Carbohydrates

All foods stimulate your blood sugar, but simple carbs like white bread or cookies cause the most extreme spikes. So you want to opt for whole grains, more complex carbs in foods like brown rice and vegetables.

Choosing complex carbs over simple carbs is a key way to prevent insulin spikes and balance the blood sugar rollercoaster.

When you eat a diet that is rich in fiber, fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, your body will have a much more steady level of blood sugar, given that it takes much longer for the body to digest complex carbs, and will help the body to avoid excessive insulin release.

Unfortunately, it's simple for a person to just eat sugar, such as bread and pastries, which are not far from literally being sugar. The body doesn't have to work very hard to break down those foods and release the sugar into the bloodstream. It takes much longer for the body to digest complex carbs, so those are the types of carbs to favor.

Protein

Similar to the complex carb strategy, including more protein also helps balance blood sugar by slowing down digestion, which also slows the absorption of any carbohydrate-based food you consumed along with it. This lessens the intensity and frequency of the Blood Sugar Roller Coaster.

But it’s also important to consider protein quality.

 The animals we eat are often injected with growth hormones and antibiotics. These chemicals can wreak havoc with your hormones. Whenever possible, choose grass-fed, organic meats. When you pay attention to the labels, you will start to see that many meat labels read, “Raised without antibiotics,” “Grass-fed,” or “Hormone-free.” 

Fat

If you came of age in the 1980s, you probably have a deeply-rooted fear of fat. But the truth is, you absolutely need to consume fat.

Fats are an essential part of your diet because they help with growth and development, regulate hormones, help absorb fat-soluble vitamins like A,D,E, and K, and reduce inflammation.

Fats also affect blood sugar because fats have much more complex molecular structures than simple carbohydrates. It takes the digestive system longer to digest them—similar to complex carbs and protein.

But not all fats are created equal. Let’s go through the key types:

Trans Fat 

This is the lowest quality fat and should be avoided as much as possible.

These fats are designed to give foods flavor and increase their shelf life.

Trans fats have also been shown to accelerate aging and increase risk for heart disease and cancer.

Saturated Fat

Saturated fat is generally solid at room temperature, and while considered healthier than trans fat, the quality and quantity of consumption of these fats should be monitored.

Saturated fat can be found in meats, dairy, some baked goods, fried foods, and palm-based oils such as palm kernel, palm oil, and coconut oil.

Unsaturated Fat

This is considered the healthiest of all fats. These have been shown to improve blood cholesterol levels and decrease inflammation, among other health benefits.

There are two types of unsaturated fat:

• Monounsaturated fats which are usually liquid at room temp (can be found in foods like peanut, canola, olive oil, avocados, nuts, seeds)

• Polyunsaturated fats which are usually liquid at room temp. They can be found in foods like: sunflower, corn, soybean, flaxseed oil, walnuts, flax seeds, fish like salmon, mackerel, trout, and herring

Whole Foods vs. Processed Foods

The next concept to address, when it comes to nutrition during perimenopause and menopause, is the concept of reducing processed foods and eating more whole foods. 

   Recognize processed food. 

Any food that undergoes changes during preparation is considered processed. That can include steps like freezing or cooking that have relatively minor impact or drastic changes that add large amounts of sugar and salt and create empty calories.

 Avoid ultra-processed food. 

When nutritionists talk about avoiding processed food, they’re mostly talking about ultra-processed foods. These items contain more lab products than natural ingredients, and about 70% of the packaged food in most supermarkets fall into this category. 

Over-processed foods are a major factor in rising rates of overweight and obesity. A study by the National Institutes of Health found that participants who ate these foods gained more weight than those who ate natural foods even when they consumed the same number of calories.

Learn how to Read labels. 

Check the labels on the back for the list of ingredients and nutritional information, including added sugar and salt. The front of the package is mostly advertising and may be misleading.

The main reason why people eat processed food is the convenience factor. So is there a way to still benefit from the convenience of “packaged food” without it ruining your nutrition? 

Write a short summary of what problem the article will solve. Use step-by-step instructions to help people solve the issue. 

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