It's easy to forget the purpose of food, especially at this time of year when we're bombarded with messages about weight loss goals. Too often we associate it with our outward appearance, being beautiful, being slim, having a perfect body...
Yet food is there to nourish our body. Neuroscientists will tell us that the nutrients in food literally determine whether our brain cells fire up or not, grow or not, form new connections or wither and die. Food is also our best ally when it comes to hormonal balance in midlife.
Meet the "feisty four" and find out how to balance them.
The approach of quarantine can often be summed up in three words: breast tension, irregular cycles, fatigue. All these symptoms have the same origin: the hormones are agitated. Your body, which you knew so well, shows signs hitherto unknown. Profound changes begin to gently upset the organism and the first outward signs appear. This is the start of perimenopause.
Four interconnected hormones that we will call "the fiery four" act in concert on our body and our mind, causing symptoms that may indicate that a rebalancing of these biological substances is necessary. Their influence is all the stronger as you approach perimenopause.
Cortisol
"The Stress Hormone" Common symptoms associated with a cortisol imbalance include: feeling "on edge", brain fog, fatigue, mood swings, poor sleep, anxiety, frequent colds and buildup of abdominal fat that proves to be difficult to eliminate.
Insulin
“The Hormone That Stores Fat”: Common symptoms include increased waist circumference (your waist is wider than your hips), feeling sleepy in the afternoon, anger (and especially the feeling of "hunger", which results in the difficulty of going without food), mood swings, waking up at 3 am, heavy or painful periods, sugar cravings and dizziness before bedtime. meal.
Thyroid
"The Metabolism Hormone": Symptoms may include extreme tiredness (especially in the morning), feeling sluggish and weight gain, mood swings, anxiety, hair loss, dry skin, cold hands and feet, and brain fog.
Estrogens
"The Sex Hormone"; symptoms range from dry itchy skin, vaginal dryness, low mood, low libido, hot flashes, night sweats, memory loss, cramps if your cycle is still ongoing , often accompanied by heavy bleeding, water retention, bloating, breast tenderness, weight gain and headaches.
Keeping a close eye on our hormones is essential as we enter and go through menopause, a stage of life that really begins in our mid to late thirties. If we don't, we allow ourselves to be exposed to chronic diseases.
The first good news? Lifestyle changes can make a big difference. In this article, we offer you a 4-step happy hormone code that combines good nutrition with self-care, proper exercise, and eliminating toxic hormone disruptors from the home.
- Think of food as medicine: eat protein, healthy fats, slow carbohydrates, phytonutrients and make sure you drink enough water.
- Prioritize cruciferous vegetables: they are full of glucosinolates which not only help you fight infections, but recent studies show that they may also have potential in the fight against cancer.
- Consume foods high in phytoestrogens, but be sure to look for non-GMO sources (which we also do with our dietary supplements).
- Treat yourself to dark chocolate: rich in magnesium, it can help restore your cortisol levels. It can also have a very positive impact on mood. In addition to 70% dark chocolate, we recommend taking ethically sourced organic cocoa nibs as a snack or as a topping for your yogurt, cakes or cereal.
Finally, the second good news?
We include clinical doses of all these essential nutrients in our Harmonie Daily. Based on a unique synergy of 11 natural active ingredients, Harmonie Daily has been formulated specifically for the needs of women in perimenopause, menopause and postmenopause. Something to make your life easier and lighten your shopping list!
With love, The Laboratoires üma team.
