Menopause And Nutrition
Menopause means the end of your monthly cycles and your fertility. There are many physical and emotional changes that go along with this transition. However, you can often alleviate and even prevent some common signs and symptoms of menopause by changing to a diet for menopause.
Signs and Symptoms of Menopause
Many women suffer with the following signs of menopause:
- Sudden mood swings
- Feeling irritable most of the time
- Hot flashes during the day
- Night sweats and wet sheets at night
- Inability to focus
- Significant loss of short-term memory
- Uncomfortable gas and bloating
- Abnormal weight gain
These symptoms occur because your ovaries are shutting down and not producing estrogen and progesterone any more.
Menopause and Diet
It’s been proven that some foods are helpful in controlling some signs and symptoms of menopause. A good diet for menopause helps you to get back in balance by consuming certain types of foods while avoiding others. Although the discomforts of menopause can become quite severe,an appropriate diet for menopause can help ease these discomforts.
Melons and citrus are high in potassium, which helps in water retention. Women going through menopausal symptoms should also include foods like figs, apricots, collard greens, yams and broccoli in their food. Some other beneficial foods that should be included in a diet for menopause are seaweed, soy products, tuna, and salmon.
Fruits and vegetables offer many health benefits as they are rich in fiber, minerals, vitamins and are naturally low in fats. Vegetables and fruits especially should be a part of menopause diet as they have phytoestrogens, which have the same action as estrogen does in our bodies. This helps in alleviating the discomforts of menopause caused due to lower estrogen level.
As much as possible, try to avoid complex carbohydrates and fattening foods to avoid extra weight gain.
How To Conquer Menopause
For every woman, the signs and symptoms of menopause are different. There is no particular diet for menopause that will be able to balance all the effects of menopause.
You may find the book How To Conquer Menopause helpful. This ebook is a step-by-step manual for you on how to cope with menopause, including how to stay healthy during menopause by eating appropriately and exercising the right way for your body.
Signs Of Perimenopause
Perimenopausal symptoms usually start when a woman reaches her forties, although signs of perimenopause can begin as early as the mid-thirties.
What Causes Peri Menopausal Symptoms?
As a woman get older, the levels of progesterone and estrogen in her body decrease. The lower hormone levels cause many signs of perimenopause.
What Are The Most Common Peri Menopausal Symptoms?
The ones everyone talks about are hot flashes and mood swings.
Hot flashes (also known as “power surges”) are one of the most annoying signs of perimenopause. For no apparent reason, a woman suddenly feels like she’s overheating. Her skin becomes red and flushed, and she may sweat so much that she soaks her clothing. The discomfort of a hot flash at night can wake her out of a sound sleep.
This can lead to sleeping problems, where a woman can’t get to sleep at all, or else she wakes up early and can’t go back to sleep. Long-term lack of sleep causes her to feel exhausted, both physically, and emotionally.
Sudden mood swings are another sign of perimenopause. One minute a woman is just fine, the next, she’s in tears. This can be very disconcerting when it happens, and makes a woman wonder what’s wrong with her.
Hormonal imbalances can also cause depression or anxiety.
Many women experience menstrual changes, too. A woman may experience lighter-than-normal periods, or she may have a heavier flow. Both are common peri menopausal symptoms.
Another problem most women will face during perimenopause is vaginal dryness. This is something new for most women. Pain during intercourse can be avoided by using lubricants during sex. Some women even lose interest in sex altogether.
How Long Will This Last?
Peri menopausal symptoms last about four years, although they can last as long as eight years.
Before you go jumping off a roof, you may be interested in How To Conquer Menopause, an ebook that contains the latest information on medical research, along with alternative approaches to treating peri menopausal symptoms.
Don’t suffer any longer. Get the right information and the right facts, and uncover the truth about menopause.
