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Sunday, February 22, 2009

Osteoporosis and Other Risks of Unhealthy Diets After Menopause

By Ricardo d Argence

There are a number of health risks that increase during menopause, and many of these risks are exacerbated by a poor diet.

When females near menopause, their systems start reducing the manufacture of estrogen along with progesterone. While we tend to think of these almost exclusively in terms of their roles as female reproductive hormones, these hormones also play an important role in bone health.

Decreases in estrogen levels accompany a reduction in a woman's bone density. This decline actually starts well before menopause, especially in women with inadequate intakes of calcium and vitamin D during the crucial young adult years of bone formation. The loss of bone density is greatly accelerated during menopause, making women up to seven times more likely to fracture a bone than men, and putting them at risk of osteoporosis.

Throughout menopause, woman's ability to burn calories begin to reduce speed, particularly if she is not active. Digestion of food becomes sluggish, causing greater absorption of nutrients from food. The bad news is that the health of a woman during menopause will be more greatly impacted by bad fats, sugars, and processed foods.

With changes in digestion and metabolisn can lead to weight gain to the decrease in female reproductive hormones combined. Increase in weight increases along with other physical changes during menopause, can lead to an increase possibility of heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes and similar conditions. The risk of developing both osteoporosis and cardiovascular illnesses of the good news is that eating a healthful diet during menopause can help reduce.

The key to a healthful diet that can help stave off osteoporosis, weight gain, and associated health complications, is balance. Start by eating at least three nutritious meals each day. Eating more frequent, smaller meals is even better. Avoid focusing too much on calories, and instead pay attention to reasonable portion sizes and eating foods that pack a lot of nutrients into few calories. Some examples are leafy greens, cruciferous vegetables, and brightly colored red and yellow vegetables. A daily multi-vitamin is also a good idea to ensure adequate intake of important nutrients.

Fiber assists in carrying food via the digestive system in order to fight a slow metabolic rate. This facilitates healthy digestive function, and aids in preventing excessive weight increase. Whole grains, beans, fruits, and vegetables are nutritious foods that are high in fiber. As well as keeping a high-fiber diet, you need to stay away from foods that are fatty and fried. Your fat into should be less than 1/3 of your calories consumed.

Although there are some fats essential for a healthy living. Do include sources of omega 3 fatty acids. Some common food sources of omega 3 are salmon and other cold water fish, seeds, and nuts, especially walnuts. Omega 3 fatty acids will help to lessen some troubling symptoms of menopause as well as lessen inflammation.

For managing common symptoms of menopause like hot flashes and irritability, try reducing or eliminating caffeine and spicy foods from your diet. Avoid excess sugar, especially corn syrup and other highly-processed foods.

Drinking water can also help fight hot flashes. It also be great to eat foods rich in plant phytoestrogens (beans and other legumes, apples, potatoes, and carrots.) Soy also contains high levels of phytoestrogens, and there are many tasty flavored drinks, yogurts, and even frozen desserts, that contain soy.

The recommended daily allowance for calcium for women over age 50 is 1200 mg, but strive for this amount even if you're younger than age 50. Be sure that your intake of calcium is adequate. Vitamin D aids in absorption of calcium, so eating low-fat dairy products that are fortified with vitamin D is a good choice. Consuming enough bone-protecting calcium can help slow down bone loss, decreasing the risk of developing osteoporosis.

Good nutrition during menopause will greatly lessen the risks of weight gain, osteoporosis, and additional health issues. A healthy diet will also provide you with more energy, and can help you reduce or eliminate troublesome symptoms of menopause. - 17273

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