For women experiencing the menopause transition, fibre is an extremely important element of the nutrition equation.
If you're in perimenopause, menopause, or postmenopause, I recommend that you eat 14 grams of fibre per 1,000 kcal of energy per day.
For most women, that's 22-28 grams of fibre per day.
But let’s keep it simple:
Include at least one higher-fibre food at most meals and snacks. Examples of these foods include:
Fruit:
Raspberries, blackberries, strawberries, blueberries, pears, apples, bananas, avocados
Vegetables
Cruciferous vegetables (e.g., kale, broccoli, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, etc.) and root vegetables (e.g., carrots, beets, Jerusalem artichoke, potatoes and sweet potatoes)
Beans, Legumes and Pulses
Black beans, kidney beans, pinto beans, lentils, split peas, edamame, chickpeas, and bean pasta
Nuts and Seeds
Chia seeds, flax seeds, sesame seeds, pistachios, walnuts, almonds
Whole Grains and Whole Grain Products
Oats, popcorn, quinoa, brown or wild rice, wheat or oat bran, and whole wheat pasta.
Fibre supplements, such as psyllium, can also round out your fibre intake. Talk to your healthcare provider about these, as they can affect your digestion and absorption of some medications.
Why Fibre Matters for Menopause Nutrition
Fibre feeds our gut microorganisms, which play a critical role in health. For instance, they help regulate:
Our moods and brain function through the microbiome-gut-brain axis.4
Hormone production.
Inflammation.
Gastric motility.
Skeletal muscle metabolism and bone health.5,6
Eating more fibre is linked to lower rates of chronic disease.
Fibre binds to and helps excrete cholesterol. This helps lower our risk of cardiovascular disease.
Pooping is good. Fibre—especially when combined with plenty of water—helps alleviate constipation, a common issue in menopause. (And for many people, improving their bowel regularity reduces bloating and helps waistbands fit a bit more comfortably.)
Pro Tips
Find high-fibre foods you enjoy, and that you can digest. Try different foods
and see which ones work for you.
Look for small changes, and add fibre gradually. Give your daily habits and
your digestive tract time to adjust.
For instance:
Add a spoonful of beans to a salad.
Switch to steel-cut oats from your usual breakfast cereal.
Switch to whole-grain pasta from regular white pasta.
Snack on fruit or baby veggies with hummus.
Drink plenty of water to prevent constipation and help fibre do its job.
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