Why change what we eat during Perimenopause and Menopause?

A Chinese Medicine perspective

In Chinese medicine food and medicine are inseparable, and food impacts our physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being.

courtesy of Kimberley Ashton

In perimenopause and menopause, we are advised to change the way we eat to:

• minimize symptoms of discomfort

• nourish our whole being.

• live more in tune with our changing bodies and energy.

• improve our health

• feel at ease, flow, vitality, and balance.

• feel nourished and good in our skin.

The approach is not as simple as Western Nutrition which might suggest removing certain foods for certain conditions. There are usually several layers of physical, emotional, and energetic factors causing an imbalance, and we look at what is in terms of excess or deficiency.

The importance of Qi

Qi or energy is a huge topic in Chinese medicine, and to ensure we have balanced & optimal health we need good food and a lifestyle that promotes regular movement & good rest so that we can experience constant smooth flowing Qi. 

Qi disharmony results when we experience disharmony of our energy levels, dis-ease, unresolved body or emotional tension, and emotional shocks, resulting in a disruption of the free and abundant flow of qi.

What can manifest are different types of disharmony that can arise and two that are key in peri/menopause

• Qi Stagnation 

• Qi Deficiency 

Food plays a big role in Qi disharmony and supports alleviating or balancing energies.

Qi Stagnation is like a traffic jam and hormonal imbalances along with a modern stressful lifestyle (stimulants, processed food, overworking, and alcohol) are major contributing factors. Many symptoms we experience in perimenopause like headaches, joint pain, and digestive issues are often attributed to Qi stagnation. The Liver system is central here. I love to see it as the ‘general’ of the body, directing Qi.

To combat stagnation we want to eat to help regulate Qi – to encourage flow & harmony, reduce stress, support liver metabolism

Common related foods that help include dark leafy greens, Sweet vegetables: like winter squash, yam, wild yam

Bland sweet foods: rice, millet, barley, job’s tears along with kitchen herbs and spices that are NOT spicy including cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, nutmeg, oregano, basil, sage, cumin, fennel, coriander, mint, shiso, dried tangerine peel, goji berries

Qi Deficiency is the second type of qi disharmony in Chinese Medicine and is characterized by not having enough energy. Usually, this is described in terms of Kidney Yin deficiency which gives rise to symptoms like vaginal dryness and vasomotor issues aka hot flashes and night sweats. Kidney and Spleen Yang Deficiency can give rise to digestive issues such as IBS and the chronic fatigue that many women report at this time.

Yin-nourishing foods are cooling and often dark and salty. They include dark leafy greens, spinach, asparagus, and artichokes. Nuts and seeds: chia, flax, hemp, sunflower, pumpkin, sesame (both black and white)

Fish and seafood along with sea vegetables – agar-agar, arame, hijiki, kelp, wakame, dulse. Black soybeans, adzuki beans, tofu, and fermented soy foods – miso, natto, tempeh, fermented tamar. As well as fruits like pears, blackberries, strawberries, bananas, and grapes. Herbs and spices: Schisandra, American ginseng, lily bulb, turmeric, goji.

While Yang-nourishing food is warming and spicy like lamb, venison, beef, shrimp, mussels, and duck. Root vegetables, walnuts, chestnuts, lotus seeds, chives, scallions and leeks. Warming kitchen spices: dang gui, ginger, da zao, cinnamon, black pepper, astragalus root, cloves.

How to Eat

Chinese dietary therapy unlike Western nutrition recognises that how and when we eat also matters. We should bring human principles to eating such as joy, ease, and pleasure. Once we have made our dietary choice we should let go worry about whether it is ‘good’ for us and focus on the enjoyment of the meal. Sitting calmly without screens and finding time for connection so that the food nourishes the body and the soul.

I call to mind when I work this way with my own meals and with my clients of the Five Contemplations from Thich Nhat Hanh

• The food is a gift from the Earth, the sky, numerous living beings, and much hard and loving work.

• May we eat with mindfulness and gratitude so as to be worthy to receive this food.

• May we recognize and transform unwholesome mental formations, especially our greed, and learn to eat with moderation.

• May we keep our compassion alive by eating in such a way that reduces the suffering of living beings, stops contributing to climate change, and heals and preserves our precious planet.

• We accept this food so that we may nurture our brotherhood and sisterhood, build our community, and nourish our ideal of serving all living beings.”

The energy around our food at perimenopause and menopause that we are seeking to create in the kitchen and at our dining tables is one of calm, groundedness, and consuming foods that are easy to digest and process through our system.

I encourage you to reflect on what foods help you feel this. 

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