Book nook: 'Eat to Defeat Menopause'

EAT TO DEFEAT MENOPAUSE:The Essential Nutrition Guide for a Healthy Midlife -- With More Than 130 Recipes, by Karen Giblin and Mache Seibel, M.D. Da Capo/Life Long, 237 pp., $19.

Menopause (not the musical) can be a stressful time in a woman's life. But Giblin, founder of Red Hot Mamas, a menopause education program, and Seibel, professor of obstetrics and gynecology at University of Massachusetts Medical School, write that it doesn't have to be.

Adjusting your diet can help with some common menopausal complaints. Hot flashes? Try soy and garlic. Insomnia? Turkey (yawn, that tryptophan) on whole-grain bread might induce a snooze. Mood swings? Add omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin B. Low libido? Be indulgent with avocados and chocolate.

THE SCOOP Giblin comes from an Italian family, and Seibel, a Jewish one. They bring healthy versions of their ethnic cuisines to the table (as well as asking chefs to provide more).

THE BOTTOM LINE Make pasta e fagioli or mock chopped liver (with chickpeas and walnuts), and you won't sweat the small stuff here.