Meeting menopause head on.

Gazelle Robertson, 52, is self-employed and lives in London with her three children. Despite living a healthy lifestyle, Gazelle is struggling with some of the symptoms of menopause. 

"Once you get to menopause, it feels as though everything is more of an effort! I want to boost my energy levels using a holistic approach – eating well and taking the right supplements to feel my best." - Gazelle

Gabriela: Tell me about your daily diet...

Gazelle: I have breakfast at around 9:15 am. I fill a colander with fruit and vegetables and eat them at my desk as I start my working day. I used to make smoothies, but then someone told me that you lose all the nutrients when you blend. Or I might have porridge with banana and blueberries. If there’s nothing else in, I eat cereal – muesli or granola.

Gabriela: I’m very impressed that you eat vegetables first thing! But you don’t lose nutrients when you blend your fruits and vegetables – only if you juice, then the fibre is removed. I love green smoothies to start my day. How about the rest of the day?

Gazelle: I have herbal tea and possibly a slice of sourdough toast and butter as a snack. At lunchtime I eat leftovers – so maybe pasta, chickpea and lentil curry, vegetables and tofu. Sometimes I add in fish or a steak. Once a week we have a takeaway. My guilty pleasure is my mid-afternoon snack. I love crisps, and sometimes I’ll have two small bags.

Gabriela: So, no cookies and no chocolate?

Gazelle: I have the odd biscuit, but I’m not a big fan of chocolate. I might have one square.

"Make sure you include protein in your breakfast - maybe have a smoothie with protein powder or live yoghurt." - Gabriela

Gabriela: How is your digestion?

Gazelle: Now and again I get a bit of heartburn, though it’s not persistent.

Gabriela: Are you currently taking any supplements?

Gazelle: I read that sage complex helps with hot flushes, and I find it works really well. I take a probiotic for gut health and the herb Rhodiola, which is good for coping when I’m feeling overwhelmed with day-to-day stress. Then I take flaxseed for omega 3, omega 7 – for dry eyes – collagen and a liquid iron supplement.

Gabriela: Do you have any concerns about your skin and hair?

Gazelle: My skin is quite dry – I use moisturiser all the time on my face and body. Since I started going through menopause the texture of my hair has changed – it’s really thin and dry.

Gabriela: And how are your energy levels throughout the day?

Gazelle: I struggle to get out of bed, but if I’ve had a good night’s sleep, once I’m up, I’m out and about. Otherwise, towards the end of the afternoon, I start feeling tired and have a 20-30 minute nap. I can do that because I work from home! If I don’t take the liquid iron I feel very tired. My sleep is generally good, though there’s a lot of waking up with night sweats.

Gabriela: Are hot flushes your main menopausal symptom?

Gazelle: Those, and my thinning hair!

Gabriela's Recommendation: 

You are really healthy, but I’d like to increase the variety of foods you consume, so I’d recommend my GP Complete. They’re complete meal shakes, which contain vegan protein as well as more than 24 essential vitamins and minerals. I’d like you to have these for breakfast on alternate days.

‘It’s great that you sleep well, although it’s a bit of a challenge with menopause! If the sage complex works for you, that’s great. With herbs, and especially those for menopause, they can work very differently on different people.

I’d like to give you a stronger Omega-3 supplement, to help with hormonal imbalance and your skin and hair.

Your digestion is generally fine. Regarding your heartburn, increase your water consumption to at least 1.5 litres a day and invest in some digestive enzymes containing HCL, which supports good digestion.

Make sure you include protein in your breakfast – maybe have a smoothie with protein powder or live yoghurt. Add some nuts and seeds and nut milk – at home, I rotate different types of nut milk.

I don’t think a mid-morning snack is essential, but if you’re peckish, have protein on the toast – smoked salmon, ham, egg or a piece of cheese. You can have a bag of crisps in the afternoon, but just one and some protein alongside it.

You’re super healthy and doing so well. These tweaks and additional nutrients in your diet are just going to top you up so you can feel your best.