January 20, 2025 • 21 mins
Have you given birth in your late 30s or 40s?
Then this episode is for you.
In this week's episode, I unpack essential nutritional strategies tailored for this unique stage of life, addressing the complex interplay of fluctuating hormones and the demands of new motherhood. From the critical role of key nutrients like calcium, magnesium, vitamin D, and protein in balancing hormones to practical advice on managing fatigue and mood swings.
I also delve into the mental and emotional aspects of postpartum recovery, offering guidance on how to manage stress and energy levels effectively.
Uncover practical tips to maintain good nutrition and well-being amidst the whirlwind of caring for a newborn or young children. This is critical to ensure that you're setting yourself up for a healthy menopausal transition and an awesome quality of life in later life. Listen now and share with a friend who needs to hear this.
Are you a woman feeling stressed, flat and experiencing the challenges of perimenopause?
It’s time to reclaim your youthful energy, radiance and self-assurance (and your ideal weight).
I’m here to help with my proven method.
Here's how I can support you -
1. Hit your health and wellbeing goals this year, balance your hormones and lose weight with your own personalised protocol, based on your body's biochemistry. Sounds awesome right!! Book a free 30 minute Peri Weight Loss Assessment with me so we can discuss your health and wellbeing goals and also see how I might be able to support you. Book your call here.
2. Follow me on Instagram and Facebook - @the.perimenopause.path
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hi, I'm Susie Garden and this is the Ageless and
Awesome podcast.
I'm an age-defying naturopathand clinical nutritionist and
I'm here to bust myths aroundwomen's health and aging so that
you can be ageless and awesomein your 40s, 50s and beyond.
The Ageless and Awesome podcastis dedicated to helping women
(00:24):
through perimenopause andmenopause with great health, a
positive mindset and outrageousconfidence.
Hit, subscribe or follow nowand let's get started.
Hello, gorgeous one, andwelcome to this week's episode
of the Ageless and Awesomepodcast.
This week, I'm touching on atopic that I've never actually
(00:46):
touched on before.
This is following a socialmedia post I did on I think it
was Saturday.
I've had such good feedback toit, I thought I might elaborate
a little bit more about thisparticular topic in this week's
podcast episode.
So the Instagram or Facebookboth actually posts that I made
(01:10):
talked about how to look afteryourself after you've given
birth, from, essentially, 35onwards, because if you're
giving birth in your late 30sand 40s and, let's face it, many
, many women these days aregiving birth at those sorts of
ages and you know, if you'vebeen following me or any sort of
(01:35):
perimenopause practitioner fora while, you probably know that
perimenopause can start from theage of 35 onwards, because
perimenopause starts aroundseven to 10 years prior to
menopause.
So you can definitely be inperimenopause and you can get
pregnant and give birth.
(01:56):
So what does this mean?
Let's really break it downbecause it's a really important
conversation to have.
I'm not hearing a lot ofconversation about it and in
fact, when I went to do a littlebit further research for this
podcast episode, there's reallynot a lot out there at all.
So I'm happy to really kind ofadd to some of the conversation
(02:21):
in this space and if thisdoesn't impact you, maybe
there's somebody that you knowthat this does impact and you
wouldn't mind sharing thisepisode, because I think it's
really important that womenactually understand that there
are some fundamental differencesin terms of how you should look
after yourself postnatally andwith nutrition for several years
(02:43):
after you give birth, and thismight be quite relevant for many
of you who are mothers, even ifyou didn't give birth after the
age of 35, you may actually geta few little pearls of wisdom
out of this podcast aboutperhaps how you should be
supporting yourselfnutritionally.
So let's get into this topicbecause there are some really
(03:06):
unique challenges of postpartumrecovery when you're in your
late 30s and 40s.
So what makes this recoverydifferent?
Firstly, I mean we all knowyour body is not the same at 40
as it was at 25.
So your recovery may take alittle longer and you might find
(03:26):
that the hormonal shifts ofperimenopause are already
starting to overlap with thepostpartum period.
For example, you mightexperience more intense fatigue,
mood swings or changes inweight and metabolism, or
changes in weight and metabolismand this isn't your imagination
, this is biology.
(03:49):
So this is something to bereally aware of.
And when we're talking aboutsome of those, for example the
hormonal shifts if you thinkabout postpartum hormones, after
childbirth your body undergoesreally significant hormonal
changes.
