Make Menopause Easier With The Right Diet

  We tend to downplay the impact that our diet has on our health. The truth is that what we eat has a profound effect on our body chemistry. This is not only true in the case of say diet, cholesterol and heart disease, but is true of menopause and diet as well. The often quoted dictum "Let your food be your medicine and medicine be your food" attributed to the father of medicine Hippocrates, is true with regard to menopause as well.

  A glaring example of the truth of this is found by comparing the experience of American women versus Japanese women with regard to menopause. Take the most common complaint of menopause, hot flushes and sweats. Eighty to eighty-five percent of American women complain of hot flashes during perimenopause and menopause. Yet only thirty percent of Japanese women do. This stark difference is attributed to the Japanese diet which is high in phytoestrogens.

The Japanese diet relieves menopause hot flashes and other menopause complaints


  Among other things the Japanese diet is particularly high in soy. The Japanese consume soy in a variety of forms including tofu, tempeh, edaname, soy sauce and vegetable oil. Soy is eaten at breakfast, lunch and dinner. And as mentioned above, soy is high in phytoestrogens. These estrogen like molecules found in soybeans and certain other foods and herbs help to replace the dropping estrogen levels that occur during perimenopause and menopause. As a result the Japanese women experience far fewer menopause related complaints.

The Okinawa diet 

  There are other benefits of the Japanese diet. The people of Okinawa are renowned for their good health and long lives. The life expectancy of Okinawans is said to be the longest of anywhere on earth. Their health and longevity is attributed to their diet.

 The diet of the Okinawans has been researched and was popularized recently through the book entitled The Okinawa Diet Plan. The diet consists largely of vegetables, legumes (soy), fruit and fish proteins. It is very low in sugar, starches, fat and dairy products. Okinawans consume 60-120 grams of soybeans daily, compared to an average of 0 grams for most Americans

The menopause diet

  To get relief from menopause complaints such as hot flashes and sweats, or any other complaint, you've got to look at your diet. There's no way around it. You don't have to eat the Okinawa diet, which would be difficult for most Americans. But you do need to shift in that direction, away from the standard American diet (SAD). The good news is that it will benefit your health, energy levels and enjoyment in life too. Let's make it simple-because it is. There's two major areas you need to focus on.

  #1. Eat a healthy diet. What is a healthy diet? I'm talking about the one that's been pounded into our brains the past 10 years. Like grandma used to say, "Eat your vegetables". (Officially its 5-7 servings of fruits and vegetables daily). Don't eat a lot of meat, and try to eat lean meat when you do. Get your protein more from nuts, seeds and beans (especially SOYBEANS).

  Starches and sweets are empty calories. You should avoid them as much as possible. Also avoid artificial sweeteners. They're not healthy for your brain. Try using the herbal sweetener stevia when you want something sweet. Don't eat too much dairy-milk, cheese, yogurt. Avoid sugary beverages with stimulants like soda pop, etc. as if they were poison. Save coffee for special occasions rather than drinking it daily as a pick me up.

  #2. Eat estrogen rich foods. Here's a short list of some of the foods that contain lots of phytoestrogens. Some of the foods that are high in phytoestrogens are flax seed, soy beans, sesame seeds, mung beans, apricots, alfalfa seeds, dates, sunflower seeds and olive oil. A good resource for recipe's that will help you get more estrogen rich foods in your diet is Estrogen, The Natural Way-Over 250 Easy & Delicious Recipes For Menopause by Nina Shandler.

  That's it. Eat a healthy diet and eat estrogen rich foods. Combined with a herbal phytoestrogen like Siberian rhubarb root extract and you'll be amazed at the results. The right combination of natural remedies (ie phytoestrogen herbs and estrogen rich foods) can get much better results than any drug can-because there's little to no downside to a natural approach. That is minimal side effects and no risk.

 More strategies to relieve menopausal complaints

  Another strategy for naturally restoring estrogen levels has been shown to dramatically reduce hot flushes and sweats in perimenopausal women. This strategy employs the phytoestrogens or plant made estrogen like molecules found in herbs. You can learn more about menopause and diet, phytoestrogen containing herbs and other natural perimenopause remedies at http://herbalmenopauseremedy.com


 

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