It is hot and your appetite may be a little different. Apart from wanting lots of cold drinks to cool down and stay hydrated, some may find their appetite drops but this doesn’t mean it is a great opportunity to fill up on ice cream and sugary drinks. Make sure you are really getting the nutrients you need, especially if you are working out or training in some form. I have many women that come to my classes, struggle with dips in energy levels and find it difficult to work through their classes. Some tell me it may be because they are going through the menopause or since having their children.
Eating for hormonal balance is important if vitality is important to you. I need energy to get me through each day and I like to do it with a bounce and spring in my step, so that I can offer the best of myself with vitality and support to others.
Start the day with a good breakfast . Remember your glycogen levels drop overnight and need to be topped up as you wake, so breakfast really is the most important meal of the day. Avoid sugary breakfasts as this will slow you down. It will give you a quick lift, then a quick drop in sugar levels and you will then be craving more sugar. So ditch any sugar laden cereals and go for simple cereals like oatmeal, sugar free muesli or bran flakes. Always check the ingredients on the packaging as often it is added to the fruit in the cereal. Have cereal and add your own fruit.
Fancy a proper traditional breakfast? Great, just keep it clean and lean. Have your lean bacon or Turkey rashers fried in a spray of olive oil, same for your eggs or poach them. Instead of sugar laden beans, opt for tomatoes and spray fried. Add your slices of some toast but keep it granary if you can with a little spread that is a healthy alternative to butter.
For energy, you really do need to eat like an athlete; every 2-3 hours, something with natural sugar like a banana or some fruit in between meals is essential to maintain natural sugar levels.
Balance those hormones. Are you struggling with a hormonal imbalance? If you are struggling with the menopause, this can play havoc with your energy and weight. You can make it easier and tackle it with the right food to help balance the hormones.
Many women claim they have sailed through it with natural nutrition. It has been well documented that even those women who are going through some menopausal symptoms such as hot flushes and all over the place hormones, if they are fit and healthy can suffer less with it and retain a fit and normal interest of sexual activity, easier flushes to deal with and less mood swings and good general energy level.
Phytoestrogens balance hormones. Best sources are soya, chickpeas, lentils, flaxseed, broccoli and sprouted lung and alfa beans. A simple switch with a big added top up on soya has been known to really help. Soy is rich in isoflavones which are plant based molecules with oestrogen like activity. A soy rich diet is said to have the same consequences as an increase in oestrogen levels. Men were advised not to have too much soy foods as they are high in phytoestrogens, which are plant based substances that copy in action the effects of estrogen in the body by altering hormonal levels and possibly reducing testosterone.
Don’t cut out the carbohydrates please. Often people tell me they have lost so much weight by cutting out the carbs. The body needs some carbs. Cutting out bread, potatoes, rice and pasta really is not necessary. The body needs some good complex carbs like potatoes, wholegrain bread, rice, etc which are fine energy boosters. Have these, just don’t laden them with thick rich fatty or creamy sauces. A little with your other protein source is needed. Some vitamins and minerals are needed from each to work together to work efficiently, hence a balanced diet. Remember if you cut out the carbs, as soon as you add them again, it will seem as though you put on weight because carbs retain water, unlike protein source. So keep a little of the good carbs in and your weight won’t go up and down dramatically.
Omega 3 fatty acids are essential so make sure oily fish is in your eating plan – mackerel, salmon, sardines or flaxseed are great for this.
As always, fresh fruit and vegetables will give those vitamins and natural fibre. Eaten whole is better than a smoothie, although smoothies are fine, especially if your appetite is lacking.
So with good quality sleep, lots of water, along with a great eating regime, you should be leaping out to enjoy and maximise each day.
Love and Sparkles
Samsara x
