A Menopause nutritionist from Suffolk wants to dispel the Menopause taboo
New research has revealed 80% of men don't educate themselves on menopause in the East of England.
A Menopause nutritionist from Suffolk says she wants their to be more education and research into menopause, in hopes of getting rid of the taboo so people can have more open and honest conversation about how it's impacting them.
New research from Florette shows that 50% of UK household never speak about women’s health including periods and the menopause.
1 in 6 admit that it is spoken about in their household, but men don’t tend to be involved in the conversations.
Local Statistics
East Anglia:
- 1 in 5 (20%) men admit they only learnt about menopause once they had a girlfriend/wife.
- Only 15% learnt about the menopause but don’t they don’t know enough about it to help someone who is going through it, as it wasn’t taught that well.
- The majority of people would treat menopause using HRT (61%) with 50% also turning to diet as well.
Norwich:
- 1 in 5 (21%) men admit they only learnt about menopause once they had a girlfriend/wife.
- Only 18% learnt about the menopause but don’t they don’t know enough about it to help someone who is going through it, as it wasn’t taught that well.
- The majority of people treat menopause using HRT (61%) with only a third (38%) looking to diet as well.
Cambridge:
- 1 in 3 (29%) men admit they only learnt about menopause once they had a girlfriend/wife.
- Only 19% learnt about the menopause enough to feel they don’t know enough about it to help someone who is going through it, as it wasn’t taught that well
- The majority of women treat menopause using HRT (67%) with 50% also turning to diet and 50% turning to exercise too.
The research also revealed that many women weren't aware of other holistic methods for treating menopause.
- Mindfulness (73%)
- Vitamins (64%)
- Nutrition (59%)
Despite this almost a third of women surveyed said they would be keen to know more.
2 in 5 even admitted they would always want to know about herbal methods before moving on to medication.
Advice from a menopause nutritionist
Emma Bardwell is an author and leading menopause nutritional expert from Suffolk we asked her what advice she has for people who will go through menopause.
“My overarching advice when it comes to managing the menopause is to be prepared, not scared.
"With the right education, support and awareness, it can be an incredibly liberating and positive time of life and there are a wealth of strategies available to women to help them navigate their journey.
"In fact, much of what I do day to day is spent cutting through the sometimes-confusing dietary guidelines to bring women simple, evidence-based actionable strategies that slot easily into busy lives.
"While there’s no such thing as a specific menopause diet, a Mediterranean style way of eating can be a great starting point for women.
"That means lots of fresh, minimally processed produce where possible, including a range of fruit and vegetables, salads, some lean protein, whole grains, lentils and beans, nuts and seeds, some dairy and healthy fats from things like oily fish, olive oil and avocados.
She also explained that in the UK we don't eat enough fibre and need around 30 grams a day, whilst the average person only eats 18 grams.
All of these different types of fibre help to feed the gut microbiome, which in turn produces all these plant chemicals, which can help things like skin health actually helps with hormone production and metabolism and even things like mood. So variety really is key.
How Menopause can impact people
Emma also wants people to be mindful of the stress in their lives and how they're managing it as this also impacts the symptoms. She told us about some of the things her clients have experienced.
"Loss of confidence, lack of self-esteem, some women suddenly find that they can't drive on a motorway. They feel very tearful, they can no longer do presentations at work.
"So it does have a knock-on impact, not just on the woman, but with the people living around her.
"Her work colleagues, her kids, potentially her partners. There's a real spike in divorce around this time and and relationships failing.
"So that is definitely something that we really need to think about."
Emma also wants people to know that going through the menopause doesn't have to be a bad thing.
"I am 53. I am coming out of that kind of hormonal chaos. And I can assure anybody younger who's listening, it's actually a really empowering time.
"I think lots of women, once they do get those symptoms under control, they feel really quite liberated. There's a real kind of freedom associated with this time of life."