I have been interested in how our nutrition affects our hormones for many years and have noticed first hand the effects of dietary changes throughout my 30s (when I had really painful menstrual cramps) and well into my peri-menopausal phase (slight anxiety and sensitivity to caffeine and alcohol, even 1 of each would give me a throbbing headache!). When I eat well and take the right nutrients, as well as managing stress and exercising, I can really tell the difference. It's such a comfort to know that I am able to navigate my way through the mayhem that unruly hormones can cause.
In this blog I have listed the 'top nutritional foods' to choose for my female clients and, whilst the focus is on the years leading up to menopause, the guidelines for hormone balance can also be applied across the life stages, and will help with pre menstrual difficulties, like PCOS or PMT, as well as women actively going through menopause. It is advisable to start a healthy nutrition regime as early as possible to lessen the effects of symptoms.
How do you identify the peri menopause stage?
The peri menopause is the start of transition towards the menopause. It begins some years before the menopause as the ovaries begin to produce less oestrogen, usually by age 40 but can be earlier.
It lasts up until menopause - the average length is 4 years but could be a few months or 10 years - the point at which the ovaries stop releasing eggs. In the last 1-2 years of peri menopause the decline of oestrogen accelerates. At this stage many women experience menopausal symptoms (see below). Peri menopause ends when a woman has gone 12 months without a period and so officially reaches the menopause.
Symptoms of menopause
Can you believe there are up to 40 menopausal symptoms! No you are not going crazy!
Here are some common ones: hot flushes . cold flushes . night sweats . heart palpitations . irritability . dry vagina . anxiety . depression . lack of focus . poor concentration . incontinence . itchy, crawly skin . tense muscles . weight gain . digestive issues . bloating . allergies worsen . hair loss/thinning . more facial hair . vertigo . weakened fingernails . osteoporosis . bleeding gums . breast tenderness . worsening of premenstrual syndrome . decreased libido . fatigue . irregular periods . vaginal dryness . urine leakage . mood swings . difficulty sleeping .
Wow what a list! And some of us get more than a few of the above! What can we do about it?
Our food choices greatly influences our hormone balance mainly because our hormones are made from the good fats in our diet, whilst the liver detoxifies circulating hormones and fibre helps to remove them from the body. The beneficial bacteria, otherwise known as the microbiome, in our gut also has a role to play.
What I thought might be useful for you is to have a shopping list of key foods to have available to make into meals and snacks so that the hormone friendly foods become a focus of the diet. When you stock your kitchen with these foods, it becomes easier to prepare meals, especially on those days when you have limited time!
Shopping list to stock your hormone-friendly kitchen!
- Protein sources: chicken, salmon, prawns, eggs, tofu, chickpeas, lentils, beans, hummus, avocado, goat’s and sheep’s cheeses; plain yoghurt; nut butters (peanut, cashew, hazelnut, almond); nuts (almonds, walnuts, cashews, 2 brazils, pistachios; and seeds (sunflower, pumpkin, linseeds, chia)
- N.B. Keep red meat low in the diet, no more than twice a week and organic where possible. Check for dairy intolerance.
- Fats: salmon, fresh tuna, trout, sardines, mackerel; butter, hummus, avocado
- Cooking oils: olive oil, coconut oil, small amount of butter
- Flavourings: herbs and spices (turmeric), lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil
- Grains/Carbohydrates: oats, barley, brown rice, quinoa, wholewheat, rye, oat cakes
- Moderation on wheat; check for gluten intolerance for hormone symptoms, particularly thyroid.
