Menopause-friendly Christmas food swaps

The festive season is a time to kick back, relax and eat, drink and enjoy yourself. That said, it’s unrealistic to pretend there aren’t a few potential considerations if you are heading into the festivities going through the perimenopause or menopause. Not least because the fluctuating and declining hormones which mark these transitional times don’t just lead to ’classic’ menopause symptoms like hot flushes, headaches, joint pain and sleep problems but, significantly, can also make many women prone to bloating, putting on weight , less efficient at metabolising sugar, negatively influence mood and energy levels plus, unfortunately, affect tolerance to the effects of alcohol . Without wanting to put a dampener on the festivities it would be unfair to suggest you can eat and drink like you did when you were in your 20s with no consequences. That’s not to say you need to have an abstemious Christmas. On the contrary, it may the case you need to eat more – more regularly and more healthier foods (and thinking in terms of what you can eat more of rather than worrying about what you shouldn’t can be a helpful strategy) - but the point is what you eat (and drink) can make a big difference to how you experience, and control, your symptoms.

Christmas is, of course, synonymous with overindulgence and most of us will eat more, and more richer foods, than normal. This can take its toll on anyone’s digestion and health but if you are perimenopausal (the time leading up to the menopause) or menopausal it can potentially pose more of an issue. For one, perimenopausal and menopausal women are already more prone to uncomfortable bloating because declining oestrogen can cause your body to retain excess water or gas. Secondly, on average, women put on 5lbs during the menopause transition and typically this accumulates around the abdomen, known as visceral fat, which puts you at a higher risk of cardiovascular disease. It also increases your risk of hypertension (high blood pressure) and may affect insulin resistance (when your body is unable to fully process the insulin in your body leading to blood sugar problems). The solution is not to be thinking about dieting or counting calories but instead eating more nutrient-dense foods that can help prevent, or improve, some of these menopause health challenges.

How to enjoy a lower fat Christmas

It will come as no surprise to learn that traditional Christmas foods tend to contain quite a lot of fat – often including high levels of saturated fat - and too much of it can be an issue during the menopause. Not least because oestrogen is known to have cardio-protective effects so declining levels of it then raise your risk of heart disease and stroke. Your body needs regular amounts of healthy fats (such as those found in oily fish like salmon, avocados, nuts, seeds and vegetable oils like olive oil) but too much saturated fat is not only more likely to make you put on weight it can also raise your LDL ‘bad’ cholesterol both of which increase your risk of heart disease and stroke. Reducing the amount you consume will clearly help and swapping obvious sources of saturated fats like many shop-bought party snacks (including sausage rolls, party sausages, vol-au-vents, mini Quiches) for something like vegetable crudités and/or smoked salmon blinis is recommended .

Helpfully, the turkey in your Christmas dinner (ditto chicken if you have plumped for chicken) generally has much lower amounts of saturated fats than red meat (goose is, however, higher in saturated fat than turkey and chicken). Removing the skin of the bird will bring the saturated fat content down further. If you prefer red meats bear in mind they can have higher amounts of saturated fats so switching to leaner cuts like flank, sirloin or tenderloin is recommended. Lamb typically has more saturated fat than beef or pork but it also has some healthy fat in the form of omega 3 – particularly if it is grass fed lamb.

Whatever meat you choose, however, also consider how much of it you are eating - the amount on your plate should be roughly the size of your palm. When it comes to stuffing you can make it healthier by opting for a vegetarian version- using olive oil, onions, chestnuts, celery, garlic, parsley, sage (a herb synonymous with reducing menopause hot flushes ) bound together with egg. Replace breadcrumbs with fibrous rolled oats or crunchy puffed quinoa (raw quinoa seeds cooked on the hob until they ‘pop’). When it comes to roast potatoes, reduce the amount of saturated fat you consume by cutting the spuds into larger chunks and cooking them in rapeseed or olive oil with herbs and garlic. Some chefs also suggest adding chia seeds to create extra crunchy skins. These seeds are a great source of omega 3 which has been linked to a reduction in the frequency of hot flushes and also depressive symptoms.

Eat more to minimise menopause symptoms and improve your mood

The temptation when you know you are going to have a full on feast day is to ‘save yourself’ for the occasion and skip breakfast. This is not necessarily helpful if you are perimenopausal or menopausal as it can play havoc with your blood sugar levels which you want to keep balanced or you can feel foggy headed and irritable. Research reveals that 70% of menopausal women cite irritability as their most common symptom – and nobody wants to be feeling angsty and short-tempered during the holiday season. Good breakfast choices include protein packed scrambled eggs and omega 3-rich smoked salmon, omega-3 rich avocado on toast or probiotic and protein-rich natural live yogurt with vitamin-rich berries and nuts. If you are not a breakfast person at least try to have a small handful of nuts or a vegetarian protein smoothie such as spinach, peanut butter and avocado to provide you with a healthy source of protein, fibre and vitamins.

