“Nutrition and lifestyle have an important role to play in the management of menopausal symptoms,” according to the Irish Nutrition and Dietetic Institute, who note that hormonal changes during the menopause also mean women can lose muscle and gain fat. Either way, looking after your diet during menopause is a critical part of feeling like yourself again.
The institute suggests eating a healthy balanced diet including plenty of fruit and vegetables, oily fish, and low in saturated fat while going through the menopause not only to help alleviate some of the symptoms but also to protect heart and bone health during this time.
Rita Tarvydaite is a clinical herbalist and naturopath, who provides training for Nourish health food shops. She says nutrition is a key pillar of a holistic approach to menopause; she also recommends herbal support for managing symptoms coupled with nutritional support for managing long-term health.
“It’s about covering all bases and not just a quick fix. The goal should be to support women’s health long-term and not just for specific symptom alleviation,” she explains.
According to Tarvydaite, there are some specific herbal products that are extremely helpful in reducing some of the symptoms. For example, when it comes to managing hot flushes, Menoforce tablets, which contain sage, can be “really, really helpful”, she says. Ashwagandha is another herbal supplement that Tarvydaite recommends; thought to aid cognitive function and energy release, it may also help to aid or prevent adrenal fatigue.
However, she says: “Symptomatic relief can be very different for every woman, so some will benefit from specific herbal supplements and others won’t require them.”
That said, Tarvydaite recommends a multivitamin formula so that “all nutritional bases are covered”. “This can help with other symptoms such as dry skin, mood, sleep disturbances, etc.”
Fiona Barry is a scientist who now focuses on nutrition and Chinese medicine at her clinics in Cork. She was involved in the formulation of Meno Active, a supplement designed specifically by Revive Active for women going through the menopause. Barry points out that our hormones affect every system, such as the cardiovascular system and digestive system, as well as our immunity and cognitive function.
“The primary benefit of taking a specific menopause supplement is that it has been designed to target all these areas of a woman’s body affected by menopause,” she explains.
During menopause, B vitamins are extremely important as are essential fatty acids, Barry adds. “Many women avoid fats, thinking they’re bad for them or that they’ll lead to weight gain but we need essential fatty acids, which can only be gained through our diet or supplementation, to maintain cellular health, normal brain function and also as the basis for our hormones.”
Barry says the digestive system changes in response to the decline in hormones seen during menopause.
“It becomes more sluggish and the number of calories we need to consume per day also drops. A menopausal woman needs only 65 per cent of the daily calories she needed in her 20s. So, we need to be more mindful than ever of the nutritional content of food, ensuring that we are eating whole foods that are packed with both the macronutrients and micronutrients that are necessary for health.”