Mind Your Menopause with Good Nutrition

Did you Know?
What your body is trying to tell you:

Bloating, breast tenderness, heavy periods → high estrogen

Hot flashes, night sweats, dryness → low estrogen

Hormonal changes are not the only possible causes for these issues. To fully understand, we need to look at the complete picture, including your health history.

Here’s what more women need to know:

Perimenopause can begin as early as age 35. It’s common for progesterone to decline before estrogen, creating a picture of high estrogen. That means…

👉 Worsening PMS, bloating, and heavy periods rather than what you might be expecting from “menopause.”

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The good news is that lifestyle, nutrition, and supplementation can support healthy hormones and ease the transition with lifestyle, nutrition, and supplementation.

Maybe you’ve heard that estrogen fuels breast cancer risk but not all estrogens are equal.

But did you know that there are many different estrogen metabolites and some present a greater risk than others?

Also, estrogen metabolites interact with genetics, liver enzymes, antioxidants, and other biochemical pathways to ultimately determine breast cancer risk. 

Meaning estrogen is only part of the puzzle 🧩

Some things we can do for healthy estrogen metabolism include:

▪️ Support estrogen elimination from the gut with fiber-rich foods, probiotics, and supplements like calcium-d-glucarate

▪️  Support estrogen metabolism in the liver with sulfur-rich foods (like onions, garlic, broccoli, cauliflower, and Brussels sprouts) and antioxidant supplements like resveratrol

▪️ Support production of more favorable estrogen metabolites with supplements like DIM (diindolylmethane) and I3C (indole-3-carbinol)

The best approach is one that is personalized to YOU. 

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If you are looking to strike the perfect balance of hormonal health today and disease risk reduction down the road, we are here to help. 

Lagniappe Health Tip

The Registered Dietitians at A Lagniappe Lifestyle can help you optimize your nutrition to mind your menopause.

Here are our recommendations to support hormone health at ANY stage:

✔️ Eat high-quality proteins and healthy fats

✔️ Manage stress and support adrenals with nutrients and adaptogens

✔️ Support liver health with antioxidants for healthy hormone metabolism

✔️ Optimize gut and digestion with fiber, probiotics, and an anti-inflammatory diet 

✔️ Build muscle strength and a healthy metabolism with resistance training

In The News

What the research says ⬇️

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Phytoestrogens are plant compounds in foods that mimic estrogen. They include:

✔️ Isoflavones in soy

✔️ Lignans in flax seeds

✔️ Resveratrol in wine 

Research shows that eating more phytoestrogens is correlated with a lower risk of breast cancer in women before menopause and a lower risk of breast cancer recurrence in women after menopause (PMID 35241506 and 38070485).

How much?

The most risk reduction was in women who ate about 60 mg of soy isoflavones per day, or 2-3 servings of soy. 

One caveat is that soy is a common allergen, often genetically engineered, and highly processed so look for organic soy products that are minimally processed—like tofu, tempeh, miso, and edamame. 

Want more tips to mind your menopause? Reach out to Robin or Mindy at A Lagniappe Lifestyle and start your nutrition therapy journey sooner rather than later!

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