Estrogen and progesteronelevels, which were high during
pregnancy, can drop sharplyafter delivery.
So this is where you get thingslike your mood swings, your
(04:11):
fatigue and other sorts ofsymptoms.
Now, if you contrast that tothe perimenopause hormone
picture, during peri hormonelevels are really fluctuating in
an unpredictable way.
So estrogen levels can be, inparticular, really erratic.
(04:31):
They can surge really high,higher than they would during
your menstrual cycle in your 20sand 30s.
Actually I know people think oflow estrogen, but actually's
actually you can get surges thatare way higher than your, than
they've ever been before, andthen they drop, which is
terrible, which really gives youthose symptoms like your hot
(04:52):
flashes, your night sweats andmood changes, and so if you're
having these, both of thesehormonal shifts at the same time
, my gosh, you really do need topay some extra attention to
what is actually going on.
The other thing is that thereare certain nutrients that
(05:12):
become more important to us aswe are getting into that
perimenopause time, and theseare nutrients that can be quite
depleted during pregnancy andbreastfeeding, in particular,
calcium super importantmagnesium and vitamin D, and
these are important for hormonebalance as well as our own
(05:32):
health.
So this is really important.
I'm going to talk a little bitmore about nutrients
specifically shortly.
The other thing I guess thatcan be a unique challenge is the
added stress of the mental andemotional load postpartum, and
balancing the demands of a newbaby with other responsibilities
(05:53):
can be quite overwhelming.
So the added stress, as we know, stress impacts your hormones
and it can make recovery feeleven more challenging.
And the thing is, while thesechallenges are real, they're not
insurmountable not at all.
With the right nutritionalstrategies, the right knowledge,
you can support your body'shealing processes, you can
(06:13):
manage your energy levels andyou can feel more like yourself
again.
So let's get into thesenutrients.
Firstly, I think one of themost important ones is actually
protein.
Protein is your best friendwhen it comes to healing and
rebuilding tissues afterchildbirth.
It's essential for stabilizingblood sugar, and blood sugar
(06:37):
stabilization is reallyimportant for energy management.
It's really important for moodswings.
Both are critical during thisstage.
So you want to aim for highquality protein sources so they
can be plant-based, they can beanimal-based you know eggs,
chicken, fish, beans, lentils,yogurt so many protein sources.
(07:03):
I think most people are acrosswhere they can get their protein
.
But yeah, don't forget, you'vegot a lot of plant-based options
there which can be very easy tocook and get access to Um and
you know, if you feel like youneed a little boost, protein
powders can be very helpful.
Now, I would always recommendyou go for an unflavored protein
(07:23):
powder, a protein powder thathas as few ingredients in it as
possible, so that you're notadding in additives that are
going to maybe have a not sogood effect on your mood,
particularly with some of theartificial flavors and colors
that I see in many of the reallyfancy flavored protein powders,
(07:48):
even if it says it's a reallyhealthy one or a really clean
one.
Really go for a natural,unflavored protein powder, okay.
Number two, I think, is healthyfats.
Omega-3s are really, reallyimportant at this time of life,
both in perimenopause andpostpartum.
(08:10):
Omega-3s are anti-inflammatory,they support mood, they support
brain health, hormones, and youcan find these in foods like
salmon, walnuts, chia seeds,flax seeds, avocados and olive
oil other healthy fats.
But getting omega-3s are reallyimportant and most women, I
(08:34):
think, have a mindset, certainlyimmediately postpartum and
while breastfeeding, that youshould not be focusing on weight
, and I totally support thatimmediately postpartum and while
breastfeeding, that you shouldnot be focusing on weight, and I
totally support that.
And so I really I get concernedwhen I see women opting for low
fat products because they thinkthat will help with weight
management.
Please do not do this.
Full fat, we know, is waybetter for us.
(08:57):
It's a more whole kind of food.
So please don't shy away fromhealthy fats.
In postpartum or inperimenopause generally.
They're very, very important,particularly for your hormone
production.
Another really importantnutrient is iron.
Iron deficiency generally isreally common, particularly
(09:18):
postpartum, and again, thosesymptoms fatigue, brain fog,
feelings of anxiety it can be,perimenopause it can be.
Just low iron can be postpartum.
