Εμμηνόπαυση: Ιδανική Διατροφή

Hi! I'm Stelios Pantazis. I'm a doctor and I specialize in medical nutrition and metabolic disorders. Today, I'd like to present the ideal diet for the climacteric period and menopause. Menopause is a natural transition in a woman's life, as the menstruation stops. Let me start with two definitions. What do climacteric and menopause mean? I've noticed that people often confuse them. Menopause is a woman's last menstrual period, which is confirmed if no menstrual period occurs for 12 months after it. The period before menopause is called the climacteric and it usually lasts 3-5 years. Healthy diet aims to limit the annoying symptoms of the climacteric and make the transition easier. The typical hormonal change of the climacteric is the gradual decrease of oestrogens, which in turn affect metabolism and often lead to weight increase, unfortunately. These changes may also lead to cholesterol and blood sugar increase, as well as slow down the metabolism. The most annoying symptoms seem to be hot flashes and sleep disruption, which affect metabolism too and make weight management harder. Finally, the hormonal changes lead to the decrease of bone density and this increases the chances of fractures. In this video, I'd like to talk about the foods that will help you manage the symptoms and protect yourself from the weight increase and the metabolism disruptions. The most important benefit of a healthy diet is the maintenance or loss of excess fat. No matter how healthy one's diet is, it is really important that it be accompanied by the loss of excess fat, if any. This will help both with the metabolism and with the symptoms of the climacteric. I'll start by describing the foods that you should consume more of. As the decrease of oestrogens in the body leads to loss of calcium in the bones, we should have an adequate amount of calcium in the body by consuming healthy dairy. The best dairy for that is yoghurt with living bacteria. This yoghurt is rich in probiotics and you can find it in any supermarket. The climacteric period and the period after menopause are ideal for you to ensure an adequate amount of this very healthy food. If you're lactose intolerant or avoid it due to any reason, you can watch my video where I suggest foods rich in calcium that you should eat more of for calcium sufficiency in your body. Another nutrient that you should eat more of during this period is Omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 fatty acids are abundant in fatty fish, such as sardine, anchovy, mackerel, trout and chub mackerel. Studies have been published showing that increased consumption of Omega-3 fatty acids, either naturally from food or with supplements, reduces the frequency of hot flashes and improves sleep quality. Although some studies contradict such findings, the consumption of Omega-3 fatty acids has other benefits too during the climacteric, because it helps reduce triglycerides, and many studies claim that they benefit the heart and blood vessels, which, as I said in the introduction, may be in trouble due to increased cholesterol. If you don't want to or you can't eat fatty fish, which are rich in Omega-3, you should take dietary supplements either from fish oil or from algae, which are rich in EPA and DHA. Let me remind you that Omega-3 from flax, although great for our health, shouldn't be the only source of Omega-3 fatty acids you consume. Unprocessed grains, in contrast to processed grains, are really beneficial for this period in a woman's life, because they contain a large amount of vitamins B, such as thiamine, niacin, riboflavin etc., as well as fibers, which are also really significant for our health. We know that the consumption of unprocessed grains reduces the chances of heart disease and diabetes by 20-30% compared to the consumption of processed grains. Since the protection of the heart is important during this period, unprocessed grains should be included in your daily diet. Fruits and vegetables should be included in every meal during this period, because they contain a large amount of vitamins, trace elements, fibers and anti-oxidants. An extraordinary study on 17,000 women has shown that a diet rich in fruits and vegetables led to the decrease of the climacteric symptoms by 19%. So, this is the ideal period for you to eat even more fruits and vegetables. Plant-based foods, besides the vitamins, trace elements and valuable fibers they contain, sometimes contain some substances called phytoestrogens. It's impressive that even plants have oestrogens, like mammals, and women watching their oestrogens reducing can take advantage of this during the climacteric. Studies have shown that the consumption of foods rich in phytoestrogens leads to the decrease of the climacteric symptoms. Foods rich in phytoestrogens are soy, chickpeas peanuts, flax, barley, grapes, berries, plums and tea.