Chat with an Expert - Robert Yang

I often ask medical professionals the same questions as I love to get multiple perspectives on the same topic. This time, I asked several practitioners in my trusted personal referral network a few hot-item topic questions relating to nutrition for the post-menopausal women. By “hot-topic” I mean that these questions come up nearly every day within my clinical practice and are crucial in the healing of my ladies for any number of physical conditions for which they are seeking treatment.

First up is Robert Yang https://robertyang.net. Rob has a gazillion letters after his name, so forgive me, Rob, for directing everyone to your own webpage to read the lot! I value Rob’s opinions on functional medicine and nutrition immensely and I can give no higher recommendation of his opinions than to share that he is part of my own healthcare team.

Question 1: What are your caloric guidelines for  women in the post-menopausal life stage?

Response: . If I have a woman counting calories. I'll have them multiply body weight x 12. So… 120lbs x 12 = 1440 cal per day. This is just a starting point for 10-14 days to determine if they maintain or lose weight. But it also depends on their starting caloric intake from a journal. 

Question 2: What are your protein guidelines for a woman in this life stage? 

Response: Most likely 1 g per pound of bodyweight. BUT, if they only consume 40 g per day and they weigh 120 lbs., simply increasing to 80 g per day will change their physiology. But eventually gram per pound is where they’ll need to go.

Question 3: Aside from increasing protein intake, what is your #1 nourishment tip for your clients in this life stage?

Response: Most likely HCL capsules (hydrocholic acid) due to compromised absorption. You can start with ACV (apple cider vinegar)/lemon juice or use ACV capsules. 

Question 4: What are your top 3 supplements recommendations (no labs necessary, everyone needs these kinds of things) for women in this life stage? Could be related to sleep, hot flashes, muscle building, whatever…

Response: Vitamin D: 5-10K per day with K1/2. Fish oils: 3-4 g per day. Magnesium glycinate chelate, 100-500mg (as they are able to load and not have adverse GI effects)

Question 5: What is your #1 lifestyle (not nourishment) tip for your clients in this life stage? Agaín, could be related to any post menopausal issue .

Response: Not drinking wine!! This screws up everything: blood sugar, gut health, thyroid, melatonin, cortisol, and of course sleep.

Thank you, Rob, for your insights. I, for one, really love the protein tips and I know that a lot of readers audibly groaned and grumbled about their vino. But fair point, ladies! And stay tuned for the relationship between wine and hot flashes in future posts.