So focusing on iron-rich foodslike your leafy greens your
things like dried apricots arereally rich in iron cashews iron
(09:40):
cashews and pairing them withvitamin C rich foods like
oranges, capsicum, strawberrieshelp absorption.
You may need to look at asupplement, but that would
depend on where your levels areat.
But if you can prevent gettingso low on your iron by eating
(10:01):
good iron rich foods, that willgo a long way towards improving
your iron stores and making youfeel a lot better.
I mentioned calcium andmagnesium before.
These minerals are reallycritical for bone health, muscle
function, mood, sleep, so manythings.
(10:21):
Definitely, breastfeeding andpregnancy can deplete your
calcium stores, so it'simportant to replenish those.
Again, leafy greens are goingto come up a lot.
They're just so good for you.
Leafy greens, nuts and seeds,almonds in particular, and also
dairy tofu things like that arefull of calcium and also good
(10:45):
sources of magnesium.
Vitamin D I also mentionedbefore.
It's really essential to absorbyour calcium Also really
awesome for immune function andmood.
Many, many, many women aredeficient in vitamin D, so make
sure to get your levels checkedwith your GP because it is
possible to over supplementvitamin D.
(11:06):
Don't just start taking asupplement if you think you
might be a bit deficient, so gettested and then you will know
whether or not you need tosupplement or not, because it is
kind of difficult to getvitamin D from foods.
Obviously, skin exposure tosunshine without using any SPF
(11:28):
or sunscreen is one of thecritical parts of getting
vitamin D.
So that's really important.
But obviously, if you have anew baby that you may not have a
lot of time to just go out andlie in the sun.
So try and get some sun on yourskin, but also check your
vitamin D.
Make sure you've got enough andsupplement if you need to.
B vitamins very important.
(11:51):
So B12 and folate are vital forenergy production and mood
regulation.
So you can find these foods ineggs, leafy greens again, and if
you are more plant-based inyour diet, you may need a B12 or
folate supplement.
So again, you can get thatmeasured.
Make sure that you've gotenough on board, because it is a
(12:16):
really important nutrient,particularly B12.
And also, just let's not forgetgut health.
Fiber rich foods like fruits,veggies, whole grains keep your
digestion on track.
So this is really important tomake sure, because if you can
have the best diet in the world,but if your gut health isn't
good, then you're not going tobe absorbing the nutrients in
(12:38):
the way that you need to.
So if you're getting persistentbloating, persistent diarrhea,
constipation, reflux, excessburping, excess flatulence, all
of those are things that shouldbe addressed to make sure your
gut is happy, your gut bacteriaare happy and therefore you're
(12:58):
going to have a better moodregulation because of our gut
brain connection and a betterneurotransmitter production,
which is our brain chemicalslike dopamine, like serotonin.
These are all super important.
So make sure your gut health ison track.
Please do not blast yourselfwith probiotics unless they've
been prescribed for you bysomeone who actually knows
(13:20):
what's going on in your gut.
Okay, please do not just thinkjust taking probiotics is going
to improve your gut health,because sometimes it can cause
more harm than good and you maynot really need them.
We know that the gut bacteriayou have already are the best,
so we just want to make surethey're well fed and they're
happy and their gut is workingreally well.
(13:41):
So they're the main kind ofnutrients that I recommend that
are often overlooked when itcomes to supporting yourself
postpartum or just inperimenopause generally.
So I'm just going to runthrough those again Protein,
healthy fats, particularlyomega-3, iron, calcium and
(14:02):
magnesium, b vitamins, vitamin D, fiber.
Now, one thing I also justwanted to cover in today's
episode is how to make sureyou're getting all of those
things when you're really,really busy.
If you're juggling a newborn oryoung children and the demands
(14:25):
that come from daily life, itcan be really hard to be on top
of your nutrition.
It's just so easy to get UberEats or to have a piece of toast
for dinner, and just a littlebit of help with making sure
your meals are nutritious can bejust a lifesaver.
So batch cooking I cannotstress this enough, batch
(14:50):
cooking.
So, whenever you are cooking,make, double, make, triple, make
whatever you can store in yourfreezer so that you've got some
really simple, nutrient densemeals like soups, casseroles,
curries, like things that maybenot curry if you're
breastfeeding, but foods thatare going to be really easy,
(15:13):
nutritious, filling, easy toreheat, packed with protein,
veggies and healthy fats.
