This episode is an oldie but goodie. It was previously released on Mar 5 2020 (pre-pandemic!) but the nutritional information is timeless. Listen in to discover how to: eat healthy with minimal preparation and time; what foods should be on your plate; which foods may wreak havoc on your hormones; and how to eat to balance blood sugar levels, energy and hormones.
As perimenopausal mamas, it can be tough to eat healthy when life is busy. Preparation can be key, especially to help make it easier at the end of the day after working and running around picking up kids from school or daycare.
Quick tips for food prep:
Pick a day on the weekend to do quick meal prep for the week, make a grocery list and get your groceries for the week
Keep frozen veggies on hand to roast, steam or saute as an option for quick nutrient boost to meals
What does a healthy, balanced diet look like? Macronutrients found in food include:
Protein – animal and plant based
Fats – animal and plant based, unsaturated and saturated (avoiding trans fats!)
Carbohydrates – simple and complex including fibre
There is no one size fits all when it comes to a healthy diet! There is no one master diet that is the right way to eat for everyone and your nutritional needs can change depending on the stage of life you are in.
While a healthy diet can vary from person to person, there are some nutrition guidelines to consider:
Aim for covering half your plate in vegetables, especially colourful veggies and leafy greens
Eat more Brassica family veggies to support estrogen detoxification, including broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, Brussels sprouts and kale
Cover a quarter of your plate with healthy sources of protein like wild caught fish, organic chicken, grass fed beef, beans and legumes
Complex carbohydrates like whole grains or starchy vegetables like sweet potatoes, squash and beets can cover the remaining quarter of your plate
Add healthy fats like avocado, coconut and olive oil, ghee, nuts and seeds like almonds and walnuts
Start your kids early with healthy eating to avoid having to make more than one meal – see Episode 5 with Amanda Beatty for more tips!
Remember that your portion control and balance of carbs in your meals will most likely be different than your kids! Your kids may need more simple carbs in the form of fruit and grains.
Read the label when you’re picking out processed foods and looking for healthy snacks. A snack may say gluten free or natural, but can still have a whole lot of added sugar in it in the form of evaporated cane juice, sucrose, glucose, fructose or other words that end with “ose”.
Are you eating enough protein?
Protein is important for hormone balance for a number of reasons:
Acts as essential building block for hormones and enzymes
Supports muscle mass, which is metabolically active tissue that burns more calories!
Has higher thermic effect of food, which means that your body will burn more calories when digesting and processing food with higher levels of protein
Make sure you have a breakfast that contains protein with:
Eggs in scrambled, omelette, frittata or hard boiled form
Quinoa porridge with seeds like hemp and ground flax
Chia seed pudding
Smoothie with nut butter, protein powder
Adding in an extra scoop of collagen or protein powder to any of the above
Other goals to use your food as medicine can include:
Balance your blood sugar to prevent energy dips, insulin release and fat storage
Stay more full and satisfied with protein, healthy fats, complex carbohydrates and fibre
Get a mood boost with complex carbohydrates and tryptophan-containing foods like chia and sesame seeds
Avoid inflammatory foods like processed sugar and find out if your body is not happy with other normally healthy foods
Common food sensitivities can include dairy, gluten, corn, soy, eggs and even almonds!
Avoid drinking too much water with your meals so that you’re not diluting your stomach acid which can impact your ability to digest and absorb your food properly
Today’s Mama Must Have:
Dr. Toni believes that every mama needs a go-to healthy snack to fuel yourself and your kids and her go-to snack is her hemp protein power balls. Here’s her recipe:
Dr. Toni’s Hemp Protein Power Balls:
½ cup hemp protein powder (from Manitoba Harvest)
1 tbsp organic cocoa powder (from Camino Cuisine or Rodelle)
½ cup sunflower seed butter (from Nuts to You, or use almond/pumpkin seed butter)
½ tbsp hemp seed oil (from Manitoba Harvest, or use MCT/flaxseed oil)
Optional:
Coconut flakes
Ground flaxseed
Dried cranberries (sweetened with apple juice from Patience)
Mix dried ingredients in a large mixing bowl, then add wet ingredients. Consider adding more oil if using optional ingredients. Roll into bite sized balls and store in the refrigerator.
Thank you for joining us today!
Have any comments, suggestions or burning questions? Email us or connect with us on Facebook and Instagram. We’d love you to subscribe, leave us a review and a 5 star rating if you enjoyed this episode.
Please tell your perimenopausal mama friends about us, too!
In today’s episode, Dr. Lisa and Dr. Toni discuss what you need to know about magnesium. Magnesium is one of our favourite nutritional supplements because of its role in hormone balance, aging and mood. Are you experiencing symptoms of low magnesium? Find out why you might need to have more magnesium in your life!
Why is magnesium so important?
