Vegan Diet For Menopause Weight Loss – Whole grains, vegetables and most fruits are low-calorie, low-fat, high-fiber foods. By reducing fat and increasing fiber in your diet, you can minimize hot flashes and night sweats and increase comfort and happiness. Fiber makes you feel full—and helps you resist urges to eat or snack late at night. Interestingly, plants contain a lot of fiber and animal products contain none.
Studies on the whole food plant-based diet and menopause have linked improved symptoms to dietary changes. Menopausal women who consumed a plant-based or vegan diet rich in soy experienced fewer vasomotor symptoms, which include hot flashes or flushing and sweating.
Vegan Diet For Menopause Weight Loss
Researchers divided participants into two groups based on the number of hot flashes they experienced each day. Participants in the intervention group consumed a whole foods plant-based diet low in fat. Adding half a cup of soybeans to a soup or salad was also part of the daily diet.
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Meanwhile, the control group continued to eat a standard diet that included animal products and processed foods for 12 weeks. The researchers recorded the frequency and severity of physical, vasomotor, psychosocial and sexual symptoms.
Research results indicate that soy-rich vegan or plant-based diets reduced moderate to severe hot flashes by 84 percent, from about five per day to less than one per day. Over the course of the 12-week study, 60% of women reported a complete disappearance of moderate to severe hot flashes. All types of hot flashes decreased by 79 percent.
Neal Barnard, president of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine and adjunct professor at George Washington University School of Medicine said: “This is a breakthrough for most women 45 and older, as we now know they can get relief from symptoms of menopause without medicine.”
Participants also commented on improvements in mood, energy and sleep. In addition, several people reported improved digestion and weight loss.
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In a study comparing perimenopausal and postmenopausal women following a plant-based or vegan diet (no animal products) or vegetarian diet (may contain eggs or dairy products) with omnivores (contains both plant and animal products), those who ate the plant- based foods consumed reported less night sweats, hot flashes, and fewer flushes. The difference between the plant-based women and the omnivores was most pronounced in perimenopause when symptoms tend to peak.
Women who gain weight during menopause may experience pain as well as increased menopausal symptoms. Research suggests that being overweight has a two-fold effect, causing our bodies to release excess heat and produce system-wide inflammation.
This in turn can lead to increased vasomotor symptoms. Maintaining a healthy weight can prevent symptoms during menopause. In studies on a whole food plant-based diet and menopause, women who lost at least 10 pounds or 10% of their body weight were more likely to be free of vasomotor symptoms. you are a member of our private group, you may have noticed that I post a lot of vegetarian recipes. I spent many, many years as a vegetarian and still have a very “plant-heavy” diet. It is because of my habit of eating more vegetarian options that I was interested to know if women who eat less meat have an easier time managing menopausal symptoms. As always, I turned to scientific research to find out.
Vegetarian diets are usually considered healthier than the typical North American diet full of processed foods and lots of meat. However, there is no conclusive evidence that a completely vegetarian or vegan diet has significant benefits compared to a low-meat plant-based diet in the general population. However, for women over 50, a vegan or vegetarian diet can make a difference in managing symptoms and weight gain related to menopause. Here’s how:
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In a study comparing perimenopausal and postmenopausal women following a vegan (no animal products) or vegetarian diet (may contain eggs or dairy products) with omnivores, those who consumed the plant-based diet reported fewer night sweats, hot flashes and less flushes (known as vasomotor symptoms). The difference between the plant-based women and the omnivores was most pronounced in perimenopause when symptoms tend to peak.[1]
Weight gain during menopause is not only difficult for many women, but it can also contribute to increased menopausal symptoms. Some researchers think that being overweight can have a two-fold effect; extra weight increases our body’s need to get rid of excess heat and increases the risk of system-wide inflammation.[2] Increased inflammation may contribute to increased vasomotor symptoms. Maintaining a healthy weight during menopause can help prevent symptoms. Women in one study who lost at least 10 pounds or 10% of their body weight were more likely to get rid of their vasomotor symptoms completely.
As many of us know, maintaining a healthy weight during peri and postmenopause can be a challenge. Those participating in studies using vegetarian diets consistently lost and sustained weight loss compared to non-vegetarian diets; in a recent review (called a meta-analysis) of randomized controlled trial studies (considered the gold standard in research), those who followed a vegetarian diet without calorie restriction or direction to exercise lost an average of 3.4 kg more weight than their omnivorous counterparts. . [3]
Even more impressive, when post-menopausal women were randomized into vegan diets that had no other restrictions, they lost more weight overall than those who followed a low-fat, restricted diet.[4]
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Remember last week when I talked about not adopting an eating pattern that you can’t sustain long-term? Here is the good news. In a study of postmenopausal women who were randomly divided into three different diet categories, those who followed a plant-based whole foods (less processed foods) diet were able to successfully maintain their diet for a year. The researchers observed that the women who had made a change to a vegetarian diet were more engaged in trying recipes and exploring the different possibilities of a more plant-based lifestyle.
If the idea of having a more plant-based menu intrigues your curiosity, here are some suggestions to get you started:
1. Get your bone builders. Women in the menopausal years can do well on a vegetarian diet, but must ensure that they get enough calcium and vitamins B12 and D. If you don’t eat dairy, look for calcium-rich foods such as calcium-fortified soy milk, calcium-fortified cereals, tofu, tempeh, and vegetables such as those that are green leafy, broccoli or Chinese cabbage.
2. Make your move a transition. I love the saying, “Go from four legs to two legs, to no legs.” In other words, start by cutting back on red meat, then chicken, fish and then go completely vegetarian (if that’s your goal).
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3. Make a note of your favorite meat-free foods. You probably already eat meat-free dishes. Take an inventory of those dishes and make a list of those that you enjoy and can make regularly.
4. Search for high quality recipes. When I was a vegetarian, 20-odd years ago, the recipes I used sometimes seemed like a punishment for not eating meat. Vegetarian cooking has come a long way since then and there are so many great plant-based cookbooks and food sites. My personal favorite and regular go-to is Oh She Glows.
5. Go easy on the beans in the beginning. Beans are a great addition to any meal plan and tend to become a staple in a vegetarian or vegan diet. Let your digestive tract adapt to all that fiber by gradually adding beans.
6. Be flexible. Maybe completely vegetarian isn’t for you. Try meatless Mondays or simply reduce your meat intake overall.
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[1] Beezhold, B., Radnitz, C., McGrath, R.E., & Feldman, A. (2018). Vegans report less bothersome vasomotor and physical menopausal symptoms than omnivores. Maturitas, 112, 12-17. [2] Fogarty AW, Glancy C, Jones S, Lewis SA, McKeever TM, & Britton JR. (2008). A prospective study of weight change and systemic inflammation over 9 y. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 87(1), 30–35. [3] Barnard, N.D., Levin, S.M., & Yokoyama, Y. (2015). A systematic review and meta-analysis of changes in body weight in clinical trials of vegetarian diets. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition & Dietetics, 115(6), 954-969.
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While there are a variety of different diets to follow that are meat-free, they all share many of the same ingredients.
All foods on a plant-based diet come from plants with few or no ingredients that come from animals, including vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts, seeds and fruits.
A study conducted by the Physicians Committee tested the theory that plant-based diets can help weight loss on a group of 64 women.
All women were moderately or severely overweight at the start of the trial, which lasted two years.
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Participants were told to put aside all animal products and keep oils to a minimum to see how much
