Improving your diet

It's important to think about what you are eating for two reasons:

• Making changes to your diet might help to reduce some of the symptoms of the menopause
• Your diet can help to reduce the risk of osteoporosis, heart disease and stroke all of which become more common after the menopause.

Diet and symptoms of the menopause

Many women have found that what they eat can help to reduce some of the symptoms of the menopause. You might have heard about the 'menopause cake' which is rich in ingredients such as linseed and soya flour that have high levels of substances called phytoestrogens. The term 'phyto' means plant and these substances are essentially plant versions of the female sex hormone oestrogen.

Research has shown that eating a diet rich in phytoestrogens can help to reduce hot flushes. A trial that compared daily supplements of 45 grams of soya flour with 45grams of wheat flour found that women who had added soya flour to their diet had a more rapid and continuous reduction in their hot flushes than the women consuming wheat flour. On average the soy flour group experienced a 40 per cent reduction in their hot flushes and the wheat flour group experienced a 25 per cent reduction.

Much has yet to be explained and understood about these substances and research is continuing into the effects of phytoestrogens on health. 

It's interesting to note that Japanese women, whose traditional diet is full of phytoestrogens, do not have a term for hot flushes and the symptom is virtually unknown there. 

Foods rich in in phytoestrogens

Virtually everything we eat that comes from plants contains phytoestrogens. This includes grains, beans, nuts, seeds, seed oils, berries, fruits, vegetables, and roots. Particular foods that are high in phytoestrogens are:

• Pulses (especially chick peas and lentils)
• Soya beans
• Cereals and grasses
• Legumes (such as peas and beans)
• Red clover
• Citrus fruit
• Linseed

The 'menopause cake' is made from soya flour, soya milk, pumpkin seeds, raisins, linseeds, sesame seeds, nuts of any kind and extra dried fruit or apple, plus spices to taste.

Soya is an excellent source of high quality protein, is low in saturated fats and is cholesterol free. Soya foods include tofu, tempeh, textured vegetable protein (chunks, mince etc), miso, soya sauces, soya oil and margarine, and soya dairy alternatives. The phytoestrogen content of soya products tends to reduce with the processing - the greater the degree of processing, the fewer phytoestrogens.

Phytoestrogens extracted from soya are now available in capsule form. These can be used as an alternative to eating large amounts of soya, or as a supplement if your diet already has some soya content. As with all supplements make sure you stay within the recommended dose as taking too much could be harmful.

Diet and general health

Eating a healthy diet is more important than ever during and after the menopause. The drop in oestrogen levels that happens at the menopause leaves women more at risk of osteoporosis (thin, fragile bones), heart disease and stroke. Eating healthily is vital in reducing your risk of developing these conditions.

Coronary heart disease is the most common cause of death in women aged 50 and over. To keep your heart and circulatory system healthy it is crucial to eat the right fats and to lower the intake of all fats.

Diet can play a big part in preventing osteoporosis and keeping bones strong, calcium and vitamin D are the two main nutrients to think about.