Natural Menopause Relief: How to Ease Your Symptoms
If you’ve had an unexplained weight gain, and let's not forget the hot flashes, mood swings, vaginal dryness, body aches, and my personal favorite, brain fog, the good news is that there are natural ways to help navigate this unpredictable time.
This host of hormone induced changes can show up gradually or all at once, and there's no denying when they are here. While hormone fluctuations in adolescence or pregnancy, are widely expected and accepted, menopause, often causes feelings of embarrassment and shame. It's important to remember that it's actually a normal phase of life!
Like anything else, with the right information, (see Video) we can have more tools in our toolbox to help find the best paths along this journey. Which by the way, we’re lucky to be on, because we are alive, and have many adventures ahead of us. I love the quote by John Kabat-Zinn
You can't stop the waves, but you can learn to surf.
This post is about how nutrition and the choices we make can provide natural menopause relief. Let's jump in.
NUTRITION
Today, we’ll cover the area of nutrition. That can have a profound effect on day-to-day life. If we want to feel our best there are proven ways that can help:
- Choose Anti-Inflammatory Foods – I’m going to give you a list of the best foods for this at the end, (some you may know about like salmon and walnuts, and some may surprise you) so read on.
- Get More Fiber; healthy carbs are OK too. This is not only about getting your digestive system to work, but also to regulate blood sugar levels. The highs and lows. Vegetables are really important, as are whole grains and legumes. Good carbs matter, which means minimize the chips, the crackers, anything processed. Processed food increase inflammation, so avoid the fast food! Carbs are not the enemy, but what kind you take in matters a lot. Unprocessed is always best.
- Protein is Your Friend – I just started working with a functional medicine doctor who strongly recommended protein 3 x/day. Yes, you read that right – for every single meal. And in my case, it’s at least 3 grams of protein per meal. So just to give you an idea – 2 eggs is 3 grams. Other sources can range from fish, chicken, grass-fed beef if available, tofu and beans. And if you want to build muscle, which research reports is one of the BEST things we can do to thrive as we get older, our bodies require protein.
- Healthy Fats Rule. Consider olive oil, coconut oil, avocado oil as among the 3 best. Avoid seed oils, palm oil, corn oil etc. And if you can add a half of an avocado to your salad or eggs or whatever, that’s a win. Nuts are great too. All of these help reduce brain fog, strengthen cognitive function, and even heart health. They also keep our energy more even, so we don’t have to experience the highs and lows. Which brings us to:
- Sugar: Be aware if how much sugar you take in - as more sugar leads to spikes and crashes, and more inflammation, exhaustion and brain fog. And often it’s hidden in so much of the foods we take in; another reason why unprocessed food is more supportive. But it's not all or nothing - have the birthday cake after eating your protein and healthy fat - then you have a foundation and won't experience such a crash.
- Probiotics and Antioxidants: Probiotics are the good bacteria that keep your gut healthy. Good sources are yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut, kamboucha, kimchi. These can help keep the gut healthy which helps to boost our moods.
7. Antioxidants help fight off inflammation and brain fog. They can be found in berries, nuts, leafy green veggies and even a square of dark chocolate.
So, let’s do a quick summary, recommended by Dr. Mary Clare Haver, renown menopause expert, and author of some books you may enjoy: The Galveston Diet – geared for Menopause, and The New Menopause.
One caveat:
Of course, some people will not be able to tolerate all of these options – for example: if you have a histamine allergy. best to check with a nutritionist. But this is a great general guideline to help keep our energy up, sleep better, and reduce the brain fog.
- Leafy Greens dill of fiber, water and Vitamin D: salads, spinach, arugula, kale. Avocados are great always
- Salmon, (wild if possible) sardines or mackerel – all high in protein and omega 3’s. (all of these are anti-inflammatory.)
- Citrus: lemons, lime, oranges or grapefruit which can fight off hot flashes.
- Nuts: Snack on nuts which are relatively low in carbs, and keep you feeling full longer – you don’t get the spike and drop of other sugary snacks. I keep pistachios in the car and when I travel – they keep me going.
- Greek yoghurt or coconut yogurt or Pilli Nut Yoghurt if you’re lactose intolerant. (no sugar, plain, organic – add berries for sweetness. This offers protein, calcium and Vitamin D. It prevents bloating. Try full fat yoghurt– it keeps you full longer. One yummy dessert: Parfait ½ cup plain yoghurt, walnut or nuts, berries, coconut flakes. Very satisfying…
What is working for you, and which ones would you be willing to try? There are also other forms of natural menopause releif, like herbs, teas, acupuncture (all of which have helped me.) You can influence not only the intensity of menopause, but also your long-term health just by the foods you eat (and those you choose not to.) You have more influence than you may know.