On reaching menopause, a woman is vulnerable to face many health issues mainly because of the estrogen hormone reducing. However, the risk of many of those health issues can be avoided by consuming a healthy and balanced diet full of essential nutrients. Before discussing about the necessary diet for women after menopause, let’s first take a look at the various health issues that women are prone to after menopause.
Mental health: estrogen is one of the necessary hormones that govern the mental health of a woman. Because of the certain properties of this hormone it protects against memory loss and aids in proper brain functioning. It stimulates production of neurotransmitters and also eliminates the production of free oxygen radicals that cause Alzheimer. When a woman reaches her menopause stage, she becomes more prone to get Alzheimer because of the decline in estrogen production.
Bone Density: because of the lack of estrogen after menopause, a woman becomes more susceptible to osteoporosis, as she tends to lose bone density. Her bones become fragile and get easily fractured. Estrogen is responsible for the resorption of calcium in the bones and also maintains the levels of vitamin D, which is again an important nutrient in maintaining strong bones.
Heart health: Estrogen again is responsible for maintaining a healthy heart. This particular hormone can maintain cholesterol levels, smoothen blood vessels for a normal blood flow and reduce free radicals that affect the arteries. A menopausal woman is at a higher risk of heart ailments due to a fall in estrogen levels.
Diet essential for menopausal woman
Now that we know the various problems that a menopausal woman can face, we also must know that eating a healthy and nutritious diet can help menopausal women avoid many of those problems. Here we have a list of certain foods rich in nutrients that should be included in the diet of a woman after menopause.
Fats: unsaturated fats reduce the risk of heart diseases and diabetes and should be therefore consumed in the daily diet of a woman after menopause. These include skimmed milk, nuts, olive oil, peanut butter, avocados etc. While eating these sources of unsaturated fats is necessary, avoiding those with saturated fats is also necessary for a menopausal woman.
Carbohydrates: carbohydrates are one of the essential macro-nutrients that supply the body with energy. Wholegrain cereals like oats, rice, barley and cornmeal, starchy vegetables like potatoes, yams, green peas, brown bread and wholemeal pasta are rich sources of carbohydrates that should be included in the diet of a menopausal woman.
Protein: meat products, eggs, nuts, beans and lentils, yogurt, cottage cheese and soy milk are some of the protein rich sources that should be included in the diet of a woman after menopause. Proteins tend to increase the immunity and save from various illnesses and infections.
Calcium: this is yet another important mineral nutrient that the body of woman approaching menopause lacks. Dairy products like, cheese, yogurt, milk, green leafy vegetables like broccoli, cabbage, soya beans and tofu are some of the rich sources of calcium. In order to prevent disease like osteoporosis and maintain a good bone health even in old ages, calcium rich foods should be incorporated in the diet of a menopausal women.