Written by Ebtisam Melhem, MAN(c), Dietetic Intern
Reviewed by Olivia Farrow, RD, MHSc and Maria Dellanina, RD
As dietitians, we often encounter clients navigating the challenges of the menopause transition — a phase of life that brings about various physiological changes, often accompanied by uncomfortable symptoms like hot flashes, sleep difficulties, body composition changes, mood swings, and more.
While there is no universally ideal dietary pattern for women during the menopause transition, emerging evidence suggests that the Mediterranean diet (Med Diet) may offer benefits in managing these symptoms and promoting overall health during this time.
As your clients navigate the complexities of menopause, read on to learn how to help them unlock a more nourished chapter of life— starting with what’s on their plate.
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What is the Mediterranean Diet?
The Med Diet is more than a “diet;” it’s an eating pattern and way of life with well-established health benefits. Rooted in the traditional dietary patterns of countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea, this eating pattern emphasizes an abundance of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and healthy fats like olive oil. It’s a diet rich in flavor and nutrients, with moderate portions of fish, poultry, and dairy, plus a focus on enjoying meals with others.
The Mediterranean Diet is renowned for its potential to promote overall heart and brain health while reducing inflammation (1). It’s also recognized for being more enjoyable and easier to maintain long-term compared to more restrictive dietary patterns, making it a practical approach to enhancing overall health and well-being (2).
The Mediterranean Diet for Menopause
The Med Diet is well-known for its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties (3). These characteristics make it a beneficial dietary pattern for peri- and post-menopause, times when oxidative stress, inflammation, and insulin resistance often become more pronounced (4,5,6).
Research suggests that regular consumption of foods characteristic of the Mediterranean diet has been linked to lower severity of menopausal symptoms.
- Specifically, increased intake of legumes was associated with reduced overall menopausal symptoms, and higher consumption of extra-virgin olive oil was correlated with lower psychological symptoms (7).
- A systematic review of intervention-based studies found that the Med Diet was associated with reductions in weight, blood pressure, and blood lipids in menopausal women (8).
Tailoring the Mediterranean Diet for Menopause
When integrating the Mediterranean diet into your practice, it’s important to consider the individual needs and preferences of each client. Here are some key strategies:
Personalize the Approach: Recognize that no single dietary pattern will fit all. Assess your client’s current dietary habits, cultural preferences, and accessibility to certain foods. This will help in creating a more personalized and realistic plan that they can sustain long-term.
Focus on Whole Foods: Encourage the inclusion of antioxidant-rich foods such as fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. These not only provide essential nutrients but also help combat oxidative stress, which is particularly beneficial during the menopause transition.
Incorporate Healthy Fats: Advise your clients to use unsaturated fats like olive or avocado oil. Incorporating sources of omega-3 fatty acids, such as fatty fish, can also help reduce inflammation and support cardiovascular health.
Emphasize Plant-Based Options: Plant-based diets are gaining attention for their potential to ease menopausal symptoms. Although more research is needed, some studies suggest that plant-based diets may offer relief through increased phytoestrogen intake and reduced inflammation (9,10,11,12). Offer your clients practical suggestions to incorporate more vegetables, fruits, legumes, whole grains, nuts and seeds into their meals and snacks.
Mediterranean Diet for Menopause in Practice
In your role as a nutrition professional, you can use these tools to guide your clients through incorporating Med Diet principles during the menopause transition:
1. Goal Setting: Help your clients set realistic, long-term goals that focus on habit change rather than strict dietary rules. For example, encourage them to take inventory of their current intake and from there, gradually increase their intake of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, and to replace saturated fats with options like olive oil and nuts.
2. Meal Planning: Provide practical meal planning tips that align with the basis of the Mediterranean diet. For instance, suggest incorporating more legumes into meals or swapping refined grains for whole grains, even if they aren’t foods native to the Mediterranean region.
DSC’s Mediterranean Diet Meal Planning white label client resource includes meal planning guidance, a mediterranean diet pyramid handout, mediterranean diet inspired grocery lists and 13 mix-and-match style mediterranean diet inspired recipes! And the best part, you can customize the resource to fit your own branding.
3. Lifestyle Integration: Provide a holistic approach by supporting clients in setting goals related to incorporating regular physical activity, getting adequate sleep, and managing stress alongside dietary changes. This integrated approach can enhance the overall benefits of the Med Diet.
Key Takeaways
- The Mediterranean diet offers a flexible, nutritious, and evidence-based option for managing the unique challenges of the menopause transition.
- By tailoring this dietary pattern to the individual needs of your clients, you can support them in achieving a balanced diet and lifestyle during this transitional period.
