The Menopause & Diet Part 2

As we know many symptoms of the Menopause are brought on by the result of falling levels of oestrogen.  One way to counteract this is by having a diet, that is based around plant oestrogens, also known as phytoestrogens, along with antioxidant rich fruit and vegetables.

Phytoestrogens are chemicals derived from certain plants.  They are classified as 'natural' foods.  They can be further broken down into 'ligans' and 'isoflavones'.  Ligans are found in seeds, whole grains and some fruit and vegetables.  Isoflavones are found in beans, pulses and soya.  Phytoestrogens have a similar structure to the female hormone oestrogen.  When eaten they bind to the oestrogen receptors and act like hormone regulators and give a boost to falling oestrogen levels. 

There is evidence to suggest that many ladies in Asia, China and Japan have a far less incidence of coronary heart disease, stroke, osteoporosis and some female cancers including breast and ovarian.  They also seem to suffer far less from mood swings and hot sweats, just a couple of the symptoms of the menopause.  Could this be down to lifestyle and nutrition choices, some experts say yes.  They agree that ' activity that works your joints as well as your heart and lungs 3 - 5 times per week, and a diet based around fruit, vegetables, whole grains and a meat, fish or alternative protein source eaten little and often' is what we should all be aiming for (not just menopausal women).

Phytoestrogens can be taken as a supplement, check your local health food shop or in dietary form, some of the best sources are included below:

• Cereals & Grains: Oats, barley, rye, brown rice, cous cous, buck wheat and bulgar wheat.
• Seeds: Sunflower, poppy, flaxseeds, linseed, sesame and pumpkin.
• Beans & Pulses: Haricot beans, kidney beans, broad beans, mung beans, peas, lentils and soya products including soya beans, soya milk and soya supplements.

Side Note:  If some of these foods are new to you, I would suggest adding them slowly into your diet to make sure sure you do not have an adverse reaction. 

Another important group are fruits and vegetables high in 'antioxidants'.  These help build up our defences to help fight off 'free radicals' that are unstable reactive cells that can cause untold damage through our bodies.  So always get a minimum of 5 a day of fruit and veggies to send the free radicals packing! 

Below is the ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity) scale.  This scale is a way of scoring fruit and vegetables on how effective they are in combating harmful free radicals.  All the foods in this table will significantly raise the antioxidant levels in your blood as well as providing essential vitamins, minerals and fibre.

Top scoring Antioxidant Fruit and Vegetables
Fruit	ORAC score	Vegetable	ORAC score
Prunes *	5,770	Kale	1,770
Raisins *	2,830	Spinach	1,260
Blueberries	2,400	Brussels sprouts	980
Blackberries	2,036	Alfalfa sprouts	930
Strawberries	1,540	Broccoli	890
Raspberries	1,220	Beetroot	840
Plums	949	Red Peppers	710
Oranges	750	Onions	450
Red Grapes	739	Corn	400
Cherries	670	Aubergines	390
Kiwi Fruit	602	Cauliflower	337
Pink Grapefruit	483	Sweet potatoes	301
Banana	221	White potatoes	275
Apple	218	Tomato	189

            table courtesy of 'Food for Fitness' by Anita Bean

*The ORAC values of prunes and raisins appear higher because they contain very little water.

Implement some of the above foods into your diet and hopefully gain the benefits, remember its not just for menopausal ladies. But if you are one, and suffering silently, what have you got to lose, you never know you may gain a good nights sleep!

All the best,
Till next time
Amanda

http://www.mw-pt.co.uk/Personal-Training