Ageing is a natural process that happens to us all but the greatest thing is we are able to make the choice to take back some control through nutrition and lifestyle choices.

As perimenopausal and menopausal women, armed with the knowledge that we need to increase our protein intake to support declining muscle mass and to maintain and repair every cell in our bodies, is so powerful!

Knowing and understanding more and more about perimenopause helps us all to empower ourselves and take back some control over some of the more detrimental effects of peri.

Perimenopause symptoms like dry skin, increase in weight, losing muscle mass and bone density are due to our bodies being in a pro-inflammatory state thanks to perimenopause hormones. What we choose to eat and do everyday can have a big impact on how we experience those symptoms and the severity of each. 

Nutrition Plan for Perimenopausal Women in 40s and 50s

1. Eat Anti-Inflammatory Foods

What are anti-inflammatory foods? 

• Vegetables: eat lots! They increase phytonutrients (naturally occurring plant chemicals that are anti-inflammatory) and antioxidants
• Tomatoes
• Olive oil
• Green leafy vegetables: spinach, kale, and collards
• Nuts like almonds and walnuts
• Fatty fish like salmon, mackerel, tuna, and sardines
• Fruits such as strawberries, blueberries, cherries, and oranges.

Why Eat Anti-Inflammatory Food in Perimenopause?

Eating anti-inflammatory foods will reduce inflammation in your body which in turn will reduce the severity of perimenopause symptoms (even getting rid of them all together!) and prevent chronic disease in later years. 

More here about how to deal with inflammation. 

2. Eat Protein At Every Meal During Perimenopause Years

The Perimenopause Protein Rule 

Your need for protein increases from approximately 1g per kg of body weight to approximately 1.2g per body weight daily.

Why Do You Need To Eat Protein During Perimenopause?

In perimenopause the decline in oestrogen is linked to decreased muscle mass and bone strength, so it’s a time where you need to make sure you are eating enough protein to maintain your muscle mass and bone strength.

As well as muscle mass, protein provides the amino acids needed for maintenance and repair of every cell in your body. 

Read more here about protein during perimenopause.

3. Eat Healthy Fats in Perimenopause

What Are Healthy Fats? 

Some example of Omega-3 fats are:

• Oily fish
• Chia seed
• Flax seeds
• Walnuts, pecans, hazelnuts
• Tahini
• Seaweed
• Grassfed meat
• Avocados  
• Good quality butter
• Olive oil
• Eggs.

Why Should You Include Healthy Fats During Perimenopause?

Healthy fats such as Omega 3’s help reduce inflammation and can reduce perimenopause symptoms such as hot flashes.  Good fats also help your brain function, maintain steady energy and preserve your skin. 

Read more here about the Top Ten Foods in Perimenopause.

Other Things You Can Do To Help Reduce Perimenopause Symptoms

1. Move every day!

Movement is so important for so many reasons:

• Kick into a healthy state of mind
• Reducing anxiety
• Building muscle mass
• Maintaining weight
• Improving circulation
• Digestion
• Boosting/supporting immunity and
• Boosting metabolism. 

2. Practising Good Sleep Hygiene

Whilst getting a good night sleep during perimenopause can be tricky at the best of times, there are things you can do to improve your chances.   Read more here about what you can do to get a better night sleep.

Better sleep helps improve energy levels, mood, perimenopausal symptoms, metabolism and our relationships.

3. Reduce Stress Where You Can

Lots of stress can make our perimenopause symptoms so much worse (grrrrr!).  Stress can be caused by things outside of our control however how we respond to those things?  That sits within our control. 

There are things we can do to also reign it in by having a focus on proactive relaxation:

• Check in with yourself on the regular:
  
  
• How am I feeling right now?
• Am I breathing into my belly nice, steady and slowly?
• Feeling stress in the body?  Can I look at this situation differently?
• Can I give myself permission to take 5 to regroup myself?

If you can, prioritise time for yourself every day and make time to do the things that relax you.

Work in some lovely daily nighttime rituals to end the day relaxed and help you sleep better too. Some ideas for you here.

Let's Wrap This Up!

Perimenopause is a time when our bodies are going through a ton of changes as our hormonal levels adapt to a new normal.

Our perimenopause bodies are in a pro-inflammatory state which can increase the risk of chronic disease later in life.  It's important to support our bodies now before we proceed to the next chapter of our lives. 

Supporting your beautiful body through great nutrition and lifestyle choices means you can enjoy decades of a healthy post-menopausal life.

So be sure to nourish your body every day with divine unprocessed whole foods such as olive oil, avocados, fish and lots of vegetables and choose a form of movement you enjoy every day.