Cannot stress that enoughSmoothies.
Smoothies are a lifesaver.
You can throw in your leafygreens, you can pop in your
protein powder, some frozenberries, whatever fluid you want
(15:34):
as your base, and you can get areally quick, really easy to
absorb nutrient-packed meal oreven a snack, and it is
important, particularly ifyou're breastfeeding, to make
sure that you've got snacks thatare ready to go and they're
healthy snacks like hard-boiledeggs, yogurt, nuts, seeds, cut
up veggies with hummus, thingsthat are really easy to grab
(15:57):
when you're short on time.
Hydration cannot stress thisenough.
Don't forget to drink plenty ofwater, especially if you're
breastfeeding.
But herbal teas are alsohydrating, so herbal teas like
chamomile or peppermint can beideal to have to keep that fluid
intake up and also give yousome nice flavor and have some
(16:20):
added therapeutic benefits.
So they're probably the bigones.
Also, obviously, most people,if you're having a new baby,
most of your friends, familymembers, will be quite happy to
cook meals for you that can bereheated.
So that's something perhaps.
If it hasn't been offered,maybe you could ask.
(16:41):
I know sometimes it's hard toask for this kind of support,
but most people are absolutelythrilled to help.
They just may not have thoughtabout it.
And let me think if there'sanything else I wanted to add to
this episode today.
Actually, yes, I did want toquickly just touch on
(17:01):
prioritizing sleep, which I knowcan be really difficult, but it
is so important, even if youcan do little cat naps during
the day, that can make a hugedifference to your energy levels
and your hormone balance andyour feeling of well-being.
Also, if you do have any timeat all for self-care whether
(17:24):
that's popping a face mask on,whether that's listening to
music that you like in thebackground, whether it is even
just deep breathing we all haveto breathe.
So if you're deep breathing,that can be just something that
can help balance out yournervous system and that will
help with your gut health.
It will help with yourabsorption of food, it will help
(17:46):
with your sleep, it will helpwith so many things.
So that's another thing.
I just wanted to add it in.
There is so important tobreathe and to just take care of
that self-care and relaxationaspect of life.
I remember when I was studyingat uni and I was trying to find
(18:07):
a reference for this I don'tknow if there is one because
when I was looking at you knowhow long does it take to recover
nutritionally from childbirth?
At uni we were told two years,which shocked me, to be honest.
And that's two years afteryou've stopped breastfeeding.
So you know it takes a lot outof our bodies nutritionally when
you have a baby and breastfeed.
(18:29):
So and I've read sources,sources even up to 10 years,
which to me that seems like alot, but it's there.
I don't think there's anyresearch.
I couldn't find much, to behonest, in this crossover of
childbirth, postpartum andperimenopause.
(18:49):
But again, we all know thatwomen tend to get a little bit
left out when it comes tomedical research.
So a lot of what I've puttogether today has come from
common sense, as well as whatI've been able to read and get
some research on.
So I hope this has been helpfuland maybe this been a bit of an
(19:10):
eye opener for you, and,particularly if you know, if
you've given birth in the lasttwo, three, four years, do you
feel like you've gotten back ontrack nutritionally?
Do you feel like you've gotgood energy?
You know you're rating yourenergy at eight or nine out of
10.
Are you rating your stress atthree to four out of 10?
Are you rating your sleep asbeing good or terrible?
(19:30):
Are you waking refreshed?
All of these things are goodindicators of whether or not
you're getting what you need outof your practices.
So anywho, as I say, I hopethis has been helpful.
Please feel free to share.
If you'd like to write me areview.
I'd absolutely love that.
(19:50):
I'd also love some contentideas.
What do you want me to recordpodcasts about?
I'm often just making this upon the spot in terms of the
topic and I'd love to hear fromyou.
So you can remember, I've got anew Instagram handle
theperimenopausepath.
Not sure it was a good idea toput in the dots Looks good on
(20:12):
paper, but saying it's anotherthing.
So the perimenopause path, witha dot separating each word, or
you can email me if that's a bittoo hard.
Hello at suzygardencom.
Enjoy your week.
I will be back next Tuesdaywith a new pod.
Thanks so much for joining metoday on the Ageless and Awesome
podcast.
