Unfortunately, women gain more weight than men. Hormones change every month due to the menstrual cycle during adolescence, through marriage and subsequent pregnancies, after childbirth, and forty-five years after menopause, which manifest at this time with significant changes that make the female body more comfortable with weight gain.
After the thirties, there is a metabolic slowdown of 2-4% every ten years, but after menopause this slowdown increases to 5-10%. This slowdown varies depending on the person’s existing muscle tissue and the age of onset of menopause. Obesity can then inevitably occur. So the arms and legs thin out and the abdominal circumference becomes fatty. This fat around the abdomen increases blood fats, worsens liver function, insulin resistance and provides a direct basis for diabetes.
With all these metabolic changes, the protective effects of the hormone estrogen in the body disappear. Premenopausal women have at least 3-4 times more cardiovascular benefits than men. However, when women enter menopause, this favorable situation ceases and they begin to succumb to the risk of many diseases at the same rate as men. Especially during this period, weight gain not only thickens the circumference of the waist, but also increases the risk of infections. After the age of 50, the risk of hip fracture in women increases every two years. After the age of 65, spinal fracture is found in many women.
3 important nutritional elements during menopause
1. Salt
It is very important to maintain bone health during menopause. As the protective effects of estrogen on bone disappear, bone resorption begins in women. One of the most important parameters that accelerate bone destruction is the consumption of excess salt. As salt is eliminated from the body, it absorbs calcium and accelerates resorption.
Tip: it is better to stay away from foods high in salt: olives, pickled grape leaves, soy sauce, mineral water, salty cheeses, salami, sausages, frankfurters, fried delicacies, salted cookies and chips.
2. Protein.
To get rid of weight gain during menopause, fast protein-heavy diets are sometimes considered to lose weight because the high protein content brings a lot of fat into the body. Foods rich in saturated fat increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, and breast cancer. At the same time, excess protein increases urinary calcium excretion and accelerates bone resorption. Consumption of red meat, chicken and fish, offal and eggs should be controlled.
3. Calcium.
The first condition to fight osteoporosis is to take adequate and balanced calcium from childhood. You should not forget to take 800-1500 mg of calcium per day after the arrival of menopause. Milk, cheese, yogurt, sludge, buttermilk, kefir, molasses, sesame, almonds, dried figs, and nuts are rich in calcium. However, adequate intake of vitamin D is also very important. You can sunbathe with your arms and legs open for about half an hour every day in summer between 11-15 hours.
Should stay away from the following products
- The three white elements: flour, salt and sugar
- French fries and fatty foods, baked goods
- Consumption of up to 5 cups of coffee per day
- Smoking and alcohol are the main enemies
Miracle foods during menopause
- Flaxseed, flaxseed meal
- Pulses, wheat and oat bran
- Yogurt, milk
- Fish
- Walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts
These nutrients exhibit partial estrogen-like effects on the body. Unless one has a history of breast or uterine cancer, regular consumption of these foods will ease menopausal symptoms and protect the bones.
In conclusion, it is worth remembering that with the sudden weight gain in menopause, women are quick to target weight loss and resort to improper diets.
Every wrong diet causes a person to gain more weight than the weight they had before the diet.
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At the same time there is deterioration of bone health, increased tendency to osteoporosis, also such diets make the immune system not function properly.
