Watching Your Diet
Apple or Pear
Are you an apple or a pear?
Foods To Tame Hot Flashes
Improving your diet can not only decrease hot flashes
but may reduce your risk of cancer and heart disease.
Apple or Pear?
In the menopausal years, many women's bodies undergo a change in the distribution of body fat. The hip and buttock fat moves to the abdomen changing a "Pear Shape" into an "Apple Shape." The "Apple Shape" has been associated with an increase in heart disease, uterine cancer and diabetes. Eating more fruits, vegetable and grain products while avoiding red meat and fat is even more important during menopause. To help cut down on fats, take advantage of the new labels on food products. Make sure you get an adequate amount of calcium. For women in their menopausal years, 1500 mg. A day is recommended. There is 300 mg. of calcium in each of the following:
8 oz. Skim milk
1 ½ oz. Cheddar cheese
2 cups Cottage cheese
1 cup Yogurt
Estrogen itself doesn't cause weight gain. Eating too much can, high fat foods can, less physical activity can and a slowdown of metabolic rate and some as yet unknown forces during menopause can cause weight gain. Estrogen has been shown to reverse weight gain in many women.
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Foods To Tame Hot Flashes
You've heard the ubiquitous advice-- eat tons of tofu, avoid fat, take handfuls of vitamins! Although you may have experienced occasional hot flashes at some time in your life, when it's menopause time, they can be unrelenting and debilitating. If hormone replacement therapy is not your cup of tea then sound dietary advice is in order.
In general the typical American; white flour, fat, dairy, sugar, caffeine and meat, diet is not only unhealthy but goes a long way towards worsening hot flashes. Whereas the much-touted 'Healthy Diet' of whole grains, fruit, vegetables, beans, fish and small amounts of meat CAN actually reduce those flushes.
Soy as well as other legumes, some fruits, beans, and vegetables contain estrogen-like compounds called phytoestrogens. Phytoestrogens modulate the estrogen fluctuations that can cause hot flashes in the menopause and even during normal menstrual cycles. The fluctuations are more radical in menopause and the hot flashes can be equally radical.
So, what can you do to increase the phytoestrogens in your diet? Let's go over that food list in more detail. In the U.S. soybeans are most commonly processed into tofu and used as an ingredient in Oriental cooking. You can also make fruit flavored soy milk shakes or use soy milk and flour in cooking your favorite dishes. When eating out in Chinese or Japanese restaurants, look for the dishes with tofu, miso, or tempeh, they all contain soy. There is a plethora of new cookbooks out devoted to soy recipes, and most of the newer editions of traditional cookbooks contain chapters on soy. Beans also contain phytoestrogens, and being more familiar, are easier to incorporated into your diet. Try three-bean salads, chili, and Mexican refried beans. Lentils and peas are also good sources of calcium and fiber. At this point, you may be thinking of buying stock in Beanỏ, initially it will help reduce gas, however, over time your body will become accustomed to your new diet and produce less gas.
Flaxseeds are a good source of concentrated phytoestrogens. Being more commonly seen in years past, my grandmother used to keep a jar full in the cabinet and feed them to me when she thought I was becoming constipated, I was actually not constipated just moody, however the seeds tasted good so I happily ate them. Flaxseeds can be sprinkled on cereal and other food or ground and added to recipes, they have a nutty flavor and contain alpha-linolenic acid, a nutrient with many benefits. Try to eat 2-3 tablespoons a day.
On the sweeter side, most fruit is rich in phytoestrogens. Concentrate on pears, plums, apples, grapes, strawberries and citrus fruit but don't stop there you should be eating 5-7 servings of fruit and vegetables a day.
Finally, there are some foods to avoid. Many women report that spicy food, wine and caffeinated beverages provoke hot flashes. So Bon Appetite, improving your diet can not only decrease hot flashes but may reduce your risk of cancer and heart disease.
See Also:
Good Foods Glossary
Soy Foods
Vitamins
Prescription Drugs
Alternative Therapies
Disclaimer - Menopause-OnlineTM is not intended as medical advice. Its intent is solely informational and educational. The information is not a substitute for talking with your health professional.
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