Why Extra Focus On Nutrition Is A Must For Post Menopausal Women

It is essential for elderly women to be cautious about their diet after menopause. Read this to find out why and what should they eat and not eat. 

Women often ignore their nutritional needs, especially as they grow older. The truth is, your focus on nutrition now is as important as any other stage of your life. Among postmenopausal women, the end of the monthly menstrual cycle leads to a drop in hormones. This results in a higher risk of developing lifestyle disorders such as diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, etc as women start lacking the protective hormones of their youth. After menopause, there is a chance of weight gain, nutrient deficiency, slow metabolism, increased frailty, loss of muscle mass, hot flushes, night sweats, irritability, vaginal dryness, lack of sleep, poor concentration, frequent headaches, and joint pain.

These symptoms are commonly observed since most women pay less attention to their nutritional requirements and limit exercise. Furthermore, eating processed, refined foods such as maida (refined flour), white bread, sugar, junk food and white rice can have severe implications on your body fat percentage, metabolism and increased risk of insulin resistance which can lead to a spike in your sugar levels.

Go the Mediterranean way

The Mediterranean diet (MedD) is a healthy dietary pattern characterized by adequate consumption of vegetables, fruits, nuts, whole grains, and legumes with a reduction of saturated animal fats in favor of unsaturated vegetable fats and a high intake of bioactive compounds including polyphenols and Omega-3 fatty acids with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant potency.

Get your Protein

Muscle and bone health are greatly impacted during and after menopause due to a decline in estrogen hormone which completely alters women’s body composition. There is a significant reduction in lean muscle and an increase in body fat, hence regular monitoring of body fat percentage, muscle mass and checking handgrip strength at a nutrition clinic is necessary to assess and adjust your daily protein requirement. Include sources like egg, soya paneer, curd/yogurt, nuts, fish, chicken, dals, sprouts, paneer, etc.

Focus on bone health

Include adequate sources of calcium and vitamin D in your daily intake to prevent the risk of osteoporosis which causes weakening of bones, more susceptibility to fractures, functional decline, high fall risks and chronic pain. Calcium supplementation is recommended for those whose oral intake remains insufficient. Sources of calcium include dairy products, dark green leafy vegetables such as curry leaves, drumstick leaves, sesame seeds, fish with bone, etc.

Get sunshine nutrient Vitamin D

Low levels of vitamin D due to lack of exposure to sunlight and inadequate intake of Vitamin D is associated with fractures, weak bone, poor immunity, cardiovascular diseases, cancers and low cognitive function. Include egg yolks, cod liver oil and fatty fish like salmon, tuna and mackerel in your diet. Vegetarians should fortify their diet with milk and vegetable oils.

Fight Iron and Vitamin B12 deficiency

Iron not only helps in the transportation of oxygen to tissues through haemoglobin and myoglobin but also impacts immunity cognition and muscle function. Sources of iron include egg yolk, fish, beans, sprouts, millets, soya, etc.

Nutrition Guide:

• Restrict intake of sugar, salt and alcohol.
• Limit foods high in unhealthy fats such as saturated fat, like bakery goods, biscuits, cakes, pastries, fried foods, potato chips and other savoury snacks.
• Other herbs which are commonly used to treat menopause lack adequate data to prove their efficacy but most of them can be toxic to your liver therefore do not supplement yourself without consulting your Gynaecologist or Qualified Dietician.
• Phytoestrogens have a similar oestrogen-like activity in the form of isoflavones present in soya bean/soya paneer, legumes, beans, dhals and sprouts. Also, women can include lignans, a large group of low molecular weight polyphenols found in plants from flaxseed, cereals, fruit and vegetables.
• Vitamin E-rich foods such as sunflower seeds, vegetable oils, leafy vegetables, nuts or supplements will help to relieve perimenopausal symptoms.
• Choose healthy fats rich in omega 3 such as fish, nuts, oilseeds etc which improves your good cholesterol and enhances your heart health as well as immunity.

Some healthy recipes

Power Smoothie Recipe

Blend of papaya, mango – ½ cup

Hung curd/yogurt – ½ cup

Apricot soaked – 2 nos

Finely chopped tulsi leaves – 4-5 nos

Roasted and powdered – almonds, pista, walnuts, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds- 1tbsp

Soaked chia seeds- 2tsp

Flaxseed-mild roasted, ungrounded – 1tsp

A pinch of pepper & turmeric

Amla shot – 1tbsp mixed at the end

1 tsp of olive oil

Method: Blend soaked apricot with yogurt, thereby keep adding fruit pulp. Mix all other ingredients and serve.

Bajra Dosa Recipe

1 cup pearl millet flour

¼ th cup soaked and ground red rice flakes

Salt & water as required to bring it into dosa batter consistency

1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds powdered

2 tablespoon rice bran oil

For the topping: chopped capsicum, curry leaves, carrot, grated tofu(1 tbsp.)

Method: Mix all the above ingredients and prepare dosa with oil on tawa. Serve with tomato chutney.

Soya Paneer Mousse Recipe

250g soft silken tofu

50g sugarless dark chocolate (melted)

20g roasted and powdered nuts

10g roasted and powdered oilseeds(sunflower, sesame, pumpkin seeds)

Use natural sweetener(erythritol/stevia,etc)

Method: Add tofu, melted dark chocolate into a food processor, mix sweetener. Pour it into a glass, add powdered nuts & oilseeds as a topping and chill in the fridge for an hour or until it’s set.

Enjoy your healthy dessert!