Mrs_bella - I find I need to eat more during the morning and I need an early lunch. Oats and a banana sounds like a great breakfast. Why not have 10 cashew nuts mid morning as these are very sustaining and have masses of the good nutrients one needs. I think having enough protein e.g. eggs, chicken, fish is one of the keys to staving off hunger.
Have a look at the Italian diet - I think it's called the Pioppi diet ? Olive oil, fish and eggs with loads of veg and some fruit are the key basics. This diet is thought to be one of the best to reduce heart disease and diabetes- apparently the residents of this southern Italian village live to well over 80 - however I doubt this is simply down to good diet. Genetics and lifestyle are also terribly important so I'm sure all that sunshine, siestas, easy access to very fresh food, leisurely eating habits and relaxed lifestyle will have a lot to do with why they live longer.
I personally don't buy into any particular ‘diet' as such as the recommendations seem to change all the time and, as I said before, we are all different.
However, there is absolutely no doubt that oestrogen deficiency can play havoc with our digestion, metabolism and the ability to absorb nutrients. We loose muscle mass, strength, stamina and sleep suffers because of oestrogen difiency and regardless of what we do our body shape does change. It doesn't matter how much exercise I do or how much I decrease or change what I eat, there is now a permanent band of fat sitting around the top of my hips and lower stomach and I HATE IT !!!
DG x
