The menopause diet plan
It's so easy, just three regular meals and one or two snacks a day. Try to stay away from booze, caffeine and spicy foods as these can make hot flushes worse. You may also need to experiment a little with foods that you don't normally eat such as tofu, soya milk and nuts and seeds. Drink plenty of water, aim for 6-8 glasses a day - you may find this gives you more energy and helps to flush out any urinary infections, such as cystitis, which is a common side-effect of the menopause.
Choose from any of these snacks - you can have two a day:
- A handful of red grapes or blueberries
- A handful of dried cranberries, dried apricots or dried figs
- A handful of almonds, peanuts or walnuts
- An apple, banana or an orange
- Two oatcakes, any variety
- A small pot of low-fat fruit yogurt - soya yogurt is best but if you can't get it or you don't like it, don't worry
- A small pot of low-fat fruit fromage frais
- A small bowl of home-made fruit salad (pictured: Anthony Worrall-Thompson's herby fruit salad)
Choose from one of these breakfasts each day:
- A bowl of porridge made with soya milk or semi-skimmed milk, sweetened with a teaspoon of honey or a pinch of salt
- A large slice of melon with fresh berries and flaked almonds
- Two slices of wholegrain toast with low-fat margarine and either Marmite or low-fat soft cheese
- Grilled oily fish of your choice (mackerel, haddock, salmon, sardines, pilchards) with grilled tomatoes and mushrooms
- A bowl of wholegrain cereal with soya milk or semi-skimmed milk
- Soya yogurt or low-fat plain yogurt with a tablespoon of muesli and a tablespoon of dried fruit
- A poached egg on a wholemeal bagel or on a thick slice of wholegrain toast
Choose from one of these lunches each day:
- Avocado salad with crispy bacon
- Couscous salad, mix couscous with any choice of chopped veg or try our couscous, chickpea and salmon salad
- Jacket potato with tuna, baked beans, cottage cheese or vegetarian soya mince
- Wholemeal pitta filled with chicken, tuna or low-fat cheese and salad
- A small two-egg omlette with fresh chopped vegetables of your choice
- Cauliflower cheese soup
- Pasta salad with a handful of seeds and marinated tofu - you can find this in the supermarket with the vegetarian foods, or try our fusilli, broccoli and egg salad
Choose from one of these dinners each day:
- Grilled, seared or poached salmon or tuna with mashed potatoes and peas
- Sesame and honey chicken with a green salad
- Braised lamb with mixed beans and pulses - we've got an easy recipe for Lamb and bean casserole
- Stir-fried tofu with green vegetables - have a go at our Sesame and chilli tofu with mangetout
- Roasted vegetables with pasta or rice mixed with chopped chicken or ham or egg if you're a vegetarian
- Instead of a Chinese takeaway, try this easy noodles with tofu
- Roast beef with cranberries, roast potatoes, carrots and green beans with almonds
Where to next?
Get more information on the menopauseRead one woman's story of the menopause
Chat to other goodtoknow users about the menopause
10 ways to lose your belly!
Find out about superfoods
Do foods affect your mood?
By Louise O'Connell
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amanda baxtersture, 10 months
i have gone through your tips on diets and the menopause. but you dont give any advice on diets after the menopause and that is what i am looking for, i had a full hysterectony 7 years ago and since them my weight as gone up by 3 stone i eat the same dont drink as much booze cut right down on the smoking. so could you please give me some tips
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chrissy beadle, 3 months
Are you excercising daily? This is very important as well as eating healthily. As a matter of interest are you keeping a 'food diary'? This really helps with remembering what you have eaten - it can be surprising what we actually eat against what we think we eat in a day (we usually eat quite a bit more than we think we do!). Eat smalller portions more regularly - I am finding all of the above is helping me to stave off unwanted pounds. As I go through the 'change' I have comitted to making changes to my lifestyle - one is cutting out booze as I used to drink a lot socially but now have stopped this - it is hard as friends still do this but I have found substitute 'hobbies' with other likeminded people - taken up horse riding again, joined an army fitness class and aim to start yoga next week - all these things are part of my plan to manage the symptoms of mid life changes!! I am changing my attitude too but if cash is an issue then there are plenty of things that you could do that cost nothing - walking / jogging or joining a local volunteer group that involves physcial excercise such as coservation, etc. Go for it!
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