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[Sooby]

I have been reading lots of articles recently on foods to fight peri menopause symptoms and it seems that for me at least Magnesium is worth a try.

Until I started HRT I was taking Menoserene by Healthspan so it may be worth me trying that again along side my vitamin D supplements and Evorel Sequi patches?

Long before I realised that my symptoms were hormone related I also used Rhodiola which was effective for a time.

I just wondered if any of you lovely ladies had any experience of using foods, vitamins or eating patterns to address deficiencies, reduce cortisone levels, balance bloodsugars and improve your moods.....?

I dont always eat a balanced diet or eat at often as I should at the moment due to feelings of fatigue or anxiety and feel this is a bit of a vicious circle. Taking a supplement my be enough to stabilize my moods and improve my energy levels sufficiently for me to make some positive nutritional changes...?

What d'ya recon?

[Sarai]

Ah I opened this question hoping to find the answer to my own questions.
Well i am trying to find the answer, mostly to my morning misery.
I have adopted a healthy eating plan (which includes unhealthy too). Loads more vegetables (steamed), reduced salt as BP was creeping up. Loads more fruit and smoothies (don't do smoothies every day). Lots of nuts and seeds. coconut water not cordial. Just hot water not tea of coffee but that suits me as I like it and tea had started to disagree with me. I use magnesium spray regularly.
So all in all I need more ideas as i still get morning misery and often day time too.

[Justjules]

Hi ladies....this post is appropriate for me too as I am just about to embark on some sort of nutrition plan to combat the affects of anxiety as it has exhausted my adrenal glands apparently. Been told to eat lot more protein, veg, especially green veg, advocados, grains, go easy on fruit as full of sugars...so less smoothies in the morning as too many blood sugar spikes....vitamin b complex tabs and a good multivitamin for over 50s.

Sooby, thanks for the links....will have a look

X

[coldethyl]

Hi ladies....this post is appropriate for me too as I am just about to embark on some sort of nutrition plan to combat the affects of anxiety as it has exhausted my adrenal glands apparently. Been told to eat lot more protein, veg, especially green veg, advocados, grains, go easy on fruit as full of sugars...so less smoothies in the morning as too many blood sugar spikes....vitamin b complex tabs and a good multivitamin for over 50s.

Sooby, thanks for the links....will have a look

X

All good advice. I will be joining you as I feel on a hair trigger at the minute. Going to pop to Holland and Barrett in a bit for some pumpkin seeds as great source of magnesium.x

[Justjules]

Ha, go easy on the pumpkin seeds Coldethyl....I munched on them too much one day and felt so ill and bloated and learnt my lesson that more than a couple of handfuls a day caused huge problems! I remember Fiona Phillips from gmtv saying the same thing once. x

[Winterose]

A good brisk walk for an hour is good too, every day, 

[coldethyl]

Ha, go easy on the pumpkin seeds Coldethyl....I munched on them too much one day and felt so ill and bloated and learnt my lesson that more than a couple of handfuls a day caused huge problems! I remember Fiona Phillips from gmtv saying the same thing once. x

Lol. I'll only eat a few. I overdosed on nuts last night and felt so sick in bed. X

[CLKD]

Anxiety surges can be triggered by the body requiring sustenance!  I was advised to eat every 3 hours, 24/7, 52/12.

[Justjules]

Sooby, Drs poo poo the idea of adrenaline fatigue but it's a real condition brought on by the toil of constant stress, anxiety and then leading to exhaustion with an overload of cortisol which then depletes the two little glands that sit just above each kidney. Had this a few years back and it takes a few months to sort. It can be a cause of CFS too apparently but then Drs think that's all in the mind too unfortunately. X

[CLKD]

A Psychologist once told me that an panic attack can't last longer than 20 mins.: ! my longest was 3 days  .  The Psychologist told me that the body is unable to sustain anxiety for too long : WRONG!

[Hurdity]

I agree adrenal fatigue is not a recognised medical condition. here is some info:
http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/features/adrenal-fatigue-is-it-real

I wouldn't get side-tracked down this route!

Obviously stress has enormous effects on the body but steps need to be taken to reduce this in order to improve health generally - without even thinking about adrenal glands.

Sooby I haven't looked at the links - as I'm getting ready for exercise class shortly  but looking at your first post, what screams out at me is your comment  "I dont always eat a balanced diet or eat at often as I should at the moment" which speaks volumes!

No supplement can replace a good balanced diet, fresh air and exercise ( to Winterose walking!) for improving health and well-being! There is info on this site about it (brief) and is all recommended at this stage in our life.

http://www.menopausematters.co.uk/diet.php
http://www.menopausematters.co.uk/weightgain.php

If you want to eat yourself to feeling better - that's a great idea but magnesium is not a food! It is a mineral essential to our health and found in food. You can get all you need from a healthy well-balanced diet. I'm not talking here about the medicinal use of Magnesium - (about which I know very little except for Milk of Magnesia for acid stomach/indigestion) - which is a separate issue.

You can prevent some of the blood sugar surges ( there are several threads talking about this atm) by reducing carbs and sugar and increasing protein.  Really easy to do and noticeable difference to me (even though I am post-meno). Yay to the high cocoa choc - great stuff! My son put me onto this idea as he is low carb as he does weights.

