Menopause
The word 'menopause' comes from the Greek words 'menos', meaning month, and 'pause', meaning to cease. So, menopause means the 'monthly' (the period) stops. See this website for all things menopause - www.jeanhailes.org.au/health-a-z/menopause
Menopause can affect our bone health - it's really important that you consume enough calcium and get enough Vitamin D from now on. See this link to get to 'Know your Bones'.
From a dietary perspective, to maintain a healthy weight, count up your portions of the following foods and see if they match NZ Eating Guidelines for good health.
Note: the serving size suggestions for women in the 51-70 age group, are different for the rest of the population. See the recommendations below.
Grains/Breads/Cereals - 6 servings per day; serving examples - 1/2 cup cooked pasta or brown rice or other cooked grains, 1 slice brown bread or 1 bread roll, muesli and other cereals 1/4 cup.
Milk and milk products - 4 servings per day: serving examples - 200g yoghurt, 1 cup milk (plant or cow based), 2 slices cheese
Meat and plant proteins - 2 servings per day; servings examples - 65g cooked lean meat (that's about 90g raw weight), 80g cooked lean chicken (about 100g raw weight), 170g tofu, 30 nuts/seeds, 2 eggs, 100g cooked fish (about 120g raw weight), 1 cup legumes (lentils, chickpeas, beans)
Fruit - 2 servings per day - serving examples - 1 medium piece (about the size of your closed fist), 2 small pieces (i.e. 2 apricots), 1 cup canned or frozen fruit
Vegetables - 5 servings per day - serving examples - 1/2 cup cooked vegetables, 1 cup leafy green or raw vegetables, 1/2 medium potato/kumara/taro/green banana
If you're not already - try to get out for a walk each day. Even better, include some resistance activity to maintain muscle mass and strengthen bones such as yoga, body weight exercises (press-ups, squats, lunges), uphill walking, rowing, weights.