Soy
Natural Solution
for Menopause Symptoms
Soy is called "the menopause super food", because it is considered one of the natural menopause solutions. It is a safe alternative to conventional Hormone Replacement Therapy based menopausal treatment.
As any other natural alternative remedy, there is a lot of controversy regarding the benefits and the detrimental effects of Soy, but overall picture is that Soy is clearly beneficial at menopause.
 The Soybean belongs to the legume family, whose members include peas, beans, peanuts, as well as clovers. These legumes feature phytonutrients that provide some unique benefits to women at menopause. These phytonutrients are divided in different classes, the most studied class is isoflavones.
The Soybean is especially rich in isoflavones.
Health Benefits- It promotes bone health - Women at menopause can loose up to 20% of their bone density!
- It is good for Weight loss because it improves the insulin regulation, it has a low Glycemic Index and high protein and omega 3's content.
- It improves the quality of nails, skin and hair.
- It improves memory loss.
- It lowers the risk of cardiovascular problems because it is high in antioxidants and reduces the inflammation which is linked with heart problems.
- It reduces hot flashes and night sweats.
Tips to incorporate Soy in your dietAny woman is different. Soy might work very well for some women, moderate for others, or not tolerated by others. We all know that different body types react differently to different foods, so this is normal.
Soy is a part of a healthy diet for people who are interested in a healthy lifestyle and want to leave longer. When women experience the symptoms of menopause, and ride that horrible roller coaster, why not give Soy a try, anything that might help is worth it!
Incorporating a few Soy products in our diet is not a big deal. There are so many delicious recipes, yummy shakes, savory tofu dishes, not to forget the addictive peanuts!
I personally started with whole foods, it wasn't hard to drink a glass of Soy milk, or to snack on a handful of Soy nuts or to eat a delicious stir fry tofu!
Foods rich in phytoestrogen:
rye, barley, lentils, kidney beans, lima beans, chickpeas, navy beans, red beans, split peas, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, spices (cloves, ginger, oregano, thyme), apples, plums, prunes, cherries, beets, celery, parsley, broccoli, olives, carrots, cucumber, mushrooms, cauliflower, tomatoes, Brussels sprouts, brown rice, oats.
Now, it is hard to suggest how much Soy you need, because, again, every woman is different. Experts suggest 40-80 of isoflavones per day. Your own body will actually tell you how much you tolerate.
There are a lot of high quality products on the market: bars, shakes; read the supplement facts panel. My favorite Soy Protein Powder product is Bob's Red Mill. You can use it for fruit smoothies, it makes the perfect drink! I personally enjoy my Mango-Vanilla-Soy milk!
I recommend a wonderful book with 365 smoothies recipes. It is very useful, you can buy it by clicking the picture on the left.
Anybody can find original ideas on how to work Soy in the diet, be creative, it is actually fun!
|
