Scottish business launches UK-wide subscription for Mena bars and bread made to help alleviate menopause symptoms

Since 2021, presenter Davina McCall has been shining light on what 50 per cent of us may experience when we hit menopause, but we still have a long way to go. It’s this sense of uncertainty and dread that Perthshire-based businesswoman Charlotte Blackler is hoping to turn around, with the launch of her Mena range of foods that include bread and snack bars.

Ms Blackler, a scientist and keen herbologist, has been harnessing the power of herbs for her other business, Herb Majesty, which involves raising livestock free from antibiotics, pesticides, and artificial fertilisers thanks to their diet.

She said: “It dawned on me that a lot of the components of plants have beneficial properties for other conditions, one of which is menopause. This is because you can get lots of plant estrogens in things like soya, veggies, and nuts and seeds. We have this really sad thing in this country where we get to the menopause and we approach it with such doom and dread.

"Nobody's looking forward to the menopause, which seems like a real shame, because there are countries, such as Japan, where they really look forward to it. They embrace it, because it's a liberation for them, a freedom, and we just don't have that in this country.”

The main difference between women in places like Japan versus the UK is diet, specifically how much vegetables and soy-rich dishes are eaten in the former. Ms Blackler said: “Japanese women eat greater levels of plant oestrogens or phytoestrogens, which are naturally found in a vegetable and soy-rich diet, and this has proved to be the key to a symptom-free menopause. I am aware that not many of us in the West are likely to embrace a daily helping of tofu – myself included – so I created a range of foods that make it easy for women to incorporate plant oestrogens into their diet every day.”

To turn her Mena bread concept into a commercial loaf, Ms Blackler turned to her friends Francesca Polegato and Denis Casella at the Perth-based multicultural artisan bakery Casella & Polegato for help. Mr Casella grew up in a family of bakers in Italy and he has lived in Japan for seven years where he developed his breadmaking skills, as well as picking up all sorts of insights into the Japanese diet.

Ms Blackler said: “It’s easy enough to take the soya elements, such as a flower or flake, and put them into an everyday product that people will want to eat, such as bread, snack bar or cereal.”

The Mena bread is made with a mix of wholemeal, white, malthouse, rye and soya flour – which gives the loaf a malty, rye flavour – as well as water, soya milk, olive oil and miso paste. A selection of seeds, salt and edible flowers are added for optimum nutrition and flavour. Ms Blackler said: “The easiest way to facilitate daily intake of these plant oestrogens, for ladies who live at the other end of the country, is to have a subscription, so that on a monthly basis, I can send a box of whatever they choose – whether it's the Mena bars, or the bread, or the cereal, or a bundle that contains all three – that gets delivered straight to their door. This means they don't even have to think about it as it's hard enough with menopausal symptoms without the hassle of trying to go to another shop, or introduce something else into your already busy work life.”

It’s not just Ms Blackler that is advocating diet to help with menopause symptoms. Registered nutritionist Dr Laura Wyness said around 80 per cent of menopausal women experience hot flushes, and what they eat can impact the intensity and frequency.

“Soya foods have been shown to be beneficial for managing hot flushes,” she said. “However, it usually takes several weeks for any effects to be felt. Rich in plant compounds known as isoflavones or phytoestrogens, soya foods can dampen the effect of the drop in oestrogen on the hypothalamus in the brain – the body’s thermostat.”

Vanessa Peat, registered associate nutritionist and co-founder of UCU (Uniquely Created U) said studies into plant plant oestrogens had been small, and despite two decades of research there was still no consensus recommendations for optimal dose, duration or at what stage of menopause women should increase their consumption of plant-based foods containing isoflavones. But she said “the safety profile of plant oestrogens combined with their benefit to overall health makes them a compelling treatment option for those women unable or unwilling to take HRT”. Other experts also cited a Mediterranean diet, maintaining stable blood sugar levels, looking into supplements, monitoring caffeine intake and stopping smoking – all things for a balanced and healthy diet and lifestyle.

These aren’t something to be taken instead of HRT. Instead the Mena products and a change in diet is offering options for women who want to explore managing symptoms more naturally. While Ms Blackler is a keen businesswoman, she said she wanted to help women of her age cope with and thrive at a time of life that should be seen as a liberation.

She said: “I would really love us to get to the stage where everyone looks at the menopause and just goes ‘I can't wait till it's all over and all done and dusted and don't have to think of that monthly ups and downs of PMT’ and all the rest of it, that would be great. That's my mission, to think that we could all look forward to the menopause instead of dreading it. Because even on a psychological level, that's so much more positive for us and our immune systems.”

The Mena food range also includes; Mena Bar, an oat-based snack bar. A Pack of two Mena Bars cost £4.20 and can be collected from local hubs. Alternatively, a bulk box of 10 costs £42.00 – and a box of 18 costs £75.60 with free UK delivery. To find out more and sign up for a Mena subscription or take part in the competition, visit https://www.mena-pause.com/