- Fruits: apples, pears, oranges, berries, nectarines, plums, peaches, papaya (frozen in winter),
- Moderation: banana, pineapple, dried fruits
- Unlimited Vegetables - you want to have half or more of your plate vegetables:
- Green vegetables: (cruciferous veg daily) broccoli, spinach, kale, runner beans, peas, courgettes, carrots, cabbage, brussels sprouts, mange tout, asparagus
- Salad vegetables: tomatoes, lettuce, watercress, alfalfa, cucumber, celery, peppers, endive, radish, rocket
- Non starchy vegetables: cauliflower, onions, garlic, mushrooms, fennel, aubergine, bean sprouts, spring onions
- Non-dairy milks: Alpro almond, Koko coconut
- Non-dairy spread: Pure, organic margarines
Phytoestrogens (good for balancing hormones):
- Beans: mung, aduki, kidney,
- Pulses: lentil, chickpeas, split peas, peas
- Seeds: flaxseeds/linseeds, sesame, pumpkin, poppy, caraway, sunflower
- Nuts: all fresh nuts
- Oils: particularly flaxseed/linseed oil
- Whole-grains: brown rice, oats, whole-wheat, barley, rye, millet, corn, buckwheat
- Herbs and spices: cinnamon, sage, red clover, hops. fennel, garlic, parsley
- Fruit: apples, plums, cherries, citrus, grapes, rhubarb
- Vegetables: broccoli, carrots, rhubarb, potatoes, celery, spinach, mushrooms
- Sprouts: alfalfa, mung bean
- Teas: green and black
- Specific Prebiotic Foods (food source for good gut bacteria):
It’s important to feed the good gut bacteria as this will help to balance hormones (modulates estrogen metabolism and contributes to proportion of re-circulated and excreted estrogen). Gut bacteria will also ensure a robust immune system, vital as we age well! Eat more plants and cultured foods:
- Colourful fruits and vegetables: particularly jerusalem artichokes, chicory, onions, garlic, leek, shallots, beetroot, fennel, peas, cabbage, fermented foods (sauerkraut, kimchee, cultured olives); beans and legumes; greens or reds powders; coconut milk products.
- Prebiotic supplements: psyllium, inulin, acacia; turmeric or curcumin, rosemary
- Nuts and seeds, bio-yoghurt, cultured goats and sheep's milk yoghurt, kefir, banana and plantain
- Blackcurrant extract powder or concentrate or ‘first leaf’ formula
A high sugar diet will reduce the good bacteria in the gut and will be devoid of a 'healthy' food source for them to flourish. So immediately reducing sugar and if drinking alcohol, sticking to a glass of red wine, will both have an effect on the types and growth of gut bacteria. You really are what you eat!
What new foods will you introduce into your diet this week?
For further information on how I can help you with diet and supplementation to manage your symptoms, please contact me on the email below. I look forward to hearing from you!
kathleen@kfnutritioncoaching.com/07880 353964
I recently attended a 2-day Integrative Women's Health Summit run by Invivo Clinical. The speaker presentations were delivered by doctors experienced in functional nutritional medicine and they bring a wealth of nutritional knowledge and experience into their daily practice working with women at all stages of the hormonal spectrum. I have summarised my key findings from the talks for my female clients and whilst the focus is on the years leading up to menopause, the guidelines for hormone balance can also be applied across the life stages, and will help with pre menstrual difficulties, like PCOS or PMT, as well as women actively going through menopause. It is advisable to start a healthy nutrition regime as early as possible to lessen the effects of symptoms.
How do you identify the peri menopause stage?
The peri menopause is the start of transition towards the menopause. It begins some years before the menopause as the ovaries begin to produce less oestrogen, usually by age 40 but can be earlier.
It lasts up until menopause - the average length is 4 years but could be a few months or 10 years - the point at which the ovaries stop releasing eggs. In the last 1-2 years of peri menopause the decline of oestrogen accelerates. At this stage many women experience menopausal symptoms (see below). Peri menopause ends when a woman has gone 12 months without a period and so officially reaches the menopause.
Symptoms of menopause:
hot flushes . breast tenderness . worsening of premenstrual syndrome . decreased libido . fatigue . irregular periods . vaginal dryness . urine leakage . mood swings . difficulty sleeping
Our nutrition greatly influences our hormone balance mainly because our hormones are made from the good fats in our diet, whilst the liver detoxifies circulating hormones and fibre helps to remove them from the body. The beneficial bacteria, otherwise known as the microbiome, in our gut also has a role to play.
