Refresh Your Diet: Smart Food Swaps for Perimenopausal Wellbeing

Written by: Victoria Biddick

• NZ Associate Registered Nutritionist (ARNutr)
• BAppSc (Human Nutrition), BAppSc (Food Science)

The advice below is general advice, for any specific tailored advice relevant to any health conditions please talk to your health professional.

We often stick to the same foods out of habit, but making small changes can significantly improve your health and wellbeing. Research shows that successful dietary changes are easier when they start from familiar habits (1). So, refreshing your existing meals with smart food swaps is a simple way to enhance your nutrition!

Body changes during perimenopause can impact your health, but by understanding the risk factors, you can take proactive steps to improve your wellbeing. Learn more in our article: Perimenopause: The Perfect Opportunity to Make Positive Changes.

Our top foods to add to your daily eating to support perimenopause include more fruits and vegetables, increasing the amount and variety of quality proteins, alongside low-fat dairy/alternative calcium sources. For more tips on nourishing your body during perimenopause, check out our article: Nourishing Your Body: Essential Foods for Thriving Through Perimenopause.

Key Food Swaps for Better Health:

• Refined Cereals and Grains: Swap white rice and white bread for wholegrain options like brown rice and grainy bread. By incorporating a variety of whole grains into your diet, you can enjoy the health benefits and maintain steady energy levels throughout the day.
• Saturated Fats: Replace butter, full-fat dairy, and palm oil with healthy fats like olive oil, nuts, seeds, and avocado. Fat is essential for life; by swapping to healthy fats, you support your body's daily requirements while reducing your risk of cardiovascular diseases such as heart attack and stroke.

Swap Refined Cereals and Grains for Whole Grains

With the popularity of low-carbohydrate diets, it can be tempting to cut out this important food group. However, the key is to focus on quality over quantity, which is where whole grains come in!

What to Eat

Incorporate a variety of whole grain foods into your daily diet, such as:

• Oats
• Brown rice
• Whole grain bread
• Quinoa
• Bulgur wheat

The recommended daily allowance is 4-6 servings per day (2). A serving could be:

• 1 slice of whole grain bread (30g)
• ½ cup of cooked porridge or pasta
• ½ a medium-sized potato or kumara

Why Whole Grains are Important

Whole grains and starchy vegetables are excellent sources of carbohydrates, the body's and brain's preferred source of fuel (3). They provide energy and are more nutritious than refined grains, which are processed and have fewer nutrients and less fibre. Look for products with visible chunks of grain rather than those that are ground or crushed (3).

Benefits of Whole Grains

• Increases Dietary Fibre: Fibre helps bowel function, improves good cholesterol levels, reduces blood pressure, and supports gut health. Most people do not consume the recommended 30g of fibre per day (2). Fibre also helps you feel full for longer.
• Steady Release of Energy: As we age and oestrogen levels fluctuate, insulin levels decrease, affecting how we break down carbohydrates and increasing the risk of type 2 diabetes and insulin resistance (3). Whole grains take longer to break down, providing a slow, steady release of energy without putting pressure on the body's insulin response.
• Rich in Minerals and Vitamins: Whole grains are high in B-vitamins, which help the body use the energy from the food we eat. A deficiency in B vitamins can make it harder for the body to get the energy it needs from food (3).

How to Incorporate Whole Grains

• Make Better Choices: Swap white bread for whole grain, white rice for brown rice, quinoa, or barley, and white pasta for whole grain pasta. If this is a big change, try mixing your usual grain with a whole grain variety to get used to the taste and texture. Leave the skin on starchy vegetables like kumara and potatoes for added fibre.
• Try New Grains: Experiment with different grains, each offering unique nutrients and minerals. Quinoa, for example, is high in protein and naturally gluten-free. Use it like rice in salads, as flakes in muesli or porridge, or as flour in baking. Try our delicious Overnight Oat recipe.
• Plan Meals Around Whole Grains: Include overnight oats for breakfast, whole grain crackers with hummus for a snack, a whole grain wrap for lunch, and stir-fry with soba noodles for dinner. Spread whole grain foods or starchy vegetables throughout the day to prevent overwhelming your insulin response.
• Cook Extra for Later: Save time by cooking extra whole grains for lunches and meals. They can also be frozen into portions for an easy grab-and-go option.

Swap Saturated Fats for Healthy Fats

What to Eat

Incorporate foods rich in polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats, such as:

• Vegetable oils
• Oily fish
• Avocados
• Nuts and seeds

Aim for 20-30% of your daily intake to come from healthy fats, with no more than 10% from saturated fats (3).

Why Healthy Fats?

Fats are essential for various bodily functions. They provide energy, insulate against temperature extremes, protect from shock, and maintain cell membranes (3). However, the structure of fats can impact health differently:

• Saturated fats (e.g., butter, coconut oil, palm oil, meat and poultry fat) increase LDL (bad cholesterol), raising the risk of heart attack and stroke.
• Healthy fats (e.g., olive oil, nuts, oily fish, avocado) increase HDL (good cholesterol), supporting heart health.

Importance of Healthy Fats

• Promotes Heart Health: Declining oestrogen affects cholesterol production, increasing bad cholesterol levels. Healthy fats help counteract this, reducing the risk of heart attack and stroke.
• Reduces Inflammation: Ageing can lead to chronic low-grade inflammation (inflammaging). Healthy fats support the immune system and have anti-inflammatory properties, helping manage and prevent chronic diseases.
• Aids Vitamin Absorption: Healthy fats assist in absorbing fat-soluble vitamins like A, D, E, and K (3).

How to Incorporate Healthy Fats

• Use Vegetable Oils: Replace butter or coconut oil with olive, canola, or rice bran oil for cooking and baking (4).
• Choose Nuts and Seeds: Snack on unsalted nuts and seeds instead of crackers or chips. Add pumpkin and sunflower seeds to cereal or salads for extra crunch.
• Opt for Healthy Spreads: Swap butter for nut butters (like almond or peanut butter), hummus, avocado, or high-quality margarine (e.g., Olivani).
• Include Oily Fish: Add fish like salmon, mackerel, or sardines to your meals. Tinned options are cost-effective and a good protein source.
• Select Low-Fat Dairy: Choose low-fat dairy products, such as trim milk and edam cheese (4).

What Food Swaps Will You Make for Perimenopausal Wellbeing?

Making healthy food swaps is a step towards improving your overall wellbeing. By choosing whole grains over refined grains and healthy fats over saturated fats, you can boost your energy levels, support heart health, and thrive during perimenopause.

Whether it's swapping white bread for whole grain, choosing nuts and seeds over chips, or using olive oil instead of butter, each small change adds up.

Remember, there's always a better, more nourishing choice to make. Your healthier choice is unique to you and your situation.

What healthy food swap will you make today?

References

1. Gibson, A., & Sainsbury, A. (2017). Strategies to Improve Adherence to Dietary Weight Loss Interventions in Research and Real-World Settings. Behavioral Sciences, 7(3), 44. MDPI AG.
2. Ministry of Health. (2020). Eating and Activity Guidelines for New Zealand Adults. Wellington: Ministry of Health.
3. Whitney, E., Rolfes, S., Crowe, T., & Walsh, A. (2019). Understanding Nutrition (4th Australia and New Zealand ed.). Cengage Learning.
4. Heart Foundation NZ. (2024). Eating for a Healthy Heart. Heart Foundation NZ.