Superfoods for Menopause

I'm getting pretty tired of reading all about the "super cures" for menopause, ranging from foods to creams to supplements and beyond. A "cure" for menopause, like it's some kind of disease? It's a natural part of life that we need to accept and manage in a productive way. Menopause causes a big change in our hormonal profile—the huge drop in estrogen over a period of several years—that can give many women some problematic symptoms including sleep disturbances, sweating, bloating and mood changes. Plus, there are the "silent" changes that occur to our bodies' biology. These include a slowing of metabolism (easier weight gain), and an increase in the risk of heart disease (that protective effect that estrogen had goes away, when estrogen does!).

I'd like to set the record straight with some real advantages that a healthy diet and lifestyle can contribute to this mid-life change. A healthy and active lifestyle can certainly contribute to managing menopause, but if the strategies I've laid out don't help, it's important to see your doctor. You're not "sick," but all of us respond differently to individual hormonal changes.

Watch the segment from TODAY

Managing menopause with foods relates to two different areas:

1. Symptoms
2. Long-term Health

Here are some of my guidelines for managing your health during menopause. What are yours? I'd love to hear more of how you're managing these years with diet and lifestyle.

FOODS FOR MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS
(bloating, sweating, sleep disturbances)

Soy: Richest source of plant estrogens
A diet rich in soy has been documented to help reduce symptoms, but it's not just an occasional glass of soy milk or handful of soy nuts! Soy is very rich in a type of plant estrogen, termed isoflavone, that serves the same role as our body's natural estrogen. So, it helps to replace some of that estrogen that our bodies no longer make. To make an impact, you need at least 20 grams of soy protein daily. Most Asian cultures ingest this daily, without even a thought, but in the U.S., we're not soy-protein-based eaters. Think about "dairy" versions of soy (milk, cheese, yogurt), meat replacements (garden burgers and Boca Burgers), edamame pods and roasted soy nuts. For some, it's an acquired taste, but there is solid evidence that soy can help the symptoms. A note of caution: If you are soy sensitive, or have been advised to limit soy intake for medical reasons—this is not a strategy for you. Always check with your doctor before making a significant change in your diet.

Other foods with plant estrogens
While not as rich in plant estrogens (phytoestrogens) as soy, incorporating some of these other sources might help: beans, seaweed, and apples.

Foods you might want to limit
While there is not much hard evidence to support excluding certain foods to reduce menopausal symptoms, here's a few that many women report triggering hot flashes: caffeine, alcohol and spicy foods. Plus, if you're having trouble sleeping, limiting your caffeine intake from all sources (coffee, tea, colas, energy drinks) can sometimes help. Cutting down on your salt (limiting processed and packaged foods, losing the salt shaker) can also help reduce short-term water retention.

FOODS FOR LONG-TERM HEALTH
(for menopause and beyond)

Not surprisingly, at least to me, the basics of a healthy diet at menopause are similar to those for all other body parts and times of life: an abundance of colorful fruits and veggies, lean protein, low-fat dairy and fiber-rich starches. With menopause, dietary requirements do change. We need to do more to protect our hearts and our bones. Here are a few basics you don't want to miss:

For heart health
Increase your omega-3 fat intake. Eat "oily" fish (like wild salmon and mackerel) regularly—or take a daily fish oil capsule (1,500-2,000 mg/day). Think about flax seeds/oil and walnuts for non-fish sources.

For bone health
Keep your calcium intake up to 1,200-1,500 mg every day. Don't rely only on supplements! Choose low-fat, calcium-rich foods and deep green vegetables as an alternate source. Limit your supplement to 500 mg at a time to maximize absorption.

For weight management
Weight gain is easier, so make sure you balance your food intake with an increase in physical activity. Get a pedometer and keep track of your steps (2,500 steps is about 100 calories) and keep track of your daily calories eaten. Get some support to keep you on track!

One last word about a "must-do": physical activity. This is as important to maintaining mid-life health as what you eat. A minimum of a 30-minute walk daily helps your heart, your bones, your weight and your mood. If that's at the bottom of your list, the first thing to do is move it to the top!

Comments

thank you, Dr. Fernstrom!! This is excellent information!!!

You don't say anything about hrt??? Where do you stand on that topic!!

THANKS DR FERSTROM U R EXCELLENT. BUT WHAT ABOUT PEOPLE LIKE US EDITORS WHO SIT THROUOUT THEIR WORKING TIME?

What an excellent no-nonsense article. Thank you so much. I, for one, was pleased not see any mention of HRT. I have incorporated a 30 to 45 minutes walk on my treadmill at the start of my day as the reaminde of my day is rather sedentary ... one of my better decisions ....

Good article. Diet and exercise are essential to our health at any age...it's never to early to start building good healthy habits. So many of us are dealing with the symptoms of peri-menopause. I would like to learn more about the average age of onset, duration, symptoms. Would welcome your comments. Thanks.

