Hot flashes might be more commonly known as a symptom of menopause, but you can actually start experiencing hot flashes during perimenopause. Perimenopause begins at 35 for all women. There is quite a long build up and slow shift in your hormonal patterns before you enter menopause and your period stops entirely. Your body stops making as much of estrogen, progesterone and testosterone and it can be more sensitive to imbalance. How much you feel this shift in terms of symptoms will depend on your diet and lifestyle. Hot flashes are not inevitable or a necessary part of this stage of your life. When my clients are entering their perimenopause years I encourage them to eat and live in a way that supports healthy, optimal hormone production. This is why I’ve developed some special recipes specifically for hot flash relief. Even though perimenopause begins at 35, you can delay the aging process that would otherwise come part and parcel with declining hormone production. You can keep your energy, your sex drive, your youthful skin and figure for many more years, just by eating the right hormone-friendly foods. You can avoid common perimenopause symptoms like hot flashes, weight gain, acne, low energy, low libido, moodiness and missing periods by eating with hormonal consciousness. Once you know what’s happening inside your body, you can know what to do to make yourself feel and look good. Your hormones help to regulate your body temperature, so when you have a hormonal imbalance this can go haywire - causing hot flashes. Low estrogen can cause your hypothalamus (your internal thermostat) to stop working effectively. When estrogen is low, the body produces more FSH (follicle stimulating hormone) and LH (luteinizing hormone) - these increase blood circulation by dilating your blood vessels, and so produce the feeling of hot flashes. The best way to prevent hot flashes is to address this root cause - the hormonal imbalance - and support your body in producing higher levels of estrogen and progesterone.
Hot flash relief recipe
I have several special recipes I pass along to my clients who are experiencing hot flashes as a part of perimenopause. If you’re interested in discovering more meal ideas to prevent hot flashes and want further tips on avoiding other potential symptoms of this phase - like weight gain, acne, moodiness - check out my previous articles on the topic for lots more information. The tofu, soy and flax in the hot flash relief recipe I share below will increase your natural levels of plant-based estrogen to help increase your overall levels. The black sesame seeds contain high amounts of calcium (more than a serving of milk) and can also relieve symptoms of hot flashes and insomnia. Flax is a fiber-rich food source and will help your body process and eliminate unneeded hormones - balancing out the added phyto-estrogens from tofu and soy.
Hot Flash Healing Tofu Nibbles recipe
This recipe is perfect for an appetizer, a part of your lunch, a snack or even for a dinner party with your perimenopausal friends! To make these nibbles you’ll need: 1 block organic GMO-free tofu1 T soy sauce1 T unrefined sesame oil or coconut oil1 T coconut nectar or honey2 tsp black sesame seeds2 tsp flax seedsTake a block of Organic GMO Free Tofu. Cut in half inch cubes. Make the “glue” by mixing the soy sauce, sesame oil and blackstrap molasses. Coat the cubes in the sticky dressing. Grind in spice grinder the sesame and flax seeds. Toss the cubes through the seed mixture while still moist and coat thoroughly. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes. They will come out nice and chewy and delicious. Snap a picture of your nibbles for our Twitter or Facebook and we’ll share the best. Tag with #hotflashrelief Always remember, that once you have the right information about how your body really works, you can start making health choices that finally start to work for you! You can do this - the science of your body is on your side!to your FLO,AlisaGood things come in threes:
I want to hear from you!
First, do you have hot flashes Second, do you think you might be in perimenopause? Third, everyone you know is hormonal – spread a little good ovary karma and share this article on social ;)
Is Your Period Healthy?
How do you know if your hormones are healthy? The answer is in your 5th vital sign - your period. The color of your flow, frequency of your period, and symptoms you have each month can tell you a lot about your health. There are 5 different V-SIGN TYPES, and knowing which one you have will help you get healthy now and prevent disease in the future. Click here to take The V-SIGN TYPETM Quiz NOW
