Why is the Mediterranean Style Diet the best diet for the Midlife Woman?
The Mediterranean Diet has received a lot of attention over the years as the ‘go to’ diet for good health, but why is it considered the best diet for the midlife woman?
If you know anything about perimenopause (the years leading up to menopause) and the post menopause years, you will know that women’s hormones change and we begin to produce less estrogen.
Estrogen has over 400 different functions in the female body, it keeps our heart, bones and brains healthy to name a few. As estrogen declines, our risk of diseases such as heart disease, osteoporosis and alzheimers increase.
Menopause doesn’t sound like a lot of fun for the female body, so the more that you know and the better prepared you are, the easier the transition will be.
"Because the Mediterranean diet is rich in plant foods, it is also rich in sources of weak oestrogen’s which are hugely beneficial to the female body at midlife".
I am a big believer in ‘hormone therapy’ to replace lost hormones during menopause as and when a woman needs them, suffering in silence is unnecessary and can in fact be hugely detrimental to a woman's overall health and wellbeing. If you are struggling with symptoms, see a GP who specialises in women’s hormones, don’t wait until things are really bad before you ask for help. This being said, you can and should also be working on diet and lifestyle changes that will benefit your body and make it easier to manage some of the symptoms of menopause hormone changes.
Going back to the Mediterranean diet and why it is so beneficial for midlife women. As I mentioned above, peri and post menopause women have less circulating estrogen and begin to experience health related problems as a result of this loss. Because the Mediterranean diet is rich in plant foods, it is also rich in sources of weak oestrogen’s which are hugely beneficial to the female body at midlife. Add to this the abundance of fibre in fruits & vegetables which feed gut bacteria, lowering inflammation and in turn improving brain function. Protein from seafood, poultry, legumes and dairy make this diet one that you also rely on when recovering from exercise and need to replenish your protein stores for optimal muscle recovery and growth. This diet is also rich in polyphenols from olive oil, berries and spices, another wonderful source of food for your ‘healthy’ gut bacteria. What’s not to love!
"This is the perfect opportunity to take care of yourself, so that the next part of your life can be filled with health, and vitality".
This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to how the Mediterranean diet can benefit a woman’s health during midlife. I hope it is an incentive to add more plants, spices and good quality olive oil to your diet. This is the perfect opportunity to take care of yourself, so that the next part of your life can be filled with health, and vitality.