Nutrition during the menopause: clinical considerations

Although there has recently been an encouraging increase in media coverage around the topic, many women are still unclear about what to expect from the menopause and the options available to them. There is a lack of easily accessible information about the different treatment options, and even less about the important role that diet and lifestyle can play in supporting women through this hormonal transition. As a nutritionist who specialises in women’s health and the menopause, I find this incredibly frustrating, which is why I wrote my book The Happy Menopause: Smart Nutrition To Help You Flourish.

Our society is very fond of the quick fix, which is why headlines around the latest ‘superfood’ always attract a lot of attention, but there is no one-size-fits-all approach to the menopause. We are highly complex, biochemically unique individuals and an approach that works for one person may not suit another. From a clinical perspective, individual micronutrients, phytonutrients or herbs are more likely to be the icing on the cake in terms of symptom management and, for me, that would be a second phase. First of all, you need to have a really good cake—metaphorically speaking, of course.