If you haven’t yet determined, I’m all about self-care when it comes to alleviating, diminishing, and even eliminating menopausal symptoms altogether.  I encourage all women, everywhere, experiencing menopause to incorporate whatever natural remedies you can think of to garner the results you desire – from implementing a healthy diet, to incorporating or even turning up the intensity/frequency of exercise, or creating some type of ‘me-time’ activity that makes you feel great – whatever it is, I’m all for it!

I’ve conversed with many women from all walks of life who have shared activities and lifestyle changes they’ve implemented to feel better during their menopause journey.  From swimming to walking; cycling to yoga; cutting down their consumption of carb-heavy and unnaturally sweetened foods to eating more fresh fruits and vegetables – the list goes on and on.

Throughout each chapter of my book, “It’s Time for a PAUSE” I’ve included various tips, natural remedies, and resources that I’m sure will help you too – all of which I’ve tried for myself and found to be true.

While results and relief do vary, I’m convinced that incorporating an overall healthier lifestyle is key to feeling better mentally and physically while living with menopause.

With that being said, you may recall my mentioning of the phrase, “you are what you eat” in my third blog and how the same is true for how you think – what you eat determines whether you’re healthy or not just as how you think determines how you feel.

Let’s pause for a moment …

Are you still with me?

Good.

Now, I have just a bit of bad news to share with you.

Yes … yes, I know.  Who wants to hear THAT, right?

Well, sometimes you just have to take the wet with the water.

The unfortunate news I must share is …

While going through menopause is an arduous, taxing, and oftentimes painstaking endeavor, it is NOT an excuse for embellishing in a poor diet and over-indulging in all the unhealthy foods that tastes amazing yet slowly-but-surely wreak havoc on your body.

There, I said it!

If you’re wondering what food has to do with menopausal symptoms, the answer is A LOT.

Yes, it’s true – you and I are daily navigating the choppy and unpredictable waters of menopause, but that isn’t a good enough excuse to drown our sorrows in all the carbs and sugars we can get our hands on. 

Yes, I know, you may have already done so – more times than you’d like to admit and may even be doing so right now … while you read this, but you don’t HAVE to continue down that road.

Let’s pause a minute to talk about it …

How do you feel physically and mentally after the excess of sugary sweets and over-indulging in carbs?

Tired maybe? 

Achy?

Mentally unclear and less sharp?

 … like maybe your menopausal mood swing symptoms are more intense than usual, or you feel guilty and want to shut yourself off to the world, curl up in a ball and be alone?

If you answered yes to any of the above, I want to encourage you to make some changes in your diet – just for a week – and let’s find the foods that may be the culprits triggering you mentally and emotionally.

Yes, going down, the starches, breads, cakes and ice creams, sodas, and everything else we eat and enjoy in a moment but feel guilty about after all taste delicious.  But the truth is, those things negatively effect our body’s, which negatively affects our mind’s, which can cause depression and even intensify the other menopausal symptoms we may already be experiencing.

Not quite convinced to take a shot at change? 

How about healthy eating throughout menopause can lower your risk of health concerns associated with menopause, such as heart disease and osteoporosis. 

While some of the risk factors and symptoms associated with aging and menopause are unavoidable healthy eating can help avoid or alleviate some of the symptoms that can arise during and after menopause.

There’s a whole community of women out there; just like you, just like me, just like US all going through the same thing – who’ve heard it all before via this article, that webpage, and all those conversations in-between – but have somehow made it here to read this, which lets me know they’re … you’re looking for more – something that actually works and will make a difference.

You’re here now, so why not give it a try?

~Dr. Renata