Author: Maria Alfano
There were so many things I wish I knew more about when I went into pre-mature menopause, like why vitamin D and calcium are the best vitamins for menopause. I was in my mid-30s when I started perimenopause and was completely post-menopausal by my mid-40s and hadn’t yet wrapped my head around life let alone menopause. I had to learn really quickly.
Because of the hormonal changes as women go through the “change”, it really is imperative to get a good handle on what is going on in their bodies.
I look at Vitamin D and Calcium as the twin-fecta of menopause necessity, making them the best vitamins for menopause and bone health.
Menopause can start anytime as a woman approaches midlife and the stage of life can take several years. During this process, a woman’s body experiences many changes. The most common and obvious changes are hot/cold flashes, mood swings, menstrual cycles stop, and weight gain/loss.
This post will explain why vitamin D and calcium are the best vitamins for menopause, the daily intake of each vitamin, and where you can find these vitamins in their most natural form.
Why Vitamin D & Calcium Are The Best Vitamins For Menopause That Will Help You Increase Bone Density Quickly
Because estrogen is in a very low supply in the body during and after menopause, you will need to do something to support your system. Of course, you can always use HRT (hormone replacement therapy) to medically add estrogen back into your system which perfectly ok for anyone who chooses to go this route.
One of the least noticed and often ignored results from menopause is loss of bone density. Women between the ages of 50-55 lose 10% of their bone mass during these years. This is a rapid decline that does slow down beyond their mid-50s. This is a direct correlation to the reduction of estrogen being produced during menopause. Estrogen maintains both bone strength and bone density. This is why many women seem to shrink as they age. It is not uncommon for a woman to be an average 5’5″ for most of her adult life. After menopause, she can be only 5’4″ tall. There are two conditions that can result from the lack of estrogen.
Conditions
1- Osteopenia – very low bone density that can leave women susceptible to bones that can break more easily. While this condition is not a disease, it is something to be careful with. You don’t want to break any bones. The lack of estrogen also means it will take longer for your bones to heal.
2- Osteoporosis – this is a disease. Bones are so brittle from the extremely low bone density that breakage is a very high risk. Studies have shown that Caucasian and Asian women are at the highest risk of getting osteoporosis.
Doctors can test for bone loss and density using a DEXA scan. This is a painless x-ray test that measures the density of your entire skeletal system. It places emphasis on the areas that are known to be the most susceptible to breaks – generally around the hips and spine. DEXA is considered the most reliable test for diagnosing osteoporosis and where you can experience a broken bone in the future.
Calcium
Bones are made of tissue that requires calcium for growth and strength. No estrogen means the calcium cannot be transferred to bone tissue which in turn means bone density declines. Weaker bones result in a higher possibility of fractures and fragility.
Menopausal women struggle to retain calcium and need between 500-600 mg of calcium daily.
Taking vitamins is not your thing? Don’t worry. You can find calcium in supplements or in nature in the following foods.
- Cheese, yogurt, fortified milk – between 85 and 360 mg of calcium depending on the dairy product. Vanilla ice cream contains the least and ricotta cheese contains the most.
- Sardines – 3 oz of sardines provides 325 mg of calcium
- Dark leafy veggies – 1 cup contains 175 mg of the recommended daily intake
- Enriched bread – flatbread contains 115 mg of calcium
- Poppy, chia, and sunflower seeds – 1/3 cup contains 46 mg of calcium
- Beans and lentils 1 cup cooked = 100 mg of calcium
- Almonds – 300 mg of calcium
- Broccoli rabe (rapini) – 1 cup contains 55 mg of calcium
This list provides an excellent way to extract calcium from delicious foods. You can make a meal out of them alone or combine them with your favorite protein. Add almonds and seeds to your cereal in the morning or munch on them when you’re feeling peckish throughout the day. There are so many ways to incorporate these wonderful foods into your diet.
Be aware of some of the risks that come with taking too much calcium. Always consult your doctor prior to starting any new regimen.
Hypercalcemia is the condition that results when you have too much calcium in your system. It can have some devastating effects.
- Can increase cardiovascular disease
- Can lead to kidney stones
- May cause constipation
Vitamin D
Vitamin D the second half of the twin-fecta of the best vitamins for menopause is often referred to as the sunshine vitamin. Over the last few decades, staying out of the sun because of the risks of melanoma has been the mantra of every doctor and mother. As a result, many people and menopausal women specifically suffer from a lack of vitamin D.
Vitamin D is unique in that it acts more like a hormone than a vitamin. It does the job that estrogen used to de prior to menopause and helps the bones absorb calcium. Through the absorption of calcium and the assistance from vitamin D, the bone tissue gets the nutrients it needs to start to get stronger and increase density.
Daily intake of 1200-1400 IUs of the sunshine vitamin is the recommended minimum for women. D has also been shown to help with the prevention of breast cancer, mood disorders like S.A.D., and can help lower blood pressure. It has also been shown to lower the intensity and frequency of hot flashes. Lack of vitamin D has been proven to leave folks more susceptible to colds/flu, lead to sleep problems, and contribute to unwanted weight gain.
You can get vitamin D from a bottle, the sun, or from the following foods.
Foods
- Fresh tuna fish, oysters, salmon, caviar – 1/3 cup or 100 mg provides 82 IUs of vitamin D in tuna whereas salmon contains 526 IUs for the same amount
- Free-range eggs – 2 eggs contain approximately 80% of the daily recommended intake of vitamin D
- Mushrooms – 100 grams of mushrooms contains 7 IUs of vitamin D
- Red meat, liver – between 4.1 IUs for steak and 8.6 IUs for liver
- Milk – 1/3 cup contains 1 IU of vitamin D
- Fortified orange juice – 1 cup contains 100 IUs or 12% of your daily recommended minimum
- Pork chops – 100 grams provides 40 IUs of the sunshine vitamin
As you can see from the list of foods noted above, you may be tempted to overeat in order to get enough vitamin D from your foods. Combine food and supplements along with some real sunshine to get your minimum daily intake. Since you can never have too much vitamin D you can choose to get it from the sun, spend 20-30 minutes in the morning or late afternoon in the sun prior to using sunscreen in order for it to be absorbed by your body. Take care not to burn as that can be dangerous.
Healthy Dinner Suggestion
Are you stuck for suggestions on how to use the ingredients above to create a delicious dinner meal? Here is an example of a nutritious meal high in both calcium and vitamin D
Salmon on the BBQ cooked on a water-soaked cedar plank. Sprinkle it with sea salt, black pepper, and dried thyme. Grill it for 6-8 minutes.
Serve with steamed broccoli rabe topped with melted cheddar cheese. You will know it’s steamed to perfection when it goes dark green.
Add a side of lightly toasted flatbread topped with arugula, goat cheese, and roasted sunflower seeds.
For dessert, serve ricotta cheese mixed with a 1/2 teaspoon of mong fruit sugar topped with blueberries and chopped almonds.
This meal alone contains approximately 319 mg of the recommended calcium intake for the day. As well, it provides 572 IUs of vitamin D for the day. So you see, it is really easy to get to the daily minimums of each by making a few changes to your diet.
This post was all about the best vitamins for menopause, daily requirements for each, and the best place to get them both naturally. It showed you how to use the foods in a super delicious way to get the most out of your meal with the greatest value for both vitamin D and calcium.
We would love to hear from you! Share with us what your favorite meal that is rich in calcium and vitamin D looks like.