I walk about three times a week, two hours a week,i think thats alot.And loss 12 lbs, two weeks,but have take slowley

This article leaves out any discussion of the fact that while estrogen does drop, so do the other hormones, progesterone being the main other one. The assumption that menopause symptoms are caused only by a drop in estrogen is misleading because they could be caused by the progesterone levels being too low in relationship to the estrogen. If your symptoms are because your estrogen is high in the hormonal balance, then eating soy might not a good thing. Because our hormones fluctuate daily and the balance can suddenly surge one way or the other from day to day or week to week, it's pretty hard to figure out what the best natural choices are with regards to foods, supplements and phytoestrogens (plant based estrogens, ie: soy). Good diet and exercise are probably the best things you can do plus good sleep. You may have to eliminate or cut down on coffee, tea, chocolate, sodas, and sugar to fall asleep easier.

I just saw the Today Show and I was wondering if you can name some of the brands that were displayed.
Thanks

That is why I love my Juice Plus....it helps me get my raw fruits and veggies every day and the Complete drink helps with the soy intake from NON genetically modified soy. My life has changed since eatting better...I LOVE it!

What about breast cancer survivors. We are supposed to reduce / minimize estrogen to prevent recurrence. I had been premenopausal, but became fully menopausal after having chemo at age 50. Now I am 52 and have the range of menopausal symptoms.

57 yr old w/ heart healthy diet and exercise
3 yrs suffering w/up to 24 hot flashes daily, sleep disturbances and weight gain
refused HRT due to cardiac surgery, fibroids, retentive ovarian cyst, and occular migraines
Will soy products increase size of fibroids or cyst?
Is eggplant another food helpful in controling symptoms?

57 yr old w/ heart healthy diet and exercise
3 yrs suffering w/up to 24 hot flashes daily, sleep disturbances and weight gain
refused HRT due to cardiac surgery, fibroids, retentive ovarian cyst, and occular migraines
Will soy products increase size of fibroids or cyst?
Is eggplant another food helpful in controling symptoms?

My wife has had these issues and had tried to use soy products to help her. She had a big issue with the taste of soy milk. When I heard Dr. Fernstrom say that other may have the same issue, I was reminded of a non-soy all natural product that my wife was introduced to that we now use all the time. It called mimic creme. I am not even sure how you get. I know it has help my wife and perhaps it can help your viewers.

When I get a hot flash I put some ice chips in my mouth. It helps cool me down. I keep a metal thermos full of ice on my night stand. Flashes are worse at night, so I hold the thermos on my wrists or neck for a minute or so to bring my temperature down.

I disagree that it can't be cured... I take bioidentical hormone therpy and have no night sweats or hot flashes, which were wearing me out.. I sleep all night now and don't have the "need" to nap during the day.

Dr.,
Can you give more specifically about how to reduce the sweating symptoms? This is really a problem for me. I wear bandanna's a lot to keep it from running into my eyes! It's horrible. My Dr. has had no solutions that work.

What is so different about what you wrote that hundreds before you have also written. Nothing new, no new updates, same old stuff. When you have breaking news about a cure for hot flashes, weight gain, other symptoms of menapause let us know. This was another article that was a waste of reading time.

What is biodentical hormone therapy? Do you go to your Doctor to get it or what?

Rikki, Yes, I go to a doctor for the hormone therapy. You take a hormone blood panel test that shows where all of your hormone levels are, so they know what to treat. You can google it to find a doctor in your area. It has done so much for me.

I am 63, took prempro for 8 yrs, eased off of it 3 years ago and now my recent bone density test showed I have osteopenia. Would you recommend I go back on a low dose of prempro or take Fosomax? My mother had severe osteoperosis. I am slim, take calcium and Vit D, eat well and exercize regularly.

Hi...thanks for the great info!
I have had a "lifestyle" of exercise and I am "convinced" that it has been "the" reason why I look and feel 10yrs younger. I was curious when I saw the estoven suppliment at Costco...does it work in this form or do you have to get it from diet..I don't want to spend more money if it doesn't make a difference....thanks!

Watched the segment on Superfoods for Menopause. There was no mention of vaginal health. Would soy be helpfull?

Hi, just to let everyone know, i started back to an excerise routine last year because i was having sleep problems as well as shortness of breath. I was overweight and i knew it. I did something about it. I excerise everyday 40 minutes of cardio and i mix it up with light weights (for my bones). I excerise for health reasons and not vanity. I sleep better, lost inches and weight and i have tons of energy. EXERCISING AND EATING RIGHT GO HAND AND HAND. IF YOU ARE ONLY DOING ONE OF THESE, YOU ARE KIDDING YOUR SELF AND YOUR LOVED ONES.