- For more detailed guidance, consider utilizing DSC’s Mediterranean Diet and Menopause toolkits, designed to provide you with practical resources to enhance your practice!
Meet all of your professional development needs and access to 300+ client handouts with a Dietitian Success Center membership. Get started for free! Access your DSC starter kit and join a supportive community of dietitians today.
References
- Dominguez LJ, Di Bella G, Veronese N, Barbagallo M. Impact of Mediterranean Diet on Chronic Non-Communicable Diseases and Longevity. Nutrients. 2021 Jun 12;13(6):2028. doi: 10.3390/nu13062028. PMID: 34204683; PMCID: PMC8231595.
- Pugliese G Dr, Barrea L Dr, Laudisio D Dr, Aprano S Dr, Castellucci B Dr, Framondi L Dr, Di Matteo R Dr, Savastano S Prof, Colao A Prof, Muscogiuri G Dr. Mediterranean diet as tool to manage obesity in menopause: A narrative review. Nutrition. 2020 Nov-Dec;79-80:110991. doi: 10.1016/j.nut.2020.110991. Epub 2020 Aug 28. PMID: 32979767.
- Finicelli M, Di Salle A, Galderisi U, Peluso G. The Mediterranean Diet: An Update of the Clinical Trials. Nutrients. 2022 Jul 19;14(14):2956. doi: 10.3390/nu14142956. PMID: 35889911; PMCID: PMC9317652.
- Bermingham KM, Linenberg I, Hall WL, Kadé K, Franks PW, Davies R, Wolf J, Hadjigeorgiou G, Asnicar F, Segata N, Manson JE, Newson LR, Delahanty LM, Ordovas JM, Chan AT, Spector TD, Valdes AM, Berry SE. Menopause is associated with postprandial metabolism, metabolic health and lifestyle: The ZOE PREDICT study. EBioMedicine. 2022 Nov;85:104303. doi: 10.1016/j.ebiom.2022.104303. Epub 2022 Oct 18. PMID: 36270905; PMCID: PMC9669773.
- Erdélyi A, Pálfi E, Tűű L, Nas K, Szűcs Z, Török M, Jakab A, Várbíró S. The Importance of Nutrition in Menopause and Perimenopause-A Review. Nutrients. 2023 Dec 21;16(1):27. doi: 10.3390/nu16010027. PMID: 38201856; PMCID: PMC10780928.
- Silva, Thais R et al. “Nutrition in Menopausal Women: A Narrative Review.” Nutrients vol. 13,7 2149. 23 Jun. 2021, doi:10.3390/nu13072149
- Vetrani C, Barrea L, Rispoli R, Verde L, De Alteriis G, Docimo A, Auriemma RS, Colao A, Savastano S, Muscogiuri G. Mediterranean Diet: What Are the Consequences for Menopause? Front Endocrinol (Lausanne). 2022 Apr 25;13:886824. doi: 10.3389/fendo.2022.886824. PMID: 35546996; PMCID: PMC9084275.
- Gonçalves C, Moreira H, Santos R. Systematic review of mediterranean diet interventions in menopausal women. AIMS Public Health. 2024 Jan 10;11(1):110-129. doi: 10.3934/publichealth.2024005. PMID: 38617417; PMCID: PMC11007410.
- Beezhold, Bonnie et al. “Vegans report less bothersome vasomotor and physical menopausal symptoms than omnivores.” Maturitas vol. 112 (2018): 12-17. doi:10.1016/j.maturitas.2018.03.009
- Barnard, Neal D., Hana Kahleova, Danielle N. Holtz, Fabiola Del Aguila, Maggie Neola, Lelia M. Crosby, and Richard Holubkov. “The Women’s Study for the Alleviation of Vasomotor Symptoms (WAVS): a randomized, controlled trial of a plant-based diet and whole soybeans for postmenopausal women.” Menopause (New York, NY) 28, no. 10 (2021): 1150.
- Kim, Hyunju, Laura E. Caulfield, Vanessa Garcia,Larsen, Lyn M. Steffen, Josef Coresh, and Casey M. Rebholz. “Plant based diets are associated with a lower risk of incident cardiovascular disease, cardiovascular disease mortality, and all-cause mortality in a general population of middle aged adults.” Journal of the American Heart Association 8, no. 16 (2019): e012865.
- Huang, Yee-Wen et al. “Vegan diet and blood lipid profiles: a cross-sectional study of pre and postmenopausal women.” BMC women’s health vol. 14 55. 8 Apr. 2014, doi:10.1186/1472-6874-14-55
