Christmas is synonymous with the likes of mince pies and gingerbread, pigs in blankets and roast potatoes, mulled wine and eggnog. Most of December is given over to excess – where chocolate for breakfast, courtesy of an advent calendar, makes perfect sense! On Christmas day alone, people in the UK consume, on average, 6,000 calories [1].<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Christmas is not a time for diets or restrictions that make you feel miserable. But if you are experiencing perimenopause or menopause symptoms, you may have already made adjustments to your diet \u2013 to help reduce triggers for hot flushes, for example, or to help manage your weight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In a survey for Newson Health, two thirds (68 per cent) of women said they had gained weight since the start of perimenopause or menopause [2]. A third (35 per cent) of respondents said they were trying to eat a more balanced diet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If this resonates, you might be worrying about how to keep this up over the festive season \u2013 especially as, according to The Association of UK Dietitians, people gain, on average 1-5lb over the holiday period [3]. Or you may want to be part of the celebrations without suffering from sluggishness or a hangover the next day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Follow these nutrition tips to help keep you fuelled so that you can enjoy the Christmas celebrations without exacerbating your menopausal symptoms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Now is not the time to embark on weight loss plans or to count calories. That\u2019s not to say you can\u2019t make healthy choices but aim to follow the 80\/20 rule \u2013 where you eat healthily 80% of the time. Even better, says Dr Rupy Aujla, founder of The Doctor\u2019s Kitchen, is to \u2018Aim for 90\/10 because you probably will get to 80\/20. And if you do indulge, allow yourself to indulge without any guilt, and then make yourself a pact to get back on it the following day.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n
RELATED: Creating long lasting food habits for better health<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Ultra processed food is making us sick, according to Henry Dimbleby, food campaigner and author of Ravenous. \u201857% of the food we eat is ultra processed food. It is generally very calorie dense, it is soft, it\u2019s low in fibre and it doesn\u2019t fill you up. And we find this food irresistible.\u2019 No more so than at Christmas, when supermarkets offer huge ranges of delicious looking, time-saving foods. You can\u2019t hope to replicate the breadth of what\u2019s on offer and make it all yourself \u2013 instead focus on the dishes that really mean Christmas to you to make yourself, and don\u2019t feel obliged to buy all the extras. <\/p>\n\n\n\n RELATED: Ultra processed food: Unwrapped with Henry Dimbleby<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n The Christmas holidays, when you can try eating earlier in the evening and have a more leisurely breakfast time, are an ideal period to try an overnight fast. \u2018The longer you can rest your microbes overnight, the better your metabolism is,\u2019 says Professor Tim Spector, co-founder of Zoe nutrition app. \u2018Trying to rest between 12 and 14 hours a night can really help you.\u2019 It\u2019s thought that intermittent fasting can help change the makeup of your gut microbiome, which is linked to your health, plus when activity in your gut slows down, it gives more time for your gut lining to be repaired, which in turn could limit chronic inflammation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In The Dr Louise Newson Podcast<\/a>, Professor Tim Spector explained how our gut microbes control our response to sugar and fat and that the more you can improve your gut microbes, the more you can dampen down those responses. One way to do this is to eat fermented foods such as the three Ks (kombucha, kefir and kimchi) every day. The good news is that cheeses, bountiful at Christmas, are also fermented – aged cheddar, Swiss cheeses and parmesan are particularly good sources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n RELATED: Spoon-fed food: Tim Spector& Dr Louise Newson<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Crisps and nuts, mince pies and stollen, sausage rolls and cheese straws \u2013 while delicious, Christmas snacks tend to be unhealthy and easy to overeat. You don\u2019t need to replace these with celery sticks (although you can if you want!), rather, think about making your own snacks. Shop-bought salted peanuts, for instance, can be replaced with trail mix \u2013 mixed nuts, seeds and dried fruits that you can flavour with cinnamon and nutmeg or cayenne and smoked paprika. Homemade snacks are fresher, contain less preservatives and you can up the variety of ingredients \u2013 and flavour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While demonising particular foods and drinks isn\u2019t helpful, it is worth limiting those that trigger your perimenopause or menopause symptoms. Alcohol and caffeine, for example, can both increase anxiety and interfere with sleep. It\u2019s generally recommended that you avoid caffeine for a minimum of eight hours before bedtime to help minimise sleep problems [4]. If you are enjoying a drink at Christmas, have a jug of water on the table during all mealtimes and alternate between water and alcohol. If you suffer from reflux or heartburn, avoid your trigger foods \u2013 common ones include citrus, tomatoes, alcohol, chocolate, caffeinated drinks, fatty foods and spicy foods.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Many of us serve up a portion of food without thinking \u2013 it\u2019s an automated action and most of the time we give ourselves the same amount of food we\u2019ve always done without even considering our appetite. Tuning into your appetite simply means thinking before serving yourself food. If you\u2019re hungry, don\u2019t deny yourself but go for it on the like of vegetables, covering at least a third of your plate with them, and protein-rich foods that will keep you fuller for longer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Winter food tends to be more stodgy, so adding salads and vegetable to every festive meal can really bring some much-needed zing! Add some spice to your red cabbage, for example, or give carrots an edge with ginger, cumin and chilli. Get inspiration by looking into the Mediterranean diet, which is based on fruits, vegetables, beans, nuts, seeds, wholegrains and unsaturated fat. As well as benefitting your overall health, there is evidence that a Mediterranean diet can reduced the severity of menopausal symptoms [5].<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2018Carbohydrates can get a bad press at times,\u2019 says Dr Louise Newson in her book The Definitive Guide to the Perimenopause and Menopause. \u2018They are frequently blamed for weight gain and post-dinner slumps; and they\u2019re often the first type of food we reach for when we feel down. But not all carbs are made equal, and some are a really important energy source.\u2019 Vegetables are a good source of carbohydrate, as are low-Gi foods such as pulses and wholegrains, so ensure you get enough of these to keep you going over the festive season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Many articles about Christmas foods will extol the virtues of omega-3 rich smoked salmon, or low-fat and high-protein turkey, but reducing individual ingredients down to their properties misses the point (and who actually wants to think about tryptophans while eating their turkey?!). It\u2019s far better in the long-term to consider your whole diet, ensuring it\u2019s balanced, varied and colourful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n References<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n 1. BDA: Eat drink and be healthy this Christmas<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n 2. Newson Health (2024) \u2018Women\u2019s Experiences of Perimenopause and Menopause\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n 3. BDA: Eat drink and be healthy this Christmas<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n 4. Sleep Foundation: caffeine and sleep<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n 5. Vetrani C, Barrea L, Rispoli R, Verde L, De Alteriis G, Docimo A, Auriemma RS, Colao A, Savastano S, Muscogiuri G. (2022), \u2018Mediterranean Diet: What Are the Consequences for Menopause?\u2019, Front Endocrinol<\/em> (Lausanne). 25;13:886824. doi: 10.3389\/fendo.2022.886824<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nCut back on UPF<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Avoid eating late<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Feed your gut<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Have DIY snacks<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Avoid trigger foods<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Keep an eye on portions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Think fresh and fabulous<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Don\u2019t ditch carbs<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Enjoy your food<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n
\n\n\n\n