AtHomeWithGloriaHunnifordOctober2016 - 106


▲ FOOD AND NUTRITION

CLEAN
UP YOUR
DIET
ALTHOUGH THERE IS NO SPECIAL DIET THAT
WOMEN GOING THROUGH THE MENOPAUSE NEED
TO EAT, GOOD NUTRITION AND FOOD CHOICES
CAN HELP TO MAINTAIN OPTIMUM HEALTH

TIME TO EAT FOR
YOUR BONES

'It's estimated that one in two women
over 55 years old will break a bone at
least once due to poor bone health,'
says Azmina Govindji, award-winning
dietitian and spokesperson for the
British Dietetic Association
(www.azminanutrition.com).
'Post-menopausal women are
particularly at risk of osteoporosis
106 | NOVEMBER 2016

because levels of oestrogen decline,'
she explains. Added to that, women
tend to lose calcium in their urine,
'so it's important for you to have
enough calcium and vitamin D for
its effective absorption,' she adds.
'Rich sources of calcium include
dairy foods and calcium-enriched
soya alternatives. Three servings a
day will provide your calcium needs.'
Food author Kate Percy (www.
gofasterfood.com) recommends eating
bony oily fish, such as sardines and
white bait - 'great sources of both
calcium and vitamin D'. And she adds:
'Snack on dried fruit, nuts and seeds
for natural sources of vital nutrients.'
As anyone interested in health and
nutrition will know, vitamin D is never
out of the news. And it's especially
relevant to your bone health as you
age. 'We make vitamin D through the
action of sunlight on exposed areas
of the skin, but in the Northern
Hemisphere, it's unlikely we get
enough sunlight for this to be
adequate during the autumn and
winter months,' says Azmina.
'The recently published SACN
Report recommends you need
10mcg of vitamin D daily from foods,
though there aren't many that give
you vitamin D, apart from oily fish,

GLORIA
SAYS
'My diet has
changed
over time by
necessity
and my
biggest
change
was when I
completely
cut out
carbs and
sugar
because
I was in
danger
of being
prediabetic
- I lost 2st.
I've relaxed
that now.'

eggs and fortified foods. If you
suffer from osteoporosis, you may
benefit from taking a vitamin D
supplement,' she advises.

OPTIMISING YOUR
NUTRIENTS

Maryon is a well-known author
(of 26 books) and is an expert in
the area of women's health and
nutrition, and created the natural
menopause programme.
'Studies have found there are five
nutrients often in short supply for
pre and post-menopausal women:
magnesium (the nutrient women
are likely to be most deficient in),
B vitamins, iron, essential fatty acids
and calcium,' she says.
'This is the time of life where women
can learn to meet their nutritional

WORDS: FIONA BUGLER, IMAGES: GETTY IMAGES

F

rom your 50s onwards,
life changes. Children
move away, work patterns
can alter and retirement
might be on the horizon.
On top of that, there are physical
changes beyond the menopause.
And with life changes come
differences to eating habits. You may
find you're cooking for fewer people,
or out of your usual eating habits
from work. Health conditions, such
as diabetes, blood pressure and heart
disease, are more likely to occur as you
get older, and you need to pay closer
attention to bone health, so putting
your diet higher on the agenda
becomes more of a priority. It's what
women's health expert Maryon Stewart
calls 'wake-up time' if you haven't
learned how to look after yourself.
http://www.gofasterfood.com http://www.azminanutrition.com
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AtHomeWithGloriaHunnifordOctober2016