Involved in over 300 enzymatic reactions in your body
Found in your bones, cardiovascular system, nervous system and in every cell in your body – less than 1% of magnesium in your body found in your blood
Acts as a natural muscle relaxant
Calms your nervous system
Plays an important role for your energy production
Influences GABA for relaxation and melatonin for sleep
Influences your love and bonding hormone oxytocin
Supports your liver detoxification pathways to promote breakdown and elimination of excess estrogen, which is linked with breast tenderness, fibroids, heavy periods, endometriosis symptoms (see Episode 21 for more info)
Important for your thyroid function – research links magnesium levels with thyroid health (see Episode 42 for more info)
Low magnesium levels are linked with high oxidative stress and low grade inflammation associated with signs of aging like cognitive decline, wrinkles, etc.
Important modulator of your receptors in the brain like NMDA receptors which are involved in memory function and depression
Can protect you against calcium deposits in your soft tissue like calcium oxalate kidney stones or calcifications in your arteries
Supports your utilization of vitamin D
Helps insulin work to control your blood sugar
What are symptoms of low magnesium?
Low energy
Low mood, anxiety, panic (see Episode 81 for more info)
Muscle aches and pains
Menstrual cramps, PMS, hormonal imbalances (see Episode 21 for more info)
Blood sugar imbalances (see Episode 45 for more info)
You are more at risk for magnesium insufficiency if you experience:
Gastrointestinal diseases like Crohn’s, Celiac, etc.
Type 2 diabetes
Alcohol dependence or alcoholism
Reduced magnesium absorption and increased excretion as we age (oops, that’s everyone!)
Your levels of magnesium are depleted by:
Sugar – 1 molecule of sugar uses 30-40 molecules of magnesium
Insulin resistance
Medications like:
Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), antacids
Birth Control Pill
Diuretics
Antibiotics
Stress
Low stomach acid – can’t absorb minerals
Caffeine, alcohol due to their diuretic effect
Severe magnesium deficiency is called hypomagnesemia, resulting in anorexia, nausea, vomiting, lethargy, weakness, personality change, tetany (eg. hyperreflexia), tremor and muscle fasciculations.
Laboratory Testing to Consider to Measure Magnesium:
RBC (red blood cell) magnesium
How can you get more magnesium in?
Foods
Pumpkin seeds, chia seeds, almonds, cashews, spinach, black beans, edamame
Dark chocolate – 70% or higher
Leafy green vegetables
Avocado, bananas
Epsom salts bath – magnesium sulfate
1-2 cups in bath and soak for at least 20 minutes for absorption of magnesium through your skin
Topical gels, lotions, sprays
Liquid, capsules, powder
Intravenous (IV) nutrient therapy – bypasses digestive system
How do you know if you’re getting too much magnesium?
Loose stools/diarrhea
Watch blood pressure if taking blood pressure medication, could help to reduce dose of medication
very large doses of magnesium-containing laxatives and antacids (typically providing more than 5,000 mg/day magnesium) have been associated with magnesium toxicity
Tolerable Upper Intake Levels for Supplemental Magnesium:
Source: Food and Nutrition Board (FNB) at the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies
Age Male Female Pregnant Lactating
Birth to 12 months None established
1–3 years 65 mg 65 mg
4–8 years 110 mg 110 mg
9–18 years 350 mg 350 mg 350 mg 350 mg
19+ years 350 mg 350 mg 350 mg 350 mg
What are the different types of magnesium?
Chloride and Sulfate – often used in intravenous (IV) solutions
Oxide – 90% not absorbed, used as a laxative in small amounts
Form of magnesium most commonly reported to cause diarrhea, along with magnesium carbonate, chloride and gluconate
Citrate – often used for migraines, PMS, constipation – gentle osmotic laxative – often dosed up to 600mg per day
Malate – shown to be more bioavailable than oxide, sulfate and citrate in rats
Studies show reduced pain and tenderness in patients with fibromyalgia with oral supplementation for 8 weeks and 6 months
Bisglycinate/glycinate – elemental magnesium chelated to amino acid glycine
Allows for larger amounts to be absorbed more quickly and retained by your body
Shown to reduce pain from menstrual cramps and leg cramps in pregnant women
Can be more relaxing, often recommended before bed
L-threonate – Magtein: patented form of magnesium developed by scientists from MIT & Stanford U with metabolite of vitamin C
developed and clinically proven to pass through the blood-brain barrier versus other forms of magnesium
People with Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease have lower levels of magnesium in cerebrospinal fluid
evaluated in a series of cognitive tests for executive function, attention, working and episodic memory and episodic memory, with significant improvement at 6 and 12 weeks
shown to reduce the effects of aging by 9 years
increases the synaptic density, which can decline with aging
has shown improvement in brain circulation and cognitive testing in a small sample of people taking the supplement for 12 weeks
more research currently for treating chemotherapy-induced memory deficits and cognitive impairment, anxiety, sleep, mood and other conditions of again
Today’s Mama Must-Have:
Dr. Lisa loves her Hella Hydrating Serum from Joyous Health with rosehip oil and hyaluronic acid, as well as her favourite brands of dark chocolate – Zazubean 80% or Giddy Yoyo.
