7 Reasons to Eat a Mediterranean Diet in Menopause
Hormonal changes in menopause, in particular the lowering of oestrogen, causes the many symptoms that are experienced in the perimenopause stage, and sometimes even in postmenopause. These include hot flushes, night sweats, aching joints and weight gain, and although the decline in oestrogen is one cause, what we are eating definitely plays a role also. Eating a Mediterranean diet in menopause is the most studied and recommended eating pattern to include as part of a healthy lifestyle in menopause and beyond. Implementing the Mediterranean diet in menopause will provide nourishment with good nutrition and wholesome fresh foods, which is exactly what our body needs in midlife.
How does the Mediterranean diet in menopause help?
Unfortunately, if you are like most, you are exposed to ultra-processed foods that are laden with fat, sugar and salt that are just too irresistible not to buy at the supermarket, as they are the most heavily advertised foods on the shelf, and they taste good. The Western diet is mostly processed and fast foods, the best choices for our health if they are eaten regularly which are not t. Including more fresh, wholesome foods in our diet that the Mediterranean diet provides, is exactly what our body needs:
- Loads of fibre
- Is anti-inflammatory
- Great for our gut health
- Nutrient dense and lower in calories
- Assists in weight loss
- Rich in phytoestrogens
- Reduces our risk of chronic diseases
A typical Western diet that is made up of predominantly processed foods does not provide these benefits for your health.
1. High Dietary Fibre
Dietary fibre is classified as a complex carbohydrate, it forms the structural parts of plants and is found in all fruits, vegetables, wholegrains and legumes. The Mediterranean Diet is very high in dietary fibre, helping to keep us regular with number twos, keeping the bowel healthy and preventing constipation. It also helps with the elimination of excess oestrogen and reduces bloating.
2. It’s Anti-Inflammatory
The Mediterranean diet is anti-inflammatory which is really important for symptom relief. Most of the symptoms experienced during the menopausal transition are due to inflammation. Oestrogen is anti-inflammatory; you guessed it, its decline will lead to more low-grade inflammation. Combine this with the typical Western diet, which also promotes inflammation with the high fat, sugar and salt content, the result will be more menopause symptoms. Include more of the Mediterranean diet into your overall eating pattern to help reduce inflammation.
3. Great for Gut Health
Our body is made up of more gut bacteria than even our own body’s cells. This means that looking after our gut health couldn’t be more important, as it plays a very big role in our health and wellbeing. Gut health research is a new and emerging area, but it has already been shown to improve immunity, mental health, brain function and so much more. The Mediterranean diet provides both food for our gut bacteria (prebiotics) and introduces new bacteria (probiotics) due to its high fibre content from plant foods, and fermented foods such as yoghurt and other products.
4. Nutrient dense and low in calories
The Mediterranean diet is very high in nutrients and low in calories. What this means is that you get to eat more without compromising on the calories, and more importantly, the food eaten will fill you up and sustain your energy for longer. Processed foods found in a typical Western diet will give you fewer nutrients and will be higher in calories that will not sustain your energy over a period of time. This is one of the reasons we tend to eat more processed foods. They are low in fibre and don’t fill us up for sustained energy release, but rather satisfy a craving or feeling of hunger quickly, leading to eating more of it.
5. Assists in Weight Loss
Gaining weight has got to be the number one distress that menopausal women experience (aside from hot flushes and night sweats). Although the weight gain in menopause is due to ageing and redistribution of fat to the abdominal area due to lowered oestrogen, what we eat definitely impacts this also. The Mediterranean diet will help with weight loss because it is a fresh, wholefood, plant-based way of eating.
6. Contains Phytoestrogens
Phytoestrogens are plant-based oestrogens found in a variety of plant foods, including fruits, vegetables, legumes and wholegrains. If you are especially in perimenopause, including more phytoestrogen rich foods in your diet may be beneficial in alleviating your symptoms.
7. Reduces the risk of chronic disease
The body changes experienced in the menopause years puts women at greater risk of chronic disease. Making sure that we are eating a diet high in fresh, wholesome foods such as the Mediterranean diet will reduce the risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes and osteoporosis, along with other metabolic syndrome conditions such as high blood pressure, high LDL-cholesterol, high triglycerides and insulin resistance.
Implementing the Mediterranean diet in menopause will help your future proof your health in the long term as you age and transition from peri menopause through to post menopause. If you want to learn more about how to implement the Mediterranean diet into your lifestyle, you can download my eBook, Anti-inflammatory Nutrition for Menopause Guide to start implementing the strategies and learn more.
