7 healthy eating tips for hormones & health

An excess of sugars, carbs, fats and salt can certainly add to hormone disruption through menopause, and be damaging to health.

In the FREE 9-Day Nurture I share much more information, and provide guidance to help you reduce any or all of the above, but for those of you that would like a quick overview covering these particular hormone and health disruptors here are my 7 top tips.

(There are of course many other tips I could give, but I strongly believe that you have to have solid foundation stones upon which to build, and those below will help you establish those).

1. Love your body:

Soooooo important! And definitely my number one top tip as without this you may well find it more difficult to implement other change.

Compare your body to an expensive car. If you want your car to run well, to last you a long time, get a return on your investment, you would fill it up with high quality fuel.

If you want your body to run well, you must give it the same consideration and fill it with high quality food, avoiding junk food.

Healthy eating really doesn’t have to be more expensive IF you plan well.

2. Make realistic changes:

Plan meals, and snacks if you have or need them, that are practical, eating no more than 5 times/day.

I.E. Breakfast / Mid-morning snack / Lunch / Mid-afternoon snack / Dinner.

I often suggest a non-cereal breakfast, (too much salt and sugar, lacking in nutrients ) porridge excepted as this contains some important hormone balancing nutrients: soup or salad for lunch: vegetable heavy meal for dinner: snacks e.g. small handful of nuts, veggie sticks and hummous

A good consideration would be to include:

• 2 pieces of fruit/day
• 4 different vegetables minimum/day
• wholegrain/non-wheat bread (max 2 slices/day)
• 3 vegetarian meals/week
• 2 with oily fish (e.g. salmon, tuna, trout, mackerel, pilchards, sardines, herring)
• 1 with chicken
• 1 with red meat
• Including beans, pulses and lentils in at least 3 of the meals for essential fibre and phytoestrogens

If you’d like an idea of a week’s menu plan, click MRM Kickstart Menu Plan.

And here’s a blank menu plan to help you view your own eating habits: MYNLP Blank Menu Plan

3. Eat less sugar and refined carbohydrates:

• Drink plenty of (filtered) water instead of sugary fizzy drinks, fruit drinks and cordials.
• Cut out or down on chocolate and sweets, replace with low sugar or sugar free treats from health food counters.Not too many though! More tips on banishing sugar cravings here: https://www.yournewlifeplan.com/14-tips-to-beat-menopause-sugar-cravings
• Reduce sugar laden preserves, cakes, biscuits and pastries, replacing them with lower sugar of sugar free cakes and spreads. I always dislike recommending that you AVOID these completely, we all like a sweet ‘treat’ at times, it’s when they are in excess that problems can occur. My Natural Menopause Road Map workshop will help ensure you identify if you are having too many, and help you achieve the correct BALANCE.

4. Eat less harmful fats:

• Cut down on fatty red meats and replace them with fish or chicken.
• Grill or bake foods, don’t fry. See 5 top healthy cooking methods.
• Avoid crisps and cut down on cakes, biscuits, pastries, confectionery that are full of hidden fats.
• Avoid heating vegetable oils, cook with just a little butter or olive oil with a few drops of water. For spread, use thinly spread butter of olive oil.

5. Avoid added salt:

Salt (sodium) is crucial for our health, but currently British consumers eat far more than they need. Maybe not knowingly so. 65-85% of the salt we eat is in in pre-prepared food, not added to home cooking or at the table.

High salt content is found in:

• Bread
• Breakfasts cereals
• Cakes
• Pastries
• Smoked and preserved meats
• Biscuits
• Stock cubes
• Baked beans
• Crisps
• Bacon
• Cheese

Most people’s sodium needs can be satisfied by consuming a healthy, natural, colourful and varied diet.

Use sea or rock salt sparingly should you need to.

Note: I use herbs or dried seaweeds e.g. nori or wakame flakes, as a natural salt substitute

6. Add herbs to your food:

Herbs are packed with vitamins and minerals without adding excess calories. When adding herbs you increase the flavour of a dish, often making the taste more exotic! And you don’t have to be a Masterchef to do this. Simply get creative and experiment.

Did you know that parsley contains powerful antioxidants, and coriander contains substances that fight diabetes?

A world of cures in in your spice rack! Enjoy.

7. Eat more beneficial fats:

• Nuts, seeds. Nuts are great as a snack, but no more than a small handful/day. Seeds are an excellent source of good fats, but best if ground rather than whole :
  • Walnuts
  • Brazil nuts
  • Almonds (always soak your almonds overnight & rinse  before eating. This removes an enzyme inhibitor on the skin, and they taste so much better!)
  • Hazelnuts
  • Cashew nuts
  • Sunflower seeds
  • Sesame seeds
  • Pumpkin seeds
  • Linseeds/flaxseeds
  • Chia seeds

• Oily fish, if not vegetarian try to include 2/week:
  • Tuna
  • Mackerel
  • Salmon
  • Herring
  • Sardines
  • Trout

These nuts, seeds and fish above all contain beneficial oils, including the essential Omega 3, vital for hormones, skin, immune, heart and brain function.

To find out more about hormone balancing Omega 3 fats, click HERE.

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So! Most of the information is about what to AVOID & OMIT from your diet, and you may be asking, “what can I have instead”?

All is revealed in this blog: https://www.yournewlifeplan.com/healthy-foods-for-menopause-hormones

Plus a delicious granola recipe for you to enjoy. 🙂

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As always, I hope you found this information useful. And remember, sometimes the smallest of change can have a huge positive benefit!

Clare ????

Helping busy ladies naturally create harmony and  health through the menopause years and beyond.  Regain control, confidence, and be free to live the life they choose.

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A full hysterectomy in her 30s led nutritional therapist and health coach Clare on an amazing adventure exploring the many opportunities available to manage her enforced menopause and create long-term health.