I’ve been reading a lot about how to manage all the wonderful side effects of peri/meopause- hot flushes, weight gain, aching joints etc etc. They don’t talk about the impact menopause has on your quality of life but that’s another topic. One of the major recommendations is to move to a largely plant based diet which seems to be helping. But I’m stuck when it comes to breakfast. I do make a veggie smoothie (I use beetroot, carrot, ginger, apple, spinach and an orange; I make it in the thermomix so it is more of a veggie puree than a juice but I figure I’m getting the benefits of the fibre) but I can’t eat this everyday, I’m over it after 3 or so days. And too many eggs are a bit of a no-no at the moment, as they tend to mimic the effects of estrogen which causes hot flushes. Which is a shame as we have chickens. Any ideas of other breakfast options that are largely plant/vegetable based?

Oooh, i have also started on this perimenopause shit show. I haven’t done research though or investigated anything… plant based is a tough one for me… but will follow with interest.

What did your breakfast look like before? Cereals (plus fruits and yoghurt if you like), toast with avocado/mushrooms/tomato etc, baked beans. Edit just realised you didn’t mean vegetarian. So cereals and toast might be out.

When I ate a vegan diet, I used to do tofu scramble in place of eggs. I also did a lot of avocado on toast/ mushrooms on toast/ grilled tomato on toast. I’m also a fan of homemade hash browns/ potato-based brekkies but I’m nuts about potatoes and could eat them for every meal so I’m probably biased lol. efs

I love toast but refined carbs & processed food is not good for me-gives me hot flushes. And I love butter on toast so that is also a recipe for disaster for my waistline. But I like the idea of grilled mushrooms and tomato. Instead of hash browns, I could make veggie fritters? I love zucchini and could use that. I started an on-line program about the transition through menopause but I stopped a month or two ago - need to get back into it. I learned that everything changes when we go through menopause including how & where we store fat (boobs, belly & tops of thighs), how well we sleep (melatonin declines with age), our cortisol levels, how we process food and our overall health. Which has explained why I have so many more food intolerances as I get older - I used to be able to eat anything but I can’t now. Prob the most important thing I learned is that we need to get better sleep as women get older : sleep restores two hormones - grehlin an appetite stimulator and leptin an appetite suppressor. If we don’t get good sleep these get out of balance and it affects our hunger levels and our weight. Apparently this is just women - men don’t have the same issue. Keeping cortisol levels low is also important as cortisol suppresses melatonin which affects sleep. I remember a doctor telling me that I can eat and exercise at exactly same level and I will still put on weight after menopause and I’m wondering now if it is because things like hot flushes and night sweats wake us up - if it is all to do with sleep? This is also a good reminder I need to go to bed earlier and stop looking at any devices in the evening. A high protein diet increases cortisol levels so this is why a mainly plant-based diet is best, with protein eaten around lunch rather than dinner. Plant based diet also helps to reduce inflammation in our bodies. I can manage veggies/salad at lunch easily enough, cutting back on protein at dinner is a bit more challenging with the family’s preferences but still doable. But breakfast has had me stumped. And then I need to cut out sugar - I was doing so well up until Easter then fell off the chocolate wagon…

M-M I’d love to read more about this program. Pretty much everything you’ve said, I’ve nodded along to. I didn’t connect the sleep thing though. Very interesting, thanks for posting.

That sleep thing is so interesting - I remember being told how hard it is to lose weight after having babies is partly to do with lack of sleep due to something hormonal, sounds similar. As a sleep aside I recently changed my pillow and have found my sleep had I proved by about 50% so just a reminder that maybe your bedding can take some of the blame and it’s an easy fix.

It’s a program called My Menopause Transition by woman called Wendy Sweet. She is based in New Zealand but has done a lot of study on women’s health around menopause. So much of this makes sense. She talks about how our oestrogen and progesterone levels change as we get older and that fat cells store excess oestrogen which causes the fat cells to expand (typically around the belly, thighs and boobs). She recommends avoiding foods that have high levels of oestrogen such as eggs, dairy & animal fats at least until any weight issues are resolved. Have healthy fats (avocado, nuts), 2 litres of water a day and low GI carbs. She also says to look after your liver health, as the liver clears oestrogen and cholestrol and liver function decreases with age. She recommends lemon water in the morning, more vegetables, more water and follow an alkaline diet at least 80% of the time (vegetables, fruits, beans and legumes). There is so much more in her program, this is just the start of it. I need to get back into it but this is a good reminder about the basics - prioritise sleep, eat more vegetables, reduce processed foods, drink plenty of water.

CassandraNORI What pillow did you get? I’ve struggled to find a good pillow. In fact, I seem to struggle to find a good position to sleep in. I’m a side sleeper but it seems I can’t find a comfortable position for my arms now and my hip starts to ache if I’m on my side

Plant-based breakfasts

M-M

I’ve been reading a lot about how to manage all the wonderful side effects of peri/meopause- hot flu...