Optimize Health For Midlife and Beyond
Less than 20% of women in the United States maintain a healthy diet during the menopause transition and beyond. (Dr. Jen Gunter The Menopause Manifesto) Let that sink in! Less than 20%.
Optimizing your health begins with a nutritious diet. A nutritious diet includes natural food that has been unchanged by processing, plenty of fiber, fish, lean meats, healthy oils, whole grains, and oodles of fruits and vegetables. Dr Gunter shares, “After maximizing fiber intake eliminating ultra-processed foods is probably the next best dietary recommendation.”
The Mediterranean and DASH diets are healthy eating plans approved by the American Heart Association. Both have proven to boost brain health and improve heart health. DASH, or Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, allows more dairy products and meat, while the Mediterranean diet includes regular use of olive oil. Both diets limit caffeine, alcohol, and sweets.
Everyday Mediterranean by Vanessa Perrone MS RD, and the American Heart Association are good places to learn more about these healthy eating plans. Perrone highlights ten principles for a healthy Mediterranean Diet that go beyond the food we eat to how we eat. She encourages building on family food traditions, sharing meals with loved ones, savoring, and moving your body. Like savoring a good meal, she recommends slowly incorporating the principles of the Mediterranean Diet into your lifestyle for sustained results. The DASH eating plan focuses on daily and weekly nutritional goals. DASH allows for fat-free and low-fat dairy products and limits foods high in saturated fats, sugar-sweetened beverages, and sweets.
It’s hard to know where to begin when making dietary changes. Perronne shares, “Your health will see a more significant change if you adopt one new habit every week for the next year than if you were to overall your diet and burn out in a month.” I admit I’ve gone both routes. Completing Whole 30 changed my relationship with food and paved the way to eating fewer processed foods. Recently and more slowly, I’ve reduced my intake of sweets and caffeine and increased whole grains and fiber.
Dr. Brian Frank, an expert in nutrition and preventable health with OSHU (Oregon Science and Health University), encourages women in mid-life to focus on health goals, not weight goals. Along with healthy nutrition and sleep, he reminds women not to be overly critical or blame themselves when working toward their health goals. There are many barriers to a healthy body that are outside our control, namely working long hours, sexism and racism, and access to quality, unprocessed food. There is also power in knowing that we can take small, consistent steps to promote personal health and well-being.
I partner with women looking to create meaningful change. With wellness coaching, I support women to use their experience and inner wisdom to develop strategies they commit to. Women develop confidence when they identify their own solutions and next steps. Coaching provides the encouragement they deserve to move forward with ease and grace.
I also offer The Wiser Woman program. The Wiser Woman is for women in their mid-forties and older and in menopause. The program provides a safe and supportive community for women to learn about the menopause transition, share their menopause stories, and develop a personal wellness plan.
You can learn more about me and the services I offer on my website.
Remember you are perfect, whole, and complete.
Your Champion of Wellness and Joy,
Beth
