First thing’s first, the menopause is not a medical condition, even though at times it feels like it, its a natural part of life. As we reach the menopausal years, our hormones ebb and flow even more, and this can leave us with those dreaded symptoms – hot flushes, weight gain, irritability, tearfulness, vaginal dryness, insomnia, night sweats, loss of bone mass, to name a few.

Our bodies need to adapt to the changes, to the new  ebb and flow, and in that we need to find and restore hormonal balance. During the menopause, our sex hormones reduce, and we lose that ability to keep the perfect trio of oestrogen, progesterone and testosterone in balance – this can massively affect our wellbeing and cause the symptoms many women have to deal with.

Our hormones need a steady flow of nutrients to be kept in check, western diet can unfortunately let us down especially with all the refined sugary  ‘food like’ products on the market today. Whats the ideal diet? Though there is no one size fits all, we need to keep blood sugars balanced and stable, embrace rainbows of fruit and vegetables, drink plenty of filtered water and have a balance of complex carbs,  lean proteins, and good fats, such as avocado and oily fish, nut, seeds and olive oil. It’s these good fats that help to synthesise hormones, and they can reduce inflammation, too. Take a look at some recipes from my book The Balance Plan for some inspiration. 

On top of this, it’s important to look after you – rest, relaxation, meditation are all key in keeping our hormones in tip-top condition, and in preventing spike of cortisol (the stress hormone), which can lead to extra weight gain and further imbalance hormones.

It’s important to remember that although there are foods that are really beneficial and can help to alleviate symptoms, there is no ‘one food wonder’ that can do it all. Creating a lifestyle that incorporates these foods (and self-care techniques) consistently is how you will benefit and notice the changes in your symptoms the most.

Here are four tips you can start implementing today:

It is important to eliminate certain, inflammatory foods from the diet. After all, we are what we eat! Foods which spike our blood sugars and in turn increase insulin can exacerbate symptoms and lead to weight gain especially around the middle. Excess belly fat in turn leads to excess androgens and oestrogen which can further exacerbate symptoms ; these include pastries, cakes, white bread and white pasta. In fact, I advise steering clear of refined sugar wherever you can.

Certain plants contain phytoestrogens, these are not the same as the oestrogens found in the body but they have beneficial effects and can help to support our bodies during this tricky period. They bind to oestrogen receptors in the body and exert a balancing effect.  There are over 250 plants that have these phytoestrogens in so we are spoilt for choice, these foods include flax and sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, walnuts, oats and soy (non-gmo organic). Top tip, try adding ground flaxseeds to smoothie, oats, salads and vegetables. Can help alleviate constipation too.

Good fats like omega 3 fatty acid is essential for all health and hormonal balance. Plus it works to reduce inflammation in the body.  Ensure you are getting in enough of this good fat in the form of oily fish, nut & seeds, flaxseeds, olive oil, egg yolk, algae and avocado. Top tip; have a breakfast of eggs, salmon, avocado and spinach with a tablespoon of ground flax sprinkled on top.

Eat your  greens, in this case our broccoli. If you have read of my book The Balance Plan, you will see that broccoli features in my hormone balancing meal plan and recipes – in fact its one of my ‘detox warriors’; foods I have identified as having a positive effect on liver health and hormone balancing and which I recommend you try and eat on a daily bases. Broccoli is a nutritional powerhouse, not only high in vitamin C, K, calcium and folate which are essential for immune, stress, healthy bones & teeth and fertility. But it also high in fibre to help you keep you regular  and Indole-3-carbinol which helps convert excess oestrogen into a safer form to be excreted. In addition it contains glucoraphanin and an enzyme called myrosinase & when you chew they mix together to form sulforaphane which helps with oestrogen detoxification. Top tip, try some broccoli sprouts, they are great in salads and smoothies.

If you are affected particularly badly by the menopause, come and see me in clinic, or you are welcome to join the waiting list for my Hormone Balance School.

Consult your doctor or health care practitioner for any health problems, before embarking on any new health regimes, using any supplements or before making any changes in prescribed medications or food programmes.

Blood Sugar Hormones Menopause

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• Grumpy
• Scratchy
• Bitchy
• Bloaty
• Sleepy
• Hungry
• Spotty

Have you ever thought it might be down to your hormones?

Hormonal imbalances are not just for teenagers and menopausal women. Hormones can affect any of us at any stage of life and unfortunately most of the time we are only aware of our hormones when they bring with them a host of not-so-desirable symptoms like PMS, headaches, mood swings, weight gain, spots, bloating, insomnia and sadly the list goes on…
Luckily there is a lot you can do nutritionally to help keep your hormones balanced!

Hormones need a steady stream of nutrients for them to work efficiently, nutrients we need to get from the food we eat. This complex hormonal dance works in synergy and is dependent on internal factors such as the status of other hormones and external factors such as diet and lifestyle.

So let’s start by taking a look at diet. Below are six food tips to start implementing into your diet. Remember, there is no one food (or six) that will balance your hormones and take all your symptoms away! Anyone that tell you that is talking BS, but when we consistently eat a varied diet rich in the nutrients our body needs we start to feel the benefits and we start on the path to hormonal freedom.

There are so many reasons I recommend a variety of green vegetables to my clients, especially cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, collard greens, kale, mustard greens, turnips and watercress. These powerhouses contain the phytochemical called Indole-3-Carbinol (I3C) which has been shown to increase oestrogen metabolism and can help reduce with the dreaded PMS.

Each day, we need to eat an array of fibrous foods to stay regular and keep our blood sugar levels in check. You guessed it, that means eating your vegetables. I keep talking about vegetables because unfortunately, they are totally underrated and missing in most people’s daily diet! Follow the rainbow and aim to get in 5 – 8 portions of veggies a day, if you are not having any at the moment start small and build yourself up.

Seeds like pumpkin, sunflower and sesame seeds are high in healthy fats as well as magnesium. This superhero Magnesium, often referred to as ‘mother nature’s relaxant’, is vital for calm in this often stressful world and to help keep cortisol in check! In addition having optimal levels of magnesium can help with fatigue, insomnia, constipation and cramps to name a few. Sprinkle them on porridge, salads or add to your smoothies.

Another seed to throw into the mix! Flaxseeds are a rich source of phytoestrogens which can help to regulate levels of oestrogen in the body. They can be extremely helpful in reducing menopausal symptoms such as hot flushes as well as PMS.

The good kind of fat! Eating a variety of foods high in short, medium and long-chain fatty acids is key to keeping your hormones and lucky for us delicious avocados contain the good kind of fat plus the added bonus of fibre and nutrients such as potassium and vitamin E. Include more of these in the diet, versatile and easy.

I thought this one would grab your attention! I have left the best till last but it’s not the milky type of chocolate, only 70% and up or raw chocolate is even better! The cacao bean is full of antioxidants and many hormone friendly minerals like magnesium. But watch the sugar content as some are sky high and that will wreak havoc with your hormones, the darker options often have less sugar.

So there you have it, the first 6 foods to start including. What should you do with these? It’s simple, try including more of these foods into your diet to help bring everything back into balance. Think of me as your hormone’s best friend – those of you who are familiar with my personal story will know that I walked this path for many years. Want to do more about balancing your hormones? Follow my 28 day plan in my latest book The Balance Plan.

Nourishing well wishes,

Angelique

Consult your doctor or health care practitioner for any health problems, and before embarking on any new health regimes, using any supplements or before making any changes in prescribed medications or food programmes.

Hormonal imbalance Hormones Menopause PCOS

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