Darina Allen: What to eat to nourish yourself through menopause — with recipes

Start a food and drink diary for a week and be prepared for a shock

Make a little Ballymaloe muesli, a riff on Bircher muesli which takes minutes to make.

At last, there’s more conversation around menopause, a subject that was almost taboo to talk about some years ago. Of course it’s a natural part of ageing, a natural transition us women go through as female hormones, oestrogen and progesterone, begin to decrease. Some fortunate women sail through it with a few symptoms, others suffer horribly.

There is a growing body of research and a deeper understanding of menopause. Medical colleges are beginning to equip their students with more data on the subject, like the connection between food and menopause that was hitherto rarely or barely mentioned in the eight years plus medical training. One only has to experience hospital or care home food, with a few rare exceptions, to realise that the connection between the type of food we eat, and our wellbeing is poorly understood or, worse, still conveniently ignored to save money.