Simple Reverse Pre-diabetes Meal Plan for Menopause.
One of the most common and distressing symptoms of menopause is the increase in body weight, especially around the belly.
Is it just inevitable that this will happen?
Should you just embrace it?
I am all for body positivity, you have fat, you are not fat. I support the ‘health at every size’ movement but what if the size of your belly is not a sign of health but a sign of insulin resistance or worse, pre-diabetes?
In this post, I am going to dive deeper into these two conditions and share with you how fad diets and calorie restriction is only increasing the waistline of humans all around the world and how you can take action to reduce your menopause belly and reverse pre-diabetes.
Understanding Pre-diabetes
Pre-diabetes is a condition where blood sugar levels are higher than the normal range but not yet high enough to be classified as type 2 diabetes.
Symptoms can be subtle and may include;
- increased thirst,
- frequent urination, especially at night
- fatigue, due to lack of glucose being able to enter the cells
- blurred vision
It is estimated that 1 in 3 adults in the UK is pre-diabetic and of these, It is estimated that 5-10% will become type 2 diabetic each year.
Diabetes is associated with obesity and is a risk factor for heart disease.
Over 5 million people are living with type 2 diabetes in the UK which is an all-time high.
Why is this?
As a nation are we just lazy unmotivated sloths?
This is not my experience.
People who want to lose weight have tried every fad diet available, but none of them provide long-term results. They leave you heavier, more lethargic and miserable. Even the NHS will offer to pay for a fad diet club membership to help you because they have no idea how to teach you to nourish your body and lose excess fat.
The information that has been drummed into us for so long such as, move more, eat less or calories in v’s calories out is just a load of rubbish!
You see, what I have finally come to realise because I too was trapped in the cycle of trying to manipulate my food to achieve weight loss goals, is that the body is run by hormones, not calories.
The Role of Insulin and Insulin Resistance
One of these hormones is Insulin.
The hormone Insulin is produced by the pancreas.
It is released when our brain signals that we are consuming energy.
The body converts our food into glucose and insulin opens the cells, like a key in a lock, removing the glucose from the bloodstream and into the cell where it can be utilised.
We only have so many cells and these cells only have so much room.
Should we produce too much glucose leaving no additional room left in the cell then the liver will make some fat cells and store the excess glucose there for later use, think of it like the freezer.
The body is very clever but has just one goal and that is to survive. High blood glucose levels aren’t healthy so it resolves the issue by making fat and restoring balance.
Your body can’t access stored fat to burn as fuel while there is insulin in your bloodstream.
When you are young your metabolic health is good your body can switch from sugar-burning (food in the fridge) to fat-burning (food stored in the freezer) and back again and you think you are controlling your weight through food, but it’s your hormones working optimally.
Over time we can damage our bodies in various ways through;
- Food restriction – lowering the set point weight (your Basal Metabolic Rate)
- Not enough fat or protein = High Carb = more insulin
- 3 meals a day plus snacks – Insulin constantly released
- Prioritising cardio exercise over resistance training – not focusing on building new cells
- Not dealing with stress effectively – the fight or flight response releases glucose and therefore insulin
The good news is that you can reverse insulin resistance and avoid the risk of diabetes altogether.
Taking Control of Your Diet Naturally
I hate the word diet. It makes me think of food restriction, being hungry or dreading Monday mornings.
The word DIET comes from the Greek word Diaita meaning Way Of Life.
The way you eat through menopause and beyond has to become your way of life and it has to fit your lifestyle as well as adapt as life inevitably ebbs and flows or it won’t be sustainable.
Avoiding fad diets and severe restrictions is key to sustainable health.
Instead, focus on well-balanced, nutritious meals.
You can use a Mediterranean-style diet, a low-carb diet or eat plant-based foods just eat whole foods.
Don’t be afraid of including fat in your diet. Fat provides satiety, flavour and a host of nutrients. Fat is also the macronutrient that causes the least release of insulin.
Avoid ultra-processed foods such as artificial sweeteners, sugary drinks and snacks.
Become a label detective.
