There's no question good nutrition does so many great things
for our health and wellbeing.
So today we're learning how
and what women should eat to help with menopause.
I am here with registered dietician,
nutritionist Karen Raden to talk about food and menopause.
Now Karen, during menopause, women's bodies
are going through so much mentally and physically.
How does food play a role?
- Food can have a huge impact on how we feel,
not just during menopause, as you know,
but any stage of life.
Women have a lot of changes in their hormones.
So if we eat in a way that helps support our energy
and our mood, what you put in makes a huge difference.
- All right, so let's talk about
what we're putting into the body that can actually help
manage these symptoms of menopause, starting with calcium.
- Yes, calcium is very important.
As we know when estrogen drops,
bone density can become an issue.
So calcium-based foods are really important.
Vegetables have some calcium, not as much as others.
Almonds are a really nice source of calcium.
- Perfect, okay, moving on to antioxidants,
- The brighter the color of the fruits and vegetables
that has more antioxidants, it's called an ORAC value.
And a lot of them are very cooling and with menopause,
women certainly can get hot flashes.
And so getting the fruits and vegetables
helps in so many ways.
- So let's talk about healthy fats.
- Yes, healthy fats are very important.
We have the Omega-3's that your body does not make.
So if you don't get it from an outside source,
you can be deficient.
Chia, actually, that's a great fiber source
and also has some Omega-3's, walnuts as well.
Salmon, wild-caught salmon, sardines.
- Fiber is really important to be consuming,
especially for women who are experiencing menopause.
- Yes, you know, the digestive track
can slow down a little bit,
so that fiber will help move things through better.
Beans are a great fiber source.
I like any of the legumes.
They're going to give you the fiber plus the protein.
Chia seeds, fabulous.
And then flax seeds, those also have your Omega-3's.
- And then last, but not least, soy.
- Soy is one of the only foods that we have
that have, it's called isoflavones.
That's the component of it that helps to reduce hot flashes,
that hot feeling at night.
And what it does is it acts
as a mild estrogen replacer, okay?
So it's not the same as an estrogen replacer
medication-wise, but from a food source,
that period of time when women are having hot flashes,
that's the time when it's most recommended
to have soy products because of those isoflavones
that will help reduce hot flashes.
- So speaking of soy,
you are going to show us how to make a soy recipe today?
- Yeah, so a lot, most people know about hummus.
I'm going to make an edamame hummus.
(bright, upbeat music)
Very simple, so what we're going to do
is start with some lemon juice.
This is a third of a cup.
Then you're going to add in,
a third of a cup of very healthy olive oil.
As we know, olive oil is a good mono and saturated fat.
Tahini is made from sesame seed.
It does have some calcium as well,
and it has a really nice flavor.
A pinch of salt.
I like using the sea salt if possible,
you get some trace minerals in there.
Then we're going to add some fresh garlic.
Blend it right up.
- All right, I'm going to do that.
Okay. - That'll be.
(blender whirring)
- When did we put those in?
- Now we're going to go with the edamame.
Defrosted edamame, it's a 10 ounce bag.
You just put it right in there.
(blender whirring)
- This is so exciting.
(bright, upbeat music)
So let's try this.
Mmm, that is delicious, wow.
Karen, thank you so much.
- Thank you.
Now it's your turn.
How do you eat healthy to manage menopause?
Let us know on Facebook,
just search for Living Healthy Chicago.