Why Do Japanese Women Suffer Less with Menopause than Americans?

Today’s article continues the 30-day challenge to treating menopause naturally. If you have not had a chance to read my previous articles on diet and hormonal imbalances make sure you check those out. I will focus today on the Japanese diet and what we can learn and even incorporate into our American diet to ease or eliminate menopause symptoms.

Millions of Americans suffer from hot flashes during menopause, but many do not realize that diet can have a lot to do with it. In some cultures, mainly Asian, rarely experience hot flashes. Only 7% of Japanese women experience hot flashes compared to 55% of American women. Hot flashes and night sweats are virtually unheard of in Japan thanks to their diet including more vegetable protein that animal protein, and lots of fish, soy and tofu*. In contrast to the American diet that contributes to hot flashes and mood swings such as with excessive alcohol, caffeine and sugar, dairy products and processed foods. Dairy products are not prominent in traditional Japanese dishes.

Is your high-fat, overly processed diet working?

It is common for Japanese culture to practice Hara hachi bu-eating until your stomach is 80% full. Americans tend to overeat and overstuff themselves with high-fat and oftentimes overly processed foods which can cause hormonal imbalances.

The Japanese diet consists of mainly large amounts of soy products such as tofu, edamame, and miso. The Japanese diet also consists of root vegetables such as carrots, daikon radish, and ginger. Other vegetables include steamed green beans, eggplant, spinach, bamboo shoots, turnips, shitake mushrooms and variations of seaweed. The Japanese eat way more vegetables and more fish than other meats. Japanese drink lots of green tea to help with metabolism and weight loss instead of high-caloric sodas. The Japanese use small plates instead of the large saucers that Americans tend to use. Japanese chew their food slowly and use chopsticks to enjoy and savor every bite, and as an added bonus chewing your food more slowly will help with felling fuller faster.

*If you buy soy or tofu make sure it is made from unprocessed and non-gmo ( not genetically modified). Most American tofu is manufactured through a highly refined process. Check and read all labels before purchasing soy or tofu.

*As with soy milk it has been heralded as an alternative to dairy, but despite these claims soy contains phytoestrogens, compounds that can disrupt hormones. Soy contains isoflavones that act as estrogen mimickers. Highly-processed non-gmo soy is not a better alternative than fermented soy. Fermented soy includes miso, tofu and tamari. Soy is incredibly cheap and is often used as stabilizers such as in processed and prepackaged foods, once again read the labels. The majority of soy in America is genetically modified.

Reflect:

After reading about the Japanese diet what can you incorporate or eliminate into your diet that would be beneficial to your health?

How Your Diet Affects Your Hormonal Balance

In this article, which is Week 1 for the 30-day challenge* to treating hormonal imbalance naturally I will focus on how diet can affect hormonal imbalances in women.

*See article, “Hormonal Imbalances-30 Day Challenge to Treating Hormonal Balance Naturally”

→Did you know that the Western diet that consists of processed foods, high amounts of sugar, fried foods, artificial ingredients added to foods, pesticides that are found on fruits and vegetables, and meats that are injected with hormones and antibiotics are wreaking havoc on your hormones?

The conventional remedies that are offered to women such as painkillers, mood enhancers and birth control pills do not properly treat hormonal imbalance, they just mask the symptoms.

Starting to balance your hormones naturally begins in what you are eating. Use a journal just for one day and write everything that you are ingesting into your body. READ THE LABELS and list the ingredients. Do you know what you are really consuming? Educate yourself on what you are eating. Prior to the end of WWII cows and even chickens were allowed to have “free range” or “cage free” environments, now these animals are in cages of some type and are injected with hormones to produce more milk, and more quantities of meat. In the United States we also mass produce fruits and vegetables by applying harmful pesticides and chemicals and some fruits and vegetables are genetically modified. Even if you wash your fruits and vegetables there can still be traces of pesticides that you can ingest.