When it comes to the lunch itself, whether it is the festive season or not, vegetables should always make up roughly half of your dinner plate so enjoy plenty of traditional Christmas vegetables like Brussel sprouts, red cabbage, carrots, parsnips, broccoli and peas. Vegetables are not just packed with vitamins and minerals they also contain water and fibre (eating enough fibre is linked to a lower risk of heart disease) which should not only make you feel fuller for longer they can also help balance blood sugar. This is the most immediate way to balance your mood and energy levels. On top of this, they also help to support a healthy GI tract and improve your gut microbiome. Nurturing your gut health should also then help balance your moods – unsurprisingly when we know that up to 95% of the mood-stabilising hormone serotonin (that is responsible for feelings of well-being and happiness) is created in the gut.

Vegetables like sprouts, red cabbage and broccoli are also a great source of phytoestrogens (plant based compounds that can mimic the action of oestrogen in your body) and research shows menopausal women who eat more vegetables and fruit experience fewer life-affecting symptoms like hot flushes, night sweats and aching joints.

To add more vegetables into your festive feasts:

Mash root vegetables like parsnips, celeriac, carrots and/or cauliflower with potatoes. Alternatively, mix sweet potatoes with standard white ones.
Eat your greens with nuts – for example, green beans with almonds or walnuts. This will add crunch, a source of protein (which will help keep you fuller for longer so you are less likely to snack) and healthy fats in the form of omega 3.
Try a pumpkin, parsnip or butternut squash soup as a starter.
Spruce up your sprouts with chopped figs and toasted pumpkin seeds to add extra fibre and omega 3. Alternatively, shred them and turn them into a healthy seasonal salad adding cranberries, crumbled ricotta, toasted almonds with a good squeeze of vitamin C-rich lemon juice over the top. Eat as a snack on its own or to accompany cold meat.
Include fermented vegetables like sauerkraut. These are a great accompaniment to cold meats like turkey or ham and the live bacteria in it can help improve your gut health. Research suggests a possible connection between healthy gut bacteria and lower rates of depression.

Menopause, sugar, chocolate and alcohol

Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without cake, Christmas pudding, mince pies and/or a whole heap of chocolate but, sadly, most of these contain refined sugars and can be high in unhealthy fats. The loss of the protective properties of reproductive hormones (like oestrogen) during menopause already puts women at increased risk of mood swings, disrupted sleep and fatigue and there is evidence to suggest eating too much refined sugar and starchy carbohydrates over time can cause negative changes to your gut bacteria, making you more prone to putting on weight. Data from the Health and Her menopause app also shows that 45% of women say sugar consumption worsens their menopause symptoms. You can quite see why because sugar and starchy carbohydrates causes blood glucose levels to quickly rise as it is easily digested and quickly enters your bloodstream. This then causes high spikes in blood sugar followed by crashing lows which can impact on your energy levels and mood. Blood sugar lows can also make you more prone to brain fog and the stimulating effects of the sugar can also affect the quality of your sleep (data collected by the Health and Her menopause app reveals over three quarters of women have trouble sleeping during their perimenopause and menopause). Not getting enough sleep can then increase your appetite and you then tend to eat more to give you energy – and so a vicious cycle begins.

To help reduce your refined sugar intake try to stick to a small-ish portion of cake or dessert, roughly the length of your finger and around one inch wide. Where possible, get a sweet hit from healthier sources like fresh fruit or dried fruit (naturally high in healthy fibre) dark chocolate and even vegetables (roasting vegetables like parsnips, sweet potatoes and candy or yellow beetroot slowly causes them to caramelise and taste deliciously sweet) or a Christmassy spice such as cinnamon, which creates a natural sweetness and is thought to help balance blood sugar Sweeten your tea or hot chocolate with it or try it sprinkled over natural full fat yogurt with berries.

The reason dark chocolate is recommended over the milk variety is that it has a greater cocoa percentage making it higher in flavonoids (which have antioxidant and heart-protective effects) and lower in sugar. It is also potentially more menopause-friendly in that it contains mood boosting compounds including theobromine (a mild stimulant) and research has previously identified chemicals found in it that may mimic the psychoactive effects of cannabinoids – leading to a ‘blissed out’ feeling.

Another source of sugar can be alcohol and whilst nobody wants to hear it, sadly, alcohol and menopause is not a good mix – many women struggle to process it and can become more intolerant to its effects. Most booze also tends to contain a lot of sugar, empty calories and not much else. There is also evidence to show that alcohol can exacerbate menopausal symptoms such as hot flushes, insomnia and mood swings plus it has been shown to raise levels of the stress hormone cortisol. Alcohol can also irritate your gut and your delicate gut microbiome. Anecdotally, red wine is often cited as one of the most common hot flush triggers so it can be helpful to find a drink that is less likely to fire up your symptoms – such as spirits like vodka with soda water or a squeeze of natural lemon or lime.

Whatever your chosen tipple try to pace yourself in between the booze with lower, or no alcohol, drinks. This will help keep you better hydrated, help head off a hangover and is less likely to interfere with the quality of your sleep. Fermented soft drinks like Kombucha or Kefir can be a healthy choice as they should help support your gut health by adding beneficial friendly gut bacteria.

Happy & Healthy Holidays from the Health and Her team!