Dietary Change at Menopause
Diet can't cure the troubling symptoms of menopause, but—for many women—it can make a significant difference. And, if you take menopause as a signal for renewal and preparation for the second half of your life, the changes you make now can yield important benefits for decades to come.
When you've gone for a full year without a period, you have officially reached menopause. Nevertheless, a woman's body begins to change starting about 6 years sooner. During this time, called the perimenopause, the reproductive system prepares to retire and the ovaries gradually produce less estrogen. With perimenopause comes a variety of symptoms.
For many women, hot flashes (hot flushes) are the most noticeable result of the sharp variations in estrogen levels that mark this part of their lives. This sudden burst of heat can occur at any time and spread over your upper body, perhaps causing you to break into a sweat. The good news is that a hot flash will vanish as quickly as it appears. And despite their reputation as a universal sign of menopause, hot flashes trouble some women for only a few months, while as many as a third have none at all.
Over a span of years (often 10 or more), you may also notice changes in your skin, such as increased dryness and wrinkling, and in hair texture. The lining of your vagina may become thinner, drier, and less pliable. Your breasts may lose some of their fullness, and the nipples become less pronounced. Significantly, although some bone loss is a normal part of aging, bone loss speeds up rapidly in women at menopause.
During or following menopause, you may find yourself gaining weight. Although it occurs at a time of dramatic hormonal changes, you can chalk up this gain to advancing age. Unless you exercise regularly, you'll begin to lose calorie-burning muscle at midlife. In addition, your metabolism will slow down, and your body will no longer need energy to support your reproductive system. To maintain your former body weight, you may need to cut your calorie intake by 10 to 15 percent while increasing your level of activity.
While most menopausal changes are physical, some women also develop such emotional problems as mood swings, irritability, and fatigue. While these feelings have not been directly linked to hormonal changes, they could easily be brought on by hot flashes, sleep deprivation, and other stressful consequences of menopause. Although diet can't solve these problems, keeping your nutritional status at peak levels is obviously a wise move during this stress-filled period.
Menopause is a highly individual experience. You may recognize many of these changes, or you may hardly notice any. Although you may be tempted to chalk up such problems to menopause, it's a good idea to report them to your doctor. Some symptoms associated with menopause could be caused by something else, such as a thyroid disorder. Some could be signs of serious disease. Your doctor can determine whether symptoms such as hot flashes really are due to menopause, and can help you decide on a treatment. Whether you seek treatment or not, however, upgrading your lifestyle and your diet can help get you through.
When you've gone for a full year without a period, you have officially reached menopause. Nevertheless, a woman's body begins to change starting about 6 years sooner. During this time, called the perimenopause, the reproductive system prepares to retire and the ovaries gradually produce less estrogen. With perimenopause comes a variety of symptoms.
For many women, hot flashes (hot flushes) are the most noticeable result of the sharp variations in estrogen levels that mark this part of their lives. This sudden burst of heat can occur at any time and spread over your upper body, perhaps causing you to break into a sweat. The good news is that a hot flash will vanish as quickly as it appears. And despite their reputation as a universal sign of menopause, hot flashes trouble some women for only a few months, while as many as a third have none at all.
Over a span of years (often 10 or more), you may also notice changes in your skin, such as increased dryness and wrinkling, and in hair texture. The lining of your vagina may become thinner, drier, and less pliable. Your breasts may lose some of their fullness, and the nipples become less pronounced. Significantly, although some bone loss is a normal part of aging, bone loss speeds up rapidly in women at menopause.
During or following menopause, you may find yourself gaining weight. Although it occurs at a time of dramatic hormonal changes, you can chalk up this gain to advancing age. Unless you exercise regularly, you'll begin to lose calorie-burning muscle at midlife. In addition, your metabolism will slow down, and your body will no longer need energy to support your reproductive system. To maintain your former body weight, you may need to cut your calorie intake by 10 to 15 percent while increasing your level of activity.
While most menopausal changes are physical, some women also develop such emotional problems as mood swings, irritability, and fatigue. While these feelings have not been directly linked to hormonal changes, they could easily be brought on by hot flashes, sleep deprivation, and other stressful consequences of menopause. Although diet can't solve these problems, keeping your nutritional status at peak levels is obviously a wise move during this stress-filled period.
Menopause is a highly individual experience. You may recognize many of these changes, or you may hardly notice any. Although you may be tempted to chalk up such problems to menopause, it's a good idea to report them to your doctor. Some symptoms associated with menopause could be caused by something else, such as a thyroid disorder. Some could be signs of serious disease. Your doctor can determine whether symptoms such as hot flashes really are due to menopause, and can help you decide on a treatment. Whether you seek treatment or not, however, upgrading your lifestyle and your diet can help get you through.
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