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Vegan Menopause Diet Plan: Simple Plant-Based Meal Plan For Women Over 40

Plant-Based Lifestyle Tips For Women

Author: Plant-Based Susy

This healthy diet for women over 40 will get you started

Did you know that there are more than 34 symptoms associated with menopause, or what was euphemistically known as the "change”?

For women over 40, these symptoms can range from hot flushes to weight gain and even urinary and bowel symptoms.

A healthy plant-based diet can alleviate many of these symptoms — and we have an easy weekly plant-based meal plan for anyone in menopause.

The best plant-based meal plan for women over 40 includes fibre, protein, calcium, and vitamin D, all necessary for bone, muscle, and heart health. The meal plan also contains phytoestrogen, which mimics the action of oestrogen (estrogen) in the body, easing symptoms of menopause.

Whether you're experimenting with a vegan lifestyle or at the end of your rope with age-related symptoms, this healthy diet for women over 40 will get you started.

Vegan Susy’s eating plan has breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snack options, with links to delicious recipes. Let’s take a look at our weekly plant-based meal plan for menopause.

Essential Nutrients for Women Over 40

Fibre

This nutrient is essential to maintain a healthy weight and support good digestion. The National Diet and Nutrition Survey has shown that only 9% of British adults eat the recommended amount of roughage, 30 g.

Fruit, vegetables, and whole grains are brilliant sources of fibre.

Protein

Although older adults no longer need protein for growth, this nutrient is necessary to offset age-related muscle loss in women over 40. Vegan protein sources include soya beans, legumes, nuts, and seeds.

Calcium and Vitamin D

As women age, they tend to lose bone density as bone remodelling occurs, and they can have osteoporosis without adequate calcium and vitamin D.

Calcium can be found in soya products, sunflower seeds, buckwheat, olives, broccoli and spinach.

Vitamin D is critical for calcium absorption, making eating plenty of wholegrain foods and mushrooms necessary.

Healthy Fats

Omega-3 fatty acids support brain, muscle, and bone health. They also reduce your risk of heart disease.

Older women are at risk of heart disease related to overconsumption of saturated fats. Replace these unhealthy fats with oils from avocados, nuts, and seeds.

Phytoestrogens

These little-known nutrients, as Medical News Today explains, are plant-based compounds that mimic the function of oestrogen and help decrease menopausal symptoms. They are commonly found in soya products and flaxseeds, which must form part of a plant-based meal plan for women over 40.

Plant-Based Meal Plan For Women Over 40

The ideal plant-based diet for women over 40 will help to alleviate menopause symptoms and increase your overall health and well-being. (An eating plan cannot replace medical advice, so consult a medical practitioner if you have serious concerns about your health.)

This easy week-long plan for menopause is rich in fruit, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and healthy fats. Snacks are allowed but do try to limit your intake of sugar, sodium, and saturated fats.

Note that the aim of this plan isn’t to lose weight, so there is no calorie counting. However, you may well lose weight as a happy side-effect. If you want to seriously lose weight and stay healthful as a woman over 40, read about our sustainable approach to healthy weight loss.

Monday

Breakfast: Healthy Pancakes

The British Association of Dieticians recommends making time to eat breakfast as your body requires fuel to function optimally.

Pancakes can be nutritious if you make them with whole grains — oats, buckwheat, and brown rice flour are all good choices. Include banana for sweetness. If you have a sweet tooth, drizzle with agave or maple syrup.

This is our favourite recipe for breakfast pancakes: Healthy pancakes. Enjoy two pancakes with a dollop of peanut butter and some blueberries.

Snack: Edamame

Soya protein is vital to any eating plan for women over 40 as it contains healthy phytoestrogens, which mitigate menopause symptoms like hot flushes.

Edamame is the ideal snack as it is rich in phytoestrogen and contains roughage to aid digestion.

Steam shelled or shell-on edamame and enjoy ¾ cup of beans with a pinch of salt.

Lunch: Waldorf Salad

Salads are a vegan staple, which we eat every day. They can be as simple as lettuce and tomato or more substantial as a whole meal.

Ensure you use the freshest and best quality ingredients possible, especially if you are eating them raw. Ring the changes with your salad dressing.

For lunch, enjoy this Vegan Waldorf Salad with its delicious combination of celery and grapes, with walnuts for protein and heart-healthy fatty acids.

Snack: Fresh Fruit

Enjoy a small piece of fruit (e.g., plum, apple or pear).

Dinner: Orange Tofu and Vegetable Stir Fry

This delicious meal is as good as the popular takeout. It also includes a soy product, tofu, for menopausal health.

Add plenty of sliced veggies and serve over rice or noodles. Try this straightforward and delicious recipe.

Tuesday

Breakfast: Granola

The ideal granola is a fibre-rich, low-fat nutrient powerhouse. Unfortunately, many poor imitations are as healthy as a bowl of candy. Either read the label of your granola scrupulously or make your own with maple syrup to sweeten.

Include rolled oats, rye or barley, nuts, seeds, and dried fruit. Enjoy a small portion with plant-based milk or soya yogurt and top with fresh berries.

Snack: Chia Seed Pudding

According to Healthline, chia seeds are known as superfoods because they pack a powerful nutrient punch, including fatty acids, potassium, phosphorus, calcium, and magnesium, all essential for the transition to menopause.

Combine two tablespoons of chia seeds, ½ cup almond milk, and a squeeze of honey. Mix well until there are no clumps. Refrigerate for two hours or overnight.

You can make chia pudding in advance, so it’s an ideal candidate for meal prep.

Lunch: Soup

Soup is soul food loved by toddlers, teens, and adults alike. The best soups are hearty and can get as creative as you like. They're great for adding leftovers and bits and bobs of veggies lurking in the fridge: half a baked potato, steamed beans, or a wilted carrot.

Enjoy a hearty bowl of lentil soup full of plant-based proteins.

Snack: Fruit

If you don't have berries for breakfast, have a small bowl of strawberries or blueberries. Otherwise, enjoy a small clementine or satsuma.

Dinner: Burritos

It’s like Taco Tuesday, but enjoy plant-based burritos with a Tex-Mex theme instead.

Wednesday

Breakfast: Wholegrain Toast With Avocado

Older women's oestrogen levels can be low in the mornings, with high cortisol levels. This combination can lead to anxiety. The healthy fats ease morning nerves.

Snack: Energy Balls

Energy or protein balls are delicious morsels that contain nut butter, oats, seeds, and other flavourings. They're refrigerated until set and popped straight into your mouth. Look out for energy balls that contain maca root, which eases many symptoms of menopause, particularly memory loss and depression, as reported by the Australian Menopause Centre.

Lunch: Salad

Make another generous bowl of salad for your lunch, ensuring that you include a protein source. Try this delicious Mexican salad recipe, full of vibrant vegetables, black beans, and spicy jalapeño.

Snack: Popcorn

Have two cups of air-popped popcorn without oil. Add nutritional yeast rather than salt for protein and flavour.

Dinner: Ramen Bowl

Ramen bowls are quick to make and combine the best of a soup and a salad. This recipe includes tofu, rich in phytoestrogen, and plenty of veggie-rich broth.

Thursday

Breakfast: Smoothie

This quick breakfast is a lifesaver on a busy morning as you can grab it and go. But you have to take care when making smoothies so they don't become high in sugar and calories.

Limit the fruit content to one cup per serving and up the veg, like this green smoothie.

Also, add other nutritious ingredients like seeds, oatmeal, spicy ginger, and turmeric. According to Nutrition Facts, Turmeric is highly nutritious, with its ingredient curcumin having anti-carcinogenic properties.