Whether it's calcium intake or phytoestrogens, here's the best anti-inflammatory diet for menopause.
Eating a good diet is extremely important for peri and post-menopausal women, for managing inflammation symptoms, protecting against longer term health conditions, and preventing weight gain.
You may find you lay down more fat as you enter this stage of your life. This is because your body’s fat cells start to produce more oestrogen to compensate for the falling levels produced by your ovaries, and this can sometimes accumulate around your middle and prove hard to shift. This is happening as a result of inflammaging and sticking steadfastly to a non-inflammatory diet for menopause (or perimenopause) can rebalance hormones and effectively tackle the problem.
“Even if you are the same weight as you were when you were 25, your fat distribution changes at the menopause,” said Jennifer Low, a registered dietitian at JL Nutrition Clinic. “To a certain extent I think women should embrace this and not feel guilty about it and try to accept their body shape has changed.”
That being said, “it’s important to stay a healthy weight and eat the right nutrients to help balance your hormones and protect against long term conditions you are more at risk from developing post-menopause.” The risk of heart disease and osteoporosis increases at that point, and it's worth noting that excessive menopause weight gain increases the risk of developing type 2 diabetes and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), wherein fat builds up in the liver.
Diet to balance your hormones and limit inflammation
Foods such as soya, linseeds, tofu, miso, edamame beans, pumpkin seeds, dried apricots and dates are rich sources of plant chemicals called phytoestrogens. These are similar to oestrogen produced in humans and can have a weak oestrogenic effect on the body, helping to plug a menopausal shortfall.
The British Dietetic Association says there’s evidence eating several portions of these foods a day may ease hot flush symptoms, although this strategy doesn’t work in all women and can take 2 to 3 months to have an effect. A review of 15 randomised controlled trials published in the journal Climacteric in 2015 found that eating phytoestrogen-rich foods did reduce the frequency of hot flushes, however, and what hot flushes they did experience were tolerated with no side effects.
“I suggest women try foods such as linseed bread, soya milk and yoghurts fortified with calcium and edamame beans which they can incorporate into two or three meals a day,” said Low. “If you’re suffering from hot flushes, you might also want to cut down on hot drinks and spicy food as anecdotally they can make hot flushes worse too.”
What is the best anti-inflammatory diet? Mediterraneans know
Oestrogen protects the heart and circulatory system, and when levels drop so does your protection. The British Dietetic Association (BDA) recommends following a heart-healthy diet, similar to the Mediterranean Diet, to lower your blood pressure and cholesterol as well as for weight loss.
“The Mediterranean Diet is anti-inflammatory as it contains lots of wholegrains, fruit and vegetables, nuts, seeds, legumes and oily fish, some lean meat and unsaturated fats, is proven to be protective against heart disease,” said Low. “It’s also fibre-rich, so it helps you stay fuller for longer, which makes it less likely you will snack and be susceptible to menopause weight gain.”
The general recommendation is that we eat 30g of fibre a day, but surveys have shown we’re usually only eating 18g on average. An important study commissioned by the World Health Organisation, using data from 250 trials conducted over 40 years, concluded there was a 15 to 30 per cent decrease in cardiovascular deaths in people who ate the highest amount of fibre compared to those who eat the least. The review also found that eating fibre-rich foods reduced incidence of coronary heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and colorectal cancer by between 16 to 24 per cent.
“There are oestrogen hormone receptors in the gut,” added Low.
“Constipation and bloating are common problems during menopause as oestrogen levels drop and fibre helps reduce these issues. Try adding more nuts, seeds, beans and lentils to your meals.”
Best practice involves basing meals on fish, nuts, beans, or pulses at least once or twice each week and eating at least four to five portions of unsalted nuts, seeds, and legumes such as beans and lentils per week, plus cutting back on salt (to cut the risk of high blood pressure).
“Aim for at least two portions of fish per week, one of which should be oily; salmon, fresh tuna, mackerel, trout and herrings are rich in omega 3 fats,” explained Low.
“Oily fish includes canned sardines, mackerel, salmon, trout, and herrings.” A study by Leeds University found intake of some foods may even influence the age perimenopause/menopause starts. A high intake of oily fish and fresh legumes was associated with a delayed onset of menopause, while a high intake of refined pasta and rice could be connected to an earlier menopause.
The standard advice of eating a minimum of 5 a day fruit and vegetables still applies too. Fruit and vegetables provide vitamins, minerals, fibre, and other plant nutrients such as antioxidants that are cardio protective. Aim to eat a range of different coloured fruits and vegetables whether they be fresh, frozen, canned, dried or juiced. The BDA also suggests switching from saturated fats to unsaturated fats, grilling rather than frying, changing to lower fat dairy, and reducing the intake of sugar and refined foods such as soft drinks, sweets, cakes, and biscuits.
Prof. Paul Clayton, pharmacologist and chief science officer with LYMA Supplement, added the Mediterranean diet is also anti-inflammatory. “This is a good idea as we know that chronic inflammation is one of the key drivers of long-term health problems,’ says Clayton. “If you remove this inflammation in your diet, you are reducing your risk of major diseases and slowing down many core elements of biological aging.”
If you feel bloated, especially during the menopause or perimenopause, supplementing your diet with anti-inflammatory nutrients may help to reduce this type of hormonal related symptoms.
Why you should protect your bones with calcium-rich foods
You start to lose bone strength from your mid-thirties onwards, but this accelerates after the menopause when bone-building oestrogen hormone levels start to decline. One in three women over 50 will experience an osteoporotic fracture in their lifetime. It’s really important you eat a healthy and balanced A.I. diet in peri and post menopause and take special care to get enough calcium and vitamin D.
