Eat your way out of The Menopause - Before During & After

Hello,

My favourite saying at the moment is: “it's never too early or too late to start." Anything! So, whether you're 35 or 55 I want to share my experience of twenty years, practising as a nutritionist, to help you eat your way through a symptom-free menopause. By incorporating just 8 foods you may not have tried before, I hope to help you avoid the worst of the flushes/flashes and all that comes with The Change.

The menopause happens when oestrogen and/or progesterone and testosterone decline to a point where periods stop completely. It's not a disease but a completely natural point of our lives!

The average age for menopause is 50 and for the peri-menopause the symptoms can start in your late 30s but more usually in your 40s.

First, here are the symptoms to look out for when you are entering your peri-menopausal stage. A fact I was reminded of by a sales woman in a large pharmacy who shouted at the top of her voice that I was getting spots in my early 40s because it was the peri-menopause. Nice!

PERI-MENOPAUSE

Irregular periods

Acne

Weight gain

Hot flushes

Irritability

Depression

Forgetfulness

And for those of you in your 50s, here's what else to look out for. Oh joy of joys!

MENOPAUSE & POST MENOPAUSE

Hot flushes

Loss of skin elasticity

Wrinkles around the mouth

Palpitations

Disturbed sleep

Loss of libido

Vaginal dryness

OK I have wrinkles, but I also have my health! Alternative Ageing is the only way to go if you want to be free of illness & daily prescription drugs in your mid-sixties!

I managed to get through the menopause without HRT and only suffered with occasional hot flushes if I drank too much coffee. But as you can see, I couldn't avoid the wrinkles!

I am not particularly pro HRT because of my naturopathic training and the fact that, apart from the health scares, when it is stopped the menopausal symptoms usually come back more severe than before, and you can't stay on it forever. I feel it's like using a steam roller to crush a nut so, unless there's no other way of dealing with your symptoms, try my suggestions and other natural treatments first.

TOP TIPS TO AVOID HOT FLUSHES & NIGHT SWEATS

Those nightmare sweats are often caused by fluctuating blood sugar levels as well as fluctuating hormones so avoid all foods on the high glycaemic index as much as possible, especially sugar in all forms such as sugary soft drinks & sugary foods, that also come in disguise as foods you might think of as innocuous like: white bread, potatoes &white rice! A full low-glycaemic diet is in my Weekend Weight Loss book, a free excerpt is in the above highlighted link: high glycaemic index.

Before we get into more top tips on what to avoid and what to eat for the worst of your menopause or peri-menopause symptoms, I just wanted to update this blog with news of some amazing new underwear that can really help with the worst of your hot flushes. Called Become, the campaign is using the lovely UK TV celebrity Andrea McLean as its ambassador. As you can see, these high tech undies look great on her and really do the biz helping to regulate body temperature and take moisture away from the body while reducing smelly sweat! You can read more about the science here. And there's a special offer coming up.

ANDREA MCLEAN WEARING BECOME UNDIES - THE UNDERWEAR THAT HELPS BANISH MENOPAUSAL HOT FLUSHES

Become is offering readers 10% off any purchases. Click here. Just pop the code AA10 in when prompted and, as ever, please let me know how you get on with these undies. Now, back to the top tips. (I feel like I have just done a commercial break but it's such a useful new product I just had to share)

MORE TOP TIPS TO AVOID THE DREADED FLUSHES.

Coffee. Health benefits but can also exacerbate pre menopause symptoms causing hot flushes.

Drink 2 litres of water a day.

Avoid smoking, drinking alcohol and coffee as much as you can. They all exacerbate hot flushes.

Avoid over spicy or processed foods.

Make sure you're going poo regularly! A blocked up colon is going to make things worse as you need to get rid of any toxic build-up. Top tip below shows you how to get them moving naturally.

This is the time to try a detox or a new healthy, eating plan, encompassing all the suggested foods in this blog, to eliminate any toxic build-up and help your body cope a bit better.

NATURE'S HRT

Foods rich in phyto-oestrogens, natural plant oestrogens, help women maintain hormonal balance as their body’s levels begin to fluctuate. They are exactly what you need to feed your body at this time, whether peri or post menopausal. The highest form of phyto-oestrogens and Omega 3 fatty acids, also essential for regulating hormones, is found in flaxseeds (and flaxseed oil), or linseeds, and – double whammy – they are one of the best ways to kick arse when it comes to constipation!

