Dietary Tips During Perimenopause

Stay Hydrated

Perimenopause often causes increased gas and water retention. Both of these will often result in bloating, which is never a comfortable feeling. The great news is there is a very simple remedy to reduce water retention and excess gas at the same time: stay hydrated! Yes, drinking more water helps. Everyone should get at least 8 glasses of water a day. Women in perimenopause will want to increase this to roughly 10 glasses.

Eating foods with lots of water in them is good too. Great choices are lettuce, berries, apples, cucumber, and watermelon. Herbal teas and green teas also help! They are also natural diuretics, which make them even more effective at getting rid of bloating.

Limit Alcohol Consumption

Many women love to drink a glass of wine with dinner or with friends. Some may prefer beer or spirits! However, when going through perimenopause, it’s important to limit alcohol consumption. This is for a couple of reasons. When women reach 40 years old, their risk of developing breast cancer goes up simply due to their age. Additionally, drinking alcohol increases this risk even more. The exact amount it does this by, of course, depends on how much alcohol is being consumed.

There is another factor to consider when it comes to alcohol and treating perimenopause! Specifically, alcohol has been linked to spikes in estrogen and hormonal symptoms in perimenopause and beyond. Thus, to keep things steady, women should limit their consumption of alcohol!