Menopause

Menopause

Foods to Eat More Of:

Fruits: apples, avocados, bananas, berries, grapes, peaches, pears, dried fruits
Vegetables: arugula, asparagus, cabbage, carrots, celery, collard greens, fennel, green bell peppers, kale, romaine lettuce, spinach, tomatoes, watercress
Seeds (especially flax, sunflower, pumpkin), lentils, sea herbs, soy products, olive oil, oats, wheat germ, whole grains, yogurt
Caraway
Stay hydrated (8 glasses of water daily)

Foods to Avoid or Minimize:

Meat & dairy products (except yogurt)
Alcohol and spicy foods
Caffeine, excessive sugar

Essential Oils:
*If additional information or precautions are available, the links below will direct you that information. If not, you will be directed to Amazon for purchasing options.

Hormonal imbalance: myrrh, ylang ylang, clary sage, nutmeg (on ankles every evening, bottom of feet, lower back, thyroid, liver, kidneys, gland areas, center of body, along sides of spine, clavicle area and/or diffuse)
Hot flashes: fennel, clary sage, peppermint (lower back and ankles, reproductive areas, bottom of feet, ovaries, pelvis and/or diffuse)

Natural/Herbal:
*If additional information or precautions are available, the links below will direct you that information. If not, you will be directed to Amazon for purchasing options.

Anise, buchu, cinnamon, dandelion root, evening primrose, fennel, fenugreek, garlic, ginseng, golden seal, lemon balm, licorice, motherwort, red clover flower, rosemary, sage, wood betony
Black Cohosh Tea (limit use to 6 months)
Exercise
Hot Flashes: Add juice of 1/2 a lemon and add it to 3-4 oz of water. Take first thing in the morning.
Regulate/Balance hormone production: Chaste-tree/Chasteberry, lady's mantle, black cohosh.
Mood Swings: Chamomile, ginseng, skullcap, borage, St. John's wort, licorice, linden, lemon balm.
Vaginal Dryness: Creams containing Vitamin E and marigold.
Parsley can relieve cramping pains.
Insomnia: try valerian

Yoga Therapy:

Healing Yoga - Menopause (22 minutes - Healing Yoga)
Yoga Routine for Menopause: Graceful Maturity (31 minutes - Yogea Yoga)

Supplements & Homeopathic:

Black Cohosh: 40 mg twice daily (should contain 2.5% triterpenes).
Chasteberry: 225 mg extract twice daily (also called vitex - should contain 0.5% agnuside).
Siberian Ginseng: 100-300 mg daily (standardized to contain at least 0.8% eleutherosides).
Calcium/ Vitamin D: 600 mg calcium and 200 IU vitamin D daily.
Dong Quai: 200 mg, or 30 drops tincture, 3 times daily (should contain 0.8-1.1% ligustilide).
Licorice: 200 mg standardized extract 3 times daily (be aware this can raise blood pressure).
Soy Isoflavones: 50 mg daily (look for products that contain genistein and daidzein).
Vitamin E: 400 IU twice daily (check with doctor if taking anticoagulant drugs).

Mind-Body Connection:

Menopause issues/problems can represent a fear of not being wanted/needed.

Recipes - Food Medicine:
*Note: Not all recipes are nutritionally perfect, but the options below are a great way to start incorporating beneficial foods into your diet in delicious ways. Always try to buy organic, and feel free to make substitutions to accommodate gluten-free, vegan, etc diets. Recipes naturally Vegan and Gluten-Free are marked as such (V=Vegan; GF=Gluten-Free).

Smoothies/Beverages:

Meals:

Sides & Salads: