Navigating perimenopause and menopause naturally

Naturopath, herbalist and Te Atatu Toasted fan Daisy Wood has revamped her naturopathic practice to focus on offering women support during perimenopause and the first few years of menopause.

After struggling with this stage of life herself, Daisy had real empathy for women going through this experience without being given the knowledge they need to better deal with their body’s changes.

Read Daisy’s story here.

We asked Daisy to share her top five tips for navigating perimenopause and menopause naturally. Here’s what she said:

1. Start taking a supplement containing taurine, magnesium (and glycine if possible). Taurine, an amino acid, is the number-one nutritional support supplement during perimenopause. It will help women manage their stress response and works to balance blood sugar and hormone levels. There are a couple of different brand options containing this formula available through retail stores but if you have difficulty finding one, contact me via my website below.
2. Make sure you are consuming phytoestrogens in your diet – these include nuts and seeds (linseeds are particularly beneficial), soy, tofu, edamame beans and other legumes. Phytoestrogens help lower the high levels of estrogen women experience in the early stages of perimenopause. When estrogen begins to deplete in late perimenopause, they help plug that gap. This means they can reduce symptoms throughout this life stage. Te Atatu Toasted mueslis are packed full of nuts and seeds (including linseeds!), making them a great way to increase your phytoestrogen intake.
3. Eliminate sugar and alcohol from your diet. Both these substances make all perimenopause and menopause symptoms worse. As we reach perimenopause, our metabolism becomes less flexible and less able to deal with sugar and alcohol. Cutting them out is one of the hardest things to do but it will have a big positive impact.
4. Take time to look inside and nurture yourself. This time of life is transformative emotionally and mentally. Tools such as meditation, coaching, counselling and psychotherapy will all support you as you navigate these big changes and help you to thrive.
5. Chill out when you work out. High-intensity exercise is not ideal at this stage of life as it adds stress to an already stressed system. Take your cardio to below 120 BPM (heartbeats per minute) and opt for lighter weights and more repetition. Walk, swim, do yoga or Pilates and look for other exercise activities you love. I took up horse-riding during perimenopause.

Daisy has designed two programmes to support women dealing with perimenopause. The three-month Metabolic Balance programme is a personalised nutrition plan that involves comprehensive changes to daily eating.

Bloom is a six-month programme for perimenopause wellness that focuses on changing your diet and lifestyle to live and eat for your age with support from herbs and supplements.

To find out more about these or work with Daisy, visit her website daisywoodplantmedicine.co.nz