Hormonal changes that start during perimenopause can bring about digestion difficulties for some women. Indigestion, bloating, nausea, and flatulence can creep into your life where it may not have been before, or these symptoms may worsen. 

I know, it’s a bummer, but you can take some steps to handle these challenges naturally. Here are some suggestions that could make your journey through perimenopause easier to digest!

Avoid ice-cold drinks and foods

Don’t chug down that ice-cold lemonade at dinner. Consuming very cold foods or drinks at mealtime can interfere with digestion and enzymes. To help ensure your digestive system runs at its best, consume foods and beverages at room temperature or slightly warmer.  

Baking soda and lemon

This combination has been shown to reduce stomach acid. Mix one tablespoon of lemon juice and one teaspoon of aluminum-free baking soda in eight ounces of water. Sip slowly.

Chew and eat slowly

When you eat, you take in more than food and liquids; you also swallow air. If you eat quickly and don’t take time to chew your food thoroughly, you can swallow a lot of air and don’t allow your salivary juices to work on the food in your mouth. The result is more stress on the digestive process in your stomach. A solution is to eat slowly and chew each mouthful until it is liquidy. You might even want to try mindful eating.

Cinnamon

Just one teaspoon of cinnamon powder can help with belching, bloating, gas, and stomach cramping. Cinnamon contains camphor, cinnamaldehyde, eugenol, and linalool, antioxidants that can ease digestive problems. Stir the cinnamon powder into a smoothie, pudding, or apple sauce, or try cinnamon tea two or three times a day.

Coconut water

The high amount of magnesium and potassium in coconut water can help with stomach pain and muscle spasms. You can sip cool coconut water throughout the day to help prevent or relieve stomach and digestion problems.

Fennel seeds

Fennel seeds can help reduce stomach irritation and flatulence. After a meal, chew on a few seeds or enjoy a cup of fennel tea. Simply steep ½ to one teaspoon of the seeds in boiled water for five minutes. When eating out, it’s convenient to keep a small packet of fennel seeds with you.

Read about eat leafy vegetables to promote good digestion

Go ginger

We all love ginger for its ability to relieve nausea, but it also contains a volatile oil that helps with flatulence. Who needs that annoying and embarrassing symptom of perimenopause? Just grate some fresh ginger (about one teaspoon) and add to 8 ounces of boiled water. Let it steep and cool, and then sip while it’s still warm to enjoy relief. You also might want to add ginger to some of your favorite stir-fries, smoothies, vegetable dishes, or salads to enhance digestive health.

Lemon water

One of the easiest and fastest ways to improve digestion and clear toxins from your system is to start each day with a glass of lukewarm water and the juice of half a fresh lemon. Drink this about 30 minutes before you have breakfast. Lemon water also can help during the day; sip it throughout the day to ward off indigestion (just be mindful that lemon juice is acidic and can erode the enamel on your teeth so be sure to rinse with plain water after drinking it).

Peppermint tea

The fragrant peppermint plant in your yard or patio pot contains a volatile oil that aids digestion. To reap the benefits of this plant, boil a few leaves in eight ounces of water and let it steep for five minutes. Another option is to add two or three drops of high-quality essential peppermint oil to warm water and drink it daily. If you experience heartburn, however, peppermint tea is not recommended.

Time your meals

We all get busy and can forget or don’t make time for regular meals. However, skipping meals can result in heartburn and stomach irritation when you do eat, especially if you eat too fast. If you regularly have large gaps between meals, you may experience chronic indigestion and bloating. A solution is to eat small meals at more frequent intervals, beginning with breakfast. Also, eat dinner at least two to three hours before bedtime to allow time for proper digestion.

Fiber Supplement

Try a fiber supplement like Fiberus. It's an unflavored prebiotic fiber made from guar fiber. Each serving contains 6.5 grams of soluble fiber that dissolves clearly, quickly and easily into hot or cold liquid, and doesn’t have any taste, texture, or smell. It also won’t clump or thicken. It doesn't require you to drink large amounts of water while taking it like some other fiber supplements do, and it's free of chemical additives like artificial sweeteners and colors.

Bottom line

Digestion challenges can appear during perimenopause and can continue into menopause, as your hormone levels begin to fluctuate. A variety of natural remedies and habits can take the edge off of these annoying symptoms and help make this transitional time of life easier.