Menopause Relief - 2 Easy Steps

There are two very easy steps that a woman can take to find a great deal of Menopause relief that doesn't involve risky hormone replacement or other prescription drugs.

1. Diet

The first line of defense is making changes in the diet. There's never been a time that your body needs healthy food more than it does now. The most crucial change that must be made is the elimination of sugar. Removing sugar from your diet will decrease symptoms like depression, anxiety, irritability and other mood swings. Additionally white flour and other refined foods should be removed as well. The body needs whole foods in their natural state to receive adequate nutrients and function properly.

Fill your diet with fresh organic fruit and vegetables, organic meats, whole grains and yogurt, however keep fruits that are high in natural sugar to a minimum, Lots of dark, leafy vegetables like spinach and kale are great choices, as are cabbage, green beans, cucumbers, broccoli and cauliflower.

Potatoes, brown rice, whole grain breads or other whole grain alternatives like kamut or spelt should replace things like chips, pasta and white bread.

Make sure you get adequate fiber, protein and healthy oils like virgin olive oil, safflower oil or sunflower oil and drink lots of clean, purified water.

Avoid caffeine, soda and chocolate. If you're not estrogen dominant, then you may find relief in soy based foods like soy milk or tofu.

Why should your food be organic? Because food that isn't organic contains herbicides and pesticides. Herbicides and pesticides are endocrine disruptors. They mimic estrogen in the body and upset the natural balance of your hormones. The more herbicides and pesticides you are exposed to the more severe your menopause symptoms will be.

2. Exercise

Second in line is exercise. Some type of daily exercise will help drastically in finding Menopause relief. Exercise does a variety of things. It boosts the immune system, flushes out daily toxins, stimulates neurotransmitters which impact our fluctuating moods and cravings, helps deal with stress more effectively and boosts a sluggish metabolism to help keep off those unwanted pounds that are easy to accumulate during this phase of life.

Exercise will help you feel better emotionally, physically and spiritually. This doesn't mean you have to go to the gym and work out everyday. Just take a simple walk around the block will do or get involved in something like gardening or aerobics in your living room.

With exercise you'll stay more fit physically, reduce mood swings, depression, anxiety and irritability, maintain your weight, enhance your ability to cope and deal with stress, improve bowel functioning and sleep better.

I offer this advice to you, not only as a holistic health practitioner, but also as a woman going through Menopause. I can testify to the effectiveness of these tips first hand.

If I eat sugar, and keep in mind that on the rare occasion I do eat sugar, it is always "organic unrefined sugar" it still causes an extreme exacerbation in anxiety and irritability. The same with chocolate, and even though it's organic chocolate, I'll be so uncomfortable I can hardly be in my skin. I can get away with one small serving of organic chocolate or sugar maybe once every six months without too much suffering, but if I splurge more than that the suffering is unbearable.

Additionally if I don't get my daily walk in for several days in a row, then I get very irritable and anxious. My headaches increase, my body aches all over, I don't sleep well, and mood swings prevail. All my symptoms become much worse.

The great thing about diet and exercise is that it is something you have total control over and you don't have to go to the doctor or get a prescription. It's very easy and it doesn't cost you anything. Safe and natural remedies for Menopause relief are at your fingertips at all times.