Constipation, gas, heartburn, random diarrhea – what is your digestion telling you? It’s telling you to eat more fiber for better digestion! Digestive upset is one of the most common, but least talked about, symptoms of perimenopause and menopause – with or without taking hormone replacement therapy (HRT). Why?
Digestion is a taboo subject for most women – unless it relates to the latest influencer detox program. Ironically, it’s ok to talk about pooping caused by expensive cleanse supplements or not pooping related to GLP-1 medications if it relates to weight loss and looking younger.
We don’t talk about the impact of hormones on digestion enough.
Think about the last time you had a regular menstrual cycle.
You were probably a little (or a lot) constipated, bloated, and gassy about a week before your period, only to have the “period poops” once you started to bleed. Normal right?
But what happens when your hormones (estrogen and progesterone) aren’t cycling in a predictable pattern?
In the menopause transition, you might have digestive issues in the middle of your cycle instead of right before bleeding. You might have digestive distress for weeks at a time, the longer your cycles get.
The discomfort of irregular bowel movements, heartburn, and bloating can lead you to think food is the problem. But blaming food (and restricting foods) will likely put you in the expensive diet culture dumpster fire trying to find a solution – especially when you’re struggling with weight gain and negative body image.
Here’s what you need to know about fiber for better digestion during menopause.
Don’t cut calories, eliminate or reduce carbs, do intermittent fasting, drink chia seeds in water, or follow any other digestive recommendation from social media influencers. All of these will make your symptoms worse. Here’s why.
Use it or lose it. When you restrict calories or complex carbs, the muscles in your digestive tract have less food to contract against. This causes the digested food to move more slowly through the pipeline from your mouth to your anus (bum hole). Not drinking enough water? The problem gets worse.
If you’re afraid of weight gain related to eating carbs and you take a fiber supplement instead, you’ll likely have more gas, bloating, and constipation. Here’s what you need to know about fiber.
Fiber 101: What is it and where’s it found?
Fiber is found in all plants. It’s the undigestible part of complex carbs like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans and legumes, and nuts and seeds. There are 2 types of fiber: insoluble and soluble.
Insoluble fiber doesn’t dissolve in water, but acts like a scrub brush to clean out all the folds in your digestive tract.
Soluble fiber dissolves in water (think chia seeds becoming gel-like in chia seed pudding). It acts like a sponge, bringing water into the digestive tract. Soluble fiber soaks up extra blood sugar and cholesterol in the digestive system so they don’t get absorbed into your bloodstream.
This is why when you go low-carb, you lose weight quickly in the first couple of weeks. You lose water weight because you’re not eating enough fiber to draw water into your digestive tract.
Good sources of fiber include: whole grains, oats, beans and lentils, lettuce, dark leafy greens, broccoli, okra, cauliflower, sweet potatoes, carrots, pumpkin, potatoes, corn, snap beans, asparagus, cabbage, whole wheat pasta and bread, nuts, dried fruit, pears, oranges, bananas, berries, mangoes, and apples.
Countless studies show that increasing your fiber intake lowers the risk of heart disease, diabetes, and cancer.
Foods high in fiber can also make you feel full and satisfied longer between meals and snacks. This is why eating complex carbs consistently can reduce reactive eating (aka 3 pm snack attacks led by “food noise”) when you get too hungry.
Reduce reactive eating, and you reduce the potential for more unwanted weight gain, independent of hormone-related weight gain of perimenopause and menopause.
How much fiber do you need to be healthy during menopause?
The recommended daily intake of fiber is 25 grams for adults. This breaks down to about 7 grams per meal and a fiber-rich snack like an apple and nut butter.
Should you take a fiber supplement?
I don’t recommend fiber supplements. You get more overall nutrition by eating a variety of complex carbs like whole grains, beans and lentils, nuts and seeds, and fruits and vegetables. Skip the cost of the fiber supplement and buy more real food!
Do probiotics and prebiotics improve digestion in menopause?
Probiotics are beneficial bacteria that work with the healthy bacteria already in your digestive tract, mainly in your colon. Foods like yogurt and cottage cheese with live cultures help the bacteria in your gut (your gut microbiome) flourish. If you and dairy aren’t friends, fermented vegetables like sauerkraut, kimchi, or beverages like Kombucha can help support a healthy gut microbiome.
Prebiotics are the food that probiotics like to eat. They’re a specific type of fiber called fructooligosaccharides or FOS found in onions, garlic, chicory root, bananas, dandelion root, and Jerusalem artichokes in higher quantities.
Should you take a probiotic or prebiotic supplement?
Lead with food first when possible. If you take a round of antibiotics and want to re-fortify your gut bacteria, or you’re traveling abroad, taking a probiotic supplement with a variety of bacterial strains may help ease digestive distress.
If you struggle with chronic constipation related to perimenopause and menopause, a probiotic supplement may help. But only if you’re also eating adequate complex carbs consistently in your daily meals and snacks.
Can fiber help menopause symptoms?
You’ve probably heard of the gut microbiome. But did you know the microbiome has a hormone-specific side?
It’s called the estrobolome. It’s a unique collection of bacteria that helps regulate your body’s estrogen levels. If there’s enough estrogen, fiber will absorb extra estrogen into your gut, the bacteria break it down, and eliminate it through your poo, just like another waste product. Here’s the cool part when you’re in perimenopause.
When estrogen levels are erratic – too high, too low- the estrobalome can step in and help with that regulation. In other words, if you’re eating adequate fiber and taking care of your gut health, you may have less severe perimenopause and menopause symptoms!
What’s the best way to eat more fiber for better digestion without being obsessive?
Use the add-in strategy. Instead of spending hours looking for the best fiber-rich recipe, think about where you can add fiber-rich to meals you already make. Like adding black beans to taco night. Have a side salad with Friday night pizza. Or add flaxseed to Greek yogurt and granola for breakfast.
The add-in strategy will keep you from getting obsessive with fiber, which can cause more digestive upset. Slowly add fiber to your meals and snacks a few times per week. Work your way up to a daily intake of 25-30 grams of fiber from food on most days.
Check out my 5 Favorite Foods for Women guide and recipes by Chef Shannon for more fiber-rich meal ideas!
