Eat to beat menopause: the right nutrients can help you navigate this passage in time. Get them in our delicious recipes

Natural Health, Oct-Nov, 2001 by Judy Bass

IF YOU SUFFER FROM UNCOMFORTABLE symptoms of menopause, relief may be as close as your kitchen. Hot flashes, irritability, and other symptoms can appear as your ovaries decrease production of estrogen. This stage of life, called perimenopause, starts on average six years prior to menopause (when you finish your last period) and ends one year after menopause. Thankfully, the right foods can help you cope.

"When I talk to women about their overall health and menopause, I start with diet because that's where they'll get the biggest bang for their buck," says Jennifer L. Prouty, a menopause specialist and a women's health nurse practitioner in Mattapoisett, Mass. Foods that contain phytoestrogens (plant estrogens), healthy fats, and certain vitamins and minerals may lessen the severity of troublesome symptoms. They may also protect against osteoporosis and heart disease, two conditions whose incidence increases with menopause. And the right diet may eliminate the need for hormone replacement therapy (HRT), or lessen HRT-related symptoms, such as bloating, nausea, and weight gain.

Here are seven key nutrients that can ease you through menopause. You may have to experiment a little to see which ones work best for you.

Boron

WHY IT'S GOOD: A study published in the British Journal of Nutrition in 1993 showed that increasing dietary intake of the mineral boron from 0.25 mg daily to 3.25 mg raised levels of estradiol (a form of estrogen) in postmenopausal women while decreasing the amount of calcium excreted in the urine. That means less risk of bone loss. U.S. Department of Agriculture studies found similar benefits for a high boron (3 mg per day) diet.

WHAT TO EAT: Three and a half ounces of almonds, prunes, or raisins each contain at least 2 mg of boron. Asparagus, cabbage, figs, peaches, and strawberries are good sources as well.

Calcium

WHY IT'S GOOD: This mineral helps guard against osteoporosis. The National Academy of Sciences considers 1,000 mg of calcium a day adequate for women between 31 and 50 and 1,200 mg a day adequate for women over 51. Most experts agree that you should try to get all the calcium you can through diet, but some women, particularly vegans, may need to supplement to reach those levels.

WHAT TO EAT: Good dairy sources include cheese (especially Parmesan and ricotta), low-fat yogurt, and nonfat or 1-percent-fat milk. Other sources include beans, tofu, canned salmon, and dark, leafy greens.

Lignans

WHY THEY'RE GOOD: Lignans are a type of phytoestrogen; our bodies convert them into estrogenlike substances. Preliminary evidence indicates that lignans may ease hot flashes and vaginal dryness but there is no Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for them.

WHAT TO EAT: Many fruits, vegetables, grains, and seeds contain lignans, but flaxseeds are the best source. Buy flaxseeds whole and grind them to sprinkle on breakfast cereals and yogurt, and add them to baked goods and casseroles. Gradually work up to 1 to 2 teaspoons of ground flaxseeds daily to avoid bloating and gas. You can use flax oil as a salad dressing or drizzle it on cooked foods. Make sure the oil's label indicates it contains lignans and particles of seed husk, and don't cook with it.

Magnesium

WHY IT'S GOOD: This mineral has a calming effect, so it eases symptoms like irritability, anxiety, mood swings, and insomnia. It also helps your bones absorb calcium, raises levels of HDL ("good") cholesterol while lowering LDL ("bad") cholesterol, and helps muscles--including your heart--to relax, says Ann Louise Gittleman, a certified nutrition specialist in Bozeman, Mont., and author of Super Nutrition for Menopause (Publishers' Group West, 1998).

WHAT TO EAT: The standard recommended amount for adult women is 320 mga day, but Gittleman suggests at least 400 mg daily for perimenopausal women. Good sources are almonds, cashews, escarole, kale, kelp, and wheat bran. For example, 1 ounce of almonds gives you 77 mg.

Omega-3 Fatty Acids

WHY THEY'RE GOOD: Components of these fatty acids may protect you from heart disease because they're believed to increase HDL cholesterol while lowering triglyceride levels and blood pressure.

WHAT TO EAT: There's no RDA for omega-3s. Your best bet is to eat fatty fish twice a week. Sardines, sockeye salmon, mackerel, and rainbow trout all have more than 1,000 mg of omega-3s in a 3 1/2-ounce serving. There are plant sources of omega-3 fats, including flaxseeds and walnuts and their oils, but your body may not use them as efficiently.

Phytoestrogens

WHY THEY'RE GOOD: At least 300 plants contain phytoestrogens, naturally occurring chemicals that behave like weak forms of human estrogen when you consume them. Because they make your body think it has more estrogen than it does, they can potentially diminish menopausal symptoms like hot flashes and vaginal dryness, according to Elaine Magee, M.P.H., R.D., a dietitian in Walnut Creek, Calif., and author of Eating Well for a Healthy Menopause (John Wiley, 1996). Some studies have shown they also guard against heart disease and osteoporosis. But if you have or have had estrogen-dependent cancer (like breast cancer), Magee says you should proceed cautiously before consuming phytoestrogen-rich foods in excessive amounts; consult your health-care practitioner.