Rebalancing You

As well as veganism, many people are choosing to include more plant based foods in their diet and are reducing meat, either by taking part in meat free mondays, being weekday omnivores or some just partaking on special occasions.

All of these swaps and changes are great for your health and the environment and help to take the strain off the intense farming industry.

Whatever your reasons, be they ethical, environmental or if you just want to be a part of the action, eating more plant based foods is a pretty easy thing to do and a total winner when it comes to your health!

But like anything, you need to know how to do it well, so that you get all the nutrients your body needs to be nourished, especially in midlife!

Here are my top tips to eat vegan / plant based in midlife:

1. Protein - plant based diets often lack protein - being aware of your intake can really help you to get the most from your diet. Think where is my protein coming from? Protein is essential for good health and is the building blocks of all our cells. In perimenopause our protein requirements increase and so it is even more important to make sure you are getting enough at every meal.

Many plant foods contain protein but they all have different combinations of amino acids, this means you need to eat a wide variety of plant foods to get a complete protein source. Soy beans, buckwheat and quinoa are three plant foods that contain all the essential amino acids making them a complete protein source. You can also combine proteins at meals to meet the complete protein criteria. Here’s a few easy ways to do it:

Grains and legumes:

• pasta and peas.
• beans and rice.
• whole grain bread and peanut butter.

    Nuts or seeds and legumes:

• chickpeas and tahini (houmous).
• lentils and almonds.
• roasted nuts & seeds with peanuts.

2. Take it easy on the carbohydrates - not eating animal foods means you can easily favour a higher intake of carbs. It's quite easy to load your plate up with more pasta, rice and potatoes. An excess of carbohydrates can raise insulin levels which impact blood sugar, promote fat storage and can impact other hormones like oestrogen and cortisol. These hormones are already all over the place at midlife, so keeping them in balance is better for health and your perimenopause and menopause journey. Instead favour the ‘good’ carbohydrates like brown rice, quinoa, buckwheat, legumes and wholegrains. And of course lots of fruit and vegetables.
3. Keep highly processed foods to a minimum - the popularity of plant based foods has sent the food industry into overdrive, producing vegan friendly and plant based foods for every occasion. Whilst this is great for choice and convenience, a lot of these foods are highly processed and contain many unwanted ingredients like seed oils, additives, chemicals, excess salt and sugar. These include fake meats, cheeses and plant based baked goods.
4. Be wary of soy - not all soy is created equal! Soy is a great alternative source of protein and is the go to source of protein for many vegans. In perimenopause and menopause soy is a great source of phytoestrogens - as they mimic the action of the body's own oestrogen, which can help to reduce symptoms like hot flushes and night sweats as well as manage fluctuating levels of oestrogen.It is a good idea to avoid the highly processed, GMO soy and opt instead for unsweetened and unprocessed soy. Including miso, tempeh, organic soy milk & yoghurt, and organic tofu.

5. Enhance your health with supplements - unfortunately it’s very rare to get all the nutrients you need from a vegan diet. Supplementation is the best way to make sure all the nutrients your body needs are covered. Here’s 7 vitamins that often fall short in a vegan diet:

   • Vitamin B12 - marmite, nutritional yeast, fortified breads and cereals plus some plant based milks all contain some B12 but this is not likely to meet the body's requirements and supplementation is likely to be needed if you have been eating a vegan diet for longer than 6 months.
   • Vitamin D - we get most of our vitamin D from the sun. Whilst dietary sources of vitamin D3 come from animal based foods only. During the winter months even non vegans need to supplement to keep maintain their levels.
   • Iron - plant based iron can be harder to absorb compared to animal iron. You can enhance absorption by eating foods containing vitamin C at the same time as plant based iron rich foods. If you are still menstruating you may need to supplement.
   • Omega 3 Essential Fatty Acids - the body needs omega 3 in the form of DHA & EPA these are only available in animal foods and are ready to be absorbed by the body. Plant based omega 3 is in the form of ALA which needs to be converted to EPA & DHA. Conversion of ALA to DHA & EPA is poor especially in DHA which is the fat required by our brain. For good brain health a supplement may be required.
   • Iodine - seaweed and ionised salt are the only two non animal sources of iodine. Iodine is essential for thyroid function, so supplementing may be the only way to get adequate amounts of this essential nutrient. Seek advice from a nutrition professional before supplementing, if you have an autoimmune thyroid disorder.
   • Vitamin A - a vitamin with two forms. Retinol is the active form, only available from animal sources and beta carotene from plant foods. Beta carotene is converted by the body to retinol but conversion can be poor. With around 45% of people struggling with poor conversion due to genetics. If you are in the 45% you may need to supplement.
   • Zinc - eating a vegan diet increases the chance of deficiency. Whilst many plant foods like whole grains. legumes, nuts & seeds are rich in zinc, they also contain high levels of phytic acid, which can impair zinc absorption. Zinc is vital for hormone health, digestion and immunity.

Following my top five tips when eating vegan in midlife is a good insurance policy to ensure you get the most from your vegan / plant based diet. But sometimes you might still need a little help. If you are unsure if eating this way of eating is right for you and you need some guidance and a little inspiration then please do get in touch.

Get your free copy of ‘Vegan for the Weekend’ The Easy Way to Eat More Plants - A 3 day Plant Based Meal Plan.