Subscription meal kits are big business at the moment, and so is the menopause, so it’s no great surprise that the two worlds would eventually collide.
The latest result is a special menu range from meal delivery box service Green Chef, sister brand to Hello Fresh, with 17 recipes focusing on two key areas of female health: menopause, as mentioned, and menstruation.
Of course, there’s no doubt there will be a measure of scepticism surrounding the decision, given the number of brands that have jumped on the women’s wellbeing wagon in the last few years, especially when it comes to menopause.
Broadcaster Kirsty Wark spoke passionately about it recently on Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour, where she vented about middle-aged women being exploited through the sale of dubious products claiming to help with menopause symptoms. ‘Who needs menopause shampoo, for god’s sake?’ she asked.
As someone in the perimenopause category, I can certainly relate. Most days, my algorithm has me wondering if I really need to take collagen to plump out my sallowing face or wear ‘special’ pyjamas that promise to combat horrendous hot sweats? I also think daily about the validity of wall pilates and whether my diet needs an overhaul.
In fairness, it would be naive to ignore how much food fuels and supports your wellbeing overall, but the question remains: can it specifically make any difference to perimenopausal symptoms?
The team behind the new Green Chef range think so. They tell me that they aim to bridge the gap between everyday eating and supporting women’s health, which they’ve done by creating recipes using key ingredients.
‘We decided to focus on iron for menstruation, which is supported by vitamin C, which helps it be absorbed into the digestive system better (particularly plant-based iron), so that will help with the time of the month when you need a little bit more,’ explains their Senior Recipe Development Manager and Registered Nutritionist, Lily Keeling. ‘On the menopause side, we decided to focus on calcium for bone strength and Vitamin D, which helps with absorption.’
She also gives me a quick dose of reality. If anyone is expecting hot flushes, fatigue and memory fog to disappear within weeks of subscribing, then forget it. This is a long-term investment, and the team behind it are clear that there are no miracle cures.
‘It really depends on the individual and what stage of life they are at,’ says Lily. ‘With menstruation, you might see a potential increased energy from the iron foods, while with menopause, it’s more of a risk mitigation in terms of the bone density side, as having nutrient-rich meals can help prevent osteoporosis, as well as potential improvement in mood and energy.
‘Menopause includes a significant hormone impact and bodily changes, so a thoughtful diet can really help you manage those and support your long-term health.
‘There’s also an elevated risk of cardiovascular disease, issues with bone density, and your metabolism potentially slowing as well around this time due to the hormone changes.
‘So, managing your diet and focusing on your nutrition, as well as looking at sleep and stress management, can really help with reducing the severity of symptoms.’
Putting it to the test
Keen to see what the fuss is about, I sign up for three meals a week for a month. Among the recipes are baked salmon in a green goddess dressing – while the salmon has the vitamin D, which supports bone health, the lumious green dressing is made from a healthy mix of spinach, mint, lemon, feta and honey.
Another recipe is the jerk tofu bowl, which offers a plant-based source of iron. Some of the recipes also include kiwis and peppers, which are both high in vitamin C and can help with plant-based iron absorption.
Each recipe card has a little explainer too, the roast duck in an orange and sage sauce, for example, is high in protein, which ‘contributes to the maintenance of muscle-mass and normal bones’.
The Cajun chicken and kidney bean one-pot comes with a plethora of goodness, apparently. According to the blurb: ‘Kidney beans provide iron, a key nutrient which helps to make the red blood cells carry oxygen around the body. Women often need more iron to lower the risk of deficiencies. Menstruation can also increase the demand for iron in the body. In this recipe, kiwi contains Vitamin C, which improves iron absorption from plant sources. This meal is also high in protein.’
The burning question – is it worth it?
So, after four weeks, did I notice any difference? Honestly, no. But did I feel like the recipes were good for me? Absolutely. Anything packed with chickpeas, protein, avocado and seeds is always going to feel like the healthier option, but what blew me away more was how delicious they were.
I don’t think there was one I didn’t enjoy – and that’s saying something, as I have never been a big fan of tofu or kidney beans.
As with all meal delivery kits, there were discrepancies when the box arrived; however, I was a little disappointed in just how many over a four-week period.
One meal arrived without the vital kiwis. As a replacement, there was a tin of pineapple, but no instructions on what we may have needed to do with it. Then there were missing herbs, sauces and recipe cards. Thankfully, I could find all the recipes online, but it was a bit of a jigsaw puzzle trying to match them with the ingredients received.
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What I did love was that it got me out of my eating rut, choosing the same sort of meals day in, day out. Yes, it was a faff at times — if I didn’t have a blender for my whipped feta or green goddess sauce, I may have been cursing the recipes a bit more — but I was impressed by the variety of meals.
I guess the biggest seal of approval is that I’ve kept a few of the cards to make again and will be introducing smashed pumpkin seeds (good for iron) to every meal I can from now on.
And, who knows, if I carry on, I might begin to see a difference in my overall wellbeing.
Green Chef prices start at £5.50 per serving for 4 people, 4 meals a week. For more information, click here.
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