Perimenopause & Protein
I’ve been trying to increase my protein lately, for a couple of reasons. One, I just wasn’t getting enough and I was tired all the time. Two, I’m trying to make sure I get enough protein to keep building muscle as I age. Finally, adequate protein is VITAL for those of us heading into or navigating perimenopause.
Not quite sure if you’re in your perimenopausal years? Here are some of the common symptoms:
· Shorter cycles, meaning your period comes more often (for example, if you were 28 or 29 days, you might be starting to see your bleed cycle start at day 25 or 26)
· Changes in your cycles (heavier or lighter)
· Weight gain (especially in your waist area, on your back, face, and triceps)
· Mood changes (lack of patience, anxiety, low mood, etc.)
· Skin changes
· Low libido
· Insomnia
There are many other symptoms, but these are some of the more common ones.
What I find in my practice is that as women, we don’t know enough about our bodies, how our menstrual cycles really work, and we also struggle to understand what is happening to our bodies as they transition through perimenopause.
For example, did you know that menopause is just one day in your life? It’s the day when you can say you haven’t had a period for an entire year. That’s it. One day. And then you become post-menopausal in the blink of an eye. The years leading up to that one day are called the perimenopausal years.
Perimenopause can start in the mid-30s these days as we are increasingly exposed to toxins and our bodies are under enormous and chronic stress. Generally speaking, however, you transition into perimenopause somewhere in your early 40’s with the length of perimenopause being anywhere from a few years to about 10-12 years. The average onset of menopause is 52.
This time period doesn’t have to be spent dealing with hot flashes and weight gain, however. There are many, many things we can do from a diet, supplement, and lifestyle perspective to help you on this journey. For some, it might even mean referring you out for bio-identical hormone replacement therapy. Sometimes, adding natural (not synthetic) hormones to your body in the name of brain, bone and heart health is just what your body needs.
One of the key things we need to be paying attention to as we start to transition through perimenopause is getting enough protein. Most women don’t get near enough and if you are meeting the targets, you’re working really hard at it, so please keep it up!
We need protein for so many functions in our body, but especially during these mid-life years. Protein is required for:
· energy production
· sleep
· mood
· curb cravings
· keeping blood sugar levels steady
For perimenopausal women in particular, protein is also important to:
· help ward off weight gain
· prevent muscle loss
· maintain strength
· preserve bone mass
If your diet during perimenopause and thereafter is deficient in protein, you will lose muscle mass and strength. Having smaller muscles reduces your ability to store glucose, making it more convenient for your body to store carbohydrates and sugars as fat. This is often why we see marked weight gain during these years.
If you find yourself tired all the time, or really not weathering perimenopause well, your protein intake could be an area to explore. There are old-school targets floating around still, but new research leads me to recommend you consume at least 100 grams of protein spread out throughout your day. If you’re active (e.g. lifting weights) this number increases even further. 100 grams of protein is a minimum, in my opinion, and I’d even go so far to recommend 1 gram per pound of body weight.
You might be asking how can you get this much protein in and what does that look like? It’s much more than we are likely used to eating. I’d recommend aiming for 30-40 grams per meal and then a solid snack with protein, fat, and fibre mid-day. For reference, 30 grams of protein would be:
· about 4 ounces of meat (a medium chicken breast, fish filet or steak). This amount is about the size of your palm.
· 1 cup of cottage cheese
· 1.5 cups of tofu
· 5 whole eggs
· 1.5 cups of lentils
Finally, another way to increase your protein is by using a protein powder. Quality varies, as does the amount of protein in each serving – so be a savvy shopper and aim for organic with no added sweeteners or fillers. I’ll often add an extra half scoop to get in another 10g of protein.
When it comes to choosing protein-rich foods, there are two sources: animal or plants. Here is a list of the common sources of each one:
Animal: chicken, turkey, pork, beef, lamb, buffalo/bison, seafood, eggs, and dairy
Plant: soy, beans, legumes, lentils, grains, nuts, and seeds
In terms of quality, animal-derived proteins are considered nutritionally superior since they contain higher quantities of the nine essential amino acids that support health and metabolism. With the exception of soy, plant-based proteins usually fall short of providing at least one essential amino acid, if not more. Please note that plant-based proteins can be combined to provide more balance in your intake of amino acids (i.e. a complete protein), but they tend to include a lot of extra carbohydrates or fats, depending on the source.
I caveat the advice given above to increase your protein load by the following:
As we get older, we become less able to properly digest protein because we have less stomach acid (and other factors) – it’s important that we are able to maximize your digestion first (we can do this with supplements like digestive enzymes) because adding too much protein before we set the stage will not be helpful. If you know that you have trouble digesting protein already, then we might need to address absorption issues first.
Second, if your doctor has told you to watch your protein intake for medical reasons – please do not take my advice to increase protein without discussing this idea with your medical team.
Your perimenopause and post-menopausal years don’t have to include years of suffering. There are a myriad of ways to optimize this transition and ensuring you have sufficient protein intake is but one solution. If you are interested in learning more about how to optimize your health during these years or how to abate your existing symptoms, please reach out and book a Discovery Call with me. It’s not a sales pitch, it’s just a short meeting to see if we’d make a great match to optimize your health.
