I know perimenopause is a scary word for a lot of women, but I promise it does not have to be as bad as you think it will be.
What is Perimenopause?
Perimenopause is a time of transition in your life. Transitions can be good or bad; it all depends on how you handle them. The first step in ensuring it goes well is changing how we view perimenopause.
Too many women get down on themselves when they begin perimenopause and think they are not worth anything anymore or that they are not beautiful anymore, and that could not be further from the truth! You are still your fantastic self!
That brings us to my next point: loving and treating yourself with kindness. It can be stressful, and beating yourself up will not improve things. So remember to treat yourself like you would treat one of your friends or loved ones.
What lifestyle changes can help you have a smooth transition through perimenopause?
Stress and Perimenopause
It is very important to develop and practice good stress management, which is incredibly important. As you move through perimenopause, your adrenal glands must start working harder. If you don’t have a handle on stress, it won’t be a smooth transition because your adrenal glands will be too stressed to do their job well. High levels of chronic stress, too much caffeine, and not enough good food cause something most people don’t even know that they have, the Endocannabinoid System (ECS), to break down. As it breaks down, the stress response worsens, and it breaks down more, creating a vicious cycle. The ECS greatly affects hormonal balance, so ignoring it is not an option. Supporting and nourishing your ECS system will impact not just your hormones but the rest of your body as well. Check out our blog, Stress 101, to learn many great ways to help get stress under control.
Relationships and Perimenopause
Relationships can be a significant source of stress. It is important to develop good communication with your significant other and share your feelings and concerns. This is a great book if you need help with this. Bottling up feelings until you feel like you will explode is never a good idea. Better communication will lead to a more positive relationship and ensure a more supportive and caring relationship, which will reduce stress and make your life a whole lot better.
Checkups and Perimenopause
If you have not visited the doctor in a while, now is a great time to get a check-up. Many things can change inside your body during this time, so make that appointment and get some blood work. Getting your thyroid checked during this time is also good, as changing hormones can affect thyroid function. Get vitamin D tested as well, and if it is low, address it. Low vitamin D can lead to many negative things, and it is easy to fix, so don’t skip it.
Sunshine and Perimenopause
Getting sunshine at the right time is very important for balancing hormones. Exposing your eyes to sunlight at the correct times during the day is simple and has fantastic benefits. Try to get outside without your phone at sunrise and get at least fifteen minutes of daylight. While you are out there, walk around barefoot (grounding). Get morning sunshine before you look at your phone or a screen. After dinner, take a walk without your phone. This will also help to reset your sleep cycle, improve immune health, and boost your mood.
Screen time and perimenopause
This next one will be hard to hear, but it’s time to put down the phone and spend less time on social media and the news. Looking at social media, picking up your phone, and putting your phone down over and over constantly activates your fight-or-flight response. Our bodies have not evolved to handle this type of stress, which has huge adverse effects on your ECS and hormonal system. So, less phone time and more being present and in the moment.
Sleep and perimenopause
Getting high-quality sleep is crucial for having happy hormones and keeping stress down.
Check out our blog, From Sleepless Nights to Peaceful Slumber, for lots of great tips to help you get a good night's rest.
Self-care and Perimenopause
Next up is self-care. Women take on so much responsibility that they often forget to care for themselves. What self-care looks like is going to be different for each person. For some people, it might be reading a book; for others, it might be time for friends, gardening, making sourdough bread, hanging out with your chickens, or listening to murder mystery podcasts. Not gonna lie; y'all are making us nervous with the amount of these you listen to. It does not matter what it is; what matters is that you take some time each day to do something or you. That does not make you a selfish or bad person. If you don’t take care of yourself, you won’t be able to care for others. You need to make time for yourself!
