KETO AND MENOPAUSE - COULD KETO BE YOUR MENOPAUSE SUPERPOWER?
|
|
Time to read 13 min
Hot flushes, mood swings, and stubborn weight gain. Sound familiar?
Welcome to menopause, ladies!
Just when we thought we had life sorted, menopause crashes the party. But what if there's a way to fight back?
Enter the ketogenic diet. You might be wondering, "Suzie, can changing what I eat really help with menopause?"
As a nutritional therapist, I've seen the keto diet work wonders for menopausal women. It's not just about losing weight; keto and menopause work hand-in-hand against a load of troublesome menopause symptoms.
So, are you curious how keto could help you handle menopause?
Grab a bulletproof coffee and your favourite keto bar, and let's find out!
So, What is Menopause? Am I Perimenopausal or Menopausal?
Menopause is a natural part of ageing that occurs as a woman's estrogen levels decline in middle age. Some women go through the menopause transition early, and some go through it late. But all women go through it!
Many women find the menopausal transition years challenging, characterized by body weight gain, brain fog, and horrendous hormone-induced interrupted sleep.
In the months or years leading up to menopause, there is a phase known as perimenopause. During perimenopause, you may notice some changes not only in your body but even in your mind!
Some of the common symptoms of perimenopause are:
Irregular periods
Hot flashes and night sweats
Weight gain
Mood swings
Brain fog
Vaginal dryness
Low libido
Insomnia
Anxiety and depression
These symptoms can vary in intensity and frequency from person to person. Some women may have mild or no symptoms, while others may have severe or debilitating symptoms.
You are considered menopausal when you have not had a period for 12 consecutive months.
After menopause, your hormone levels stabilize at a lower level than before. Some of the symptoms of perimenopause may actually persist or worsen after menopause.
Menopause is different for everyone. You should know that women can experience menopause discomfort at varying levels!
Is a Keto Diet Good for Menopause? And Is Keto Good for a Woman Over 50?
Yes, the good news is that the Keto Diet could be your super-weapon against Menopause!
Getting started with the Keto Diet is an absolute breeze!
All you need to do to start is cut carbs and sugar while upping fats. This makes Keto a low-carb diet diet that can be particularly effective for initial weight loss and energy enhancement.
Cutting carbs forces your body into a state of ketosis . Ketosis is when your body burns fat instead of glucose for fuel. This has many benefits for your health and well-being, especially for women going through the symptoms of menopause!
The keto diet may offer potential benefits for women undergoing menopause, particularly in relation to insulin sensitivity and managing symptoms like night sweats and hot flashes.
A low carbohydrate diet, such as the ketogenic diet, can lead to improvements in metabolic health despite potential side effects, emphasizing the physiological challenges women face during this life stage.
The keto diet can help you cope with menopause in several ways:
Keto can help rebalance your hormones
Keto can help you lose weight
Keto can super-charge your long-term health
Keto can boost your sleep and energy levels
Let’s have a closer look at each benefit…
Keto Can Help Rebalance Your Hormones
Hormone imbalance is the root cause of so most peri and menopausal symptoms, from that sneaky weight gain to bad sleep and relentless anxiety that just keeps getting worse.
As your estrogen and progesterone levels drop, they also have an effect on other hormones in your body, such as insulin, cortisol, thyroid, and serotonin.
Unfortunately, this is a part of life for all women. Some women will feel these symptoms way worse than others. However, at the Keto Collective we feel that Keto can help those struggling with Menopause:
Picking up the Keto Diet and getting into Ketosis actually helps to keep your hormones from playing havoc!
These are the effects keto can have on YOUR body:
Keto reduces insulin resistance by lowering your carb intake and stabilizing your blood sugar levels. Studies show that this helps your cells respond better to insulin and use glucose more efficiently. Keto also helps lower inflammation and oxidative stress, which can impair insulin signalling.
Keto lowers cortisol levels by reducing stress and improving sleep quality. Keto also helps balance your blood sugar levels, which can prevent cortisol spikes and crashes. Keto also provides healthy fats and ketones, which can support your adrenal glands and brain function.
Keto boosts thyroid function by providing adequate calories and nutrients. Keto also helps lower inflammation and oxidative stress, which can damage your thyroid gland and interfere with thyroid hormone production. Keto also provides healthy fats and ketones, which can support your thyroid hormones and metabolism.
Keto increases serotonin production by providing tryptophan, an amino acid that is the precursor of serotonin. Keto also helps lower inflammation and oxidative stress, which can deplete serotonin levels. Keto also provides healthy fats and ketones, which can support your brain health and mood. No more ups and downs!
By rebalancing your hormones, keto can help alleviate many of the symptoms of menopause.
Keto can help you feel happier, calmer, more energetic, and more focused!
Weight Matters! Use Keto to Lose it!