PHOTOGRAPHY BY SARA OF NOTES FROM A STYLIST. SHE IS THE BEST PHOTOGRAPHER, WHO'SE A BLOGGER, I KNOW!

HOW TO:

Buy golden flaxseeds only, not the dark brown ones.

Put a tablespoon of golden flaxseeds in a half pint glass of water last thing at night. Fill to the top.

The seeds are full of zinc as well as vitamin E and Omega 3 & phyto-oestrogens, all of which will come out of the seeds into the water.

Chia seeds, flaxseeds & walnuts. All packed full of phytoestrogens and Omega 3 essential fatty acids.

In the morning: either drink the water, or drink the water & the seeds (don't have the seeds if you have a bowel condition such as diverticulitus) or add the whole lot to a smoothie.

SEVEN MORE SUPER FOODS

Omega 3 fatty acids help to produce the prostaglandin 3 series (PG3) which has been shown to reduce: inflammation, blood pressure, heart disease, as well as improving cholesterol levels,hormone production & metabolism. In fact everything. Even plumped up, young looking skin! It's the single most important fatty acid for hormones, beauty, health & ageing.

So, apart from the golden flaxseeds, the highest in Omega 3, make sure to eat walnuts, hazel nuts and pecans, and other seeds such as chia, sesame and hemp seeds. And if you're worried about weight gain, don't be. Omega 3 is called an essential fatty acid for a reason. It's so essential your body uses it rather than laying it down as fat!

Love my oily fish. Salmon is the highest of the oily fish for Omega 3 essential fatty acids - essential for the health of every cell in your body.

BRAIN FOOD

The human brain just hoovers up DHA - docasal hexaenoic acid – the most effective of the Omega 3 fatty acids found in oily fish. The brain needs in high levels to avoid low serotonin levels, which can cause depression, SAD, moods and forgetfulness.

A high intake of fish oils has been linked to significant improvements in memory, moods and mental problems as well as lowering the risk of developing ageing-diseases such as Alzheimer’s.

So if you want to avoid irritability, depression and forgetfulness, make sure to eat plenty of oily fish. The highest in Omega 3 are in this order:

Salmon

Mackerel

Sardines

Fresh Tuna

Herring

Anchovies

Trout

SOYA TO EAT OR NOT EAT, THAT IS THE QUESTION

Tempeh, rocket and seaweed granules. Try & incorporate more of the right type of soya into your diet to relieve menopausal symptoms

The soya been is made up of amino acids, minerals and isoflavones, which also belong to the family of phytoestrogens. Isoflavones have been found to help prevent cancer, heart disease and menopausal symptoms.

However, it is also well documented, that large quantities of Soya can increase the risk of breast cancer, because of the oestrogenic action in the body isoflavones may have. Far from balancing hormone levels, the isoflavones and other toxic substances found in soya, may actually disrupt the endocrine system leading to problems with infertility, thyroid disorders, early onset of puberty in children and a depletion of vital nutrients such as zinc, iodine and calcium.

Mike Fitzpatrick, a toxicologist, has made the comparison of drinking two glasses of Soya milk a day to ingesting 2 birth control pills a day. Japanese researchers have known for the last fifty years that a high consumption of Soya can suppress thyroid function, a fact re-iterated by every thyroid expert I have ever met. But a lot of these scary reports are down to the type of processed soya we consume in this country.

The Japanese form of soya and their diet makes interesting reading: they only eat 7-8 grams of soya a day. They consume more sea vegetables and so replace the iodine levels that are depleted by soya. (add sea vegetables to your list!) . Their source of soya is less processed. And they don’t consume much tofu or soya milk. They mainly eat miso, tempeh or tamari, all of which are fermented, which, unlike other forms of soya, are unlikely to block the uptake of zinc, iodine and calcium. So try those three instead of soya or tofu for that extra boost of phytoestrogens.

BEANS MEAN HAPPY HORMONES!

Beans, peas and lentils also contain compounds that can help your body produce natural progesterone. For happy hormones and high nutrition, they are a must for peri or full on menopause. Try to incorporate more of these into your eating plan:

Black beans., high in natural oestrogens. Delicious recipe: http://goo.gl/BgfeJ6

ADUKI BEANS

CHICK PEAS

PINTO BEANS

FLAGEOLET BEANS

KIDNEY BEANS

BLACK BEANS

LENTILS

GREEN PEAS

SUPPLEMENTS IN FOOD FORM

Apart from your five, make that seven, portions of veg and fruit each day, there are other foods I want to recommend to you. They are, strictly speaking, supplements but they're natural foods & are not synthetic, so easier absorbed by your body. I have tried them all for various menopausal symptoms as have many of my clients in the past. With great success. These are my favourites, although there are many other suggestions out there for you to consider.

