Apart from the certainty of death in a person’s life cycle, the next thing that will inevitably occur in a woman’s life is menopause. The end of a woman’s reproductive years marked by the cessation of Aunt Flow’s monthly visit. Deemed by most women as a death sentence. Women may fear the changes and symptoms that are expected to occur during this stage of their life cycle. Their worries are not totally unfounded. After all, hot flashes, mood swings, depression, sleep problems and insomnia, forgetfulness, palpitations, night sweats, vaginal dryness, painful sexual intercourse vaginal infections, headache and other body aches and pains are real. Moreover, women experience challenges with their weight, are at risk of developing heart diseases and bone health issues, as a result of hormonal imbalances that naturally occur during menopause. 

Menopause begins with the early stage of perimenopause that can happen even as early as eight years prior to actual menopause. This is the stage when fluctuations and decline in hormone production are evident. Thus, causing an irregular menstrual period. 

Unfortunately, there are women who suffer from reproductive conditions that leave them no other option but to undergo medical procedures that will render them clinically menopaused at a younger age. Women who have their reproductive organs like the ovaries and uterus surgically removed even before they are supposed to menopause at around the age of fifty may experience the same symptoms as women who reach the stage of menopause naturally.

Did you know that what you eat can greatly impact your menopausal symptoms? You can begin to consume specific plant food sources that can help restore balance in the body to prevent the vicious side effects of menopause. 

A randomized controlled study was conducted by Neal D. Barnard and colleagues on the alleviation of vasomotor symptoms, specifically hot flashes, and its correlation to consumption of a plant-based diet and whole soybeans on postmenopausal women for 12 weeks. The study concluded that the combination of a low fat, vegan diet and whole soybeans was associated with a reduced frequency and severity of hot flashes leading to improved quality of life in terms of the vasomotor, psychosocial, physical and sexual aspects among postmenopausal women. Participants of the study became free of moderate to severe symptoms of hot flashes. 

As a registered nutritionist dietitian, I would like to warn you against taking isolated soy supplements. The study emphasizes wholesome sources of soy. Extracting compounds from soy, concentrating it in the form of supplements, will not have the same beneficial effect on your body. Only wholesome sources that may or may not be minimally processed can be consumed. These are soybeans, edamame, tofu, soymilk, taho (without the syrup), and good quality freeze-dried soy powder. It is important to have wholesome sources to retain the phytoestrogens or natural plant hormones that have weak estrogen-like properties that will alleviate menopausal symptoms.

The body has estrogen receptors that act as parking spaces for estrogen. Due to the decline in the production of estrogen during menopause, these receptors need the phytoestrogens from plant food like soy and Chinese yam in order to keep symptoms at bay. Plant food sources contain phytoestrogens but the concentrations vary. Other plant food sources that are abundant in phytoestrogens are sage, gingko, raspberries, and licorice. We don’t normally find these at the dinner table. Freeze-dried raspberries or tea and dried or powdered herbs are more readily available for convenience. Just make sure the ingredient list indicates only the fruit and herbs without other substances that may seem to be isolated or chemically derived. For example, you would want to see the word soy instead of isoflavones or isolated soy protein on the product label. A bit of caution on taking gingko. If you’re on anticoagulant medication, consult your doctor and work closely with a registered nutritionist dietitian for proper monitoring and guidance to prevent bleeding issues.

Aside from balancing hormones, soy can prevent cholesterol and triglycerides from increasing. Due to its omega 3 content as well as the isoflavones, soy can also help prevent high blood pressure. Decrease in estrogen production increases the risk of heart disease as characterized by the elevation in these factors. 

Are you concerned about your uric acid and afraid of eating soy? I have great news for you. Studies have proven that soy does not increase uric acid levels. You may want to avoid red meat, fat, and refined sugar in your diet. These are the real culprits that prevent the excretion of uric acid. In addition, if you don’t drink adequate water in a day (urine is always yellow or dark), then you’re never going to bring your uric acid level down to normal.

Many women gain weight due to the increase in body fat percentage during menopause and post menopause. These fat cells can produce unwanted estrogen called estrone. This is the type of estrogen hormone that promotes cancer cells to develop in the breast and uterus. Since phytoestrogens from plant food sources (Isoflavones from soy) compete with these estrogen hormones to attach to the estrogen receptors, cancer cells don’t stand a chance. Therefore, soy can help prevent hormone-related cancers among menopausal women.

While it is a fact that women tend to gain weight during and after menopause, women are not doomed. Aside from watching what you eat, making sure that your diet is predominantly wholesome and plant-based with occasional treats on the side if you must, it is vital to have regular exercise. This doesn’t just pertain to daily walking. Muscle loss is faster among women beyond menopause. While cardio or aerobic exercises like walking are still needed, women need strength and conditioning exercises. Experts recommend at least two times a week of strength exercise in addition to cardio exercises. This will ensure optimum muscle mass, bone mass and normal body fat percentage.

When we engage in weight bearing exercises, it stimulates the body to produce more muscle mass and the bone density also improves. A higher muscle mass will make the body more efficient in burning fat. Combine this with a healthy eating pattern and you will say goodbye to those unwanted pounds from menopause.

Happy Women’s Month!

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