While there are so many different diets that promote weight loss for menopausal women, there’s one that one doctor swears by. And not only because it helps her manage to keep her weight under control, but it also helped ease other symptoms, too.
Dr Mary Claire Haver, an OBGYN physician, believes her diet – the Galveston Diet – can help people with menopause lose weight.
According to the official website, it is an “evidence-based programme that actually works”.
It is an anti-inflammatory approach to nutrition and intermittent fasting, and Dr Haver claims that not only do women lose weight and gain muscle mass on the Galveston Diet, they also sleep better, have fewer hot flashes and avoid brain fog.
Before the diet, the physician found herself unable to shift the stubborn pounds around her waist.
READ MORE: Diet: Expert warns against common mistake
The programme focuses on three main areas to help balance women’s hormones in order to aid weight loss during the menopause.
Intermittent fasting
People following the diet must eat within a time window of eight hours per day, and then fast for the remaining 16 hours.
Anti-inflammatory nutrition
The Galveston diet encourages people to eat food with ingredients that won’t trigger more inflammation in their bodies.
It relies on foods loaded with natural antioxidants and anti-inflammatory abilities, which can support the gut and help the body work “more effectively”.
Fuel refocus
The menopause can cause cravings for foods high in sugar, but the diet aims to shift people’s want for unhealthy foods to nutrient-dense sources of carbohydrates instead of sugar and processed carbs.
READ MORE: Michael Mosley weight loss: Remove three foods to stay slim
Foods people should avoid:
Processed or refined-carbohydrate foods, such as pizza, chips, and white pasta
Refined flours and grains
Foods high in added sugar, such as cookies, pastries, candy, and desserts
Sugary drinks and sodas
Sugar or artificial sweeteners added to hot drinks
Oils that may be considered inflammatory, such as canola and vegetable
Foods with artificial flavours, colours, preservatives, and high fructose corn syrup
Processed meats with nitrates, such as sausages, burgers, and salami
Fried foods
Alcohol