What is menopause?
Menopause corresponds to the cessation of ovarian activity, resulting in the cessation of menstruation. It occurs most often between the ages of 45 and 55.
For women, this transition period can be delicate.
Peri-menopause can occur two to seven years before menopause. During this period, certain disorders are already felt and can sometimes be more intense than after menopause.
Menstrual cycles start to yo-yo with long cycles or no cycle at all. The symptoms of menopause evolve depending on the imbalance between estrogen and progesterone.
What are the first signs of menopause?
The physical and emotional experience varies greatly depending on each woman. It also seems to depend on the culture from which one comes: in Asia for example, women welcome this change and a study was able to observe reduced physical and psychological signs.
Giving little importance to the cessation of menstruation could therefore reduce the symptoms.
THE first signs of menopause are often hot flashes and night sweats , some joint pain , painful sexual intercourse , depression, hair loss, weight gain and chronic fatigue.
Fortunately, there are some solutions to combat the symptoms of menopause.
How to live through menopause?
To live this delicate period well, you need to rethink your diet with common sense and eat better so as not to gain weight.
Our advices:
- Avoid excess caffeine and alcohol
- Favor unprocessed foods
- Give plenty of space to plants: fresh vegetables and fruits, legumes, herbs, semi-complete cereals, etc.
- Also favor essential and unsaturated fatty acids.
In order to avoid weight gain, it is also recommended to practice regular physical activity; this practice contributes to reducing the frequency of hot flashes, prevents osteoporosis, hypertension and cardiovascular pathologies.
Incidentally, it will bring you a better quality of life.
Vitamin D is a main asset during peri-menopause and menopause. Remember to expose yourself to the sun daily, this practice can reduce the risk of osteoporosis.
Discover our food supplements suitable for menopause .
What foods to promote during menopause?
It is recommended to eat fruits and vegetables with every meal
Choose the right sources of fat and protein.
To preserve bone mass as much as possible, promote intake of vitamins D 4 and B 12 as well as calcium.
It is also recommended to increase your daily dietary fiber intake.
Soy is your best ally. These are natural plant estrogens (isoflavones) that can compensate for the loss of estrogen.
We have listed for you the most favorable* foods to provide your metabolism with all the nutrients it needs during menopause:
Starches and pulses: soybeans, potatoes, sweet potatoes, coral lentils, white beans, semolina gnocchi
Vegetables: Tomatoes, endives, Brussels sprouts, lettuce, arugula, broccoli, fennel, leeks, green beans, asparagus, celeriac, celery stalks, peas, cucumbers, carrots, artichokes, chard, squash, fresh soybeans
Fish and meat: salmon, oysters, fish roe, hake, beef, time, scallops, shrimp, egg, tofu
Fruits: apricots, apple, avocado, banana, wall, blueberry, figs, grapefruit, grapes, lemon, lychee, orange, apples
Miscellaneous: mozzarella, butter, cinnamon, curry, basil, mint, olive oil, grapeseed oil, almonds, hazelnuts, yogurt, sheep's milk, nuts, sunflower seeds, soy milk, soy yogurt
Menopause: a menu against hot flashes
MORNING
- Soy yogurt, wheat petals, nuts and kiwi, ginseng honey
- Orange/pomelo juice
NOON
- Red peppers with garlic and vinaigrette
- Creamy Spinach Salmon (*recipe)
- Fragrant rice
- Greek yogurt with honey
- Khaki
SNACK
- Vanilla soy milk
- Hazelnut and cinnamon biscuits
- Ginger and lemon tea
EVENING
- Asparagus soup
- Garlic and carrot chicken with semolina gnocchi and sweet potatoes
- Goat cheese
- Sesame bread
- Vanilla semolina cake
The recipe for salmon with creamy spinach, anti-hot flashes
List of ingredients
- • 4 salmon fillets, skin removed
- • 2 tablespoons of lemon juice
- • 1 tablespoon of olive oil
- • 90g of fresh sheep's cheese
- • 200g frozen leaf spinach, thawed
- • Salt and pepper to taste
- • 1 tablespoon (15 g) + 1 tablespoon (for the sauce) minced garlic
- • 4 tablespoons (60 ml) lemon juice
- • 100 ml light cream
- • 1 tablespoon fresh dill
For the preparation
- Place the salmon fillets on a flat surface and season them on both sides with salt, pepper, and lemon juice.
- Cut a slit about 3/4 of the way through, being careful not to cut all the way through the fish.
- Squeeze the spinach to release excess liquid
- In a medium bowl, combine the spinach, sheep's cheese and garlic. Salt and pepper.
- Garnish the salmon slits with 1-2 tablespoons of the spinach mixture and spread it evenly with the back of the spoon.
- Heat oil in a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add the salmon and cook until golden brown (about 6 to 7 minutes).
- Carefully flip and cook on the other side until golden and cooked through (another 6-7 minutes, depending on the size of your fillets).
- Melt the garlic in the lemon juice in a pan and add 100 ml of light cream, top and sprinkle with dill leaves.
- Serve hot with fragrant rice or potatoes and top with the delicious lemon sauce while still hot.
* non-exhaustive list. The foods mentioned are the richest in nutrients favorable to menopause, this does not mean that we must eliminate the others
