As a Nutritional Therapist I help women who feel tired, irritable and hormonal to reclaim their health and vitality. A lot of clients come to work with me during their peri menopause, also often referred to as ‘second puberty’. The timing can feel like a bit of a cruel joke as these women are often mums with hormonal teens at home experiencing the ups and downs of puberty.
Both stages are life changing rites of passage. Normal, natural and inevitable but also at times frustrating, unpredictable and unwanted. It’s not difficult to see why there can be a lot of negativity and stigma attached to them.
Women may often not even be aware that they have hit their peri menopausal years. It’s not something we’ve been well educated about. In fact the term peri menopause has only been in use for the last decade.
The combination of simultaneous puberty and peri menopause can certainly make for quite an ‘interesting’ family dynamic.
What is Peri Menopause?
When defining peri menopause it’s helpful to first define menopause. Menopause is the day that marks that you have reached one year from your last period. On average women in the UK reach menopause at 52 years old, after this you are post menopausal.
So peri menopause refers to the 10-12 years before you hit menopause. Most women start peri menopause from their early 40’s and everyone’s experience can be quite different. Some women have a subtle and gentle transition, for others the changes are a lot more noticeable.
Despite being something we are conditioned to dread, it’s not always awful and there’s a lot you can do to support a more gentle transition.
Changing the Narrative
I strongly believe that to start having better experiences of puberty and peri menopause we really need to change the way we think and talk about these very normal biological transitions. This starts with better education and awareness of what is happening to our bodies.
As a parent the language you use can have a huge impact. Being able to talk with confidence about your body and with some self compassion is really important. Less shame and less dread go a long way to us being able to talk more openly. I’m not saying this is easy, but it’s important to break the cycle.
If you find it difficult to talk about your body maybe it’s time to get curious about why and to think about the kind of conversations you want to be able to have with your children… this may be the kinds of conversations you weren’t able to have with your own parents?
The Importance of Self Care
This one is crucial. As a parent it can be so easy to fall into the trap of putting your children’s needs first and your own needs last. I tend to find that the more a child in the family is struggling the more parents tend to put themselves last.
There are two problems with this. Firstly what message does it send? Modelling the behaviour you want to see in your child is so important. If you can’t do the things needed to keep yourself healthy then how can you expect your child to do the same?
You also can’t pour from an empty cup. You really can’t.
When you’re depleted, tired and stressed, reasoning and logic go out the window and your reactions are fuelled by emotion. You’re likely to have more conflict and less scope for collaboration and resolution. It’s exactly the same for your child.
Remember that taking good care of yourself is important. Having some boundaries around down time as a parent and good support structures can make a big impact on your household harmony. It’s well recognised that poorly managed stress negatively impacts hormonal balance.
Nutrition Tips to Support Hormonal Health
Both puberty and peri menopause are nutrient hungry states that use a lot of resources. Problems often occur when you’re lacking a baseline of good nutrition.
I’m going to keep this super simple, there’s three things you can really focus on for better hormonal health:
- Protein – think eggs, fish, meat, beans, lentils etc. Proteins provide the building blocks for your hormones, neurotransmitters and much more. Aim for one palm sized portion at every meal
- Healthy Fats – think extra virgin olive oil, olives, nuts, seeds, butter, avocado, oily fish. Ditch the more processed and harmful oils like vegetable oil or sunflower oils. This can have a wide spread impact on hormonal and brain health
- Fibre – think colourful plates with a rainbow of veggies to support your friendly gut bacteria, detoxification and getting lots of nutrients.
I’m fully aware that all that is easier said than done, so I’d also like you to bear the following in mind:
- As much as possible, be relaxed and enjoy food together. Nutritional therapy isn’t just about what you eat but about how you eat. It’s difficult to digest and absorb nutrients if you aren’t relaxed and enjoying your food
- Think about what you can add to meals rather than restrict. Adding salads, vegetables, nuts, seeds etc to family favourites. It might help to brainstorm a list of meals and healthier foods that you know you and your family like
- Meal planning can be really helpful. It’s easy to opt for less healthy options when you’re under pressure during the week. Keep your brainstormed list from the point above somewhere handy like stuck to the inside of a kitchen cupboard so you’re not faced with a blank page when planning
- You don’t have to be perfect, baby steps in the right direction are better than doing nothing at all
Lastly, be aware of when it’s a good time to ask for help. There’s so much amazing help out there. If you’re feeling like you need support to prioritise your health or you’re struggling with symptoms that you are unsure how to tackle then putting yourself first and seeking support can be life changing!
Personally, when I work with clients we look at every system of the body and support you to make easy to follow diet and lifestyle changes. We can then consider supplements and where appropriate I use laboratory testing to look at areas like your adrenals, thyroid, sex hormones and immune system to get you to a place where you can feel calm, happy and rested and the best version of you.
________________
Bio:
Jenny McGuckian helps women who feel tired, irritable and hormonal to understand their bodies and reclaim their health and vitality. As a registered Nutritional Therapist and Health Coach she sees clients both online and in her clinic in Maidenhead, Berkshire, UK. She can be found at www.go-nourish.com.