Menopause

Vitamins and Minerals

Calcium

Get 1000 mg of calcium daily (1500 mg if you've stopped menstruating). Take Calcium as a supplement (calcium carbonate or gluconate), but get as much as possible in your diet, as well. Good sources include dark green leafy veggies such as kale, chard, escarole, spinach; also yogurt, milk and other dairy products.

B Complex

Take 50 - 100 mg daily. This will help with many things...mood swings, heart disease prevention, even osteoporosis prevention. Food sources of B vitamins include whole grains, legumes (like black beans and chickpeas), and dark cooked greens such as chard, kale, escarole and turnip greens.

Vitamin E for Hot Flashes

Start with 400 iu per day, but double this intake if necessary.

Vitamins alone are rarely enough to counteract the effects of menopause, so you should also consider herbals.