Fatigue, Night Sweats, Weight Gain... All About Menopause/Perimenopause

Hello beautiful people! IF you are "always hungry", have cravings, have frequent mood shifts, feel fatigued, get hot flashes and/or have gained weighed (especially around your abdomen), you are not alone. I promise. Those are all common symptoms of a natural biological process that marks the end of a women's reproductive years (AKA menopause.).

So please don't blame yourself. Your body is just transitioning. There IS a way to bring your body back to balance via nutrition and movement. And if none, or only one of the above symptoms applies to you, then that’s great! But I would still suggest implementing at least ONE of the nutritional suggestions I am going to outline in detail. Below I give you some tips to better manage your hormones during this time of your life. But before I do that, I wanna briefly explain what is happening to your body internally; and, since it’s all about hormones, I am gonna briefly explain each involved in the menopause/perimenopause process:

Hormones Involved in the Menopause/Perimenopause Process:

1. Estrogen - Estrogen production lowers so estrogen declines in your body. And estrogen is the hormone that lessens/reduces appetite (if that makes sense). So, since there is now less estrogen circulating, it won't inhibit your appetite as much as it used to. This may possibly be the reason why you may be feeling hungrier than before.

   
   

2. Leptin - Leptin is produced by your fat cells (adipose tissue), which help us regulate energy. Most people know it as the “satiety hormone” because it tells your body that you are full. So after a large meal, what usually is supposed to happen is leptin levels rise and your body and this tells your brain that you’ve eaten enough and that it’s time to stop. How does this relate to menopause? Well, since menopause comes with age, as we age, our leptin production lowers. This is also why you may be feeling hungrier than before and why you may be gaining weight (since leptin is not there as much to tell you to stop eating, it’s likely you will overeat). Another thing to note is that lower leptin is also linked to lower energy production (i.e. fatigue). 

   
   

3. Ghrelin - Functions opposite of leptin. It’s the “hunger hormone.” So when ghrelin is high, appetite and hunger are high. How is this related to menopause? Well, ghrelin levels normally increase starting at perimenopause, making you feel hungrier. It’s also the reason for your increased cravings.

   
   

4. Cortisol - This one you probably already know. Cortisol, the good old “stress” hormone that in my opinion, is one of the top 3 markers of health. High cortisol = negative physical/mental outcomes. And with menopause comes increase in cortisol production. Cortisol is a steroid (steroidal hormone) and it’s produced by your adrenal system (front of the neck). Your adrenals are mostly responsible for your metabolism. So this is also why metabolism slows down during menopause (BUT which is not chronic and CAN be regulated and increased with nutrition). Another thing about cravings is that a lot of times, menopause comes with lethargy (because the adrenals are involved as I mentioned earlier). Adrenals are part of our energy production. So when we are tired, it’s a normal reaction for our bodies to start craving certain foods, specifically those high in sugars and other carbohydrates.

Now that we got the science out of the way, it's time to dive into the solution. So here we go...

General Tips to Help with Menopausal/Perimenopausal Symptoms:

To start, I want to say that in perimenopause and menopause, the vitamins that play the main role would be calcium, vitamin D, and the mineral magnesium. Of course there are others, but these are the main ones. So I highly recommend supplementing at least the calcium and the D3 with a whole-food based supplement. Feel free to comment below or send me a message and I would be happy to send over recommendations for those. As far as foods go, I am just gonna give you the KEY foods/types of foods that might help with the symptoms. 

Your biological clock may be ticking but your health doesn't have to.

1. Soy-rich foods: Generally a diet made up of mainly plants - plant-based protein and veggies is recommended. Of course you can have animal-based products, but choose poultry, eggs, Greek yogurt, etc. Plant-based foods have isoflavones (plant estrogens) and so they literally work in the body like a weak form of estrogen (the hormone that decreases during menopause). The specific plant estrogen that is found in plant products is phytoestrogen, which works very similarly to estrogen, like I mentioned above. So it would be of great help if you consumed foods rich in phytoestrogens on a daily basis (specifically helps with hot flashes). 

   
   

   Some examples of Phytoestrogen-rich foods; sesame seeds, soy products, apricots, peanuts, flaxseeds, chickpeas, berries, barley, and tea (especially green). Soy-product ex: tofu, tempeh, soy beans, misso, natto. 

