Pharmacist shares diet that is 'the best' for women when going through menopause

He said: "The diet is mainly made up of vegetables, fruits, nuts, beans and whole grains and moderate amounts of seafood, dairy and eggs.

"It offers rich anti-inflammatory properties and helps to limit intake of saturated fat and trans-fat, which is ideal for weight balance and managing belly fat."

When going through menopause, women may notice weight gain due to the lower levels of oestrogen they are producing.

The expert said: "Menopause can lead to fat being stored around your waist rather than on your hips and thighs. The Mediterranean diet is a good nutritional plan to keep your hormones balanced."

The Mediterranean diet features a variety of foods for women to include. In general, it has a particular focus on fruits and vegetables plus whole grains like brown rice.

It pushes women towards eating more fish and seafood in their diet and cutting out red meat.

The expert advised: "Women are more vulnerable to various health issues such as menopause, osteoporosis, heart disease and arthritis once they reach the age of 50.

"Diet plays an important role for women in their 50s and eating well can help prevent many health problems, reduce the severity of symptoms and support good overall health."

The Mediterranean Diet has many health benefits to it, including lowering the risk of cardiovascular disease and supporting a healthy body weight.

It also helps support a healthy balance of gut microbiota (bacteria and other microorganisms) in people's digestive systems.

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The diet also helps people manage their blood sugar levels. "It helps to control your blood sugar, as well as manage your weight and control risk factors for stroke and heart, eye, kidney and nerve diseases," according to the pharmacist.

He said: "Focus on eating foods which help stabilise insulin and blood sugar such as whole-grain bread and plain Greek yoghurt.

"Eggs are also beneficial for regulating blood sugar levels because they are high in protein. This not only slows digestion, it also slows glucose absorption. Eating a vegetable omelette or eggs on whole-grain toast can be good options."

Women were also recently warned by a dietician against two "food categories" during menopause.