KEEP CONSISTENT
Establish a routine of regular mealtimes, ideally eating three times a day and at the same times each day.
CHOOSE NATURAL SWEETNESS
Go for foods that taste sweet, sour and salty, as these are most nourishing. This doesn’t mean eating refined sugar, but foods considered “energetically sweet”, such as rice, spelt, kamut, oats, quinoa, root vegetables, sweet fruits and organic dairy.
CUT OUT PROCESSED OILS
Avoid using vegetable oils for cooking, including sunflower and rapeseed oils, those labelled “vegetable oil” and margarines, as these are often highly processed and can have an inflammatory effect on your body, as well as being bad for your hormones. Instead, choose extra virgin olive oil.
CHOOSE STEWS
Go for foods that are warm, soupy, heavy and oily, such as soups, stews, casseroles and other one-pot dishes, which are easy to digest. You can add lentils for extra fibre, and oils.
ADD HERBS
Key herbs and spices that help with digestion are cumin, fennel, dill, black pepper, saffron, asafoetida, turmeric, cardamon, and cinnamon – use them liberally in your cooking. However, avoid chilies which are too heating.
SHUN STIMULANTS
Alcohol, coffee, black tea and fizzy drinks can all be very aggravating for both pitta and vata doshas, so can aggravate hot flushes.
A 2018 study looked at how diet influenced the age of menopause and found a high intake of oily fish and fresh legumes were associated with a significantly later onset of natural menopause. Refined pasta and rice were associated with earlier menopause.
DRINK HERBAL TEAS
Have plenty of warm water throughout the day, with lemon and ginger to start your day and wake up digestion, then chamomile, tulsi and rose towards the end of the day to calm nervous anxiety. Green or liquorice tea is also great at helping balance oestrogen levels for all types.
MINIMISE REFINED SUGAR INTAKE
The best sweeteners for you now are limited amounts of honey, molasses, barley malt and maple syrup.
MINIMISE COLD, DRY FOODS
Crackers, rice cakes, crisps, dried fruits and nuts (unless they have been soaked), ice cream and other frozen foods are all harder to digest, so monitor your intake.
FAVOUR PHYTOESTROGENS
Foods that help balance oestrogen levels are those rich in natural phytoestrogens, which are plant-based oestrogen-like molecules. Find them in soya (choose non-GM and fermented), tempeh, lentils,
