I feel like I haven’t talked about my menopausal life in a while, so here it goes.:) I have been handling my symptoms much better since taking my health and well-being into my own hands. Exercising and eating healthy has helped immensely, but I have been slipping off the healthy food choice train. I really need to focus and start getting back into the swing of things. My hot flashes don’t like when I eat poorly.
I know from experience, you are what you eat when going through menopause. I think my diet has been one of the biggest triggers for inducing symptoms. I write down what I eat, when I eat it, and if I get any symptoms later I write it down too. It has helped me determine what triggers different kinds of symptoms. Continuing to learn and keeping track, I have been able to figure out what cause them and how to manage.
I stopped eating foods like chocolate, spicy food, coffee, and alcohol in the evening and my hot flashes and night sweats decreased, it was a mini miracle. Since finding different foods cause different symptoms, I have been really focusing on keeping a food journal.
Since menopause I have noticed sugary foods tend to make me tired. Sugary snacks cause blood glucose levels to rise and then sharply dip making you feel tired and drained. By replacing sugary snacks, like candy bars, with fruits and nuts keep me awake and alert.
I used to suffer from insomnia very frequently because of hot flashes and night sweats. When I eat natural carbohydrates like whole grain bread, I noticed it helps me fall asleep. Eating large meals before bed also caused me to stay up all night.
Eating more phytoestrogens in my diet helped me manage menopausal symptoms. They increase estrogen and help keep hormones a little more in balance. I eating more phytoestrogens through plant-based foods like soy, tofu, tempeh, miso, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, celery, rhubarb, and green beans.
I know it sounds corny but the phrase; eat to live, don’t live to eat, makes so much more sense since menopause. I used to live to eat, indulging myself in comfort foods and not concerning myself with the result. Since menopause I have changed that mindset, eating to live. I feel so much healthier and am handling my menopause symptoms much better.
I truly believe that exercising and eating well help control annoying symptoms. If you have any other suggestions or tricks you use to combat menopause symptoms, I would love to hear about it, please comment below!
Until next time,
Nancy
