Have you been? Healthy bowels after menopause

It’s quite a few years since I stayed in hospital, thank heavens, but I remember the question you were asked every day ‘Have you been?’ Along with your body temperature, heart rate and blood pressure, regular bowel movements are an indication of a body functioning well.

Irregular bowels and constipation* can be the result of the change in the amounts and balance of oestrogen and progesterone around menopause. An excess of progesterone reduces movement in the intestines so that bowel movements become infrequent, dry and pebble-like.

Regular exercise plays an important… read more

Healthy bones after menopause

Osteoporosis or low bone density is a fairly common condition. Osteoporosis literally means ‘porous bones’. The clinical definition is ‘a condition where there is less normal bone than expected for a woman’s age, with an increased risk of fracture’.

Osteoporosis isn’t painful and most women don’t realise that they have it until they fracture a bone after a relatively minor accident or stress. One visible sign of osteoporosis is the characteristic bending forward position that develops in older people.

The bone mass of both men and women… read more

Fresh Summer Salads

Many of the ingredients for salads are excellent for reducing menopause symptoms and supporting you through this stage of your life.

The basic steps for constructing a great, healthy salad are:

Pick your leaves – lettuce, rocket, watercress, baby spinach etc
Add salad vegetables – tomato, cucumber, radish, peppers, beetroot, grated carrot etc
Add protein – kidney beans, chick peas, tuna, salmon, egg, cheese, edamame beans, chicken etc
A bit of crunch – seeds such as sunflower, sesame or pumpkin, nuts, croutons etc
A small amount of carbohydrate- wholemeal noodles, pasta, rice or new organic potatoes in their skins
Pick a dressing – avoid commercial bottled… read more

Cool Recipes for Summer 2; Courgette Spaghetti

The second in this series of cool recipes for hot women – and their families! It’s quick, easy and tasty. What more do you want from a recipe? Oh, and courgettes are a good source of vitamins A and C, potassium and fibre.

Ingredients (makes supper for 1 or a side dish for 2)

1 large courgette

100 ml Mild olive oil

2 bunches of cherry tomatoes on the vine

Pesto:

45g Basil

100 ml Virgin olive oil

25g Pine nuts

1 Clove of Garlic

30g Pecorino or Manchego cheese

Salt and pepper to taste

Method

Heat the oven to 180 degrees.

Put the tomatoes in a roasting pan. Drizzle with olive oil. … read more

Cool Recipes for Summer

Following the launch of our new book, ‘Cool Recipes for Hot Women; How to eat your way to a healthy menopause’, Jenny Tschiesche and I thought we would film some bonus recipes for the summer.

The first summer cool recipe is Fresh Pea and Broad Bean Spread. Enjoy!

Fresh Pea and Broad Bean

Fresh Pea and Broad Bean Spread

Ingredients (makes enough for 12 portions)

200g Broad beans

200g Fresh or frozen peas

4 tbsps mild olive oil

1 clove garlic, crushed

Pinch of salt

Juice and zest of 1 lemon

Method

Bring a… read more

Menopause and Weight Gain: Part 2 Take Action

A small amount of weight gain during perimenopause is normal and acceptable. However excessive fat, particularly around the waist, can be dangerous for your health and particularly your risk of breast cancer and heart disease (Glenville, 2006).

The time to take action is if your waist to hip ratio exceeds 0.8. To calculate this, measure your waist and hips and then divide your waist by your hip measurement. If your ratio is higher than 0.8 it can increase your risk of a range of conditions including cancer, high blood pressure, and stroke.

1 Mindful eating

An essential element in losing or maintaining… read more

Menopause and Weight Gain

Many women experience weight gain as they enter their 40s and 50s. It may not be a sudden, big gain*, it may be incremental gains over a number of years. Weight may go up by a few pounds and then stay at that level for a few months before it creeps up again and then plateaus and so on.

Extra pounds gained during this period can be much more difficult to lose than during younger years. Strategies and diets that have worked well in the past to lose weight… read more

Excess Holiday Weight

And no, this not about making sure your luggage does not exceed the airline limits!

I am just back from a wonderful week on the island of Crete. Lots of lazing about, wonderful fresh food and a couple (!) of gin and tonics. Feeling very rested but my jeans are feeling a bit tight. I have gained 3 lbs.

I could just ignore it. It’s only a few pounds and now I am back at home and in my routine that weight could just disappear. But I know that… read more

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