Tips on what your diet should look more like for a balanced hormonal system:

First, I will say that if you are used to eating a diet that consists of processed foods, lots of sugar, and eating a lot of red, fatty meat-ease into this new way of eating. Give it 30 days before you give up. Between 21-30 days you can form a new habit or break an old habit.

►Tip 1:

If you eat for good digestive health, you will already have a jumpstart on hormonal balance.

Science now shows that gut health equals hormonal balance. Processed foods, many dairy products, and red, fatty meat are hard on your digestion system. If you do happen to eat a slice of cheese or another similar food, try taking a dairy-focused digestive enzyme supplement when you can’t avoid eating dairy.

►Tip 2:

Flush your liver.

Your liver is your body’s master filter and detoxification-If your liver is clogged, it can affect hormone balance. Include a green smoothie in your day to detoxify your liver. Green smoothies can include dandelion, parsley, cilantro and celery. Do a little research on green smoothie recipes and make your own.

Tip 3:

►Create healthy plates.

¼ plate should be a protein, ½ plate should be a non-starchy vegetable and ½ plate should be whole grains.

►Tip 4:

Foods to avoid or have very minimally:

Fried foods

Processed foods including fast food and frozen meals

White flour, white pasta, and white rice

Sugar

Soy

Foods that have artificial ingredients (read the labels)

Red, fatty meat

Meat that has been injected with hormones and antibiotics

Dairy products that have been injected with hormones

High amounts of caffeine/alcohol/soda

Vegetable and peanut oil

►Tip 4:

Foods to eat to balance hormones naturally:

Protein at every meal such as chicken, eggs, or fish.

Salmon, tuna, sardines are the best types of fish to eat.

Incorporate heathy fats-extra virgin olive oil, ghee (real butter), coconut oil, walnuts, almonds.

Organic fruits and vegetables without the use of pesticides/chemicals

Dark leafy vegetables-collard greens, romaine lettuce, kale

Other vegetables: asparagus, avocados, broccoli, cabbage, cucumbers, tomatoes, carrots, squash, sweet potatoes, edamame, and other colorful vegetables.

Organic pastured, grass-fed chicken, turkey, beef and eggs (without the added hormones and antibiotics)

Beans, and lentils

Brown rice, Quinoa, and other whole wheat organic carbohydrates

Flaxseed and chia seeds

Tofu

What drinks help with natural balance of hormones:

Filtered water and not from a plastic bottle (more on this coming in another article)

Lemon tea with either green or black tea. Lemon wakes up your digestive system. Add boiling water to tea and squeeze a half of a lemon.

If you need a sweetener for your tea, try Stevia and/or unpasteurized organic honey

Almond milk in place of full-fat dairy milk

First thing in the morning drink raw/organic apple cider vinegar (ACV). ACV has many healing properties such as with digestion and immunity. Mix 1 tbs. of ACV with 3 tbs. of water.

Invest in a smoothie or juicer and make your own juice-pineapple, orange, etc.

Snacks in between meals or for after dinner:

Nuts-walnuts and almonds are the best

Fruit and real-fruit popsicles

Whole-grain cereal with almond milk

Make your own popcorn-organic popcorn kernels. Cook in olive oil and add sea salt

Raw carrots (not baby carrots)

If you enjoy food like I do, incorporating these changes will not be easy. Start off with a few changes that you know you can make and add the others as you get used to the new foods. Because I enjoy food so much, I will allow myself one or two meals per week that I enjoy the most. Adjust the diet to your liking and what works best for you. You may find you need a little more or less of a particular food. My hope is if we challenge ourselves just for 30 days to eat better for our hormonal balance we will see significant improvements in mood, energy, sleep and weight.

→Anyone up for the challenge? I say challenge because changing from our deep-fried and over-processed food diet will be a challenge. But, what is the alternative? Hormonal imbalance. I am up for the challenge, are you? Let me know if you are and what foods you will implement or incorporate.