(20:32):
If you liked today's episode, Iwould love it if you could
write me a five-star review.
It makes me so happy.
Also, make sure you click thelittle plus button if you're on
Apple Podcasts, or the followbutton if you're on Spotify, so
that you can get each newepisode delivered to you every
week.
If you like free stuff, thenhead to the show notes and click
(20:54):
the link to receive my freeRadiant Reset Hormone Detox
Guide for perimenopausal women.
Now, this will only beavailable until the end of
January 2025.
So be quick If you'd like tocontinue the discussion we've
had today, head over toInstagram and DM me, or follow
me at theperimenopausepath.
(21:15):
There's a little dot betweeneach word just to make it a
little bit more complicated, butI would love to connect with
you over there.
Hi, I'm Susie Garden and this is the Ageless and
Awesome podcast.
I'm an age-defying naturopathand clinical nutritionist and
I'm here to bust myths aroundwomen's health and aging so that
you can be ageless and awesomein your 40s, 50s and beyond.
The Ageless and Awesome podcastis dedicated to helping women
(00:24):
through perimenopause andmenopause with great health, a
positive mindset and outrageousconfidence.
Hit, subscribe or follow nowand let's get started.
Hello, gorgeous one, andwelcome to this week's episode
of the Ageless and Awesomepodcast.
This week, I'm touching on atopic that I've never actually
(00:46):
touched on before.
This is following a socialmedia post I did on I think it
was Saturday.
I've had such good feedback toit, I thought I might elaborate
a little bit more about thisparticular topic in this week's
podcast episode.
So the Instagram or Facebookboth actually posts that I made
(01:10):
talked about how to look afteryourself after you've given
birth, from, essentially, 35onwards, because if you're
giving birth in your late 30sand 40s and, let's face it, many
, many women these days aregiving birth at those sorts of
ages and you know, if you'vebeen following me or any sort of
(01:35):
perimenopause practitioner fora while, you probably know that
perimenopause can start from theage of 35 onwards, because
perimenopause starts aroundseven to 10 years prior to
menopause.
So you can definitely be inperimenopause and you can get
pregnant and give birth.
(01:56):
So what does this mean?
Let's really break it downbecause it's a really important
conversation to have.
I'm not hearing a lot ofconversation about it and in
fact, when I went to do a littlebit further research for this
podcast episode, there's reallynot a lot out there at all.
So I'm happy to really kind ofadd to some of the conversation
(02:21):
in this space and if thisdoesn't impact you, maybe
there's somebody that you knowthat this does impact and you
wouldn't mind sharing thisepisode, because I think it's
really important that womenactually understand that there
are some fundamental differencesin terms of how you should look
after yourself postnatally andwith nutrition for several years
(02:43):
after you give birth, and thismight be quite relevant for many
of you who are mothers, even ifyou didn't give birth after the
age of 35, you may actually geta few little pearls of wisdom
out of this podcast aboutperhaps how you should be
supporting yourselfnutritionally.
So let's get into this topicbecause there are some really
(03:06):
unique challenges of postpartumrecovery when you're in your
late 30s and 40s.
So what makes this recoverydifferent?
Firstly, I mean we all knowyour body is not the same at 40
as it was at 25.
So your recovery may take alittle longer and you might find
(03:26):
that the hormonal shifts ofperimenopause are already
starting to overlap with thepostpartum period.
For example, you mightexperience more intense fatigue,
mood swings or changes inweight and metabolism, or
changes in weight and metabolismand this isn't your imagination
, this is biology.
(03:49):
So this is something to bereally aware of.
And when we're talking aboutsome of those, for example the
hormonal shifts if you thinkabout postpartum hormones, after
childbirth your body undergoesreally significant hormonal
changes.
Estrogen and progesteronelevels, which were high during
pregnancy, can drop sharplyafter delivery.
So this is where you get thingslike your mood swings, your
(04:11):
fatigue and other sorts ofsymptoms.
Now, if you contrast that tothe perimenopause hormone
picture, during peri hormonelevels are really fluctuating in
an unpredictable way.
So estrogen levels can be, inparticular, really erratic.
(04:31):
They can surge really high,higher than they would during
your menstrual cycle in your 20sand 30s.
