Has menopause stolen the real you?

Advice from qualified nutritional therapist Gabriela Slater – creator of the Healthy Hormones Kitchen online course who is based in Wiltshire yet helps women across the UK

October is World Menopause Month; its aim is to raise awareness about menopause, highlight support options for improving health and wellbeing.

From hot flushes, anxiety to brain fog and constant tiredness, these are the kinds of complaints heard from many women going through perimenopause and menopause. The way your hormones have changed your body and mind can be very unpleasant, but putting on a brave face and coping with these symptoms to have a “normal” life is very common during this time.

I believe focusing on the symptoms of the menopause is not the most effective approach.

Symptoms such as sleeping problems, hot flushes, weight gain and low mood can all be signs of hormonal imbalance. To address them, you need to address the underlying imbalance causing them first. The most powerful tool to manage your symptoms is to regulate your blood sugar levels.

I suggest if you eat well balanced meals which contain a mix of quality proteins, good fats and complex carbohydrates, you can drastically improve your menopausal symptoms. This is because the combination helps to balance your blood sugar levels (and prevents a blood sugar roller-coaster) helping you to feel less irritable and tense, improve your mood and energy levels.

Similarly, cut out the bad stuff. Read labels for any hidden sugar as it can come under many different names including sucrose, glucose, glucose syrup, maltose, dextrose, inverted sugar syrup, to name a few.

Ensure that you eat good sources of omega 3 fatty acids as they have a major role in hormonal balance, health of the nervous system (the brain contains approximately 60 per cent fat) and are anti-inflammatory. The best sources are sardines, mackerel, anchovies, salmon and herring.

I have 20 years’ experience of working with women with hormonal imbalances. My passion for helping women to feel good and achieve their optimum health and wellbeing stems from my own experience of dietary and lifestyle changes on my own health.

I have created Healthy Hormones Kitchen – Perimenopause which is an online course, for women who need guidance on food, lifestyle and self-care. With this, I aim to encourage women to start incorporating small changes to help living their best life whilst going through the stages of menopause.