“I feel like a cloud has been lifted.” Said Kathy after a recent nutrition counseling session. She wanted to know how to support her heart health and brain health at the same time during menopause.
That’s the best part of my job. Lifting clouds from women’s relationship with food and their bodies while improving their health. How?
I help women make food less complicated, more fun, and satisfying by “showing up, thinking about it (but not too hard), and giving a shit.”
Here’s how to boost your heart and brain health without being obsessive.
The research on cardiovascular health in women during the menopause transition (perimenopause) is limited. However, there is enough evidence that shows the benefits of lifestyle behaviors like movement, stress management, and heart-healthy eating. Here’s what we know.
Most women experience an increase in total cholesterol, LDL, and apolipoprotein B levels between one year before their final menstrual period and one year after. This association seems independent of aging and is more likely tied to the decline of estrogen.
Other cardio-metabolic factors like blood pressure, blood sugar levels, and insulin response correlate to the prevalence of metabolic syndrome (elevated cholesterol, blood pressure, and blood sugar), which appears to increase with menopause.
4 Ways to Support Your Heart Health After 40
You’ve heard me say this before. Think about what you can add to your meals and snacks to support heart health.
The add-in approach, an expansive mindset, promotes freedom and satisfaction with food and decreases food shame. Here are some add-ins to consider.
- Mindfulness with fiber. Aim for around 25 grams of fiber most days. It can be helpful to front-load your day with complex carbs like oatmeal, whole grain toast, berries or other fruit, greens, and veggies in scrambled eggs, or a couple of tablespoons of ground flaxseed or chia seed in your oatmeal or a smoothie.
- Get to know fats. Not all fats are created equal because of their chemical structure. This affects how your body responds to them. Unsaturated fats are more fluid in your body and less likely to clog arteries. There are mono- and polyunsaturated sources of fats.
Monounsaturated fats include avocado, olives, and olive oil.
The Mediterranean Diet has been associated with reduced cardiovascular disease risk for women!
Polyunsaturated fats include omega-3 fats like salmon, walnuts, flaxseed, hemp seeds, and chia seeds. Polyunsaturated fats also include omega-6 fats like canola oil, sunflower oil, sesame oil, and other vegetable oils.
Saturated fats are more rigid in their chemical structure, which makes them stickier in your blood and arteries. These include butter, lard, coconut oil, palm oil, and cocoa butter. Diets higher in saturated fats can lead to a higher risk of cardiovascular disease by about 23%.
- Don’t be a lazy chef! When it comes to flavor and satisfaction with meals, choose herbs, spices, and finishing salts or condiments to boost flavor instead of relying on sugar, fat, and salt.
For example, use salty ingredients like fermented vegetables and miso to season food well. This adds depth of flavor without increasing the sodium content of the meal.
- Find time to move. According to the American Heart Association, people who exercise 150-300 minutes per week at moderate intensity have a 14-20% lower risk of heart disease. Moderate intensity means you can talk but not sing your favorite song from the 90s.
What types of movement do you enjoy? Add exercise to your day when possible – even for 5, 10, or 15 minutes! Choose an amount you can be consistent with. When you’re consistent, you’ll see benefits over time.
Are heart health and brain health related?
After age 40, consistency matters when it comes to any health-promoting behavior change. This is why simplifying to amplify is so important.
For example, if you pick 3 behavior-based goals to improve your heart health, you will also improve your brain health at the same time. How cool and efficient is that?
According to Dr. Annie Fenn, MD, creator of The Brain Health Kitchen, “What’s good for your heart is good for the brain.” The LDL, or lethal, type of blood cholesterol increases your risk not only for heart disease but also for Alzheimer’s. How?
LDL creates inflammation inside blood vessels. This leads to more blockages in the larger blood vessels and puts smaller blood vessels at risk for collapse, cutting off the blood flow to the brain.
Reduce your LDL cholesterol levels by reducing saturated fats
Instead, focus on mono and polyunsaturated fats like olive oil, salmon, walnuts, avocados, hemp, and flax seeds in your meals and snacks.
Listen to my interview with Dr. Annie Fenn, MD, on the Savor Food and Body Podcast to learn which 10 foods improve cardiovascular and brain health, in the same delicious meals.
Want to improve your heart and brain health with behavior-based nutrition goals?
Join my new 4-week online course – Gentle Nutrition Made Easy!
The course walks you through the step-by-step approach I created for my 1:1 clients to help them get out of the diet cycle and quickly make confident food choices that support their health and relationship with food during perimenopause and menopause.