Actually I know people think oflow estrogen, but actually's
actually you can get surges thatare way higher than your, than
they've ever been before, andthen they drop, which is
terrible, which really gives youthose symptoms like your hot
(04:52):
flashes, your night sweats andmood changes, and so if you're
having these, both of thesehormonal shifts at the same time
, my gosh, you really do need topay some extra attention to
what is actually going on.
The other thing is that thereare certain nutrients that
(05:12):
become more important to us aswe are getting into that
perimenopause time, and theseare nutrients that can be quite
depleted during pregnancy andbreastfeeding, in particular,
calcium super importantmagnesium and vitamin D, and
these are important for hormonebalance as well as our own
(05:32):
health.
So this is really important.
I'm going to talk a little bitmore about nutrients
specifically shortly.
The other thing I guess thatcan be a unique challenge is the
added stress of the mental andemotional load postpartum, and
balancing the demands of a newbaby with other responsibilities
(05:53):
can be quite overwhelming.
So the added stress, as we know, stress impacts your hormones
and it can make recovery feeleven more challenging.
And the thing is, while thesechallenges are real, they're not
insurmountable not at all.
With the right nutritionalstrategies, the right knowledge,
you can support your body'shealing processes, you can
(06:13):
manage your energy levels andyou can feel more like yourself
again.
So let's get into thesenutrients.
Firstly, I think one of themost important ones is actually
protein.
Protein is your best friendwhen it comes to healing and
rebuilding tissues afterchildbirth.
It's essential for stabilizingblood sugar, and blood sugar
(06:37):
stabilization is reallyimportant for energy management.
It's really important for moodswings.
Both are critical during thisstage.
So you want to aim for highquality protein sources so they
can be plant-based, they can beanimal-based you know eggs,
chicken, fish, beans, lentils,yogurt so many protein sources.
(07:03):
I think most people are acrosswhere they can get their protein
.
But yeah, don't forget, you'vegot a lot of plant-based options
there which can be very easy tocook and get access to Um and
you know, if you feel like youneed a little boost, protein
powders can be very helpful.
Now, I would always recommendyou go for an unflavored protein
(07:23):
powder, a protein powder thathas as few ingredients in it as
possible, so that you're notadding in additives that are
going to maybe have a not sogood effect on your mood,
particularly with some of theartificial flavors and colors
that I see in many of the reallyfancy flavored protein powders,
(07:48):
even if it says it's a reallyhealthy one or a really clean
one.
Really go for a natural,unflavored protein powder, okay.
Number two, I think, is healthyfats.
Omega-3s are really, reallyimportant at this time of life,
both in perimenopause andpostpartum.
(08:10):
Omega-3s are anti-inflammatory,they support mood, they support
brain health, hormones, and youcan find these in foods like
salmon, walnuts, chia seeds,flax seeds, avocados and olive
oil other healthy fats.
But getting omega-3s are reallyimportant and most women, I
(08:34):
think, have a mindset, certainlyimmediately postpartum and
while breastfeeding, that youshould not be focusing on weight
, and I totally support thatimmediately postpartum and while
breastfeeding, that you shouldnot be focusing on weight, and I
totally support that.
And so I really I get concernedwhen I see women opting for low
fat products because they thinkthat will help with weight
management.
Please do not do this.
Full fat, we know, is waybetter for us.
(08:57):
It's a more whole kind of food.
So please don't shy away fromhealthy fats.
In postpartum or inperimenopause generally.
They're very, very important,particularly for your hormone
production.
Another really importantnutrient is iron.
Iron deficiency generally isreally common, particularly
(09:18):
postpartum, and again, thosesymptoms fatigue, brain fog,
feelings of anxiety it can be,perimenopause it can be.
Just low iron can be postpartum.
So focusing on iron-rich foodslike your leafy greens your
things like dried apricots arereally rich in iron cashews iron
(09:40):
cashews and pairing them withvitamin C rich foods like
oranges, capsicum, strawberrieshelp absorption.
You may need to look at asupplement, but that would
depend on where your levels areat.
But if you can prevent gettingso low on your iron by eating
(10:01):
good iron rich foods, that willgo a long way towards improving
your iron stores and making youfeel a lot better.
I mentioned calcium andmagnesium before.
These minerals are reallycritical for bone health, muscle
function, mood, sleep, so manythings.
(10:21):
Definitely, breastfeeding andpregnancy can deplete your
calcium stores, so it'simportant to replenish those.
