Can Fiber help Perimenopause Symptoms?

Making sure that we have adequate amounts of dietary fiber in our diets is beneficial to our general health but also can assist in lessening perimenopause symptoms.

You may already know that fiber plays a significant role in lowering risk for developing coronary heart disease, stroke, hypertension, diabetes, obesity, and certain gastrointestinal diseases. Increasing fiber intake also lowers blood pressure and serum cholesterol levels.

Studies also suggest that fiber assists in relieving our bodies of excess estrogen.  This same excess estrogen is thought to be the culprit of several pre-menopause conditions and is believed to increase breast cancer risk.

So, are you getting enough fiber?  Women older than 30 on a 2,000-calorie daily diet should consume at least 25 grams of fiber per day, according to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) DIETARY GUIDELINES FOR AMERICANS, 2010

Tip: Wash the extra estrogen away with some fiber.  Write down what you eat, are you getting 25 grams?

Great sources of fiber are legumes (peas, soybeans, and other beans) oats, rye, barley, whole grain foods, also in some fruits and vegetables.  Many Americans are simply not eating adequate amounts of dietary fiber. See Appendix 13 in the Dietary Guidelines for the some food sources ranked by dietary fiber content per gram.  Here’s the top 5: 

1. Beans (navy, pinto, black, kidney, white, great northern, lima), cooked

2. Bran ready-to-eat cereal (100%)

3. Split peas, lentils, chickpeas, or cowpeas, cooked

4. Artichoke, cooked

5. Pears

Once again lets try to hit the pantry for some relief before we hit the pill bottle. It works!