Top tips for Menopause

If our body is in optimal health, menopause as a natural process can be a smooth transition.

However, most women of menopausal age encounter the highs and lows of life leaving their body function far from optimal, and some find themselves more out of balance than others…. so wherever you find yourself on that health scale, please know there is a solution to ease the symptoms of menopause naturally.

Nutrition expert and Psycho-neuro-immunologist Fleur Borelli shares her approach how to get that balance back and thrive going forward. Here are her 7 top tips

Address stress

First, we need to address stress to be able to balance our hormones. Stress hormones are always given priority over sex hormones, so when we live inconstant stress, the body has no capacity for hormonal balancing.

• Adaptogen herbs such as Ashwagandha, medicinal mushrooms, Rhodiola and Holy Basil are a unique class of plants that help ‘adapt’ our stress responses to what our body needs, thereby promoting hormonal balancing and combating stress.
• Ashwagandha can be extremely effective in balancing hormones, supporting a sluggish thyroid and help overcome adrenal fatigue.
• Holy Basil, also known as Tulsi, helps to regulate cortisol levels, thereby works as a natural remedy for anxiety and emotional stress.

Maintain healthy body composition

Maintaining healthy body composition through a combination of nourishing food, movement and sleep is critical for managing the symptoms that are a result of falling levels of oestrogen and progesterone. Here are foods with phytoestrogens that help balance hormones naturally.

• All vegetables contain phytoestrogens, so use a wide range on daily basis
• Organic and properly fermented soy products such as tempeh, miso, natto, tamari
• Nuts (except peanuts) and seeds are another natural source for phytoestrogens

Support your gut

Supporting gut function is very important as certain bad gut bacteria recycles oestrogen, disrupting the natural endocrine balance. Adding fibre-rich vegetables to your meals (including cruciferous vegetables, such as broccoli and cabbage) will help support your existing good gut bacteria, and help with proper elimination. Adding more probiotic food such as ferments(kefir, sauerkraut, yogurt etc) to your meals also provides nutrition for your microbiome.

Support your liver

Supporting liver function is another important aspect of balancing your hormones, so reduce exposure to environmental toxins such as household, garden and beauty products, and wherever you can, replace with chemical-free natural options available. Reducing consumption of alcohol will also help support your liver function.

Support hormone production by consuming good fats

We make hormones from fat so please focus on eating good and healthy fats!  Avoid commercial vegetable oils (and deep-fried foods in these oils) and add omega-3-rich foods such as oily fish, salmon, and eat healthy fats such as avocados, coconut oil, olive oil, grass-fed butter, ghee.

Support your bone health

Supporting bone health naturally means eating a variety of leafy green vegetables and salads. Use leafy greens in your smoothies and add fermented foods to your diet such as kefir and fermented soy.

Additional support through supplements

It is a good idea to get additional support through the following supplements, highly beneficial for optimal body function

• Vitamin D3
• K2
• Magnesium
• Naturally brewed pro-biotics

Fleur Borrelli, Nutrition and Psychoneuroimmunology