Squiz Shortcuts Series: Managing menopause

Welcome to our Squiz Shortcuts Series on menopause and perimenopause. Today, it’s about strategies that can help…

If you’re a woman around this age, there's a fair chance your social media feed is chock-full of products promising to make you 21yo again… In fact, a Senate inquiry into menopause recently heard that it’s become a "shameful marketing war zone" where claims are unsubstantiated.

You told us you wanted some quality information, so we’ve pulled together this 3-part series with the facts of what can actually help during perimenopause and menopause. And in this second edition, Monash Uni dietician Dr Stephanie Pirotta will help us tackle:

• how diet can help manage the symptoms;

• the facts about how much protein we need;

• and the lifestyle changes that can really help.

Prefer to watch this?

You can listen to the podcast here or tune in on YouTube - and hit subscribe while you’re at it. And scroll on for the highlights of our conversation.  

Feeling good with Dr Stephanie Pirotta

Dr Steph - what’s the best jumping off point here?
The first thing is that it's really important that women eat regularly during the day - that they don't restrict. We do need to get adequate nutrients, and it's just a time when I see a lot of women limiting their intake to influence their body shape.

A girl’s gotta eat…
Exactly… Now, in terms of the nutrients that you need during this perimenopause and menopausal time, you do need to focus on adequate protein. We actually need more muscle mass, and we need to be protective against osteoporosis and osteopenia. Sufficient protein is about 1.2 grams per kilo of your body weight per day.

Is the average woman getting enough protein?
No. Because again, people tend to restrict or undereat. So we need to have breakfast, lunch, and dinner. We need to not just be relying on dinner as the main source of our nutrients, and we need to be making sure that we are having at least 100/150 grams of whatever the protein is. Chicken, red meat, fish, tofu, beans, legumes, nuts and seeds, or eggs as well.

Sounds like my morning bowl of muesli isn’t going to cut it…
I mean, it's a great start… But we need to do more than that - so add some Greek yoghurt, for example, because it’s more satisfying. Then we can add some nuts and seeds in there.

What if I’m still struggling to get enough protein?
Sometimes people enjoy protein powders, which are great. They're excellent 1-2 hours after a strength training session or an exercise session, when you mightn’t feel like eating. That's when we have the greatest uptake of protein in that time period.

Ok that’s protein covered. What else is on the list?
We also need adequate vitamin D, and adequate vitamin C.  

Why are they so important?
So with vitamin C, that’s important for bone formation, so that helps reduce osteoporosis risk. Also, magnesium is really important - again for muscle health - and we do tend to have a reduced intake around this time. Calcium is also a really important one - around 1,000-1,200 milligrams a day. So that’s 3 serves of dairy to help with adequate bone density, then vitamin D helps with the calcium absorption and again bone formation. 

What about other supplements?
Totally fine. And sometimes we do need that, right? Sometimes we actually don't get enough through our food. So having an Omega-3, for example, is great - some people don’t like fish. We also know that vitamin D is pretty limited in terms of food, and it is more of a sunshine vitamin, so having a supplement is really common. Another supplement that has become quite popular during this time is what's called creatine. And that can help a lot because there is an increase in muscle breakdown during this time.

Can diet help with things like hot flushes or night sweats?
There definitely is evidence that what we eat can help reduce the severity of these symptoms. For example, having more fruit, having more vegetables, and having what we call phytoestrogens through soy-based proteins - so that's tofu or soy milk, for example. 

Haven’t those phytoestrogens had some bad press?
Yes, there was a time people thought they weren’t great because they're going to mimic oestrogen. But now with more data and higher quality research over the last few years, we now know they are actually helping to reduce the severity of some symptoms like those hot flushes in some women..  

But not for everyone?
No, it depends on every person. So for some women, it's not enough, and they need medical therapies. But some people don't need the medical therapies and lifestyle management alone is enough.

Let’s talk about our bones…
Bone density is formed quite early in life, particularly when we are children and in early adulthood. Bone mineral density kind of peaks between 25-30yo. The main aim as adults is we want to try and maintain that density by having adequate calcium through dairy, but also animal-based and plant-based foods and vegetables.

Sometimes all the advice can get overwhelming…
It's much more simple than people think. Don't overthink it.

Give us the cheatsheet…
Have your breakfast within one hour of waking. We need carbohydrates during this time, we need protein, and we need healthy fats for optimal hormonal balance. We need 1-2 snacks a day - the snacks need to have some protein and carbohydrates in them. All of that will reduce our risk of wanting to snack on the more ultra-processed foods later in the day.

The old 3pm sugar craving…
Yep, that's very normal… But it also tells us that we probably haven't eaten enough protein in the day. And then if you feel like having a bit of a snack after dinner, try to leave it 2-3 hours before sleeping. Ideally, it's a 12-hour window that’s a healthy eating principle for everyone.

And that helps us sleep better?
Eating carbohydrates and adequate protein 2-3 hours before bed - and also just through the whole day - helps increase tryptophan (an amino acid) and melatonin levels, which will help improve our sleep quality. On the flip side, we do know that more processed foods with a higher sugar content will lead to poorer sleep outcomes.

What about a glass of vino?
Look, even one glass of wine or one beer will have an impact on your sleep. And many people think “oh, I sleep better when I have alcohol”. But it is a bit of a myth. You think that you've slept, but it has a sedative effect, so you don't have that good quality sleep. And even the smallest amount will do that.

What about exercise?
It’s about a mixture of cardio and weight resistance training. The resistance training ideally is 30-45 minutes 3 times a week. And then outside of the time, minimising our sedentary time - so trying to get up every 2-3 hours or so is really important.

Simples…
It doesn't have to be over-complicated. There are a lot of things that are bombarded at us as women. But just go back to the basics and enjoy food. Enjoy food, enjoy your body. Enjoy socialising without guilt or shame - but do it in a way that's not going to compromise your health as well.

Real talk about menopause nutrition

Your body has some pretty specific needs during this time, and getting the right nutrients can make a real difference. WelleCo makes premium plant-based supplements designed for this stage of life, focusing on the nutrients that actually matter during perimenopause, menopause and post-menopause. Their range is built around supporting your body through these changes naturally, with a combination of 40+ premium ingredients... Squizers can try their products with a 15% discount code SQUIZN15 - it’s worth checking out if you're looking for some nutritional backup.

Onto our Recommendations

Reading - Some top tips on perimenopause/menopause nutrition from the experts at Jean Hailes for Women’s Health and the CSIRO.

Following - If you haven’t got on to the UK’s over-50 sensation carolinescircuits - she’s a bit of a weapon and has got lots of free/beginner resistance workouts.

Sharing - We reckon you’ll have a few people in your life who would benefit from the information we’re pulling together in this series. Please share this email with them, or if they’re podcast people, send them to the Squiz Today show on their podcasting app, and this episode is clearly marked in the feed.

Start this series at the beginning…