Eating a nutritious diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and protein, among other nutrients, and getting regular physical activity may provide relief from menopause symptoms. Menopause begins in the late 40s or early 50s and usually lasts for a few years. During this time, at least two-thirds of menopausal people experience symptoms of menopause. These include hot flashes, night sweats, mood changes, irritability, and tiredness. In addition, menopausal people are at higher risk of several diseases, including osteoporosis, obesity, heart disease, and diabetes. Many people turn to natural supplements and remedies for relief. Here’s a list of 11 natural ways to reduce the symptoms of menopause.
(1) EAT FOODS
RICH IN CALCIUM AND VITAMIN D
Hormonal changes during menopause can cause bones to weaken, increasing the risk of osteoporosis.
Calcium and Vitamin D are linked to good bone health, so it’s important to get enough of these nutrients in your diet.
Adequate Vitamin D intake during postmenopause is also associated with a lower risk of hip fractures from weak bones
Many foods are calcium-rich, including dairy products like yogurt, milk, and cheese.
Green, leafy vegetables such as kale, collard greens, and spinach have lots of calcium too. It’s also plentiful in tofu, beans, sardines, and other foods.
Additionally, calcium-fortified foods are also good sources, including certain cereals, fruit juice, or milk alternatives.
Sunlight is your main source of Vitamin D, since your skin produces it when exposed to the sun. However, as you get older, your skin gets less efficient at making it.
If you’re not out in the sun much or if you cover up your skin, either taking a supplement or increasing food sources of Vitamin D may be important. Rich dietary sources include oily fish, eggs, cod liver oil, and foods fortified with Vitamin D.
(2) MAINTAIN A MODERATE WEIGHT
It’s common to gain weight during menopause. This can be due to a combination of changing hormones, aging, lifestyle, and genetics. Gaining excess body fat, especially around the waist, increases the risk of developing diseases such as heart disease and diabetes.
In addition, body weight may affect menopause symptoms.
One study of 17,473 postmenopausal women found that those who lost at least 10 pounds (4.5 kg) of weight or 10% of their body weight over a year were more likely to eliminate hot flashes and night sweats
(3) EAT LOTS OF FRUIT AND VEGETABLES
A diet rich in fruits and vegetables can help prevent a number of menopause symptoms.
Fruits and veggies are low in calories and can help you feel full, so they’re great for weight loss and weight maintenance.
They may also help prevent a number of diseases, including heart disease. This is important, since heart disease risk tends to increase after menopause. This could be due to factors such as age, weight gain, or possibly reduced estrogen levels. Finally, fruits and vegetables may also help prevent bone loss.
One observational study of 3,236 women ages 50 to 59 found that diets high in fruit and vegetables may lead to less bone breakdown.
(4) AVOID TRIGGER FOODS
Certain foods may trigger hot flashes, night sweats, and mood changes. They may be even more likely to be triggers when eaten at night. Common triggers include caffeine, alcohol, and foods that are sugary or spicy.
Keep a symptom diary. If you feel that particular foods trigger your menopause symptoms, try to reduce your consumption or avoid them completely.
(5) EXERCISE REGULARLY
There is currently not enough evidence to confirm whether exercise is effective for treating hot flashes and night sweats. However, there is evidence to support other benefits of regular exercise, such as Pilates-based exercise programs. These benefits include improved energy and metabolism, healthier joints and bones, decreased stress, and better sleep.
For example, a study in Korea that looked at the effects of a 12-week walking exercise program found that the exercise improved physical and mental health and overall quality of life in a group of 40 menopausal women.
Regular exercise is also associated with better overall health and protection against diseases and conditions including cancer, heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, obesity, and osteoporosis).
Menopausal people have a notable increase in heart disease risk; several studies show that regular exercise may help reduce this risks.
(6) EAT MORE FOODS THAT ARE HIGH IN PHYTOESTROGENS
Phytoestrogens are naturally occurring plant compounds that can mimic the effects of estrogen in the body.
Therefore, they may help balance hormones. The high intake of phytoestrogens in Asian countries such as Japan is thought to be the reason why menopausal people in these places rarely experience hot flashes. Foods rich in phytoestrogens include:soybeans and soy products, tofu, tempeh, flaxseeds, linseeds, sesame seeds & beans.
However, the phytoestrogen content in foods varies depending on processing methods. One study found that diets high in soy were associated with reduced cholesterol levels, blood pressure, and reduced severity of hot flashes and night sweats among women participants who were starting to enter menopause.
However, the debate continues over whether soy products are good or bad for health. Evidence suggests that real food sources of phytoestrogens are better than supplements or processed foods with added soy protein..
(7) DRINK
ENOUGH WATER
During menopause, dryness is often an issue. This is likely caused by the decrease in estrogen levels. Drinking 8 to 12 glasses of water a day can help with these symptoms. Drinking water can also reduce the bloating that can occur with hormonal changes. In addition, water can help prevent weight gain and aid in weight loss by helping you feel full and increasing metabolism slightly. Drinking 17 ounces (500 ml) of water, 30 minutes before a meal, may lead you to consume 13% fewer calories during the meal.
(8) REDUCE REFINED SUGAR AND PROCESSED FOODS
A diet high in refined carbs and sugar can cause sharp rises and dips in blood sugar, making you feel tired and irritable. This may worsen the physical and mental symptoms of menopause. In fact, one study found that diets high in refined carbs may increase the risk of depression in postmenopausal women.
Diets high in processed foods may also affect bone health, especially if these foods are replacing the nutrients you need from a daily balanced diet. A large observational study found that among women ages 50 to 59, diets high in processed and snack foods were associated with poor bone quality.
(9) DON’T SKIP MEALS
Eating regular meals may be important when you’re going through menopause. Irregular eating may make certain symptoms of menopause worse and make weight management more difficult.
A yearlong weight management program for postmenopausal women found that skipping meals was associated with 4.3% less weight loss.
(10) EAT PROTEIN-RICH FOODS
Regularly eating protein throughout the day can help prevent the loss of lean muscle mass that occurs with age.
One study found that consuming protein throughout the day at each meal may slow down muscle loss due to aging.
In addition to helping prevent muscle loss, high protein diets can help with weight loss because they enhance fullness and increase the number of calories burned.
Foods rich in protein include meat, fish, eggs, legumes, nuts, and dairy.
(11) TAKE NATURAL SUPPLEMENTS
Many people may consider taking natural products and remedies to relieve their menopause symptoms. But the evidence behind many of them is weak.
Here are the most common natural supplements for reducing symptoms of menopause:
Phytoestrogens. These can be consumed through natural food sources or supplements. There is currently not enough evidence to recommend them for alleviating menopause symptoms.
Black cohosh. Although some studies found that black cohosh may effectively alleviate hot flashes, the evidence is mixed. In addition, there is a lack of long-term data on the safety of this supplement.
Red clover. A review of studies found that red clover isoflavone supplements may help reduce the daily frequency of hot flashes from a baseline of three per day. However, study authors noted that more specific research is needed to confirm the effects of red clover on relieving flushing episodes and other menopause symptoms.
Other supplements. More research is needed on the effectiveness of other commonly used supplements such as probiotics, prebiotics, cranberry extract, kava, DHEA-S, dong quai, and evening primrose oil to help alleviate menopause symptoms such as hot flashes and night sweats.
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