As we start to experience the ‘change’, the time in a woman’s life when her hormones are reshuffling, you may be questioning the health advice you’ve been following for the past few decades.

Mainly due to the fact that what used to work isn’t working now!

Whether that’s jumping on the trusty weight loss diet to lose a few kg’s or just grabbing a few early nights to reboot your energy… none of it’s making a difference.

The reality is that age and our changing hormones are affecting our health.

For starters, estrogen and progesterone are declining, and not necessarily at the same time in harmony with each other, which is why we often experience the dreaded menopause symptoms like hot flushes.

As estrogen declines, we lose one of our protective effects against heart disease.

You can read about why our risk of heart disease increases in menopause here https://naturallynic.com.au/how-to-reduce-the-increased-risk-of-heart-disease-in-perimenopause/

As we age we make less stomach acid (HCL) which reduces the bioavailability of many nutrients like B12, Ca, Fe, Mg

So whether it’s not eating the foods that nourish us OR the lack of stomach acid – we don’t feel that energy and vitality that we did back in the day.

And it’s all too easy in this stage of life to blame it on our hormones and think there’s nothing we can do about it.

Plus our epithelial cells run out of Nitric Oxide, a compound that keeps our arteries supple & smooth like Teflon which helps prevent the build-up of plaque and heart disease.

So the combination of less nitric oxide AND the change in our fat distribution due to our disappearing estrogen means our risk of heart disease increases to the same as men’s.

While this may sound alarming the solution can be found in plants.

Firstly it’s plants that contain the nutrients that you need more of in mid-life.

Secondly adding ACV or lemon juice to your salads or water is an easy way to increase your stomach acid and therefore ensure that any nutrients that need an acidic environment can be absorbed.

AND plant foods are our best source of Nitric Oxide.

The top Nitric Oxide producing foods are:
• Leafy greens
• Garlic
• Beetroot
• Citrus fruit
• Nuts & seeds are high in arginine which converts to NO
• Dark chocolate – gotta be happy about that!

Keeping your blood vessels elastic, will also help with anti-aging girls…so eat your greens every day 🙂

I see improvements in health all the time with my clients when they start eating more plants, not only do they start to feel better and have more energy but we see cholesterol & BP coming down, and unwanted kilos sliding off, all of which help to reduce our risk of heart disease.

Knowing how to nourish your body is key to breezing through menopause, and how to avoid unwanted weight gain.

Book a free 30-minute complimentary consult and let me take a peek at what you’re currently eating. I’ll give you my recommendations on how you can easily add more plants to the meals and recipes you’re already making.

Let’s make sure you’re healthy in mid-life so you can thrive in this next season of life.

Nic x

Keep reading for more plant-based women’s health.