There are a number of health risks that increase during menopause, and many of these risks are exacerbated by a poor diet.
As women approach menopause, the body begins to decrease its production of estrogen and progesterone. While we tend to think of these almost exclusively in terms of their roles as female reproductive hormones, these hormones also play an important role in bone health.
Reductions in estrogen amounts go hand in hand with a decrease in female bone density. This decline actually starts well before menopause, especially in women with inadequate intakes of calcium and vitamin D during the crucial young adult years of bone formation. Bone density is lost rapidly during menopause,making women more around seven times more likely than men to have bone fracture,and putting themselves to risking osteoporosis.
If she is not already active but during menopause, a woman's metabolism also begins to slow down it especially. Digestion of food becomes sluggish, causing greater absorption of nutrients from food. Unfortunately, this also means that bad fats, sugars, and other processed food items will have a greater impact on a menopausal woman's health.
The decrease in female reproductive hormones combined with changes in digestion and metabolism can lead to weight gain. Weight gain, in combination with these other changes, also puts menopausal women at greater risk for heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and related conditions. The good news is that eating a healthful diet during menopause can help reduce the risk of developing both osteoporosis and cardiovascular illnesses.
The key to a healthful diet that can help stave off osteoporosis, weight gain, and associated health complications, is balance. Start by eating at least three nutritious meals each day. Eating more frequent, smaller meals is even better. Avoid focusing too much on calories, and instead pay attention to reasonable portion sizes and eating foods that pack a lot of nutrients into few calories. Some examples are leafy greens, cruciferous vegetables, and brightly colored red and yellow vegetables. A daily multi-vitamin is also a good idea to ensure adequate intake of important nutrients.
Fiber will serve to fight sluggish metabolism by helping to get food moving through your digestive tract. Helps curb excess weight gain and this promotes digestive health. Whole grains, beans, fruits, and vegetables are nutritious foods that are high in fiber. Increase the fiber in your diet, and decrease the fat and fried food. Restrict general consumption of fat to under 30% of total calorie consumption.
You need certain types of fat if you want to stay healthy. Do include sources of omega 3 fatty acids. Some common food sources of omega 3 are salmon and other cold water fish, seeds, and nuts, especially walnuts. Omega 3 fatty acids assist in minimizing swelling, and may reduce some annoying signs of menopause.
For managing common symptoms of menopause like hot flashes and irritability, try reducing or eliminating caffeine and spicy foods from your diet. Avoid excess sugar, especially corn syrup and other highly-processed foods.
Drinking at least eight glasses of water each day can also help fight hot flashes, as can eating foods rich in plant phytoestrogens, such as beans and other legumes, apples, potatoes, and carrots. Soy also contains high levels of phytoestrogens, and there are many tasty flavored drinks, yogurts, and even frozen desserts, that contain soy.
The RDA for calcium for females older than 50 is 1200 mg, however you should aim for this quantity before you reach that age too. Be sure that your intake of calcium is adequate. Eating low-fat dairy products helps the absorption of calcium especially when the products are further enhanced by Vitamin D. The risk of developing osteoporosis can be decreased by consuming sufficient amounts of bone-protecting calcium, which slows bone loss.
The risk of osteoporosis, weight gain, and other health problems can be significantly reduced through good nutrition during menopause. A healthy diet will also provide you with more energy, and can help you reduce or eliminate troublesome symptoms of menopause. - 15437
As women approach menopause, the body begins to decrease its production of estrogen and progesterone. While we tend to think of these almost exclusively in terms of their roles as female reproductive hormones, these hormones also play an important role in bone health.
Reductions in estrogen amounts go hand in hand with a decrease in female bone density. This decline actually starts well before menopause, especially in women with inadequate intakes of calcium and vitamin D during the crucial young adult years of bone formation. Bone density is lost rapidly during menopause,making women more around seven times more likely than men to have bone fracture,and putting themselves to risking osteoporosis.
If she is not already active but during menopause, a woman's metabolism also begins to slow down it especially. Digestion of food becomes sluggish, causing greater absorption of nutrients from food. Unfortunately, this also means that bad fats, sugars, and other processed food items will have a greater impact on a menopausal woman's health.
The decrease in female reproductive hormones combined with changes in digestion and metabolism can lead to weight gain. Weight gain, in combination with these other changes, also puts menopausal women at greater risk for heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and related conditions. The good news is that eating a healthful diet during menopause can help reduce the risk of developing both osteoporosis and cardiovascular illnesses.
The key to a healthful diet that can help stave off osteoporosis, weight gain, and associated health complications, is balance. Start by eating at least three nutritious meals each day. Eating more frequent, smaller meals is even better. Avoid focusing too much on calories, and instead pay attention to reasonable portion sizes and eating foods that pack a lot of nutrients into few calories. Some examples are leafy greens, cruciferous vegetables, and brightly colored red and yellow vegetables. A daily multi-vitamin is also a good idea to ensure adequate intake of important nutrients.
Fiber will serve to fight sluggish metabolism by helping to get food moving through your digestive tract. Helps curb excess weight gain and this promotes digestive health. Whole grains, beans, fruits, and vegetables are nutritious foods that are high in fiber. Increase the fiber in your diet, and decrease the fat and fried food. Restrict general consumption of fat to under 30% of total calorie consumption.
You need certain types of fat if you want to stay healthy. Do include sources of omega 3 fatty acids. Some common food sources of omega 3 are salmon and other cold water fish, seeds, and nuts, especially walnuts. Omega 3 fatty acids assist in minimizing swelling, and may reduce some annoying signs of menopause.
For managing common symptoms of menopause like hot flashes and irritability, try reducing or eliminating caffeine and spicy foods from your diet. Avoid excess sugar, especially corn syrup and other highly-processed foods.
Drinking at least eight glasses of water each day can also help fight hot flashes, as can eating foods rich in plant phytoestrogens, such as beans and other legumes, apples, potatoes, and carrots. Soy also contains high levels of phytoestrogens, and there are many tasty flavored drinks, yogurts, and even frozen desserts, that contain soy.
The RDA for calcium for females older than 50 is 1200 mg, however you should aim for this quantity before you reach that age too. Be sure that your intake of calcium is adequate. Eating low-fat dairy products helps the absorption of calcium especially when the products are further enhanced by Vitamin D. The risk of developing osteoporosis can be decreased by consuming sufficient amounts of bone-protecting calcium, which slows bone loss.
The risk of osteoporosis, weight gain, and other health problems can be significantly reduced through good nutrition during menopause. A healthy diet will also provide you with more energy, and can help you reduce or eliminate troublesome symptoms of menopause. - 15437
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