When it comes to perimenopause, many women wonder what they can do to bolster their health as they grapple with the symptoms. While some might notice hot flushes, night sweats and brain fog, they could also learn that their cholesterol is now high, and their bone density is now low.
Eating a diet rich in vegetables, fruit, whole grains, dairy products and lean protein can help combat some of the changes that come with perimenopause.
“The body starts to go through changes and people want to try … many of these diets that are not very healthy or sustainable,” Liz Weinandy, a registered dietitian nutritionist and instructor of practice in dietetics and nutrition at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, tells TODAY.com. Instead, people should consider “any of these healthier eating patterns that we know, like Mediterranean, Dash or the USDA diet,” she adds.
During perimenopause and aging, women can experience a loss of bone density, a reduction in lean muscle mass, an increase in cholesterol and greater risk for heart disease. Adding certain foods to one’s diet can help counter some of these changes. But, they have to be the right ones.
Lean protein, calcium-rich foods and high-fiber fruits and vegetables “are important for an overall healthy diet,” Weinandy says. “They become a lot more important as we age and go through some of these life transitions.”
She shares food that has fiber, calcium and protein that can help women manage perimenopausal changes.
Fiber
During perimenopause, women experience a spike in their cholesterol levels, according to the American Heart Association. This contributes to an increase in their risk for heart disease.
“Cholesterol generally goes up after menopause because of the decrease in estrogen,” Weinandy says. “Soluble fiber is especially good for certain things — especially lowering cholesterol.”
People should be eating between 25 to 35 grams of fiber a day, which can “take some work to get to that total,” she says.
“When you look at fruits, vegetables, whole grains … most of them have a moderate amount of fiber,” Weinandy says. “You might get to a few grams like two or three grams per serving.”
But pulses, which are beans lentils and peas, have more.
“Beans and legumes, those definitely are going to be closer to 10 grams per serving,” she says. “If you’re eating enough of these high-fiber foods and you’re eating a variety of them it’ll probably get you to (the goal).”
There are two types of fiber, soluble, which dissolves in water, and insoluble, which is bulky and doesn’t dissolve in water. Eating a diet with both types of fiber can help people reach their daily fiber goals and assist them in managing their cholesterol levels.
Foods high in fiber include:
- Apples
- Pears
- Barley
- Lentils
- Carrots
- Peas
- Black beans
- Chickpeas
- Lentils
- Quinoa
- Broccoli
- Leafy greens
While a high-fiber diet reduces constipation and can help manage cholesterol, it can also ease some of the moodiness people experience during perimenopause.
“Fiber is really feeding our microbiome and our gut,” Weinandy says. “Having a wide variety of different types of fiber from different types of plants is really beneficial and can help with our mood.”
Calcium-rich foods
As women age, their bone mass declines.
“Women will build peak bone mass right up until around age 30,” Weinandy says. “Then it starts to go downhill very, very gradually. When we hit menopause it’s like a rollercoaster we don’t want to be on, and it starts to speed up.”
Eating a diet rich in calcium can support bone health and Weinandy says experts recommend women over 50 eat 1,200 milligrams a day.
“We estimate that each dairy serving has about 300 milligrams, usually like 200 to 300 milligrams,” she says. “I would try to aim for three, maybe four servings (of dairy) a day.”
Foods rich in calcium include:
- Yogurt
- Cottage cheese
- Low-fat cheese (in moderation)
- Milk
- Calcium-fortified orange juice
- Tofu
Protein
Aging can also mean a drop in lean muscle mass, which is why eating lean protein remains important for women in perimenopause and menopause.
“Most women need at least 50 grams of protein, probably up to around 75 or 80, but that differs with … activity level,” Weinandy says. “There definitely is evidence that women should be making sure they’re getting enough high-quality protein as they age because it will help us all to maintain muscle mass.”
During perimenopause, metabolism slows, and women lose lean muscle mass. Eating enough lean protein and exercising, including weight training, can help people maintain and possibly build muscle mass. But women need to avoid eating too much meat that’s high in saturated fat because it can increase cholesterol, Weinandy says.
“The research is pretty firm that red meat should be limited to a couple of times of week,” she says.
Foods with lean protein include:
- Salmon
- Chicken
- Lean pork
- Eggs
- Lentils
- Tofu
“I would encourage women to try to incorporate, if they’re not currently, a couple of plant-based protein meals a week,” Weinandy says. “Soybeans have all the essential amino acids that our bodies cannot make but we get through food. And so, it’s actually considered a complete protein.”
Soy products, such as tofu, edamame, tempeh and soy milk, also have phytoestrogens in them, which could be helpful for women grappling with hot flashes. Phytoestrogens are “very weak estrogen-like compounds,” Weinandy says. The most recent research, she says, says we should add them to our diets, though that’s been debated in the past.
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