Women’s health

For up to a decade prior to menopause, your reproductive system prepares to retire, and your body produces less estrogen. This time frame, known as perimenopause, can bring on a host of gradual symptoms, including drier skin, wrinkles, fatigue, sleep disturbances, moodiness—and weight gain, even if you’re eating the same foods as always. As you age, your body does not need as many calories. To maintain the same weight, you will have to adjust what you eat.
On the other hand, thinner women would do well to put on a little extra weight at menopause, because:
- estrogen is produced in the body’s fat cells, and some can continue to be produced after menopause;
- weight can protect an older woman from dehydration or calorie loss during illness;
- fat can be protective in emergency situations.
To transform potential hot flashes into power surges, focus on eating especially well as you enter your menopausal years. Some key changes to make now:
- Reduce dietary fat. No more than 30% of total calories. In addition to helping you maintain a healthy weight, less dietary fat lowers your risk of heart disease, the first cause of death among women. Keep the good fats, however. Evening primrose oil, an essential fatty acid mentioned above, has anti-inflammatory properties, and may be useful in alleviating hot flashes.
- Increase phytoestrogens. These plant-based compounds enhance cardiovascular health by lowering blood cholesterol. Examples of soy-based phytoestrogens include tofu, soy nuts, soy milk, and soybeans. Other forms of phytoestrogens are found in whole-grain cereals, nuts, berries, peas, beans, sunflower seeds, red clover, and bean sprouts.
- Boost calcium intake. See next section for details.
- Consume less red meat and soft drinks. These leach calcium from your bones and add unnecessary fat and empty calories to your diet.
- Use vitamins and minerals to enhance food absorption. For example, Vitamin D helps you absorb calcium and form strong bones. Zinc helps maintain pliancy in your genital tract, while magnesium helps prevent mood swings and insomnia. Magnesium also boosts blood calcium levels.
- Maintain a balanced diet. As you grow older, you may find that your appetite decreases and your stomach cannot hold as much as before. Try eating smaller amounts several times a day to assure that you get sufficient nutrition. If necessary, add a liquid supplement between meals.

This entry was posted on Monday, December 17th, 2007 at 7:27 am and is filed under Nutrition. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.