Weight gain in the menopause...

Menopause... who needs it, right?  Believe me I could well do without it.

One of the many problems when we women reach that stage in life is weight gain.  Unexplained and unwanted weight gain.  You have just spent most of your life trying to understand and love your body and all of a sudden it's all out of control again.

Jeez... it's tough.

Unfortunately for women our hormones and fat cells are closely linked in a complex web which is responsible for metabolism, appetite, digestion, heat regulation and detoxification.  This web is extremely difficult to regulate and any destabilization results in symptoms such as food cravings, hot flushes and of course, weight gain.

We need to make sure this intricate web is working harmoniously so that it remains stable.  There are many links between hormones and fat but one critical link is the connection between insulin, metabolism and body fat.

The human body has three primary hormones: insulin, adrenaline and cortisol.  Adrenaline and cortisol are stress hormones and insulin, as you already know, regulates blood sugar levels.  Stress is one of the most damaging things our bodies have to cope with.  So, if on top of stress our diet is high in processed foods, carbs and sugars, then our bodies will become insulin resistant - a recipe for disaster.

Life is stressful, and if your body is out of sync with one primary hormone then it will have difficulty producing the necessary levels for secondary hormones such as estrogen and progesterone.  Most of

us eat way too many carbohydrates, sweet and processed foods and not enough healthy fats.  If you have too many sweet foods in your diet or if you are living off carbs in the hope of less fat in your diet meaning less weight... then your body will become insulin resistant or at the least insulin sensitive and this means you body will convert everything it can into fat.

Weight gain can often be associated with estrogen levels.  The fluctuation of this hormone during perimenopause and it's relation to other hormones such as progesterone that can cause problems in maintaining the body's balance.  Here's a fact... fat cells can produce estrogen.  So your hormone depleted body stores fat as a precaution in case it's estrogen levels get too low, it will use the excess fat as a source of estrogen.

If on top of all this you have other conditions such as bone loss, stress or your diet doesn't have enough healthy fats in it, then your body will be even more likely to store fat as a safe guard.

As our hormones fluctuate so does our mood.  Our patience flies out the window and we can sometimes feel as if the whole world is against us or we turn into a fire breathing dragon from one innocent "Hello"!  Our emotions are at a very sensitive level, and if you have been an emotional eater in the past then at this stage of life it could get even worse.

If you find you are craving for "naughty" foods that you would only eat occasionally before, you might want to stop yourself and think about why you want that piece of cake.  Are you really hungry?
Many women when they reach menopause find themselves living alone... their children are off doing their own thing or away at university.  Their husbands are at work all the time or maybe they are single.  Quite often women feel lonely and turn to food for comfort... trying to fill a hole inside.  Maybe it's time to reflect on what you do every day.  Do you like what you do?  Do you need to change your job?  Maybe it is time to do something you have always wanted to or even start a new hobby.  Think about what gives you more... pleasure from something you enjoy or extra pounds from too much cake?

On of the most important things in life is to embrace who you are and the stage your are in.  If you go into menopause hating it, then it will probably be a terrible experience.  Open your heart and mind to it, embrace it and yourself.  Take a long look at how much stress is in your life and how you can make changes that will reduce stress, make you happier and how you can improve your diet.

Kick out the high sugar, processed foods and carbs and embrace healthy fats such as olive oil, avocados, nuts and seeds.  Make small and achievable changes that give you happiness and satisfaction and work towards a goal.

Make YOU your priority.

I can help you improve your health.  If you would like to make an appointment with me either in person or via Skype, just send me an email to lucycarr@socialnutrition.com

It's all in the attitude

CALLING ALL WOMEN!!

I have often been asked (mainly by my dear friend MaryJo), to write about the menopause stage in life.  I think that to date, I have written just 2 posts trying to help improve menopausal symptoms.

