Ayurvedic Dietary Guideline For Menopause

Menopause is a natural phenomenon that signals the complete end of menstrual cycles and hence fertility in women, due to variations in reproductive hormone levels - estrogen, progesterone, and ovarian follicular activity. It is derived from the Greek words Menos meaning month and Pausis meaning cessation.

Dietary Guidelines For Menopause

Diet plays a key role in balancing hormones during premenopausal and in menopause. So it is important to eat a variety of foods to get all the nutrients you need. Some of them are:

Get enough calcium
Eat and drink two to four servings of dairy products and calcium-rich foods a day. Calcium is found in dairy products, fish with bones (such as sardines and canned salmon), broccoli, and legumes.
Pump up your iron
Eat at least three servings of iron-rich foods a day. Iron is found in lean red meat, poultry, fish, eggs, leafy green vegetables, nuts, and enriched grain products. The recommended dietary allowance for iron in older women is 8 milligrams a day.
Get enough fiber
You have to include foods high in fiber, such as whole-grain bread, cereals, pasta, rice, fresh fruits, and vegetables. Most adult women should get about 21 grams of fiber a day.
Eat fruits and vegetables
Have at least 1 1/2 cups of fruit and 2 cups of vegetables each day.
Drink plenty of water
Drink eight glasses of water every day. That fulfills the daily requirement for most healthy adults.
Maintain a healthy weight.
It is important to maintain a healthy weight by cutting down the portion sizes and eat fewer foods that are high in fat.
Use sugar and salt in moderation
Too much sodium in the diet is linked to high blood pressure. Also, go easy on smoked, salt-cured, and charbroiled foods -- these foods have high levels of nitrates, which have been linked to cancer.
Limit alcohol
Limit the consumption of alcohol to one or fewer drinks a day.

Menopause is one of the important physical and mental milestones in a woman’s life. Ayurveda prescribes some of the Panchakarma treatments, diet, and lifestyle changes to treat the symptoms of menopause.