Menopause Nutrition Basics - Part 3 - Drinks

Water

Consider the role of dehydration for a minute. A grape is well hydrated and looks plump, young and healthy, while a dehydrated raisin looks shriveled up and old. The difference is water. How much are you drinking every day? The minimum you should be drinking is 2 litres.

Something that is far more important than the quantity of water you are drinking, is the quality of water. Please invest in a quality water filter and stop drinking out of plastic water bottles. Glass or stainless steel bottle varieties are much safer.

Herbal teas

Herbal teas can be very delicious and helpful during menopause. The only word of warning here is that some women are triggered by drinking hot drinks if this is you try these as iced teas instead.

Sage is a traditional menopause tea used to help reduce excessive sweat. It also has calming, anti-inflammatory and memory enhancing qualities. The tea can be drunk with fresh or dried tea leaves.

Fennel tea is usually considered a digestive drink, good for bloating, gas and cramps but it’s also a good tea for menopause. It has been found to help reduce hot flushes and anxiety while improving sleep.

Green tea is thought of an aging well tea. It has anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Brain function enhancing and anxiety reducing components such as L-theanine. It may boost your metabolism and aid in blood sugar regulation and weight loss. It could also strengthen your bone metabolism and reduce your risk of breaks.

Alcohol

Alcohol can trigger hot flushes in many women. Red wine is a well-known culprit. You may play around with your drinks to see if you can find a drink that doesn't produce flushes, some women find they can tolerate a beer or a vodka based drink.

Something else to consider when decided whether to drink or not is that there is research around alcohol that looked at moderate drinkers being less likely to develop dementia and more likely to live a longer healthy life. The problem is, they defined moderate drinkers for women as having one standard drink most days. Our Western society seems to promote binge drinking over moderate drinking, and this is linked with increased risks such as dementia, depression, liver disease, kidney disease, heart disease, digestive disorders, and cancer. Remember this isn’t a 30-day challenge, it’s a lifestyle, I’m not asking you to quit drinking alcohol, I’m asking you to drink mindfully.

Soft drinks

Stop the sugary soft drinks. Sugar is another well-known trigger for hot flushes. It is also linked to diabetes and poorer bone density. If you miss bubbles swap to sparkling water, which you can flavour with many different things including lemons, limes, berries, pear, apple, cucumber, mint, etc. The sky is the limit. Soft drink with artificial sweeteners is not any better.

Coffee

Good news!  I’m not going to ask you to quit your morning coffee. There are health benefits of drinking coffee in moderation. That is if your coffee is black and no sugar. Yes, it's ok to add a little coconut oil or butter. Just don't overdo it. Additional benefits of coffee include:

• being an antioxidant 
• increasing alertness
• increases cognitive function
• increased energy levels
• improved mood
• can help burn body fat
• may lower risk of Type 2 diabetes (if it doesn’t contain sugar).

Milk 

It is estimated 75% of the population cannot tolerate dairy. It’s not surprising when you consider it's the perfect food for calves, but not humans. Humans are designed to consume human breast milk in infancy and even as a child our production of lactase (the enzyme that breaks down milk) is already starting to reduce. This is the reason why some women say they could tolerate milk as a child, but now it gives them an upset tummy. Other signs of lactose intolerance include sinus congestion, headaches, joint pain, brain fog, skin itch, and fatigue.

Also in this series:

Menopause Nutrition Basics - Part 1

Menopause Nutrition Basics - Part 2 - Macronutrients

Phytoestrogens 

Menopause Diet Checklist

Menopause and Digestion