As you know I also run - a lot.  When I run I listen to audio books instead of music.  That way I can catch up on reading things I am interested in without having to sit around to do it - sitting still has never been something I have ever managed to accomplish.  So while browsing the audio book section on iTunes the other day, I found a book called "Goddesses Never Age" by Christiane Northrup M.D.

So, thinking of all the positive feedback I have had from just 2 posts on menopause I decided to dive head first into this, until now, little explored territory.  I bought and downloaded the book.  I admit I had already heard of the author as I had seen her in a documentary I love called Food Matters.  Even better, the audio book is narrated by the author - something unusual as most hire a professional reader for the recordings.

I think I fell in love with her during the introduction.  Christiane Northrup is 66 years old and, just from her voice, you can tell she is brimming with life, love and laughter.  I have spent this spring running near my home listening to her wise advice, her intelligent explanations and reasoning, and I swear there were times I was positively flying.

Many of us have been brought up to believe that life is like a play in 3 acts... Education, work and
retirement.  Retirement, which usually coincides with menopause is the beginning of the decline into old age where joints stiffen, relationships and health wane and death is the closing curtain.

STOP RIGHT THERE!  As Dr. Northrup says, menopause should not be thought of as the beginning of the end, of being out of date, no use (as you are no longer able to bear children), or too old to have any fun.  In some asian cultures, menopausal women are celebrated for being WISER, it is seen almost as a privilege - hot flushes included!

There is life after menopause and it is there to be embraced, tasted, enjoyed and LIVED.  It is all in the attitude.  If you embrace this moment of great change in your life, you may find yourself "free" for the first time in decades - children have grown up and left home, you may even be in a financially stable time of life where you can take the plunge and start a new career or study something you have always wanted to study, but never had the time.  Attitude is what gives you life or... takes it away.

Being positive, feeling happy are both assets which fight against disease and promote health.  Most of us have unfortunately had to cope with negative and/or damaging experiences in our lives, and many hold on to negative feelings and even hate related to those experiences.  It is vital to health to deal with any deep seeded negative emotions that could be holding you back and holding back your happiness, after all:

Hating someone is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die...  

To me there is no bigger waste of time or happiness drainer than wasting precious energy on negative feelings.

However, the book goes into great detail about how to rid yourself of negative emotions and how to improve your mindset.  It also says how much women devote themselves to others and feelings of guilt if they indulge themselves for a few minutes, a morning or a day...

We women are our own worst enemies.

We put enormous stress on ourselves to be the brilliant business woman, the perfect wife and the best mother... every one else comes before us.  However, there is a saying, "Ain't nobody happy if momma ain't happy!"

I can only encourage you all to read this book as each page is a delight and filled with exceptional knowledge on every aspect of life, from love, to laughter, to sex, to food, to relationships.

However, I would love for every female to read it and not just menopausal women... I can't help wishing I had read this book in my teens.  It also teaches you to love yourself as a woman and I think young women should read it so that they don't fall into the same trap that many of the now menopausal generation fell into.  I will be giving this to my teenage daughter in the hope that she will learn NOW and love herself and will therefore be the very best she can be for those around her and the world.

So, if you are hoping to live happily and actively for as long as possible, you really need to read this book.

I can help you improve your health.  If you would like to make an appointment with me either in person or via Skype, just send me an email to lucycarr@socialnutrition.com

Menopause Part 2

A few months ago my friend Mary Jo asked me to write a post about how to eat better during the menopause.  I am pleased to say that many of you found that post interesting and informative, and Mary Jo suggested that I could inform you all of other problems related to the menopause.

Well, here is the follow-up post concerning weight gain during the menopause.

A lot of women experience weight gain during the menopause, and it seems to deposit itself in one of two places - or both.  These places tend to be around the middle and/or the bust.  Lots of women who have never had a tummy suddenly find that they have a bulge.

Now bust enlargement due to the menopause is loved by some women who are suddenly enjoying a cleavage they never had before.  However, others find a large bust makes them look older, even matronly - think Mrs. Doubtfire!!!!

