Menopause is a natural process that results in  termination of women’s menstruals cycle and reproductive years. It most often occurs btw 42 – 52 years of age.  It happens because the ovaries diminish producing the female sex hormones estrogen and progesterone, while the adrenals start making estrogen and androgen to replace it.

A woman has reached menopause when she had not had a period for one year.

Many woman experience imbalances in their mood, sleep, body temperature and body fluids, as well as physical tension levels.  Standard medical prescription has focused on supplementing estrogen from animal sources, or using estrogen therapy to help with diminished calcium absorption. These practices have proven to enhance risks of gallbladder disease and cancers of breast, uterus, and liver.( as cited in Pitchford, 2oo2)

Below are some ideas of safer remedies, which support the natural production of hormones by the adrenals.

Menopausal Dietary Tips

• hot flashes
• headaches
• insomnia
• night sweats

 Lifestyle Suggestions: sufficient exercise, good diet, relaxation.  Dietary Tips:   In Chinese medicine symptoms of menopause imply deficiency of yin fluids, especially the ones that calm and relax the liver. (Pitchford,2002). Foods that build yin(the body, its tissues and fluids): 

• wheat germ and its oil
• mung bean sprouts, string bean, kidney bean
• seaweed, spirulina
• millet, black bean tofu
• barley, black sesame seed
• whole wheat

  Eat more:                    

• Tryptophan-rich foods such as turkey, bananas, figs, whole grain crackers, figs, and dates.  
• Foods rich in phyto-estrogens and progesterones: soy flours and beans, red clover sprouts, and yams.
• Foods with high indoles: for example, brussel sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage.

   

   

Recommended nutrients:  

• Vitamins E, B-complex, C, and A
• Calcium mineral

  If symptoms persist despite having adequate Vitamin E source from food, then large doses of Vitamin E are suggested to eliminate hot flashes  (300 I.U. 3x/day at meal times.(Pitchford,2002)   According to Canadian health network the maximum recommended daily amount of  Vitamin E is 1500 IU.                                                                                                                                                     Other helpful remedies:

• Royal Jelly (food from the queen bee; builds yin and energy, strengthens reproductive system). Normal dosage is 100-400mg daily.
• Aloe-Vera Gel – cooling and soothing; not to be taken if feeling cold or have loose stools. Dosage: 2 tsp. of gel stirred into  1 cup of water, 2-3x/daily.

 Restrictions:

• Alcohol, tobacco, coffee, chocolate
• Cold-temperature foods, refined sugar
• Hydrogenated fats such as shortening and most margarines
• Over-consumption of fruit or raw food
• Excessive and of poor quality meat

[2] Copyright 2001, The Pulse of Oriental Medicine

Are you getting enough AQUA? If not, you could end up with excess body fat, poor muscle tone, digestive complications, muscle soreness — even water-retention problems, as water is a mineral that is necessary for proper bodily function. 

The body is made up of  mostly water (60-70%) and when dehydrated affects all of the major physiologic systems  >>>respiratory, nervous, digestive, circulatory and urinary <<< We can go up to 2 months without food, but only a few days without water. So you may ask how do I know WHAT’S ENOUGH ??? and what are its BENEFITS/RISKS???

 read on….

Benefits of water include:

• Regulation of body temperature – helps to cool the body through perspiration
• Removal of wastes from the body – via kidneys, skin, urine, colon, lymphatic system (risk kidney stones, toxicity, constipation, with poor intake)
• Carry nutrients, oxygen and glucose to the cells to give you energy- through blood (92% of blood plasma is H2O)
• Provides natural moisture to skin and other tissues – lungs (must be moist to take in oxygen and excrete carbon dioxide), stomach lining (dilutes HCL acid).
• Cushions joints and helps strengthen muscles- synovial fluid found in joints, bursae, and tendon sheaths is primarily water
• Vital for chemical reaction in digestion and metabolism

Dr. Howard Flaks, a bariatric (obesity) specialist in Beverly Hills, Calif, says, “By not drinking enough water, many people incur excess body fat, poor muscle tone and size, decreased digestive efficiency and organ function, increased toxicity in the body, joint and muscle soreness and water retention”

Water helps Weight Loss: contact us  for simple solutions.

Water retention?  If you’re not drinking enough, your body may retain water to compensate.  Paradoxically, fluid retention can sometimes be eliminated by drinking more water, not less.

“Proper water intake is a key to weight loss,” says Dr. Donald Robertson, medical director of the Southwest Bariatric Nutrition Center in Scottsdale, Arizona.  “If people who are trying to lose weight don’t drink enough water, the body can’t metabolize the fat adequately.  Retaining fluid also keeps weight up.”

How much water is ENOUGH?

Because your body looses fluid from ways other than exercising, like breathing, everyone’s suggested water intake may be slightly different. However, it has been suggested that the suggested fluid intake for everyone is about 2 liters of water a day. This breaks down to drinking minimum of 8-10 eight ounce glasses of water per day.

