Ways to Lose Weight After Menopause

There are a number of health risks that increase during menopause, and many of these risks are exacerbated by a poor diet.

Studies show a reduction in the creation of estrogen and progesterone in women prior to reaching menopause. These hormones also play an important role in bone health, while we tend to think of these almost exclusively in terms of their roles as female reproductive hormones.

Decreases in estrogen levels accompany a reduction in a woman’s 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. The loss of bone density is greatly accelerated during menopause, making women up to seven times more likely to fracture a bone than men, and putting them at risk of 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 reduction in women’s reproductive hormones along with alterations in digestive and metabolic function may produce increases in weight. In combination with these other changes, weight gain also puts menopausal women at greater risk for heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and related conditions. The helpful news is that consuming a balanced mealplan in menopause may help lower the odds of acquiring conditions of brittle bones and cardiovascular disease.

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.

Some fats, though, are essential for good health. 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 help reduce inflammation, and can minimize certain bothersome symptoms 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 water can also help fight hot flashes. It also be great to eat foods rich in plant phytoestrogens (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.

Strive for this amount even if you’re younger than age 50 that the recommended daily allowance for calcium for women over age 50 is 1200 mg. Be sure that your intake of calcium is adequate. Vitamin D helps absorb calcium, thus consuming reduced-fat dairy items with added vitamin D is a smart pick. To prevent osteoporosis, it is advisable to increase the calcium in your diet.

Good nutrition during menopause will greatly lessen the risks of weight gain, osteoporosis, and additional health issues. A healthy diet will also provide you with more energy, and can help you reduce or eliminate troublesome symptoms of menopause.

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