Again, leafy greens are goingto come up a lot.
They're just so good for you.
Leafy greens, nuts and seeds,almonds in particular, and also
dairy tofu things like that arefull of calcium and also good
(10:45):
sources of magnesium.
Vitamin D I also mentionedbefore.
It's really essential to absorbyour calcium Also really
awesome for immune function andmood.
Many, many, many women aredeficient in vitamin D, so make
sure to get your levels checkedwith your GP because it is
possible to over supplementvitamin D.
(11:06):
Don't just start taking asupplement if you think you
might be a bit deficient, so gettested and then you will know
whether or not you need tosupplement or not, because it is
kind of difficult to getvitamin D from foods.
Obviously, skin exposure tosunshine without using any SPF
(11:28):
or sunscreen is one of thecritical parts of getting
vitamin D.
So that's really important.
But obviously, if you have anew baby that you may not have a
lot of time to just go out andlie in the sun.
So try and get some sun on yourskin, but also check your
vitamin D.
Make sure you've got enough andsupplement if you need to.
B vitamins very important.
(11:51):
So B12 and folate are vital forenergy production and mood
regulation.
So you can find these foods ineggs, leafy greens again, and if
you are more plant-based inyour diet, you may need a B12 or
folate supplement.
So again, you can get thatmeasured.
Make sure that you've gotenough on board, because it is a
(12:16):
really important nutrient,particularly B12.
And also, just let's not forgetgut health.
Fiber rich foods like fruits,veggies, whole grains keep your
digestion on track.
So this is really important tomake sure, because if you can
have the best diet in the world,but if your gut health isn't
good, then you're not going tobe absorbing the nutrients in
(12:38):
the way that you need to.
So if you're getting persistentbloating, persistent diarrhea,
constipation, reflux, excessburping, excess flatulence, all
of those are things that shouldbe addressed to make sure your
gut is happy, your gut bacteriaare happy and therefore you're
(12:58):
going to have a better moodregulation because of our gut
brain connection and a betterneurotransmitter production,
which is our brain chemicalslike dopamine, like serotonin.
These are all super important.
So make sure your gut health ison track.
Please do not blast yourselfwith probiotics unless they've
been prescribed for you bysomeone who actually knows
(13:20):
what's going on in your gut.
Okay, please do not just thinkjust taking probiotics is going
to improve your gut health,because sometimes it can cause
more harm than good and you maynot really need them.
We know that the gut bacteriayou have already are the best,
so we just want to make surethey're well fed and they're
happy and their gut is workingreally well.
(13:41):
So they're the main kind ofnutrients that I recommend that
are often overlooked when itcomes to supporting yourself
postpartum or just inperimenopause generally.
So I'm just going to runthrough those again Protein,
healthy fats, particularlyomega-3, iron, calcium and
(14:02):
magnesium, b vitamins, vitamin D, fiber.
Now, one thing I also justwanted to cover in today's
episode is how to make sureyou're getting all of those
things when you're really,really busy.
If you're juggling a newborn oryoung children and the demands
(14:25):
that come from daily life, itcan be really hard to be on top
of your nutrition.
It's just so easy to get UberEats or to have a piece of toast
for dinner, and just a littlebit of help with making sure
your meals are nutritious can bejust a lifesaver.
So batch cooking I cannotstress this enough, batch
(14:50):
cooking.
So, whenever you are cooking,make, double, make, triple, make
whatever you can store in yourfreezer so that you've got some
really simple, nutrient densemeals like soups, casseroles,
curries, like things that maybenot curry if you're
breastfeeding, but foods thatare going to be really easy,
(15:13):
nutritious, filling, easy toreheat, packed with protein,
veggies and healthy fats.
Cannot stress that enoughSmoothies.
Smoothies are a lifesaver.
You can throw in your leafygreens, you can pop in your
protein powder, some frozenberries, whatever fluid you want
(15:34):
as your base, and you can get areally quick, really easy to
absorb nutrient-packed meal oreven a snack, and it is
important, particularly ifyou're breastfeeding, to make
sure that you've got snacks thatare ready to go and they're
healthy snacks like hard-boiledeggs, yogurt, nuts, seeds, cut
up veggies with hummus, thingsthat are really easy to grab
(15:57):
when you're short on time.
Hydration cannot stress thisenough.
