Any woman who is undergoing or has experienced menopause knows it is not the easiest of times. Hormonal fluctuations and overall reduced estrogen levels lead to a host of uncomfortable symptoms that make life difficult.
The process can take years and flare-ups can be impossible to anticipate.
Hormone therapy is one option. But many women either don’t qualify for it or simply want to avoid pharmacological treatment. A recent study may offer a beacon of hope as a way to treat symptoms naturally: eating more fruits and vegetables.
Published in the North American Menopause Society (NAMS), researchers wrote that eating more fruits and vegetables and adopting a Mediterranean-style diet could help manage menopause symptoms and offer hormonal support.
The research further reinforces that a healthy diet may play an important role in estrogen production, metabolism, and many of the uncomfortable symptoms and bodily changes associated with menopause.
For this new study, researchers examined if specific fruits and vegetables could play a role in easing symptoms. They found that, overall, a diet high in fruits, vegetables, cereal, and nuts was associated with overall improvements and an easier time with menopause.
They did, however, find that certain subsections could make things worse. Citrus fruits, for example, were noted to produce adverse effects, as were dark yellow vegetables.
So, what does eating to ease menopause symptoms look like? It looks like you might think. A variety of fruits and vegetables (with low intake of citrus), as well as whole grains and nuts. There isn’t much room for processed foods, so be sure to limit those.
A few meal ideas might include:
- Oatmeal, walnuts, berries for breakfast
- Yogurt, nuts, fruit
- Carrots and hummus for a snack
- Tomatoes, bell peppers, red onion, spinach salad w/olive oil for lunch with a protein
- Bean salad for lunch
- Salmon, broccoli, whole-grain couscous or quinoa for dinner