Menopause Cravings

Menopause can be a difficult time in many women's lives. It not only marks the end of their fertile years, which may have an effect on their emotional well-being, but also results in many physical symptoms such as cravings for certain foods. Similar to premenstrual syndrome (PMS), women often feel guilty once they splurge and give into their cravings. Understanding why these cravings occur is key to preventing them or learning how to deal with them.

• Chocolate is the most common craving women experience.

Hormone Imbalance

• Hormone imbalance is the primary cause of having cravings during menopause. The body is constantly producing estrogen, and in a normal menstrual cycle, this estrogen is balanced with progesterone, which is produced at the onset of ovulation. However, ovulation stops in menopause, and, as a result, no progesterone is released to counteract the estrogen. The estrogen levels in the body accumulate and begin to have numerous side effects including low blood sugar which results in cravings.

Cravings

• Low blood-sugar levels in the body can cause the craving for various kinds of foods. Most women tend to yearn for sugar, carbohydrates or even alcohol as these types of food will elevate blood-sugar levels. Chocolate is the most common food sought by women with cravings.

Side Effects of Cravings

• Another side effect of menopause is weight gain. Estrogen causes the body to retain weight, while progesterone actually uses fat for energy, so with the absence of progesterone, the body begins retaining weight much more readily than prior to menopause. This additional side effect coupled with the intense cravings leads to faster weight gain. The feelings of guilt after giving in to cravings as well as lower self-esteem due to weight gain can lead to depression, another common symptom of menopause.

Substitutes for Cravings

• Chocolate, the most common craving, may not only be due to low blood sugar but can be due to low magnesium levels in the body as well. In such cases, it is better to consume leafy green vegetables, whole grains or legumes as healthier alternatives to offset the chocolate craving. Doing some sort of exercise instead of giving in to cravings will also have a two-fold benefit in preventing the consumption of unnecessary food by getting the mind off of food plus making the body stronger to handle future craving attacks.

Other Solutions

• Dieting should be avoided at all costs. Most women in menopause try to diet to lose weight. Unfortunately, dieting only adds to the craving factors and can cause worse effects than if the diet was never started to begin with. Healthier eating habits are a better choice in losing weight. Hormone therapy in the form of progesterone supplements as pills or creams is also effective in balancing estrogen levels to reduce menopause symptoms such a cravings.