BEE POLLEN

Bee pollen was great for me when I started suffering from an over-active bladder. The effects take a maximum of three months but within a couple of weeks my weak bladder was under control and I no longer suffered from stress incontinence! I have no idea why or how it works – but it does! These little golden, coloured granules are very easy to eat but can cause a heavy stomach, bloating or diarrhoea. So start with only a few granules and build up very slowly till you can have a teaspoon without any side effects. You can sprinkle it on yogurt, cereal, and bread or take it straight off the spoon.

GOJI BERRIES

Goji berries, sometimes known as wolfberries, come from wild bushes that grow in China. Goji means wolf in Chinese. They are known as “happy” berries because it is said that a handful of these berries will keep you jolly for the rest of the day. Not only that, but these little red, raisin like fruits are associated with longevity and, unlike ginseng, large amounts can be eaten continuously throughout the day. They may help you with menopausal symptoms such as: depression, poor sleep and immunity.

SPIRULINA

Spirulina is the botanical name of a blue-green algae, well known in the anti-ageing world for promoting cellular regeneration.

Many women have less trouble from menopausal symptoms if they take spirulina. You may feel calmer, certainly more energetic and in balance as well as having less bother from hot flushes. The reason is that spirulina contains large amounts of gamma-linolenic, another fatty acid that is converted into prostaglandins, the precursors to hormones. It has successfully helped with: PMS, painful breasts, and raging hormones. It is a good source of protein, which is essential for vegetarians and vegans, as well as iron, beta carotene, calcium, magnesium & chlorophyll. All great for anyone at any age!

Because I am well past the menopause I have been forgetting to put it into my smoothie as well as the green powder I use. But I have recently put it back in and have to say my energy levels have soared since I started adding it to my green smoothie!

Finally, here's another powder that is well researched and has helped many women, including me.

MACA

Maca revitalizes the middle aged and elderly both mentally and physically as well as helping with fertility, libido and maintaining menopausal hormonal balance. It is useful for treating chronic fatigue as well as stress, depression and immune weakness. But, most importantly, it is a safe, natural alternative to HRT, alleviating so many of my clients’ symptoms that it has become a must for any woman of a certain age:

SYMPTOMS MACA HELPS

Hot flushes

Vaginal dryness

Depression

Fatigue

Osteoporosis

Maca is rich in all the minerals you need for optimum health, as well as B vitamins. But most importantly, for an ageing body and ageing hormone production, maca also contains four alkaloids that have been shown, in research, to nourish the endocrine glands and therefore your hormone producing glands. Worth a try.

I have recently added chlorella to my daily list of smoothie powders, 'cause it's a powerful detoxifier. It's an algae, extremely high in chlorophyll, and is great for cleansing the blood & tissues and ridding our bodies of heavy metals such as mercury. But it's not necessary to use this all the time. It's great if you are doing a detox or worried about mercury fillings etc.

My three favourite food-state powders to add to my daily smoothies & juices.

I have also recently got back into my seaweed! One of the reasons for nasty menopause symptoms can be a sluggish thyroid and the richest natural source of iodine, which supports the thyroid and helps it function better, is seaweed. I use Oceans of Goodness, Seagreens, so would recommend you add this to your green powders as well or instead of chlorella. Details below with a discount.

Seagreens is made from iodine-rich seaweed, essential for a balanced thyroid.

If you go to the Oceans of Goodness website, link here, and pop the code PR 1156 into the gift voucher box, you'll get a £1 discount plus free postage, if you live in the UK.

HERBS

Finally, a word about herbs. There are some amazingly helpful herbs out there, from black cohosh to sage, for alleviating the worst menopausal or peri-menopausal symptoms by up to 50%. However, I wouldn't recommend any here as I don't know what medication you might be on and think it much safer to suggest you see a qualified herbalist, and/or your doctor before taking any potions. They're powerful.

You should be totally safe with my suggestions but always check with a physician if you are suffering from any illness or disease, taking HRT or are on any other medication. Or just unsure.

Please comment if you have new and exciting foods to share with us all! I will be addressing loss of libido & vaginal dryness in another blog soon! And, of course, you can read up on all age-related issues in Alternative Ageing . Remember, it's never too early or late to start!

Look forward to hearing from you.