   
   

2. Flaxseeds (chia seeds are also great): These have lignans which are also found in other plants like whole grains, nuts and seeds, and certain fruits and vegetables like barley, blueberries, broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage (see below), cashews, cherries. But the concentration of lignans in flaxseeds is 100x more than any other food. If you eat about 40g a day (about 1-2 tbsp), it could help reduce hot flashes. Oh! And because the lignans are specifically found in the outer shell of the flaxseed, ground varieties will be better absorbed by your body. A thing to not though, is that flaxseed oil won't have the same benefit as milled flax. Also, flaxseeds are an EXCELLENT source of fiber. Sprinkle them on top of salads, sunny side up eggs, egg/avocado toasts, oatmeal, yogurt, etc. 

   
   

3. Oily fish: To be honest, oily fish are good for almost everything because they contain essential fatty acids like Omega-3's. And essential fats are what build hormones, quit literally. A lot of hormones are steroids (made up of fatty tissue). I highly recommend, ONLY if you enjoy the taste, canned, no salt added sardines and/or mackerel in water at least once a week. Sardines are PACKED with vitamin D (specifically the tiny bones, which are edible). These can go great with brown rice, quinoa, buckwheat, whole grain pasta or on a toast. It's naturally oily so the toast will be delicious. Layer some baby spinach on the bottom for that added bonus of fiber and vitamins. Canned tuna of course is also great. But again, get the no salt added, in water varieties and season it yourself with olive oil. Aside from oily fish, you can also get these healthy essential fats from plant sources like walnuts, seaweed (love my seaweed snacks), flaxseed, hemp seeds, avocados. Essential fats enhance satisfaction and satiety so you are less likely to crave sugar. Sugar cravings could actually be one sign of a deficiency of fats in your diet.

   
   

4. Greek yogurt (or any fortified yogurt): Contains calcium, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, and live cultures which all help keep hormones balanced. Also excellent for bone health because of the calcium and vitamin D, which is one of the first things that starts to deteriorate when we reach menopause (the hormonal fluctuations cause this). This mineral and vitamin also support gut health (aka. our second brain).

   
   

   When buying yogurt, though, please make sure you get the no sugar added varieties or plain, unsweetened ones to which you can add your own toppings if you please (fruits, granola, nuts, seeds).

   
   

5. Red cabbage (all cabbage is great): It’s a cruciferous vegetable which is essential for hormonal health. Other cruciferous veggies include watercress, broccoli, cauliflower, kale, brussel sprouts, bok choy, etc. These veggies help regulate the detoxification of oestrogens (result is balanced hormones). And a fun fact: because of the high levels of anthocyanins in cruciferous veggies, they are excellent for your skin (who can so no to that? Lol)

   
   

6. Spinach: One of the best sources of magnesium (close to pumpkin seeds), which like I said, is one of the main minerals depleted during menopause. Even just in general, magnesium has SOO many benefits like sleep, anxiety, nerve function (refer to my post on magnesium in the Nutrition section.  

   
   

7. Almonds: Rich in calcium and magnesium and vitamin E (in large enough quantities, can help reduce hot flashes). Add them to yogurts, salads, oatmeals, puddings, or eat as a snack.

   
   

8. Whole grains (i.e. fiber): FIBER, FIBER, FIBER. Fiber is truly everything. Would honestly say an essential part of our health. A lack of it causes a lot of the common health issues. Because remember, GUT GUT, GUT! Fiber is essential for our gut health. A whole grain that is specifically helpful is quinoa, which is also a complete protein (contains all the 9 essential amino acids). So you can just eat it by itself without a meat/dairy product or fish. Plus, it's gluten-free for those who are intolerant. Other examples of whole grains include: buckwheat (also a complete protein and high in magnesium and fiber), whole grain bread (no sugar added. Please always read ingredients. Don't pay attention to the number and/or the calories), whole grain pasta, whole grain crackers (be cautious and limit those with inflammatory oils like canola, sunflower, safflower, palm), millet, barley, oatmeal.

   
   

   Okay, let's now take a deep breath... This was a lot. Please take your menopause/perimenopause journey a step at a time. Don't feel pressured to incorporate ALL these foods all at once. Tiny steps go a long way. Do the best that you can and remember that our best looks different each and every day. Choose one or two and see how you can add them to your daily eating. Focus on variety and you will do great! :)