How to Sail (naturally) through Menopause
The menopause is a natural change in life for women, which happens around 50. Symptoms include hot flushes, night sweats, mood shifts and fatigue. It’s interesting that in Japan, there is no translation for ‘hot flushes’ as they don’t happen.
This is thought to be that because they don’t eat a lot of dairy (rich in oestrogen), they don’t have such a ‘crash’ when they reach middle-age, so don’t have strong menopause symptoms.
But in England, women are encouraged to eat lots of dairy (to keep bones strong) which is not needed (you can eat plenty of plant-based calcium and do weight-bearing exercise). It’s the countries that guzzle lots of dairy (the UK, USA and Scandinavia) that get more osteoporosis than eastern countries.
Now the menopause has been made into an ‘illness’ to sell lots of things people don’t need, and give HRT medicine, which has side effects (and some brands are made from the hormone-rich urine of pregnant mare horses, with their calves killed).
Did you know that humans are one of the few species that go through menopause. Other creatures include rhesus monkeys, pilot whales and orcas (killer whales) – the males stay with their mums for life (aah!)
The older you get, the better you get. Unless you’re a banana. Anon
Here are some tips to go through menopause naturally. As stated above, if you reduce dairy intake before then, you are likely to have far fewer symptoms.
The main ways to manage menopause naturally are:
- A good diet (rich in plant-based calcium)
- Regular gentle exercise
- Plenty of water (and less wine)
- No smoking or low alcohol
- Quality sleep
- Less spicy foods
- Relaxing lifestyles
- Supplements (optional, but good for some)
Embrace Change with Natural Nutrition
- Green tea is good for menopausal symptoms. This is not as oxidised as normal tea (which is fine too, just not as health as green tea!)
- Phytoestrogens: Foods like tofu, tempeh, flaxseeds, chickpeas, and lentils contain plant compounds that act a bit like oestrogen. They can soften flushes for some women.
- Anti‑inflammatory choices: Berries, leafy greens, tomatoes and plant-based omega 3 fatty acids can help ease joint pain and fatigue. Walnuts add healthy fats.
- Bone support: Choose calcium-rich foods such as tofu set with calcium, sesame seeds, dark greens (check medication), and fortified plant milks. Plus a vitamin D3 supplement in autumn and winter.
- Magnesium: Spinach, kale, pumpkin seeds and beans support bone formation.
Check medication before eating lots of leafy greens. Read more on food safety for people and pets.
If you want a good way to keep bones strong with dairy (along with eating plant-based calcium-rich foods) work out with resistance bands. These are less heavy than weights. Personal trainer Lucy Wyndham-Read also has a simple bone-strengthening workout, which only takes 5 minutes a day.
Sustainable Supplements to Help Menopause
If you feel you could benefit from a supplement, Feel Menopause is a quality brand in sustainable packaging (use code partner20 for 20% discount (not bundles or subscriptions).
Check with GP before taking supplements or medications (including HRT) as it can interact (including contraception pills).
This contains red clover isoflavones (a similar structure to oestrogen) with vitamins B6 (for hormonal activity), B12 (energy) and B5 (for calm, along with maca and ginseng). You should feel benefits within 90 days (when oestrogen levels balance out, you should no longer need a supplement).
Dr Vegan Peri-Menofriend contains soy isoflavones, vitamin B6, red clover, sage leaf (to help hot flushes and night sweats) and magnesium (to help sleep).
Dr Vegan MenoFriend (used by over 50,000 women) again is effective within 60 days to balance hormones, mood, mental clarity, energy and muscles. It contains red clover, sage, hops, wild yam, maca root and dong quai, alongside vitamins B6, B12, D3, K2 and minerals magnesium and selenium.
Boycott Horse Urine HRT Medicines
As mentioned above, some HRT medicines (including Premarin – which stands for ‘pregnant horse urine’) are made from the urine of pregnant horses, often chained up to drain their urine, with their foals taken away. This is due to the urine being rich in rich in oestrogen compounds.
There are many welfare concerns here, including the foals (bred to keep mares pregnant) sold to the meat trade. Investigations have found mares being kept in narrow stalls, in conditions akin to factory farms, with repeated collection and catheterisation causes painful sores.
HRT medicine also has health risks (blood clots, stroke, breast cancer).
If you take HRT medicine, ask your GP if your brand is made with horse urine. If so (and you wish to continue on HRT), ask to be switched to a plant-based or body-identical brand. Or try first taking one of the supplements above, after permission from your GP.
