Diet and nutrition to manage menopause weight gain
Why change your diet during menopause?
Your metabolic rate (how effectively your body burns calories) gently slows through the natural process of ageing, and that happens in both men (male menopause)and women, and lean muscle loss starts around the age of 35. Therefore, unless you start to reduce your calorie intake, you gain weight!
The best diet for menopause weight loss
Portion control
Overloading your plate and snacking are for occasional moments, being mindful of what your are feeding yourself and asking yourself whether you need it because you are hungry or is it just for comfort? In menopause metabolism slows down, you can’t eat the same quantity without it getting stored as fat. Less food, less fat! Imagine your plate divided:
1/2 should be vegetables: think colours of the rainbow
1/4 protein: meat, chicken fish and pulses
1/4 carbohydrates: potatoes, wholegrain pasta, brown rice or wholemeal bread
Ideally you should fit your food filling cupped hands!
Watch our webinar with registered dietitian Nigel Denby offering practical no-nonsense strategies, Managing Menopause Weight Gain.
Food for thought!
Constant grazing, might be good for sheep and cows, but not for women hitting perimenopause and menopause. Eating either three regular healthy meals a day, or several smaller meals is the way to go. But pick which eating style suits you and stick with it, don’t mix the two or you’ll overeat. Allow yourself to get hungry, eat, and stop when you feel full.
Include protein at every meal to help you feel fuller for longer, eat more: chicken, eggs, fish, beans, nuts, seeds, yogurt and soy such as miso, tofu or edamame beans, (breast cancer.org say that ‘women who take hormonal therapy or who have estrogen-receptor-positive breast cancer avoid soy supplements because they contain high concentrations of isoflavones. But in general, it's fine to eat moderate amounts of soy foods as part of a balanced diet.’
Fibre-rich vegetables and fruits are your menopause mates as they help keep blood sugar stable.
Keep your carbohydrates complex, eat more: wholegrain brown rice, pasta and bread.
Low GI foods: avoid those afternoon sugar and carb cravings by eating slow release energy foods, eat more: oily fish, lean meat, fruit, vegetables pulses, oats, and scatter chia seeds on cereals or submerge in smoothies as this allows them to absorb liquid and form a gel which keeps you hydrated and tricks your stomach into feeling fuller for longer.
Enjoy healthy fats and oils from fish and vegetable sources: avocado, olives, nuts, seeds, avocados, salmon and sardines.
How can you avoid gaining weight during menopause?
Here’s a simple reminder of some weight gain no-nos:
Dieting in menopause doesn’t work. So let’s call time on those diets you relied on in your 20’s and 30’s. Eating healthily, eating fewer calories and doing more exercise is the way to go.
High GI foods. We need to avoid refined carbs like cakes, pastry and white bread that cause a spike in blood sugars that sluggish menopause metabolism can’t keep up with.
Comfort eating. Identify what makes you want to eat. When we’re craving a treat we tend to reach for something sweet or the satisfying savoury snack that comes in a big bag. Snack on fruit or try making our Healthy Date and Raisin Balls made with dates, raisins, nuts and seeds, they’ll satisfy your sugar craving with health benefits to boot.
Food and drinks high in sugar are out. Full of empty calories.
Saturated fats - usually found in high calorie foods like cakes, pies, and sausages, contribute to weight gain (and increase cholesterol levels).
Low fat products: Good news, you can give low fat products the elbow. When fats are taken out, sugar is added, so increasing calorie value.
Artificial sweeteners – may further disrupt your already unbalanced hormones, causing headaches and digestive problems. Don’t fall for the diet drink con. Those artificial sweeteners trick the body, insulin spikes and the body goes into fat-storing mode.
Eating late gives you no chance to burn calories, causes digestive problems and will impact on the quality of your precious sleep.
Avoid being a couch potato. Try to keep moving as much as you can to burn off calories.
Looking for inspiration for your menopause diet?
Check our healthy menu ideas in the diet and recipe section.
Life changes in midlife may also have an impact on your diet and lifestyle. Menopause symptoms which affect mood, confidence and self-esteem can also impact eating, drinking and exercise behaviours.