One of the worst menopause symptoms for many women is weight gain, particularly around the belly area. The main reason women struggle with weight gain in menopause is because of a slowing metabolism. Postmenopausal women often face additional challenges with weight maintenance due to hormonal changes. But this doesn’t need to be an issue if you follow the keto lifestyle:
The keto diet can be a powerful tool to combat this sneaky menopause-induced tummy! By restricting your carb and getting into ketosis, your body starts to fuel itself from its own fat stores. In ketosis, your liver will convert fat into ketones which then provide your body – especially your brain – with an energy source. Overweight and obese women can particularly benefit from the weight loss effects of the keto diet, improving fertility outcomes and overall health.
A massive bonus of being in ketosis is the effect it has on our waistline. Not only does Keto make your brain work better, but it also turns you into a fat-burning machine! Amazing!
Here are some Keto Belly Burning Benefits:
Keto helps you burn fat : By putting your body into ketosis, keto helps you switch from burning glucose to burning fat for fuel. Studies Show this can help you lose excess body fat and improve your body composition. Keto also helps preserve your muscle mass and strength by providing adequate protein and ketones.
Keto helps you control your appetite: By lowering your insulin and blood sugar levels, keto helps you reduce your hunger and cravings. Keto also helps you feel full and satisfied by providing healthy fats and fibre. Keto also helps regulate your hormones and neurotransmitters that affect your appetite and mood.
Keto helps you reduce inflammation and oxidative stress: By lowering your carb intake and increasing your antioxidant intake, keto helps you lower inflammation and oxidative stress in your body. This can help improve your insulin sensitivity, hormone balance, thyroid function, and brain health. Keto also helps protect your cells from damage and ageing.
Keto helps you increase your physical activity: By boosting your energy levels, mood, and cognitive function, keto helps you increase your motivation and ability to exercise. Keto also helps improve your endurance, performance, and recovery by providing ketones as an alternative fuel source. Keto also helps prevent or reduce joint pain and inflammation by lowering uric acid levels.
By helping you lose weight, keto can help improve your health and well-being during menopause.
Keto can help lower your risk of diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and other chronic diseases. Keto can also help improve your self-esteem, confidence, and quality of life.
How Keto can Super-charge Your Long-Term Health
Not only does it help you lose weight, but keto can also help you supercharge your long-term health during menopause. While some may consider a low-fat diet for weight maintenance, research indicates that it may not be the most effective approach for postmenopausal women. Keto can help prevent or reverse some of the common health issues that affect menopausal women, such as:
Osteoporosis: Osteoporosis is a condition that causes your bones to become weak and brittle. It can increase your risk of fractures and injuries. Osteoporosis is more common in women after menopause due to the loss of estrogen, which protects your bones. Keto foods can help prevent or treat osteoporosis by providing adequate calcium, vitamin D, magnesium, and other minerals that support bone health. Keto helps stimulate bone formation and reduce bone resorption by lowering inflammation and oxidative stress. Keto can also help preserve your muscle mass and strength, which can support your bone health and prevent falls.
Alzheimer’s disease: Alzheimer’s disease is a horrible degenerative brain disorder that causes cognitive decline, and actually affects women more than it does men. It halts your ability to function independently and is very tough to deal with for the surrounding family and friends. Studies show Keto can help prevent or treat Alzheimer’s disease by providing ketones as an alternative fuel source for your brain. Ketones can help improve your brain function, memory, and cognition by enhancing neuronal survival, synaptic plasticity, and neurogenesis. Keto can also help lower inflammation and oxidative stress in your brain, which can damage your neurons and impair your cognitive abilities. Wow.
Cardiovascular disease: Cardiovascular disease causes heart attacks, strokes, and other nasty complications. However, concerns about the keto diet's high saturated fat content are valid, especially for menopausal women. Keto can help prevent or treat cardiovascular disease by improving your blood lipid profile, blood pressure, blood sugar levels, inflammation, and insulin sensitivity!
By helping you supercharge your long-term health, keto can help you avoid or manage some of the major diseases that affect menopausal women.
The benefits of a ketogenic diet extend beyond managing menopause symptoms.
Keto Boosts Sleep And Energy Levels
Keto is a great way to help you maintain steady energy levels. Healthy fats offer a clean and efficient energy source that helps stabilise your energy while levelling out your hormones. This, in turn, improves your sleep as hormones like cortisol, serotonin, and melatonin stop spiking, ultimately resetting your circadian rhythm.
Keto is the perfect solution to feeling chronically wiped out.
And because the ketones your body produces replace glucose in your brain, you'll also experience reduced brain fog. And that afternoon carb crash?
No carbs, no crash!
Another benefit of keto for menopause is that it can boost sleep and energy levels. Many menopausal women struggle with insomnia, fatigue, and low mood, which can affect productivity, performance, and happiness. Keto can help you improve your sleep and energy levels by:
-
Keto helps you regulate your circadian rhythm: Keto can help you regulate your circadian rhythm by lowering your blood sugar and insulin levels, which negatively affect your melatonin production. Not having sugar and carbs means no spikes in energy during the day, which interferes with your sleep quality at night.