The International Sports Medicine Institute, suggests this formula for daily water intake: 1/2 ounce per pound of body weight if you’re not active (that’s ten eight-ounce glasses if you weigh 160 pounds), and 2/3 ounce per pound if you’re athletic (13 to 14 glasses a day, at the same weight).

Your intake should be spread throughout the day and evening.  The best times to consume water is ½ hour before each meal and 2 ½ hours after each meal. It is also a good idea to add two more glasses of water around the time of the heaviest meal and before going to bed. At first you might be running to the bathroom more frequently, but after a few weeks, the bladder will adjust and urination will be less frequent,  but in larger amounts.

Symptoms of Dehydration: 

Often people might wait until they are thirsty to drink water. This is not a good indicator because when you feel thirsty, your body is already dehydrated. When water becomes scarce, the body tries to limit the amount it loses through breathing, mucous production, urination, perspiration, and bowel movements.

They key is to drink water throughout the day to avoid feeling thirsty. Some of the symptoms of drinking too little water may be:

• Nausea
• Dry lips, mouth or dry and itchy skin
• Acne
• Dark colored urine or infrequent urination, repeated urinary tract infections
• Constipation
• Increased body temperature or labored breathing
• Fatigue, poor concentration and short-term memory
• Some painful disorders- i.e arthritis, low back pain, headaches, migraines
• Dry and unproductive coughs

TIPS on getting ENOUGH H2O:

• Make sure you are drinking water before, during and after exercise.
• If you are away from home for most of the day, fill a water bottle to take with you so that you can gradually drink while you are out.
• Take water breaks at work instead of coffee or tea breaks.
• Drink water with meals instead of soda or other carbonated beverages.
• Check your urine. If it is clear or pale yellow, you are properly hydrated, if it is a darker yellow, you need more fluids.
• Drink water in between meals.

Sodas, coffee, and teas cannot count as valid water intake because they contain caffeine. Caffeine has diuretic properties that cause the body to lose even more water

Sources:

• Suntory Water Group

• Mayo Clinic

• Manz, F. and Wentz, F. ”The importance of good hydration for day-to-day health. ”                    Nutr. Rev. 2005 Jun;63(6 Pt 2):S2-5  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16028567?ordinalpos=1&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVAbstractPlus

• Manz, F. “Hydration and Disease.” J Am Coll Nutri.  2007 Oct;26(5 Suppl):535S-541S  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17921462?ordinalpos=1&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVAbstractPlus

.”

• Don’t leave home without them! Make it a habit to carry vegetables and fruit with you at all times. Pack them in your briefcase, purse, knapsack, or glove compartment. Easy-to-carry options include apples, pears, bananas, clementines, canned fruit cups, baby carrots, cherry tomatoes, dried fruit, grapes and juice packs.

• Reduce the amount of baked goodies and snack items that you buy. Choose lower fat cookie choices like: arrowroot biscuits; social tea biscuits; ginger snaps; sultana and newton-type cookies. Rice cakes, pretzels (caution with sodium content) and popcorn are lower fat alternatives to chips, cheese flavored snacks or corn chips.

• Everyone loves veggies and dip – including kids. Dip away with carrot sticks, red or green pepper strips, florets of broccoli or cauliflower, mushroom caps and more. Use a low fat creamy salad dressing for dipping.

• Fruits like sliced bananas, apples, pears and berries are also great for dipping. For a fast and tasty dip use a low fat fruit-flavoured yogurt or cream cheese.

• Make a nutritious trail mix with pretzels, nuts, whole grain cereal and plenty of dried fruits like raisins, apricots, figs or prunes.

• Cut your favorite vegetables into snack size pieces. Splash them with a low fat vinaigrette salad dressing and keep them handy in the fridge. Store them in clear, plastic containers. Make sure they are the first thing you see when you open the fridge.

• Pop a pierced potato in the microwave for about ten minutes. Top it with salsa and low fat sour cream or a creamy, low fat salad dressing. Snacking at it’s best!

• Refresh yourself with a glass of spicy tomato juice on the rocks.

• Start a food log to monitor the kinds of food you eat, their quantity and time of day. This will help pinpoint obstacles in your diet, so that you may zone in on that which is trully sabotaging your NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTION, and help to keep you on track with nutritional goals. START NOW and let US do the work for you. We’ll analyze, plan and design an easy nutrition plan to suit your everyday lifestyle. Click here to TAKE CONTROL .

Healthy Eating Tips:

• Most people, including kids, tend to eat what is handy. Keep vegetables and fruit in reach and in sight. Keep cookies, chips and candy out of sight and out of reach (better yet, don’t keep them around at all).

• Got a sweet tooth? Snack on baby carrots or dried fruit instead of candy.

• Can’t get your kids to eat enough veggies? Serve them raw more often. Most kids prefer them this way.

• Substitute whole fruit – fresh, frozen or canned – for fruit juices more often. While juices have lots of vitamins and minerals, they contain very little fibre. You can also make delicious smoothies with them. For recipes go to: http://allrecipes.com/smoothie.asp

• Try at least one new healthy recipe involving vegetables and fruit each week.