My big epiphany came from an unlikely source: my sixteen- year- oldson. Days before his sixteenth birthday, he slipped in the bathroom and broke his jaw. His jaw had to be wired shut to heal, and he was only allowed to “eat” thin liquids. Even smoothies had to be strained, removing any fiber, seeds, or pulp. He was ravenous but could not eat. Days went by on just Gatorade and juice. On day 3 (I will explain the relevance of this later) he turned from an energetic, happy-go-lucky kid into a child who was tired, lethargic, moody, and unmotivated—he lacked any get- up- and- go to do anything, from school activities to sports.
After about 4 weeks, he transitioned to soft food, and we started giving him special soft foods with fiber, protein, healthy fats, and micronutrients.
After several days of eating this more expanded diet, the transformation was miraculous. My son was back— he was once again energetic, happy, and motivated.
This is the power of nutrition.
In my previous books, I’ve written extensively about the importance of our gut health, or microbiome. Witnessing my son’s transformation was further proof that we are so connected to our gut when it comes to our mood, cravings, and hormonal balance. It made me even more adamant and passionate about teaching this to my family, patients, and to you. Once you understand the power of nutrition and lifestyle choices to influence your overall feeling of confidence, energy, and motivation, the game changes.
Better nutrition is a framework for not only a better body but also a better brain and longer life. Traditionally, menopause symptoms were addressed with pharmaceutical treatments such as hormone therapy and antidepressants, which are great and can be truly life changing in many cases. But I don’t think that’s where we need to start. For one, you’ll be experiencing hormone changes before you might be ready for menopausal hormone therapy (MHT). But more important, nutrition is truly the foundation of it all.
Focusing on nutritional needs of women in perimenopause and menopause, I came up with a plan to help women sail through these transitions and experience a massive transformation in their health. I knew I had to share it with as many women as I could, and I began to do so in my practice and online. Jennifer, a forty- five- year- old mother who follows me on Instagram reached out and said, “I’m so confused about my hormones. I was taught about puberty and pregnancy, but no one talked to me about perimenopause.” She asked for resources on everything she needed to know about perimenopause, a sort of primer that she could use not only for herself but to pass along to her friends and even teen daughter. That got me thinking. Jennifer is one of countless women all over the world who knows her body is changing but is not sure what that means for her health and hormones. I kept researching, posting, and interacting with women to learn more about their experiences. This book is the culmination of my efforts to help women like Jennifer. I’ve already seen this plan work for thousands of women, and I believe it can change anyone’s experiences through perimenopause, menopause, and postmenopause for the better. Welcome to the Shah Protocol.
THE SHAH PROTOCOL IS FOR YOU
Nutrition should be the first thing discussed in perimenopause, yet it rarely is, and women are left to suffer without knowing these solutions. Even on the North American Menopause Society (NAMS) website and in their informative materials, there is no section on food or nutrition, although there is a section on supplements. We desperately need a more open discussion around nutrition for mid-life. It would benefit women everywhere. Good news: I am here to be your guide through this journey. I can’t say it enough or in too many ways: The right food is the key to your experience; it will determine the amount of healthy time you spend in this transition and beyond. My plan is based on several underlying principles that I will lay out in detail throughout this book. But here is the short version: Our hormones, immune system, gut, and metabolism go way out of kilter during the menopause transition, with various resulting symptoms. The key to course- correcting is to alter your nutrition. I promise you: It can have a transformative effect.
The right diet can support your hormones and even mitigate the need for hormone therapy during perimenopause and after. (Please know that if you’re currently on some kind of hormone medication, I’m not recommending that you drop it cold turkey because of this book. The advice I’m sharing is complementary with HT, and you should always talk to your doctor before discontinuing any medication or adjusting dosages.) Your body goes through numerous changes as you move farther down the hormonal continuum. Because of those changes, you require more of certain nutrients, including protein, fiber, probiotics, and various vitamins and minerals— all of which are obtainable from food. Eating the right hormone- supporting foods that are rich in fiber, taking probiotics, and adding fermented foods, among other strategies, can help realign your changing system. Food has an enormous ability to nourish your body during these stages, and good nutrition is associated with the reduction and relief of symptoms and dramatic decreases in the risk of most serious diseases, from heart disease to depression to osteoporosis to problems in cognition.
It may even boost your longevity. The choices you make each day about how you eat and how you live can make a huge difference in your quality of life and set the stage for your long- term health. The other part of my nutrition framework is not just what you eat but when you eat. Our bodies are designed to run perfectly and work and rest right on time, thanks to our natural circadian rhythm—the internal clock that regulates our sleep-wake cycle and repeats every 24 hours. Eating according to this rhythm— which I call circadian fasting—helps get you off this hormonal roller coaster and promotes much-improved long- term health. Which brings us to this book. It reshuffles food and nutrition to the top of the priority list as you go through this transition and beyond. You will learn to eat to beat your symptoms— and more. For example, you’ll increase certain fiber- rich, prebiotic vegetables, along with healthy proteins, quality plant- based fats, and fermented foods. The diet is predominantly plant- based, as well as gluten- free and dairy- free, but you can certainly add certain other high- quality foods as long as you can tolerate them. A diet that is very high in plant foods helps guard against weight gain, even for women who are already struggling with being overweight. Did you know that the prevalence of obesity has almost tripled since 1975? Excess weight amplifies symptoms, which is why intervention should always start with nutrition. The key is to focus on increasing the amount and diversity of these foods and avoid ultra- processed foods whenever possible to give yourself the best chance for a healthy, vital mind and body.
