If you’ve read anything about menopause symptoms such as hot flashes or headaches, you’ve probably read something about sugar. With Halloween (and all the sugar-laden holidays) fast approaching, let’s talk sugar and strategy.
Does sugar really affect my hormones & hot flashes?
Sadly, (and annoyingly) it can.
A study in support
Before we ghost head-first into strategy, I wanted to share a study conducted by the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, which followed 6,000 women over a 9-year period. During the course of the study, menopause symptoms (specifically hot flashes and night sweats) and food habits were tracked, and researchers noted a connection between what women eat and the symptoms they experience.
The short story here is, many of those in the study who ate high-fat and high-sugar diets experienced higher rates of reported hot flashes. Those women who ate more of a Mediterranean diet (including veggies, lean meats, olive oil, even red wine!) had lower incidence of reported hot flashes.
That’s great and everything, but Halloween is next week!
If you’ve adopted All Hallow’s Eve as one of your top 3 favorite holidays, and you’re suffering regularly with these darn symptoms, there are creative things you can do to help yourself steer clear of sugar leading up to, going through, and then after Halloween.
A few ideas:
What else could you be eating during the week?
A short checklist of possible options to consume, along with your favorite sweet.
Real, whole food is an excellent way to help your body regulate your blood sugar. This is not about perfection, this is about taking good care, enjoying the week, and suffering less.
What else is going on?
Here are a few other activities that can help you focus on something other than the candy bowl near the front door.
Some other activity, any other activity, can draw you in, help you concentrate on something other than sugar, which may lessen the frequency or intensity of menopause symptoms. Hang on to this post… the rest of the holiday season is fast approaching.
What else might be of help for Halloween and the sweet season to follow? Treat us all with your ideas or suggestions in our community forums!
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