From our first period to our post-menopausal years, being a woman can feel like a bit of a hormonal rollercoaster. PMS, fertility, pregnancy, post-natal life, perimenopause and menopause can all bring their own challenges – and our nutritional needs change along the way too.
For Belfast Nutritional Therapist Jane McClenaghan, supporting women through these different stages has been at the heart of her work for 25 years.
Jane is now seeing women she first supported with PMS or fertility issues returning for help with perimenopause and menopause.
“The menopause used to be called ‘the change’, and I think that is actually quite a good way of looking at it,” she says. “It’s a time to change things up. The diet that suited us 25 years ago may not be the right fit now.”
So, what does midlife nutrition look like?
Jane’s advice is simple: put protein on your plate at every meal, embrace healthy fats such as oily fish, nuts, seeds and olive oil, and eat plenty of vegetables.
And forget about drastic diets or deprivation
“Midlife is a time to nourish yourself well,” says Jane. “It’s not just about feeling better now – it’s about looking after your health for the years ahead.”
Linwoods will also be supporting Jane’s 25th anniversary celebrations this October, marking a quarter-century of Vital Nutrition and Jane’s work helping people across Northern Ireland make sense of nutrition and healthy eating.