Calcium is found in dairy products such as milk and cheese, but also green leafy vegetables, almonds, sesame seeds, sardines, dried fruit, and fortified foods such as breakfast cereal, or oat and soya milks. Women and men need 700mg of calcium a day to maintain health (but check with your doctor if you are taking medication for osteoporosis as you may need more.) Aim for 2/3 portions a day: 200ml of semi skimmed milk, a matchbox size slice of cheese and a small yogurt.
Vitamin D is needed to regulate levels of calcium and phosphate vital for bone health and is found in oily fish, fortified foods such as spreads and red meat, liver, egg yolks and liver. But it’s hard to get enough Vitamin D from the diet alone, and in the dark UK winter the body doesn’t get enough sunlight exposure to make it. For this reason, the Department of Health recommends people may want to take a 10mcg daily supplement.
5 Foods to avoid during menopause
If you want a smoother menopause, with fewer side-effects and more manageable symptoms, you’re going to need to look at what you need to leave out of your diet, as well as what you need to add in. You should be loading up on the good stuff whilst limiting your consumption of refined carbohydrates, added sugars, spicy foods, fatty foods, salty foods, caffeine and alcohol.
1. High-salt foods
There are so many reasons to limit your salt intake as you approach and navigate the menopause: for one, high salt intake leads to dehydration which, in turn, exacerbates a number of menopause symptoms from hot flashes and night sweats to low mood and weight gain.
As well as being extremely dehydrating, salt can irritate your nervous system and lead to the headaches, anxiety, panic attacks and night sweats often associated with this period in a woman’s life. As if that wasn’t enough, eating foods high in sodium is incredibly inflammatory and can result in water retention which can compound the already-increasing number on the scale (weight gain due to hormonal changes is something most women will experience during menopause) and lead to a feeling of heaviness and discomfort, as well as lowered confidence in one’s appearance.
High salt intake has also been linked to reduced bone density in older women, and is associated with an increased likelihood of developing osteoporosis.
2. Spicy foods
A cross-continental study into the effects of diet on menopausal women took 896 perimenopausal women living in Chile, Ecuador, Panama and Spain and looked at the association between diet and lifestyle choices and the frequency and intensity of hot flashes. Researchers found an association between spicy food intake and an increase in number and severity of hot flashes.
A further study considered the eating habits of 717 perimenopausal women in India and found the same association between increased spicy food intake and heightened experience of hot flashes. Eating spicy foods increases your basal temperature and can both augment and mimic the sudden and sometimes extreme increase in core body temperature that is responsible for those pesky hot flashes. If you love spicy foods then don’t feel you need to cut them out entirely as they’re doing no long-term damage, but you might find that your symptoms ease and you feel more comfortable if you decide to eat them in moderation.
3. Processed carbohydrates and refined sugars
Processed carbohydrates and refined sugars can raise your blood sugar dramatically, leading to increased perceived hunger and the vicious cycle of eating more only to find you’re still not quite satisfied. Over time this can lead to weight gain. Furthermore, high blood sugar levels and associated insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome have been shown to exacerbate hot flashes in menopausal women.
It stands to reason then, that limiting your intake of processed baked goods, breads, biscuits, cakes and crisps, and cutting down on sugary drinks may help to ease menopause symptoms.
Try to stick to smaller portions of unrefined, unprocessed whole grains where you can, and snack on raw fruits and veggies rather than processed bars, dips, crackers and sweets.
Watch your intake of artificial sweeteners too as they are difficult for your body to process, can put strain on the liver and can negatively impact your blood sugar levels, too.
4. Caffeine
First and foremost, caffeine negatively affects sleep. Menopause insomnia is a well-documented phenomena and one that affects approximately 61% of menopausal women. If you’re in this majority you’ll know how awful it can be to experience trouble not only falling asleep, but staying asleep too.
Failing to sleep properly can have a knock-on negative effect on everything from compromised immune function and low mood, to increased weight gain and decreased productivity. Furthermore, in one study in 196 menopausal women, caffeine consumption was linked to an increase in the potency of hot flashes reported.
5. Alcohol
Alcohol is another recognised sleep disruptor. If you are experiencing insomnia as one of your menopause symptoms, you might want to consider avoiding alcohol altogether or in the second half of the day at a minimum. Experts also point out that drinking alcohol regularly - meaning most days - can aggravate and make worse pre-existing menopause symptoms such as fatigue, anxiety and low mood. Alcohol is also full of what nutritionists call ‘empty calories’, meaning that your tipple of choice may not contain many nutrients relative to the number of calories it packs, and thus could contribute to unwanted weight gain.
How LYMA helps
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ActivAMP®: The groundbreaking ingredient powering metabolic balance
ActivAMP®, the latest addition to the LYMA formula, is a patented extract from Gynostemma pentaphyllum, a plant long revered in traditional Asian wellness practices.
But what makes it truly exciting is its link to AMPK activation - an enzyme often referred to as the body's "metabolic master switch"*. Research suggests that AMPK plays a central role in energy balance, influencing how the body utilizes and manages fuel.
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When it comes to managing weight during perimenopause and menopause, the best solutions may not be traditional diet pills but rather a focus on reducing inflammation.
Since weight gain is often linked to inflammatory responses in the body, integrating anti-inflammatory supplements into your routine could provide a more sustainable and effective way to maintain balance during this life stage.
Read more
Everything you need to know about the menopause
The truth about HRT and menopause pharmaceuticals
Bioidentical, body identical or artificial - what type of HRT do you need?
* Tominaga, H., Ishiyama, M., et al. (2018). Effects of Gynostemma pentaphyllum on AMPK Activation and Energy Metabolism. Journal of Ethnopharmacology.
This statement has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
