Even though it’s a natural state for women, menopause can still be challenging. According to NCBI, Two out of three women experience nasty symptoms: hot flashes, mood swings, irritability, and weight gain. The only solution doctors offer is hormonal therapy; however, that’s not a favorable option for everyone. Fortunately, there are some natural ways to help menopause syndromes.
A lifestyle change is often necessary – you have to take a healthier approach to deal with menopause.
‘Changing your diet, starting exercise, taking supplements – if you’ve already incorporated these steps into your daily life, you won’t have problems dealing with symptoms naturally.
And even if you haven’t – it won’t take as much effort as you can imagine.
Living a healthy life isn’t that hard – and it definitely helps to combat menopause.
Here are several tips to help you deal with menopause naturally. Read on and start to feel better already.
Maintain a Healthy Diet
If you’ve been questioning yourself (or Google) how to go through menopause, the first answer is changing your diet.
If you want to maintain a healthy weight, get rid of hot flashes, and treat anxiety or irritability, here are some steps you can take.
Eat fruits and vegetables in generous amounts.
They’re low in calories and help you feel full, so it’ll be easier to maintain your normal weight.
They can prevent Osteoporosis and heart disease!
Go for probiotics.
They keep your digestive tract healthy – and a healthy gut can significantly impact your mood, joints, and immune system.
Of course, you may wonder: does probiotic make you gain weight?
Since probiotics differ, it is hard to answer that question with a simple yes or no.
The best idea is to check individual ingredients and how they might affect you.
Avoid Trigger Foods
Avoid trigger foods, like alcohol, caffeine, and sugary or spicy meals – they can easily trigger hot flashes and mood swings.
Eat more phytoestrogen-high food
Eat more phytoestrogen-high foods, like tofu, soybeans, flaxseeds, or beans.
They produce compounds that act like estrogen in your body, which reduces the severity of your symptoms.
Forget about sugar and processed foods.
Not only do they make you gain weight, but they also impact your irritability and tiredness.
They even increase the risk of depression!
Replace them with fruits – eat healthier.
Don’t skip meals.
Irregular eating is the first enemy of weight loss.
Eat more proteins.
This way, you prevent muscle mass loss and maintain a healthy weight.
Of course, if that’s not even close to your typical diet, it will be challenging.
However, eating healthy is essential for your health and is great for dealing with menopausal symptoms.
Exercise
Workouts won’t be able to treat your night sweats or hot flashes – but they have many more benefits.
Improving your energy levels during exercise will help with tiredness during the day.
Boosting metabolism will impact your weight loss positively.
Increased dopamine levels will help fight stress, anxiety, and irritability and provide better sleep.
Exercise has been proven (PubMed) to improve health-related life quality for menopausal women – It’s high time to start moving!
Drink Water
Decreased estrogen levels can cause dryness.
It may not be a critical condition, but it’s not nice.
Fortunately, it’s easily dealt with – drink 8 to 10 glasses of water daily and eliminate the problem.
However, that’s not the only reason why staying hydrated is important.
Reduced bloating and increased metabolism are the main benefits of drinking water regularly; also, drinking water 30 minutes before a meal makes you more likely to eat less – so it’s great for weight loss.
Don’t Be Afraid of Natural Supplements
While hormonal therapy scares many women, natural supplements have almost no side effects and can help you fight menopausal symptoms.
If your diet is not rich in phytoestrogens, prebiotics, and probiotics, take them additionally.
Black cohosh is often said to deal with hot flashes effectively – but the evidence is mixed.
Of course, supplements are not a cure for menopause, and if you want a significant effect, it’s better to combine them with other tips.
Before taking any medical supplements, make sure to do research beforehand, read the instructions, and get familiar with the possible outcomes.
The Bottom Line
Menopause doesn’t often seem like the happiest period in a woman’s life.
While it has its benefits, like no more PMS, periods, or child control, it makes you experience some nasty symptoms.
There’s also a higher risk of health problems, like osteoporosis, obesity, or heart diseases, not even starting on the psychological pressures.
However, it’s not time to worry.
You can go through menopause successfully – and while hormonal therapy is necessary in some cases, you can most often deal with the symptoms naturally.
There are only several simple steps to take: eat healthily, move more, and hydrate.
You are beginning a new stage in your life; live it happily and healthy.