What I thought might be useful for you is to have a shopping list of key foods to have available to make into meals and snacks so that the hormone friendly foods become a focus of the diet. When you stock your kitchen with these foods, it becomes easier to prepare meals, especially on those days when you have limited time!
So here is my shopping list for hormone friendly foods to help you get started on getting the right food in your cupboards/fridge!
Protein sources: chicken, salmon, prawns, eggs, tofu, chickpeas, lentils, beans, hummus, avocado, goat’s and sheep’s cheeses; plain yoghurt; nut butters (peanut, cashew, hazelnut, almond); nuts (almonds, walnuts, cashews, 2 brazils, pistachios; and seeds (sunflower, pumpkin, linseeds, chia)
N.B. Keep red meat low in the diet, no more than twice a week and organic where possible. Check for dairy intolerance
Fats: salmon, fresh tuna, trout, sardines, mackerel; butter, hummus, avocado
Cooking oils: olive oil, coconut oil, small amount of butter
Flavourings: herbs and spices (turmeric), lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil
Grains/Carbohydrates: oats, barley, brown rice, quinoa, wholewheat, rye, oat cakes
Moderation on wheat; check for gluten intolerance for hormone symptoms, particularly thyroid.
Fruits: apples, pears, oranges, berries (frozen in winter),
Moderation: banana, pineapple, dried fruits
Unlimited Vegetables - you want to have half or more of your plate vegetables:
Green vegetables: broccoli, spinach, kale, runner beans, peas, courgettes, carrots, cabbage, brussels sprouts, mange tout, asparagus
Salad veg: tomatoes, lettuce, watercress, alfalfa, cucumber, celery, peppers, endive, radish, rocket
Non starchy veg: cauliflower, onions, garlic, mushrooms, fennel, aubergine, bean sprouts, spring onions
Non-dairy milks: Alpro almond, Koko coconut
Non-dairy spread: Pure, organic margarines
Phytoestrogens (good for balancing hormones):
Beans: mung, aduki, kidney,
Pulses: lentil, chickpeas, split peas, peas
Seeds: flaxseeds/linseeds, sesame, pumpkin, poppy, caraway, sunflower
Nuts: all fresh nuts
Oils: particularly flaxseed/linseed oil
Whole-grains: brown rice, oats, whole-wheat, barley, rye, millet, corn, buckwheat
Herbs and spices: cinnamon, sage, red clover, hops. fennel, garlic, parsley
Fruit: apples, plums, cherries, citrus, grapes, rhubarb
Vegetables: broccoli, carrots, rhubarb, potatoes, celery, spinach, mushrooms
Sprouts: alfalfa, mung bean
Teas: green and black
Specific Prebiotic Foods (food source for good gut bacteria):
It’s important to feed the good gut bacteria as this will help to balance hormones (modulates estrogen metabolism and contributes to proportion of re-circulated and excreted estrogen). Gut bacteria will also ensure a robust immune system, vital as we age well!
Eat more plants and cultured foods:
Colourful fruits and vegetables: particularly jerusalem artichokes, chicory, onions, garlic, leek, shallots, beetroot, fennel, peas, cabbage, fermented foods (sauerkraut, kim chee, cultured olives); beans and legumes; greens or reds powders; coconut milk products.
Prebiotic supplements: psyllium, inulin, acacia; turmeric or curcumin, rosemary
Nuts and seeds, cultured goats and sheeps milk yoghurt, kefir, banana and plantain
Blackcurrant extract powder or concentrate or ‘first leaf’ formula
A high sugar diet will reduce the good bacteria in the gut and will be devoid of a food source for them to flourish. So immediately reducing sugar has an effect on the types of gut bacteria. You really are what you eat!
What new foods will you introduce into your diet this week?
For further information please contact me on the email below. I look forward to hearing from you!
kathleen@kfnutritioncoaching.com/07880 353964
www.kfnutritioncoaching.com