Don’t get seduced by enticing labelling or the half-truth of the traffic light system, which doesn’t show protein and demonises fat!!
Check the list of ingredients for chemicals, gums, emulsifiers, additives and preservatives. They are endocrine disrupters and will play havoc with your hormones.
An effective strategy for reversing pre-diabetes and insulin resistance is intermittent fasting or time-restricted eating.
This approach doesn’t restrict the type or amount of specific foods but focuses on when you eat, helping improve metabolic conditions such as glucose intolerance.
However, be mindful. IF and TRE can be used as diet culture tools. They are also not strategies you should just dive into without proper research for your unique lifestyle.
The Importance of Breakfast
“Breakfast is the most important meal of the day” was nothing more than a marketing slogan coined by James Caleb Jackson and John Harvey Kellogg in the 19th century, to sell their newly invented breakfast cereal.
A marketing slogan became a health practice.
Breakfast is whenever you choose to break your fast from your last meal.
This doesn’t mean you have to eat as soon as you wake up as many of us have been conditioned to do.
The key is to break your fast with nutritious foods to maintain energy levels, stabilise blood sugar and promote optimal hormone health.
As a cyclical being, even if you no longer have a menstrual cycle, certain times of your cycle need to be nourished in different ways. I go deeper into this in my weekly Monday emails (make sure you are on my email list to receive these).
Intermittent Fasting and Time-Restricted Eating
Intermittent fasting involves cycling between periods of feasting and fasting.
Time-restricted eating is a type of intermittent fasting where you eat all your meals within a specific time window each day.
This approach to nourishing your body can improve insulin sensitivity and reduce blood sugar levels along with advantages such as autophagy, ketosis and fat burning whilst still ensuring your body gets the nourishment it needs for hormone harmony during feasting.
It’s not all about what you eat, although the focus is on nourishment, but when you eat, providing flexibility and sustainability.
Crafting a Balanced Meal Plan
There’s an enormous variety of nutritious foods available to enjoy.
Creating your own reverse pre-diabetes meal plan involves ensuring meals are well-balanced as follows;
- Proteins: Include lean proteins such as chicken breast, fish, tofu, beans, and legumes. Protein helps maintain muscle mass and keeps you feeling full longer.
- Healthy Fats: Incorporate healthy fats like avocados, nuts, seeds, and olive oil. These fats are essential for hormone production and overall health.
- Non-Starchy Carbohydrates: Focus on vegetables like leafy greens, broccoli, cauliflower, and peppers. These provide essential vitamins and minerals without spiking blood sugar levels.
- Whole Grains: Choose whole grains such as quinoa, brown rice, and oats. These provide fibre, which helps regulate blood sugar levels and aid in digestion.
- Fruits: Enjoy fruits in moderation. Berries, apples, and pears are great options due to their lower glycemic index.
- Avoid: Inflammatory seed oils, sugary foods, low-fat yoghurt, anything labelled low-fat or high protein and other ultra-processed foods.
The glycemic index is a measure used to determine how much a food can affect your blood sugar levels.
Although this is helpful it can sometimes provide too much information and makes eating right more complicated than it needs to be.
You can ensure you are eating low glycemic index foods by focusing on non-starchy carbohydrates, especially vegetables.
Choose whole fruit over fruit juice as the fibre in the whole fruit reduces the glycemic load.
Imagine how long it could take you to eat six oranges with all the fibre to chew and the volume in your stomach signalling stretch receptors to tell your brain you are full.
Now imagine drinking just the juice of six oranges, it is a completely different experience for your body.
Fresh fruits provide natural sugars but they are always best eaten whole.
Conclusion
Managing insulin resistance and working to reverse prediabetes during menopause involves understanding the root cause of the issue, recognising the role of insulin, and adopting a balanced, nutritious diet and lifestyle.
There are different approaches to controlling insulin and you need to discover which is the best for your health goals.
If you would like to chat with me about your unique menopause transition and taking control of your symptoms naturally without HRT, book a Wild Well-Being call and come away inspired and motivated to begin your journey to optimal health.