Dr. Toni is a big fan of Epsom gel, as well as using her neti pot with saline and xylitol for reducing extra irritation from wildfire smoke.
Dr. Toni’s next HypnoBirthing info session for expecting parents looking to trust their instincts and their body during labour and birth is happening Aug 31st. Join her at https://www.hypnobirthingcalgary.com/register
Dr. Lisa’s Wild Collective begins again in Fall 2021: get on the waitlist: wildcollectivetoronto.com
We’d love you to subscribe, leave us a review and a 5-star rating if you enjoyed this episode.
Please tell your perimenopausal mama friends about us, too!
Stay safe and healthy everyone!
Disclaimer: The information provided in this presentation is not meant to replace treatment with a licensed health care practitioner. It is for informational purposes only. Consult with a Naturopathic Doctor or other licensed health care professional to determine which treatments are safe for you.
In this week’s episode, Dr. Lisa and Dr. Toni are discussing what you need to know about uterine fibroids. Did you know that by the age of 50, almost two-thirds of women experience fibroids? Listen in to discover risk factors, racial disparities, conventional and natural treatments available for fibroids.
What are uterine fibroids?
Fibroids are noncancerous tumors that grow in the uterus and range from pea to football sized.
Fibroids disproportionately impact women of color. Black women are diagnosed with fibroids roughly three times as frequently as white women, develop them earlier in life and tend to experience larger and more numerous fibroids that cause more severe symptoms.
In the US, nearly a quarter of Black women between 18 and 30 have fibroids compared to about 6% of white women. By age 35, that number increases to 60%.
Potential causes and risk factors:
Estrogen dominance, as estrogen can feed the growth of fibroid – see Episode 21 and 22
Xenoestrogens and hormone disrupting compounds – for more info see Episode 65
Commercially-Raised Animal Products:
Plastics & Canned Goods (many have plastic lining)
Personal Care Products (makeup, lotion, & perfumes)
Oral Contraceptives or birth control pill
Pharmaceutical medications
Food Additives & preservatives
Styrofoam products
Laundry & Dishwashing detergents
Household cleaners & air fresheners
Pesticides & Herbicides
Perimenopause due to with lower progesterone levels
Weight gain, as your fat cells make more estrogen
Poor liver detoxification of hormones
Low vitamin D status – impacted by your skin tone and levels of melanin in your skin
Vitamin D deficiency occurs 10X in Black women compared women from other cultures
Vitamin D inhibits uterine fibroid growth
Stress – see Episode 24 for more info on stress and your adrenal glands
Signs and Symptoms:
Heavy menstrual bleeding
Menstrual periods lasting more than a week
Anemia and fatigue
Pelvic pressure or pain, can be during intercourse
Frequent urination
Difficulty emptying the bladder
Constipation
Protruding abdomen or bloating
Backache or leg pains
3 locations:
Subserosal – on the outside surface of your uterus
Intramural – within the muscular wall of your uterus
Submucous – bulging into your uterine cavity
May impact your fertility in the following ways:
Block fallopian tubes, cervix
Reduce where implantation can occur
Increase risk of miscarriage
C-section may be recommended for birth
Conventional Treatments:
Uterine Fibroid Embolization
Non-surgical; outpatient procedure
Incision in upper thigh with catheter inserted into femoral artery using x-ray to guide/locate blood supply to fibroid
Microscopic inert particles injected into vessels that nourish the fibroid to block blood supply resulting in fibroids shrinking
Myomectomy:
Fibroid only taken out
Black women 2x more likely to get complications like excessive blood loss, scar tissue, fertility issues
Hysterectomy
Removal of uterus
Black women 2.5x more likely to get than other cultures in the US
Prevention:
Optimize vitamin D levels
Supporting liver detoxification pathways
Green tea
Cruciferous vegetables
Garlic, onions, beets
Herbs: turmeric, milk thistle, yellow dock
Support regular bowel movements – see Episode 63 for more info on addressing constipation
Avoid xenoestrogens and plastics (even BPA free plastic) – see Episode 65 for more info
Limit alcohol
Support healthy weight and body fat percentage
Exercise
Reduce stress
Consider hormone testing and if needed:
Support progesterone with vitex or bioidentical progesterone
Support estrogen detoxification with DIM, I3C
Naturopathic treatment includes:
Above prevention strategies plus
Replace iron if deficient
Castor oil packs topically on abdomen to reduce inflammation and support circulation
Herbs to reduce bleeding like yarrow, shepherd’s purse
This Week’s Mama Must Have:
Dr. Toni is loving the inspiring and motivational book Untamed by Glennon Doyle.
Dr. Lisa has committed to daily reading time and has read 4 books so far since Jan 2021. She loves getting books from free little libraries and just started Girl on a Train.
Dr. Toni’s next HypnoBirthing info session for expecting parents looking for increased calm, confidence and comfort during labour and birth is May 30. Join her at https://www.hypnobirthingcalgary.com/register
Recent Comments