symptoms can include vaginal dryness, hot flashes, night sweats, mood changes, sleep problems, and a slowed metabolism that leads to weight gain. According to experts, the side effects of menopause could potentially last for months or even years.
To help with these symptoms, many women make dietary adjustments, such as incorporating healthy foods into their diets. Some of the foods that have been known to alleviate menopausal symptoms include the following:
1. Dairy food items
Consuming dairy products is considered to be an important dietary tip for menopause. One of the reasons it is important is that fractures are the most common casualties after menopause. This happens because of the lower estrogen level, which can be restored with the increased intake of dairy food products that are rich in calcium too. These can be milk, eggs, yoghurt, etc.
Moreover, these products help in toning down the issues related to unwanted chronic insomnia, which is common amongst postmenopausal women. In a famous study, 750 of these women have shown a significant rise in bone density because of the higher intake of these products.
2. Healthy and useful fatty products
Omega-3 fatty acids have never been a disappointment. Studies have shown that women who consume cod liver oil have 29% lesser chances of going through depression after their menopause.
Another bunch of studies and surveys have indicated that omega-3 unsaturated acids are useful in preventing unwanted hot flashes amongst women after menopause. However, some studies have been indecisive, whereas some researchers have concluded that further investigation on the same can be done for better results.
3. Juicy fruits and green vegetables
The combination of fruits and vegetables are packed with a couple of nutrients like vitamins, minerals, fiber, protein, etc. In fact, nutritionists have suggested that women after menopause should have at least half a plate full of juicy fruits and green vegetables per day.
Consuming fruits and vegetables every day can lead to around 19-20% reduction of hot flashes. One of the studies recommends dark berries for daily consumption. They have been observed to help reduce blood pressure. Whereas grape has been successful in helping women to sleep better.
4. High-protein foods
Dietary tips for menopause will be incomplete without including protein. A healthy diet with proteins helps in building back the muscle power as well as the bone strength, which reduces over time because of the low level of estrogen in the body.
For decades, many studies have analyzed how protein should amount to 10-35 % of the total calorie count of the day for every woman.
In the end, perfect diet plans can be made for women to help them maintain a healthy balance of nutrients in their meals. This will negate the aftereffects of menopause to a greater extent.