DR Michael Mosley and his wife Dr Claire Bailey spoke on The Dr Louise Newson Podcast about how women can lose stubborn belly fat during perimenopause.
Dr Michael told Dr Louise: “As women go through the menopause, it doubles their risk of developing metabolic syndrome, which is a combination of the large waist, high blood pressure, high blood sugars as you know, and high blood fat.”
He went on to explain that while Type 2 diabetes is relatively rare for women before they hit menopause, it becomes “increasingly common” during this stage of life.
This is down to their greater risk of putting on more “high-risk fat”, which sits around the abdominal area.
So how can perimenopausal women go about shifting this stubborn and even dangerous weight?
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Dr Michael believes that a “rapid weight loss, lowish carb, Mediterranean style diet” is the way to go.
Dr Claire Bailey added that while some may be scared of olive oil because of some weight loss myths, this is a great source of healthy fat for those who want to lose weight.
She explained: “People find it terrifying that, you know, they buy some decent olive oil and they’re scared that they’re going to have a heart attack by the time they’ve finished the bottle.
“With olive oil, we know it has anti-inflammatory properties, reduces certain cancers, lots and lots of benefits.
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A Mediterranean diet is one filled with healthy fats such as olive oil, fatty fish, nuts, seeds and pulses.
Speaking about a Mediterranean diet index, Dr Michael provided some top tips for adhering to this type of diet.
Eating at least three portions of legumes – for example chickpeas, black beans, kidney beans and green beans is important.
Slimmers should also try to consume oily fish three times a week as a “good number”, according to Dr Michael.
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Dr Michael revealed that perimenopausal women who follow a predominantly Mediterranean diet can expect “much better bones, better strength, less weight, lower risk of heart disease, lower risk of breast cancer and a lower risk of cognitive decline”.
And eating a mainly Mediterranean, nutritious diet does not need to be difficult or expensive.
Dr Claire even revealed a way to make it “incredibly doable”, using tinned and frozen foods as well as fresh.
She explained: “It’s incredibly fresh when it’s tinned, it’s healthy, and as Michael said, filling.
“Frozen prawns, frozen spinach, just make life easy for yourself and then you’re more likely to stick to it.”
Source: Daily Express | Diet
