Eat to beat the MENOPAUSE

Worried about HRT? A new book reveals the natural way to beat hot flushes and pep up your libido

When even the top medical experts cannot agree on whether hRT is a very good thing or very bad, the idea of taking a natural route to ease your way through the hormonal upheavals of middle age has never been more beguiling.

What we know about the influence diet can have on health is mind-blowing. What you put in your mouth really can have an enormous effect on your body, calming those erratic moods, easing hot flushes and boosting a flagging libido. As a clinical nutritionist, I specialise in women’s health and hormonal issues, and I have made it my life’s work to offer guidance on the best ways to use food as medicine.

My many happy clients are testament to the power of food, particularly when it comes to controlling the sometimes tricky symptoms of menopause.

Whatever stage you are at, and whatever changes you might be experiencing, good nutrition is always the best place to start and this doesn’t have to mean a Draconian switch to raw foods or organic veganism. Simply follow my advice and eat a wide variety of fresh, healthy, natural foods, and you should sail through the menopause and set yourself up for optimum health for the rest of your life.

Beat anxiety and mood swings

Now’S the time to eat more fat. A low-fat diet is your worst enemy if you are prone to midlife mood swings and bouts of anxiety.

Food cure: coconut oil and beetroot

HEALTHY fats are essential for maintaining brain function and warding off anxiety, so don’t skimp on your intake of coconut oil. A teaspoon in a cup of herbal tea is wonderfully soothing and will help beat a host of other menopausal symptoms, too.

Coconut oil helps to burn fat — particularly the harmful abdominal fat, which can gather as we go through middle age. It is also antifungal, antibacterial and antiviral, making it a great moisturiser for drying menopausal skin. Try using coconut oil

underneath your daily moisturiser. If you haven’t any coconut oil to hand, opt for extra virgin olive oil and stock up on highfat foods such as nuts and seeds. Complex carbohydrates in the form of root vegetables such as beetroot, parsnips and sweet potatoes also help ease stress and anxiety while boosting brain function.

Raw beetroot is a cancer preventative, with numerous studies showing that it helps to guard against pancreatic, breast and prostate cancers. When eaten raw, it is also very high in vitamin C, fibre, potassium, manganese, and vitamin B9 and aids the liver cleansing process.

Nourish dry skin and hair

SKIN itchiness, dryness and hair thinning are all common symptoms of the menopause.

Food cure: radishes

THESE hot red salad vegetables are highly beautifying due to their silica content. Silica — or silicon as the mineral is more commonly known — aids the production of collagen, which is essential for healthy hair, skin and nails.

Radishes are also rich in vitamin C, which, while increasing collagen production, heals inflamed skin and aids the turnover of skin cells — old cells are rapidly removed revealing the fresh young cells underneath.

They are also high in beta carotene, a compound the body can convert into vitamin A, which is wonderful for eye health, immune function, and glowing skin.

Temper hot flushes

As your oestrogen levels naturally fall, your brain can struggle to control body temperature and you may find yourself suffering from hot flushes and night sweats.

Food cure: leafy greens and seeds

THERE is almost no ailment that a daily dose of leafy greens won’t help remedy. One of my most important dietary prescriptions for every client — whatever their life stage — is always ‘ increase your leafy greens’.

This advice is based on hard science — vegetables like spinach, cabbage and kale are packed with nutrients and provide one of the most powerful dietary bases for any preventative diet.

But it’s their fibre content that plays a key role in the fight against hot flushes and night sweats. Fibre helps to feed beneficial bacteria, keeping the gut healthy so it can properly break down nutrients, keeping the digestion system moving so waste products don’t sit in the colon, which risks toxins being reabsorbed into the bloodstream.

When choosing your leafy greens, no matter the variety, look for bright, fresh colouring, and crunch. Limp leaves will have started to oxidise and won’t contain the same high levels of antioxidants and nutrients.

Bitter leafy greens such as rocket and chicory actively assist with the liver detoxification process and they increase production of acid in the stomach, which aids digestion.

They are also high in the antioxidants that can help keep cancer at bay, particularly cancers of the reproductive organs like cervical, ovarian, breast and prostate cancers.

Middle-aged women will also benefit from the natural plant hormones — the phytoestrogens — found in linseeds (also called flaxseeds), sesame seeds, and edamame beans as well as broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage.

Phytoestrogens help ease menopausal symptoms because they are very similar to the body’s own oestrogens, so they will temper the hot flushes and flagging libido associated with the drastic drop in our own oestrogen levels.

Linseeds have the added advantage of being high in omega-3 fatty acids, which keep the brain working effectively, protect the heart, regulate cholesterol and ease anxiety and depression.

Your linseeds will pack a more powerful nutritional punch if you either soak them overnight before eating, or finely grind the seeds yourself just before use.

Hot flushes and hormonal sweats will be markedly worse if your liver is struggling to perform its detoxification process properly.

This is particularly pertinent at night when much of the detoxification process happens and explains why night sweats can be so problematic.

That’s why I always recommend that you try to give your liver as much support as possible both before and during menopause.

To keep your liver as clean as possible,

you really do need to limit your alcohol intake. The hormonal peaks and troughs will run a lot smoother if you don’t drink at all

It’s not always easy (or fun) to stop drinking completely, but aim to limit your intake to two alcoholic drinks per week. It’s a good idea to reduce other stimulants too (coffee, black tea, sugar) and drink plenty of water to help your liver flush everything through.

Strengthen your bones

OSTEOPOROSIS is more common after the menopause, so it is important to take care of your bone health and prevent bone degeneration later in life. Leafy greens (see above) are essential here too.

Food cure: sesame seeeds

SESAME seeds are great way to maintain healthy bones (especially when combined with greens) and can help stave off osteoporosis thanks to their generous amount of absorbable calcium. Sprinkle on salads, breakfasts, cakes and cooked vegetables.