Watch my video chat with Jane Barrett
Here at Just For Tummies, we like to make a point of marking World Menopause Day, which takes place every October, by diving deeper into the powerful connection between the health of the gut and menopause. This year, I was delighted to speak to Jane Barrett, an experienced nutritional therapist who has worked with countless menopausal women, helping them manage the physical and emotional changes that come with this life stage.
Jane knows first-hand how it is to struggle with digestive health, having lived with IBS since her teens; she became so fed up with being shunted back and forth from one medic to the next that she finally decided to take matters into her own hands, following the adage that ‘food is medicine’. She spent time researching dietary approaches to try and ease her symptoms and within 10 days of starting a self-styled dietary regime (not something we recommend you try at home without the advice of a trained professional!), many of her symptoms disappeared. It was this lightbulb moment that led Jane to qualify as a nutritional therapist so that she could learn more about the power of nutrition in health and wellness and share that knowledge to help others.
You can read more about Jane here.
During our discussion about menopause, Jane and I talked about how nutrition plays a vital role in balancing hormone levels, managing symptoms like hot flushes, mood swings, as well as the digestive issues that can often present during menopause; we talked about good dietary and lifestyle choices, the impact of stress, how sleep, exercise and reducing inflammation in the body (‘inflammageing’) all play a role, as well as supplements that can help to ease symptoms and boost mood and overall wellbeing.
One of the points that Jane made was how important it is to eat plenty of protein when going through menopause, not just for hormonal and blood sugar regulation, but for muscle strength/mass too, to prevent weak bones (osteoporosis) and reduce the likelihood of falls. Women want to remain independent into old age, especially if they are living alone. They need a strong, resilient body and a strong, resilient mind. You can’t achieve this eating processed food, doing no exercise and sleeping poorly. My granddaughter, Jessie is 4 and a half years old, but I can still pick her up and give her a piggy-back; we tussle and tickle each other, and we run around the playground. I am grateful that I can still do this at almost 65 years old and long may I be able to do so. There is a correlation between exercise for having a stronger, more resilient body and levels of confidence/mental resilience.
Jane shared her ‘Fab Four For Menopause Health’: fruit, vegetables, herbs and spices. Sounds simple, doesn’t it? Having a more balanced menopause means having balanced blood glucose levels so we advise to eat plenty of protein, wholefood carbs and essential fats.
Watch the video and empower yourself with more knowledge to survive thrive during menopause. If you have any questions about a digestive and gut health issue or would like to know more about a tailored supplement protocol, please get in touch.
