6 tips to maintain healthy eating habits during menopause

Hot flashes, sleep disturbances and mood swings, all a part of 'the change,' can have women reaching for something sweet or salty to curb their discomfort.

The double whammy is that menopause occurs in a woman's life at a time when her metabolism becomes very slow as part of the normal aging process. The use of high-calorie foods can make a woman feel better in the short term, but these foods can also cause weight gain that is harder to burn.

Still, there are ways to fight back and offset the tendency toward weight gain. Here dietitian Andrea Dunn, RD, LD, CDE, offers 6 tips:

Think heart-healthy

Focus your diet on the less-processed foods like veggies, fruits, whole grains and lean meats.

Also include some nuts, seeds and plant-based oils, like olive oil.

Mind your minerals: Calcium and magnesium

Calcium and magnesium are especially important for healthy bones in mid-life. Eat two to three servings of dairy each day for calcium. Eat nuts, beans, broccoli, spinach and whole grains for magnesium.

Avoid grab-and-go choices

Fast and pre-packaged foods often contain many calories that can accumulate quickly. When it comes to nuts and trail mix, the calories easily add up — think of one-quarter cup as a serving size or choose items that are 150 calories or less for a snack.

Combine food groups

Examples of tasty and healthy food combos include an apple with one to two tablespoons of peanut butter, whole-grain crackers and cheese (1 ounce), or a quarter cup of hummus (or cottage cheese) on whole-grain toast.

Veg out!

Include vegetables at two or more of your meals (or snacks) each day. Try adding tomatoes or avocado to your breakfast plate. At lunch have raw vegetables with salsa as a dip. With your dinner meal have a half plate of cooked vegetables or salad.

Remember that small diet choices can turn into permanent changes.

If you haven't already been eating a variety of foods, it can be frustrating to think about making all of these changes at once. I tell my patients to make one change at a time, for example, pack a vegetable with your lunch.