Menopause – Some women love this change in life, and other women hate it. Yes, it gives us the luxury of not having to carry around tampons or pads, wear “granny” underwear, and worry about an unwanted pregnancy. But unfortunately, menopause comes with many other ‘presents’, as our bodies decrease in the hormone estrogen. Menopause typically happens to women between the ages of 45 to 55, but for some it can start as early as their 30’s or 40’s, or happen as late as their 60’s. Another thing that comes along with menopause, is perimenopause. This is the presence of symptoms that come with menopause, but without the cessation of your menstrual period for 12 months or more.
When you think about how strongly a pregnancy can affect a woman’s energy, memory, emotions, weight, or hair and skin, it can give you an idea of how strongly our hormones affect our bodies. Therefore, just because you can’t see peri-menopause or menopause, it doesn’t mean the body is not going through some major challenges and changes.
Without getting into too much detail, let’s just make this simple by saying that when you’re going through this, your loss of the hormone estrogen is the common denominator in all of your symptoms. Your hot flashes, the weight gain around your mid-section, your mood, your energy, and your quality of sleep are all related to this wonderful hormone estrogen. Estrogen is also the hormone that sends calcium to your bones, so going through menopause can increase your chances of osteoporosis as well. Can you see how menopause can equal mean-o-pause!? That being said, this is nature, and we have to go through it whether it happens with age, or surgery, so let’s focus on what we can do to help increase our falling estrogen levels. Allow me to say it three times so it sticks – protein protein protein. This is one thing that most women are not consuming enough of, and it is the one thing we need most through this time. Protein naturally increases your estrogen, so it will help to decrease all of your symptoms if you increase your consumption. If you make the effort to consume more protein throughout your day, your symptoms will become easier to manage, and maybe sometimes even disappear. Pair these proteins with a complex carbohydrate like brown rice or pasta, sprouted grain breads, oatmeal, beans or legumes, and you have yourself the perfect recipe for health and menopause management. You really are what you eat, and your health and effort show through at this point in your life. Avoiding things that can compromise your hormones like trans fats, processed foods, and cooking in the microwave with plastic is important as well, but for now, lets focus on the symptoms, and how to help.
|
Symptom |
How to Help |
| Energy & Weight Gain | Eat 5 times per day. No exceptions, no excuses. Have even a small amount of protein with every snack and meal, and be sure to consume at least 1500 calories per day. This doesn’t mean you need to poound the meat all day. Think gelatin, seeds, nuts, roasted chickpeas, hard-boiled eggs, etc. People have it in their heads they need to eat less to lose weight, but it is so important you’re eating enough to keep your metabolism up and running, while you stay energized. Working out is also vitally important with your energy and weight management – so keep moving ladies! |
| Mood, Hair & Skin | Omega’s! This is not something your body naturally produces, so it must be consumed. Eating fatty fish like salmon will help you to increase your mood, and strengthen your hair and skin. I personally take Nutra Sea Omega oil as well to help with this! |
| Quality Sleep | L-Tryptophan is the name of the game here. Have this with a little bit of carbs before you head to bed and surely you’ll rest heavy that night. Consume things like eggs, cod, turkey, sesame seeds (you can buy this in a nut butter), and cheddar cheese (just watch the amount!). Try to keep these foods within your night time meal routine. Working out always helps people sleep well too! |
| Osteoporosis | Calcium is your best friend when it comes to your bones. Consume this with Vitamin D for your best absorption, or get outside for a walk. Natural sources are eggs (with yolk), salmon, almonds, chia seeds, broccoli, beans, and goat’s cheese. Just to name a few. |
