Food And Menopause…...What To Avoid To Stay Healthy & Well!
Remember those days when you were able to eat any and everything, in LARGE volumes and think nothing of it??? I know I do! I was the girl who could eat a WHOLE PACK of Vienna fingers in one day and never feel the effects and NEVER gain a pound. Now I definitely limit my intake of those faves of mine because if I eat more than four of those cookies I’ll be hot flashing before the end of the day. Seriously…no joking.
There are foods we should avoid at all costs if we can during menopause because they ignite a reaction in our bodies like a brush fire. The main culprits are sugar and salt. And not just the white sugar and table salt, no. Include refined sugars found in baked goods, and the high sodium content found in canned vegetables, soups, and pre-packed snacks and meals. Even the so-called HEALTHY snacks need to be read before you buy them because there are a lot of hidden culprits in those too!
Eventually I was finally able to eliminate most of the sugars (refined included) and salt from my diet. It was a process. (That means I fell off the wagon more times than I have fingers and toes) Quit laughing at me! I eventually did it! Eventually…
Sugar was an addiction for me. And so was salt. I used to get sugar and salt cravings at the same time and would mix up some…well never mind. My first mistake was to try and eliminate both cold turkey. And I thought I had it licked too until about day #3 when a sugar craving hit me so hard I was literally drooling at visions of cookies and cinnamon buns that suddenly started swimming around in my head.
I tried…I really tried hard not to give in but I lost. I found myself in my kitchen searching frantically for something...anything that was sugary. Maybe a cookie that might have fallen out of the pack that I didn’t see. Nope. A few grains of sugar that may have been left at the bottom of the canister. Nope. Maybe some left over icing I may have left deep in the back of my fridge. Nope.
So you know what I did? I got in my car and drove down to the supermarket to load up on some sweets because I couldn’t take it anymore. And you know what happened once I got there? I got hit with a salt craving! Now I’m like a kid in a candy store. I started thinking about my little sugary salt mixture I used to make and it was on! I know you’re laughing but it’s ok because I’m laughing as I’m writing this! I’m sure I must have looked truly comical in that store running around like I was with a silly little predatory smile on my face.
I got home, made myself a huge pitcher of iced tea with SUGAR in it, and put together my salty sweet snack and had myself a field day! And paid for it later when I was bloated, uncomfortable, feeling ill, anxious, and jittery. And the next day I had hot flashes practically every half hour. I remember I was at a friend’s house when one hit me so hard I had to go into a room off of her kitchen that stayed cool all year round so that I could get some relief!
I failed because in going cold turkey I didn’t give my body a chance to get used to the idea of no sugar and salt. I not only eliminated those things from my kitchen, but I didn’t give myself any alternatives! That was a huge mistake for me. So I tried again. And again. And again. It took me about 4 or 5 months of falling off the sugar/salt wagon before I was able to get to a point where I didn’t have those wild cravings. I spent those months experimenting with honey, raw honey, Stevia and raw agave. I chose raw honey as my alternative sweetener and it was a personal preference for me. I enjoyed the taste of the raw honey more than I did the Stevia and agave.
I learned to eliminate sugar from a few items at a time. First I eliminated sugar from my tea and replaced it with raw organic honey. I tried to use the regular heat/pasteurized honey for awhile but it seemed to make my teas too sweet and triggered my sugar cravings. When I switched to raw honey, I didn’t get those cravings. The next thing I did was switch from store bought fruit juice to making my own juice. I made my own orange juice which to me tasted so much better than store bought and had none of the sugar. I also started to replace store bought juice with infused water. I love this water because there are so many choices and even more health benefits for menopausal women! (Less bloating, weight loss, skin enhancing, relaxation, and cooling!) check out www.infusedwaters.com
A few weeks later I switched from the cookies with icing (either in the middle or on top) to oatmeal cookies. Soon I learned to make my own oatmeal cookies that tasted just as sweet as the ones in the store, but made without any refined sugars at all!
Eventually it worked! Those cravings for sugar became less intense and eventually they went away. Notice I said those cravings for SUGAR, not for sweets. I still crave sweets but it’s for healthy sweets now. I make sweet protein bars, cookies, breakfast muffins and even my favorite iced tea sweetened with raw honey. And the best part of it all is that the salt cravings lessened right along with the sugar cravings. I still use salt occasionally, especially when I make sweet potato fries but I use sea salt, not regular table salt. It’s much healthier AND….satisfies the salt craving!
Tip: Drink lots of water! Water actually helps stave off those sugar and salt cravings.
Can I say that I’ve never fallen off the wagon again? No! Absolutely Not! I’ve been in situations where I would see something I hadn’t had in awhile and my body would remember the enjoyment and I would give in. But that’s very rare. The difference is once I’ve had a few bites I actually don’t want it anymore. Sometimes…. On those occasions I make sure I don’t buy more than my body will tolerate and then I know that when I go home those things won’t be in my kitchen but I can still satisfy a sweet craving in a much healthier way with the alternatives that are in my kitchen. I also make sure I’m carrying healthy snacks with me so that when a craving hits, or I get hungry, I don’t feel compelled to walk in a store and buy unhealthy sugary or salty snacks.
What you have to understand is that eating can get real tricky during menopause. Do some investigating and pay attention to what your body reveals to you. Once you get that understanding you can eliminate or lessen your intake of certain foods that cause you symptoms.
Say for instance before menopause you ate jerk chicken and spicy rice & beans…no big deal. You eat that same meal while you’re in menopause and suddenly you’re on fire and sticking your head in a freezer and hanging it out the window at night.
Turn down the heat or experience hot flashes to the 10th powerrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr! Remember, heat brings heat.
Before menopause you ate a Twinky…no big deal. During menopause you eat a Twinky and you bloat up and sweat for two days. Before menopause you ate a pint of butter pecan ice cream before you went to bed and when you woke up the next morning your stomach was fine and flat as a board. You eat that same pint before bed while you’re in menopause and you wake up looking 5 months pregnant and in a bad mood. Before menopause you drank coffee every morning…no big deal. During menopause that same cup of coffee has you sweating before you can even get to the third sip. See what I mean? Tricky!
Come back next week for some tips on how to fit your workout into your day no matter how busy you are!
Oh and by the way, if you have any menopause, fitness, or wellness related topics you want me to discuss, send your name and topic to deevawellness@gmail.com
Until Then…
Stay Blessed and Stay WELL!