This weight gain is - as usual, down to hormones.  From the age of 40 onwards, the levels of estrogen in a woman's body will start to fluctuate drastically.  The idea is that less estrogen means smaller breasts as the milk glands shrink when the body passes it's child producing time.  However estrogen should be counter balanced by progesterone and progesterone levels can drop off 120 times quicker than estrogen levels.  This causes what doctors call "estrogen dominance", which can keep breasts large, even as overall estrogen levels drop.

At this stage in a woman's life, fat and estrogen team up together, dominant estrogen acts as a magnet for fat, storing it in certain areas such as the breasts and abdomen.

These stored fat cells can expand and produce estrogen of their own in order to help balance mood and wellbeing, and also for protection for your bones and heart.  Unfortunately, your body has decided that these expanded fat cells are really really important for survival and so they are extremely resistant to dieting.

However, through following a certain diet you can target those problem areas, by balancing your hormones correctly.  For this type of weight reduction, Max Tomlinson, a Naturopath from London, has devised an eating plan based on a Mediterranean-style diet with lots of fruits and vegetables, fish, healthy oils and no sugar, processed foods, little meat and a little alcohol.

Dairy products can be very high in estrogen.  Cow's tend to be milked constantly through other pregnancies, meaning that their hormone levels are very high.  Vegetable milks such as almond, coconut or rice milks are better.  However it is better to avoid soya milk as it may contain plant estrogen which can contribute to erratic and unbalanced hormones.

Favor citrus fruits as they contain a compound called d-limonene, a substance that has been shown to help the body break down and remove excess estrogen.  You can also increase your calcium D-glucarate intake by eating more legumes and fruits such as; peaches, nectarines, plums and cherries.  This helps to inhibit the action of enzymes that reduces the impact of estrogen on breast tissue.

We all know that vegetables are amazingly healthy, but in this case you should eat them raw or lightly steamed.  Cruciferous vegetables such as; broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, are rich in a chemical compound called dindolylmethane which helps the body to metabolize excess estrogen.

Eat brown bread.  Whole grains are so much better than refined grains.  Whole grains will boost your intake of insoluble fiber.  This is useful as the fiber binds itself to excess estrogen in the digestive tract and removes it.

You really need to cut back on sugars and that includes alcohol as sugar in the diet increases blood sugar levels which, in turn, stimulates the release of insulin.  Too much insulin motivates fat storage in the body and interferes with the delicate balance between estrogen and progesterone.

Alcohol also has a toxic effect on liver function which stops the liver breaking down estrogen and other hormones effectively.

Junk food is also a no no.  Highly processed foods can contain pesticides, herbicides and/or growth hormones which can disrupt hormones.

Get up and move.  Walk, swim, cycle - which ever you prefer but do it everyday.  Make sure you stay active.  I also recommend yoga or pilates.  Stretching and muscle tone is very important as we get older.

I can help you improve your health.  If you would like to make an appointment with me either in person or via Skype, just send me an email to lucycarr@socialnutrition.com

Feeding the menopause

This week I have received a special request from a dear, and very talented friend of mine; María José Sesma (if you don't know her you really should check her out, she's incredible!).  MaryJo has asked me to help with nutrition during the menopause, so for all of you facing this new time in life, here are some suggestions I hope will help you through.

The menopause is a highly challenging time of life as it brings many changes with it, and not many of them are welcomed.  Common symptoms include hot flushes, sweating, insomnia, anxiety, impairment of memory, fatigue, fluctuating emotions and weight gain.  There can also be long term consequences which include a decrease in libido, osteoporosis, heart disease and even dementia which are all linked to a reduction in estrogen levels.

