better body
How to look and feel fantastic as your body changes
If you’re battling with menopausal health and weight issues, then the new book Owning Your Menopause: Fitter, Calmer, Stronger in 30 Days, by Kate Rowe-Ham, personal trainer and menopause fitness and nutrition expert, is a must-read! Kate, who is loved by Naomi Watts, Gabby Logan and Susanna Reid, tells us, “I’ve created a method that really works. The great news is you can get in better shape as you get older. View this time of your life as an opportunity to really thrive.” Kate reveals the three main elements to getting menopausal balance are nutrition, fitness and wellbeing.
A lack of oestrogen (hormones which drop during menopause) can contribute to insulin resistance, which can then increase our blood sugar levels.
This, in turn, can cause weight gain and fatigue. To combat this, Kate recommends you limit alcohol, sugar and caffeine, and eat three balanced, nutrient-rich and portion-controlled meals a day with four to five hours in-between, and limit snacking. Eat wholegrain carbs and have lean proteins at all meals – both of these can help keep you fuller for longer. Eating more healthily can help manage your menopausal symptoms, with weight loss as a happy side effect!
The oestrogen drop can also make you prone to constipation and bloating. To help your digestive health, eat fibre-rich foods; avoid late night eating, ideally with a 12-hour overnight period between your last meal and breakfast; and ditch fizzy drinks, chewing gum and artificial sweeteners. An improved digestive system can help your body metabolise oestrogen better, which can help reduce menopausal symptoms.
Here’s some of Kate’s favourite meals to help:
Breakfast Spinach shakshuka. Serves 2.
Heat 1tbsp coconut oil in a large pan over a medium heat. Add 1 large onion, chopped and 2 garlic cloves, crushed.
Cook for 3 mins until soft. Add 300g mushrooms, sliced, and cook for 4 mins. Season. Add 450g spinach, and cover with a lid until wilted (you might need to add it in batches). Stir, then make four indentations. Break an egg into each. Cover with a lid and cook for 5-6 mins until the egg whites are set. Scatter over a handful of parsley, chopped.
Lunch Quinoa salad. Serves 4. Combine 2 x 250g packets cooked quinoa with 200g feta cheese, cubed; 2 medium cooked beetroots, cubed; 165g tinned chickpeas, rinsed and drained, in a medium sized bowl. Drizzle with 2tbsp olive oil and the juice and zest of 1 lemon. Season and mix well.
Dinner Fish curry. Serves 4. Heat 1tbsp olive oil in a wok/high sided frying pan over a high heat. Add 1 onion, chopped, and cook for 4 mins. Add 3tbsp green curry paste and cook, stirring, for 1 min. Pour in 400ml tinned coconut milk and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat t