Don't forget to drink plenty ofwater, especially if you're
breastfeeding.
But herbal teas are alsohydrating, so herbal teas like
chamomile or peppermint can beideal to have to keep that fluid
intake up and also give yousome nice flavor and have some
(16:20):
added therapeutic benefits.
So they're probably the bigones.
Also, obviously, most people,if you're having a new baby,
most of your friends, familymembers, will be quite happy to
cook meals for you that can bereheated.
So that's something perhaps.
If it hasn't been offered,maybe you could ask.
(16:41):
I know sometimes it's hard toask for this kind of support,
but most people are absolutelythrilled to help.
They just may not have thoughtabout it.
And let me think if there'sanything else I wanted to add to
this episode today.
Actually, yes, I did want toquickly just touch on
(17:01):
prioritizing sleep, which I knowcan be really difficult, but it
is so important, even if youcan do little cat naps during
the day, that can make a hugedifference to your energy levels
and your hormone balance andyour feeling of well-being.
Also, if you do have any timeat all for self-care whether
(17:24):
that's popping a face mask on,whether that's listening to
music that you like in thebackground, whether it is even
just deep breathing we all haveto breathe.
So if you're deep breathing,that can be just something that
can help balance out yournervous system and that will
help with your gut health.
It will help with yourabsorption of food, it will help
(17:46):
with your sleep, it will helpwith so many things.
So that's another thing.
I just wanted to add it in.
There is so important tobreathe and to just take care of
that self-care and relaxationaspect of life.
I remember when I was studyingat uni and I was trying to find
(18:07):
a reference for this I don'tknow if there is one because
when I was looking at you knowhow long does it take to recover
nutritionally from childbirth?
At uni we were told two years,which shocked me, to be honest.
And that's two years afteryou've stopped breastfeeding.
So you know it takes a lot outof our bodies nutritionally when
you have a baby and breastfeed.
(18:29):
So and I've read sources,sources even up to 10 years,
which to me that seems like alot, but it's there.
I don't think there's anyresearch.
I couldn't find much, to behonest, in this crossover of
childbirth, postpartum andperimenopause.
(18:49):
But again, we all know thatwomen tend to get a little bit
left out when it comes tomedical research.
So a lot of what I've puttogether today has come from
common sense, as well as whatI've been able to read and get
some research on.
So I hope this has been helpfuland maybe this been a bit of an
(19:10):
eye opener for you, and,particularly if you know, if
you've given birth in the lasttwo, three, four years, do you
feel like you've gotten back ontrack nutritionally?
Do you feel like you've gotgood energy?
You know you're rating yourenergy at eight or nine out of
10.
Are you rating your stress atthree to four out of 10?
Are you rating your sleep asbeing good or terrible?
(19:30):
Are you waking refreshed?
All of these things are goodindicators of whether or not
you're getting what you need outof your practices.
So anywho, as I say, I hopethis has been helpful.
Please feel free to share.
If you'd like to write me areview.
I'd absolutely love that.
(19:50):
I'd also love some contentideas.
What do you want me to recordpodcasts about?
I'm often just making this upon the spot in terms of the
topic and I'd love to hear fromyou.
So you can remember, I've got anew Instagram handle
theperimenopausepath.
Not sure it was a good idea toput in the dots Looks good on
(20:12):
paper, but saying it's anotherthing.
So the perimenopause path, witha dot separating each word, or
you can email me if that's a bittoo hard.
Hello at suzygardencom.
Enjoy your week.
I will be back next Tuesdaywith a new pod.
Thanks so much for joining metoday on the Ageless and Awesome
podcast.
(20:32):
If you liked today's episode, Iwould love it if you could
write me a five-star review.
It makes me so happy.
Also, make sure you click thelittle plus button if you're on
Apple Podcasts, or the followbutton if you're on Spotify, so
that you can get each newepisode delivered to you every
week.
If you like free stuff, thenhead to the show notes and click
(20:54):
the link to receive my freeRadiant Reset Hormone Detox
Guide for perimenopausal women.
Now, this will only beavailable until the end of
January 2025.
So be quick If you'd like tocontinue the discussion we've
had today, head over toInstagram and DM me, or follow
me at theperimenopausepath.
(21:15):
There's a little dot betweeneach word just to make it a
little bit more complicated, butI would love to connect with
you over there.
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