Caffeine and Perimenopause
You will hate me for saying this the most, but you must accept that you cannot live on coffee. There, I said it. Does this mean you can never have an iced coffee? Of course not. So many women have a coffee in the morning, skip breakfast, and don’t eat until much later. This is one of the worst things you can do for your hormones and health. You also should not be having three or more coffees a day. I know; it’s how you get through the day. However, you are setting yourself up for a tough time by "surviving" on coffee. Think of caffeine as a negative stressor, and it’s best to reduce those as much as possible. Instead of an afternoon coffee, try a handful of Macambo beans, which will give you a pick-me-up (and lots of non-bloating prebiotic fiber and skin-nourishing omega-nine) while nourishing your ECS system without the downsides of lots of caffeine.
Hydration and Perimenopause
In the same vein as cutting back on the coffee, there is the need to drink enough water. The amount of women who get headaches and feel awful because they don’t drink enough water is very high. So, swap some of that coffee for water. Add flavor to your water, like herbs, fruit, and fruity teabags like rooibos, to make it more exciting. Spindthrift makes some excellent flavored bubbly water for those who love seltzer. There’s even a cool water bottle that can help to remind you to drink water.
What foods can help keep you healthy during perimenopause?
It should go without saying, but you need to eat food every day and eat enough of it. Please don't skip meals or starve yourself to lose three pounds. You need three square meals a day (plus snacks if desired). Your body needs enough food and nourishment to function properly. Coffee is not a food group! You get hangry when you don’t eat enough. Don’t be mad at me; someone had to tell you, and your significant other was afraid to, so they asked me to do it.
You must eat a good breakfast! DO NOT SKIP IT! You should try to eat breakfast within an hour of waking up. It should contain at least thirty grams of protein and some carbs. Doing this will help you feel so much better. Never have coffee or caffeine before breakfast.
Here are some great breakfast ideas:
Three eggs with three ounces of steak and a side of fruit.
Three egg omelets with two ounces of wild smoked salmon and a side of fruit.
Three egg omelets with 2 ounces of raw cheddar cheese and some fruit.
Two pieces of sourdough bread topped with raw cheddar, avocado, and two eggs on each slice of toast.
Three eggs with two slices of beef bacon and a side of fruit.
Avocado egg boats
Eggs on top of sweet potato hash
Egg muffins are easy to make ahead of time for a quick grab-and-go breakfast. Grab a few, along with an apple, and you can be nourished on the go!
Ingredients:
Base: 12 eggs, salt, and pepper to taste
Mix in options:
¼ cup grass-fed beef bacon
¼ cup grass-fed ground beef
¼ cup grass-fed ground beef sausage
¼ cup shredded cheese
¼ cup zucchini
¼ cup roasted sweet potato or squash
Mix and match to your liking
Preheat oven to 350
Grease muffin tins with butter
Whisk together eggs, salt, and pepper
Add egg mixture halfway up into each muffin tin.
Sprinkle in mix-ins that you like
Bake for 15-20 minutes until set
Let them cool, then serve or store them in the fridge.
It should last about four days in the fridge.
Not everyone likes eggs, so here are some non-egg breakfast ideas.
Five ounces of steak or ground beef cooked in ghee with a fruit bowl
One and ⅓ cups of full-fat Greek yogurt with some fruit mixed in. If desired, a bit of honey can be added for sweetness.
If you are having trouble meeting your protein goals throughout the day, add a scoop of native whey protein to increase the protein.
Two slices of sourdough bread topped with avocado and six ounces of wild smoked salmon.
Smoothie with full-fat plain kefir, frozen berries, and a scoop of native whey protein
Don’t sleep on protein-rich leftovers, either. There is nothing wrong with eating foods that are not traditionally considered breakfast foods.
What you eat has a significant impact on hormones. Fat, protein, and carbohydrates are all important to becoming fully nourished, and you should have some of them in each meal.
Unless you have a medical need for a low-carbohydrate diet, eating enough carbohydrates is important; they are not evil.
Some of our favorite carbs are:
Fruit
All fruits are great carb sources.
Choose whole fruits over juice as much as possible.
Don’t forget frozen fruit. It’s easy to keep in the freezer to make quick smoothies and use in recipes. Our friends at Stahlbush Farms produce great frozen fruit.