The menopause is an unavoidable stage in life which can be a relief for many and a horror for others.  A woman's ovaries stop releasing eggs at some time in her early 50s, and because of this her menstrual cycle will stop.  All the physiological changes she will begin to experiment are largely due to the decrease in estrogen production and the effect this has on other hormones.  Estrogen helps to lift a woman's mood so, when levels drop, she may feel depressed.

Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) is available, but some women prefer to try natural remedies or both!  One certainly doesn't interfere with the other so here are some of the natural remedies you might like to consider.

Fatigue:
Avoid foods high in sugar and simple carbohydrates, these cause sharp increases in blood sugar levels but are followed by a sharp dip which can leave you feeling even more tired than you were before.  A better option would be fresh fruit (not juice) or raw nuts.

Hot Flushes:
This is probably one of the worst effects of the menopause.  They pounce when you least expect it and usually when you have just done yourself up for an evening out and the sweat leaves you with your mascara half way down your cheeks and unsightly sweat marks on your smart clothes!  No fun at all...  Stop eating foods that are likely to set off or worsen hot flushes and night sweats such as spicy foods, and other stimulating foods such as coffee, alcohol and chocolate.

Dry Skin:
This is a side effect of the decline in hormones, up your intake of legumes, nuts and seeds such as sunflower, pumpkin and almonds which contain vitamin E, zinc and calcium.  These highly nutritious foods also contain oils which help prevent dry skin and normalize hormone levels.

Depression and Irritability:
Here tryptophan is your friend.  Tryptophan is an essential amino acid which is a precursor to serotonin - the happy hormone.  Serotonin helps moods and may even control sleep regulation and appetite.  Tryptophan rich foods are:

• Seeds and Nuts
• Soy Foods - but make sure they are FERMENTED soy foods
• Cheese
• Lamb, beef, pork and game
• Chicken and Turkey
• Fish
• Shellfish
• Oat Bran and Oats
• Beans and Lentils
• Eggs

There are tryptophan supplements available on the market, however, it would be convenient to carry out a specific blood test to check your amino acid levels before supplementing.

Also, you would be wise to not skip a meal, this way you will keep your blood sugar levels balanced which also contributes to less emotional imbalances.

Anxiety:

Many women find themselves suffering from anxiety when they reach menopause without any apparent reason.  Here you may find it helps to increase your intake of cashew nuts, almonds, cranberries, acai berries and maca root.

Bone Health:

Menopause is a great time for osteoporosis to strike so you really need to be conscious of getting enough calcium.  Now, I am definitely not one to recommend dairy produce in large quantities as it can be counter-productive as far as bone health goes.  Certain foods produce acidity in the body which means the body releases calcium from the bones to lower the acidity level in the body.  So,  you need to increase your intake of alkaline foods such as vegetables (especially green leafy vegetables and broccoli), fruits, seeds, nuts and yogurts.  Also eat foods that are high in magnesium and boron, these are minerals are important for the replacement of bone and therefore help to lower the risk of osteoporosis, such as; apples, pears, grapes, dates and raisins, legumes and nuts.  You may also like to consider a calcium supplement but make sure it also contains magnesium, vitamin E, D and zinc.  It is also very important to exercise as much as possible, especially weight-bearing exercises; walk, run, skip, jump, dance, lift weights...

A big NO NO for bone health is drinking too much caffeine and smoking and you should reduce your intake of sodium and animal protein.  We eat far too much animal protein, you really only need a piece the size of your palm without the fingers and the same thickness as your palm and not at every meal.  So up your intake of veggies and reduce your animal protein intake.

Other helpers:

However, there are other things you may find helpful, supplementing with Evening Primrose Oil is said to relieve the hot flushes and other symptoms of the menopause - several women I know swear by it.  Yoga... yoga is good for just about everything but the exercise and muscle strengthening it provides are brilliant and the health benefits of meditation are second to none.

I hope this is of help!

I can help you improve your health.  If you would like to make an appointment with me either in person or via Skype, just send me an email to lucycarr@socialnutrition.com