Welcome back to Rebuilding Trust With Your Body, it’s Katy here, and I’ve noticed a big trend in the past couple of years on social media… (about diet culture preying on perimenopause)
And I recently did a guest training inside of another coach’s program on nutrition myths for perimenopause and menopause, and the women who attended were eating it up and furiously taking notes, so I knew that I needed to bring this to you here on the podcast, because whether you’re in perimenopause, or you’re already fully in menopause (or postmenopausal – however you want to think about it), or you’re an adult woman who will eventually get there, this is going to apply to you.
Before we dive into our main topic for today, you know what time it is…We’ve got some Wellness Woo to talk about.
Wellness Woo is the stuff that diet and wellness culture tells us we should do in the name of health, but it’s really based on pseudoscience, exaggerated claims, or just nonsense.
Today’s Wellness Woo is: Riseworkouts .com
7 minute workout to lose fat and flat in the tummy for those over 40.
“Activate your natural metabolic multipliers” – WTF does this even mean? It sounds sciency, but it’s utter nonsense, and I want you to be on the lookout for these types of phrases, because for me they’re an instant red flag for wellness woo.
They go on to talk about switching on these metabolic multipliers so that you can turn a 45 min workout into 7min and get the same benefits. (There are benefits to HIIT training…)
And they emphasize how they will teach you a special exercise to prevent belly fat
On the FAQ page it says that you will begin seeing results your very first day.
Bottom line – this is a prime example of preying on women who are over 40, and it’s literally just a workout plan that a personal trainer made up.
If you have an example of Wellness Woo that you want to share, DM it to me on FB or IG!
Ok, that’s enough of that. Moving on to today’s main topic…Fact vs fiction – what perimenopause nutrition advice gets wrong.
5 Perimenopause Nutrition Myths:
- Dieting to lose belly fat
- Protein, protein, protein
- Carbs will make you fat
- Supplements marketed for perimenopause
- Hormone “balancing” with diet
Recommendations:
CALCIUM:
Ca supplements have NOT been shown to reduce the risk of fractures in adults, regardless of the Ca or vit D dose, sex, fracture history or dietary calcium intake
-Dairy, leafy greens (cooking improves bioavailability), canned fish with bones (sardines, salmon), nuts and seeds (almonds, sesame, chia), legumes
-Postmenopausal bone loss appears unrelated to dietary calcium intake
PROTEIN:
20-30 grams at meals seems to be the sweet spot to stimulate muscle synthesis
SOY/PHYTOESTROGENS:
-Found in plants, esp beans, lentils, soy and flax
-Are weak selective-estrogen receptor modulators
-May help reduce some of the symptoms of perimenopause and menopause (especially hot flashes)
-Isoflavone supplements yield mixed results (don’t recommend; recommend soy foods instead)
-Soy: protein, unsaturated fat, fiber, Ca, Mg, Fe, antioxidants, can help decrease insulin resistance, improves lipid profiles
-It is safe. Some studies find a protective effect for breast cancer.
FIBER:
-10gm soluble fiber per day can reduce cholesterol
-Can reduce hot flashes
-25gm/d total minimum
-“Front load” the day with a high fiber breakfast (15gm)
OMEGA-3s
-Help with insulin sensitivity, inflammation, brain health, joint health, cholesterol and triglycerides, even breast cancer prevention (we can talk more about that another day – breast cancer prevention and survivorship research was where I started my career as a dietitian).
-You can eat things high in omega 3’s: salmon, tuna, mackerel, sardines, flax, chia seeds, soy beans, walnuts, and canola oil (which is what I personally cook with)
-Fish oil supplement – high in EPA and DHA
Wrapping Up:
I know we covered a lot of really specific things here today. If you want a free cheat sheet of what we just covered as far as recommendations, shoot me an email or DM and I’ll send it over. Just let me know that you heard me mention it in this episode and it’s all yours! I want women to have valid, evidence-backed information about what your body needs and to help you sift through what’s legit, what’s nonsense, and how do we incorporate these things through the lens of IE and the non-diet approach.
Ok, that’s a wrap on this episode!
In case nobody has told you today – you are worthy just as you are. We’ll talk again soon.
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