You don't really need any more supplements if you eat a good balanced diet - do you have plenty of iron rich foods? How do you take your Vit D? I take pure cod liver oil every few days ( I am unlikely to be deficient) just to be on the safe side at this time of year and if you keep this up as well as diet you shouldn't need much more if you make sure you are out in the sun as much as you can without sunscreen - for the recommended time! I also take a herbal iron tonic (Floradix) every few days also because I'm still on a (menstrual) cycle (HRT) and have been on a diet. I favour a few gentle food supplements (eg the iron tonic is herbal, cod liver oil is extracted from fish) rather than concentrated pills where the body has to deal with  unnecessary excess and which can also cause problems.

Eat lots and lots of veg and some fruit. Also nuts.

If you get tired then make a bulk portion of soup ( my freezer is full of the stuff - several kinds) which I eat every lunchtime and which is filling and nutritious. I also eat tons of low fat natural yogurt, unweetened stewed apple (+ ground almonds, cottage cheese, eggs, pastrami. smoked mackerel etc + normal evening meal without the carbs.

If you don't want to lose weight then you don't need to be as stringent as I am and could eat more fat etc - but do try to change your diet and your body will thank-you for it - hopefully your moods too. Can't completely override our hormones though but can do our best for ourselves otherwise.

Btw I still enjoy meals out, wine etc - so I am not strict but when at home and when no visitors I adhere to my regime!

Hope this helps!

Oops got carried away there!!!!!

Hurdity x

[CLKD]

Oh lambing  - however, if your ewes are delivering with difficulty, maybe the tups are the wrong 'mix'.  I remember many years ago that a College in the UK put large tups to ewes and everything under 'test' conditions was fine. But the sheep were lambing in the fields and many died due to not being able to deliver naturally.  (this was in the late 1970s early 1980s).

How about Dextrose tablets Sooby, to stop the sudden hunger surge; bananas are slow release and there are lots of different bars on the market for short bursts of energy.  Also, have a look-see at what the Pro cyclists drink/eat …… because they of all people need regular shots of energy (think Tour de France) so lots of UK cycling groups and cycle shops are now using Pro-product drinks.  When Himself went to France a few years back he brought home tubes of energy drinks, thrown from the back of the advertising trucks …….. the top is bitten off and in 2/3 gulps, the drink is gone!  Might be worth you having some in the lambing sheds? 

Packets of commercial dried mixed fruits and nuts are one of my main standbys, as a recovering anorexic it is often difficult to face foods.  I tried Complan years++ ago    ……. but perhaps thinking for quickness, those 'diet' drinks might be a way of getting foods down.  Brazil nuts.  A few are good for energy. Sugar tongs can be helpful if one has been up the inside of a ewe to handle the food ;-)

Could you not sleep in the lambing sheds? There are -40C sleeping bags available and good quality sleeping mats.  That way you are on-hand (literally  ) without the need to dash into the house/back several times.  A good cool bag with nibbles inside will keep them safe from the sheep dogs ;-). 

[Justjules]

Sooby, thanks for all that info! Big help. Don't know how you got time with your lambing, which I hope is going well and not tiring you out too much still.

I am off shopping today to stock up on a lot of those suggested things, which I had been reading about also.

 

[CLKD]

I found about 12 months ago that by starting the day with a good quality Muesli (Lizzys) which has grains including pumpkin seeds, I don't have to grab a bun mid-morning.  I put a drop of very cold milk onto it and most mornings I can eat it without problems.  The biggest problem is it gets in me teeeff 

[Hurdity]

Wow Sooby! LAMBING  !!! What an amazing woman coping with all that and menopause! Don't think I could be getting up night after night with disturbed sleep at my age!

You didn't mention that in your original post!  Of course I was talking about what you could aim for as the ideal. If you are lambing in the middle of the night - well heavens - I think it's perfectly fine just to grab what you can!

....however the main principles re energy levels and blood sugar still apply - I would still try to make sure your snacks do not spike your insulin and lead to energy surges and crashes. Therefore I would not follow CLKD's suggestions of Dextrose tablets and sugary energy drinks - these are the worst things possible and only suitable for diabetics, athletes and those who get hypoglycaemic symptoms regularly (and I mean proper ones ie the sweats and shakes following hunger - not just feeling a bit light-headed!)

I was just going to make some suggestions but I see you know what to do anyway even in the middle of the night! Protein snacks will last you - handful of nuts, anything milky etc. You could make some savoury sandwiches for the middle of the night.....

Tiggergirl - no need to feel guilty - Sooby asked for information about controlling energy and blood sugar levels and whether a supplement would help so I answered that - you need to do whatever is right for you and your circumstances . Btw I never said I was opposed to supplements - - so I use some carefully chosen supplements (and not every day because I don't need them) - that are as close as possible to the (natural) foods they come from, as you will see from my post - but just not a universal pill popper and don't believe in taking 300% of RDA in anything!

Sparky - "Still I've made a start" - great! We can all make changes a little at a time to improve how we eat and therefore how we feel.

Great post Sooby and good luck with the rest of the lambing 

Hurdity x