The period leading up to menopause---the end of the menstrual cycle---can prove difficult for many women and can last several years. Dramatic hormonal fluctuations can lead to a number of unpleasant symptoms. In addition, as you reach this stage of life, you increase your risk for many serious health problems like heart disease. Eating a proper diet can address many aspects of this change of life and promote overall better health to boot. Before making any drastic changes to your eating habits, you should consult with a qualified health practitioner.
Dealing with Symptoms
During this time, your body begins to produce less estrogen, which can lead to hot flashes and vaginal dryness among other symptoms. Eating foods rich in phytoestrogens, a weaker form of the estrogen found in the body, might alleviate these problems, explains registered dietitian Carol Ann Brannon writing for the nutritional professionals magazine "Today's Dietititan." Good sources include foods made from soybeans such as tofu, natto, miso and tempeh, legumes, beans, whole grains and flaxseed. If you have an estrogen-dependent disease such as breast cancer or have a risk for these type of cancers, talk to your doctor about increasing your consumption of soy. Generally, getting soy isoflavones from food is preferable to supplementing.
MayoClinic.com also recommends avoiding caffeine and alcohol as both can contribute to hot flashes.
Preventing Bone Loss
Reduced estrogen also increases your risk of osteoporosis. While eating calcium-rich foods are recommended throughout life, it becomes particularly important during perimenopause. Good choices include low-fat dairy, almonds, beans and leafy green vegetables. The University of Maryland Medical Center advises an intake of 1,000 to 1,500 mg daily for premenopausal and postmenopausal women. If you cannot get this through diet alone, consider taking a calcium supplement.
For your body to properly utilize calcium, you must also have adequate vitamin D intake. Food sources include dairy fortified with the vitamin and fatty fish. Check with your doctor before supplementing.
Reducing Risk of Heart Disease
As you go through this change of life, you increase your risk for heart disease. You must watch your intake of saturated fat and cholesterol. This means cutting back on fatty meats and full-fat dairy in particular. In addition to the symptom-relieving benefits of soy foods, Brannon notes soy has been linked to lowering the risk of heart disease. Increasing your intake of whole-grains can also lower your risk as the high fiber content helps remove excess cholesterol from the body. If you have sensitivity to gluten and cannot eat wheat products, other good sources of whole grains include brown rice, oatmeal, barley, rye and quinoa.
Eating foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids also promote heart health. Aim for two servings of fatty fish weekly such as salmon, mackerel, tuna, trout, sardines or herring. Other sources include flaxseed, walnuts and foods and drinks fortified with these fatty acids.
Eating the Right Carbohydrates
While you typically think of fat consumption when it comes to weight gain, the kinds of carbohydrates you eat can also contribute to perimenopausal weight gain. Your body uses carbohydrates to make glucose, the body's primary source of energy. Eating the wrong kind of carbohydrates in large amounts can lead to insulin resistance---a condition where your body cannot use this hormone properly and leads to glucose becoming stored as fat. To avoid this problem, you should reduce your intake of white flour foods, cookies, cakes, and other sugary foods and drinks. Focus on fruits---particularly nontropical ones, vegetables and the aforementioned whole grains.
Considerations
Eat a varied diet to ensure you get all the beneficial nutrients important to addressing all the various challenges associated with perimenopause. If you have or have an increased risk of estrogen-dependent cancers such as breast cancer, talk to your doctor about increasing your intake of soy and flax seed, the richest sources of phytoestrogens. The UMMC recommends consuming these foods whole rather than supplementing regardless. If you have hypothyroidism, soy foods might interfere with your medication.
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