This topic is huge at the moment!. You may have heard these buzz words all the time- ‘perimenopause gut health’, ‘Menopause and digestive health’.
So why is the topic gut health and menopause and perimenopause so important and talked about? As well as bloating, constipation, reflux being symptoms of menopause, you may also be tackling other conditions such as PCOS, endometriosis, and menstrual cycle disorders which may benefit from certain lifestyle modifications.
Here’s just a few reasons why eating ‘well’ is so important:
📷Reducing burden on the liver and other organs, in turn responsible for preventing insulin resistance, diabetes/ metabolic syndrome, heart disease.
📷Reducing bloating and constipation
📷Reducing hot flushes
📷Increasing energy levels- stopped that mid morning/afternoon ‘slump’
📷Maintaining muscle mass and preventing osteoporosis
📷Reducing stress and inflammation on your gut can help with overall mood symptoms due to major link between the gut and brain
📷Bladder and vaginal symptoms. Like the gut, vaginal microbiome can be influenced by food and drinks. PH changes can increase the risk of infections such as cystitis and thrush.
What things can help take care of our bowels:
📷Drink plenty of water and eat lots of fibre to help with gut motility and aid elimination of toxins out of the body
📷Increase probiotics and fermented foods such as sauerkraut, kimchi can help digestion and reduce bloating
📷Limit meat (especially red, fatty) and eat more rainbow vegetables and proteins such as eggs, fish, pulses for a variety of nutrients, increasing gut motility, and keeping us fuller for longer
📷Avoid saturated, fried fats and switch to essential fats (such as omega oils food in fish such as sardines, salmon, mackerel)
📷Have gaps of 4 hours between foods to allow the gut to rest between meals (gut processing of food takes a lot of energy. By allowing the gut to rest, allows energy to be used elsewhere)
📷Increase movement and exercise to increase gut motility and reduce the ‘slump’
Contact us so we can support you with lifestyle and medical advice
To book an appointment, visit berkshiremenopauseclinic.com