Keto helps you reduce hot flashes and night sweats: Hot flashes are a nightmare to deal with during menopause! They can disrupt your sleep and make you feel uncomfortable and restless. No one wants to wake up with a pillow soaking with sweat! Keto can help you reduce hot flashes and night sweats by lowering your oxidative stress levels, which trigger hot flashes.
Keto helps you increase your energy production: Keto can help you increase your energy production by providing ketones as an alternative fuel source for your cells. Ketones can help you produce more ATP (adenosine triphosphate), the molecule that stores and transports energy in your cells. Keto can also help you avoid carbs and sugar, which we mentioned before can cause energy crashes and cravings.
Keto helps you enhance your mood and cognition: Keto can help you enhance your mood and cognition by providing ketones as an alternative fuel source for your brain. Ketones can help improve your brain function, memory, learning, and mood by stimulating neuronal survival, synaptic plasticity, and neurogenesis.
By boosting your sleep and energy levels, keto can help you feel more alert and refreshed during menopause. Keto can help you sleep better, wake up easier, and have more energy and focus throughout the day.
It's a no-brainer if you are having any of these symptoms!
Why Do I Look Younger on Keto?
Yes, Keto can make you look younger! You heard that correct!
Keto can make you look younger by improving your skin health and overall appearance.
Some of the skin benefits of adapting to a keto lifestyle are truly remarkable:
Improving your skin hydration: Keto can help improve your skin hydration by providing healthy fats and ketones, which can help retain water in your skin cells and tissues. Keto will require you to drink more water, which will help flush out toxins and replenish your skin's hydration.
Boosting your collagen production: Collagen is the most abundant protein in your skin. It's the thing that gives your skin firmness and elasticity. So it's important to us! As you age, your collagen production declines, which can cause your skin to sag and wrinkle. Keto can help boost your collagen production by upping your intake of amino acids, the building blocks of proteins. Keto also lowers inflammation, which can inhibit collagen synthesis.
Reducing your glycation: Glycation is the process of sugar molecules attaching to proteins and fats in your body. It can affect your skin by damaging your collagen and elastin fibres. Keto can help reduce your glycation by eliminating sugars, thus preventing molecules from attaching to your skin proteins and fats.
By improving your skin health and appearance, keto can really make you look younger!
Take a photo when you start the diet, then compare it with how you look 3 to 6 months from now. You may be surprised to see the positive effect Keto has had on your skin... and maybe your waist-line...
Does Keto Work for Menopause Belly Fat?
Keto can work for menopause belly fat by helping you lose excess abdominal fat. Abdominal fat is the fat that accumulates around your waistline and organs. It’s also known as visceral fat or belly fat. It is the killer fat that we really really don't want!
You see, the dreaded Belly fat does more than just alter your appearance—it’s also harmful to your health! It pumps up inflammation and oxidative stress in your body, which can harm your organs. It messes with hormones and negatively affects your metabolism and insulin. And above all, having excess belly fat can up your chances of getting diabetes, heart disease, and cancer, and can even lead to an early death!
Living the keto lifestyle will eliminate belly fat by helping you burn more fat while preserving lean muscle mass, even into old age. The Mediterranean diet is another excellent option, known for its nutrient-rich profile and positive effects on weight loss, mental health, and glycemic control. And losing that belly fat will improve your health and appearance, improving your self-confidence and mental wel-being.
You can also tone your abdominal muscles by doing exercises that target your core, such as planks, crunches, and twists. This targeted fat loss can lead to a reduction in waist circumference, promoting an even healthier body composition.
And being on the keto diet doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy sweet treats or the occasional glass of wine. You can fit most of your favourite foods and drinks into the diet. Keto Cookies anyone?
Menopause doesn’t mean you have to give up on having the body that YOU want!
Finally… On Menopause and The Keto Diet
Menopause can be a challenging time for many women, but it doesn't have to be! You can use keto as your menopause superpower to help you embrace this new period in your life. It doesn't need to be a struggle.
Keto can help you rebalance your hormones, lose weight, super-charge your long-term health, and boost your sleep and energy levels. Keto can also make you look younger and feel happier.
To start a keto diet for menopause, you need to cut your carbs, eat plenty of healthy fats, eat moderate amounts of protein, eat low-carb vegetables and fruits, drink plenty of water, and add some supplements if needed.
You may experience some side effects or challenges when starting keto, such as keto flu , cravings, or social pressure. But don't worry, these are temporary and manageable. You can overcome them by staying hydrated, eating enough calories and fats, and finding support from family and friends, or us at The Keto Collective
Menopause is a significant transition in a woman's life, often accompanied by uncomfortable symptoms. The ketogenic diet, with its hormonal balancing, weight management, and brain health benefits, could be your menopause superpower.
Remember, menopause isn't an ending, but a new beginning!
Keto and Menopause are a great combination and may make this period a smoother and more enjoyable experience.
SUZIE WALKER
Keto Collective Co-Founder & Naturopathic Nutritionist dipNT.CNM
Suzie has researched and reviewed the many health benefits of low-carb living. She co-founded The Keto Collective, a company that aims to make it easier to find whole food, great tasting, keto alternatives to their everyday favourites.