Squashes
Zucchini
Root vegetables
Carrots, beets, turnips, etc
Sweet potatoes and yams
Lacto-fermented vegetables
Avocados
It's also an excellent fat source.
Good sweeteners are maple syrup, local honey, molasses, and coconut sugar.
Even though they are natural, it does not mean you should have tons of them each day. Just a bit here and there to make your life a little tastier.
Avoid all the fake sweeteners, including stevia, monk fruit, and sugar alcohols like xylitol and erythritol.
Grass-fed full-fat milk, plain yogurt, and plain kefir
Add some fruit if you would like some sweetness.
Dairy is also a good protein and fat source.
Next up is fat. Despite years of propaganda telling us to avoid fat, it’s an essential nutrient and should be a part of your diet. The right fats can provide a real boost to your health, while the wrong ones can cause a lot of problems.
Here are our favorite fats:
Grass-fed butter
Grass-fed ghee
Great for high-heat cooking.
Great for high-heat cooking.
Olives and high polyphenol olive oil
Best for finishing on foods.
Be careful with which olive oil you buy because the vast majority of olive oil (even at health food stores) is adulterated with other oils. Check out our free Shopping Guide to find good sources of it.
Ethical coconut oil
Avoid vegetable and seed oils, fake butter spreads, and margarine. They are terrible for you as they cause your omega 6:3 ratio to go way out of whack, which can cause significant hormonal problems. Check out our blog, All About Omegas, to learn more about it.
While I know many of you would love to live on carbs, you also need protein! Protein is essential for lots of things, like building healthy muscles and helping you feel satiated. We recommend shooting for at least one hundred grams of protein daily, not just to meet your protein needs but because the right protein-rich foods are also highly nutrient-dense.
Here are our favorite proteins:
Grass-fed red meat
Beef, venison, lamb, mutton, elk, buffalo, bison, etc.
Choose collagen-rich cuts like brisket, short ribs, flank, oxtail, and ground beef. Collagen helps keep your skin in tip-top shape.
Wild-caught fish and shellfish
These are the best sources of essential fatty acids, EPA and DHA (omega-three). Flax, hemp, and chia do not have these, despite the marketing of them. They contain alpha-linolenic acid, which is not the same thing.
If you don’t consume enough fish each week, taking a whole-food omega-three supplement may be a good idea. Check out our blog, All About Omegas Part Two, to learn more about it.
Canned salmon and sardines with the bones are rich in collagen.
Pastured eggs
They are also an excellent fat source.
Grass-fed cheeses
It is also an excellent fat source
Low-PUFA (low in omega-six) chicken
This can be pretty hard to find (we have sources in our Shopping Guide), so if you get chicken at the grocery store, choose skinless chicken breast and add good fats to the meal.
Real beef bone broth
Bone broth is an excellent source of protein and collagen. Unfortunately, much of the bone broth sold in stores is not real bone broth. A cup a day is great for your skin.
Check out our Shopping Guide for sources of real bone broth, or make it yourself.
Bone Broth Recipe:
Ingredients:
2 lbs beef bones
One gallon of water
2 TBSP apple cider vinegar
Instructions
If you are using raw bones, especially beef bones, roasting them in the oven first improves their flavor. Place them in a roasting pan and roast for 30 minutes at 350°F.
Place the bones in a large stock pot or the Instant Pot.
Pour cool filtered water and the vinegar over the bones. Let sit for 20-30 minutes in the cool water. The acid helps make the nutrients in the bones more available.
Simmer all day on low heat.
Strain and let it cool.
Freeze in single-serving glass jars.
This is a sample daily menu of how to nourish yourself well!
Whole Food Supplements For Perimenopause
The right whole-food supplements can help make the transition easier and help you feel your best. The key to getting the most benefits is to take the right type, form, and amount of them daily and consistently. It takes time to balance things out. Taking less than the full dosage or skipping lots of days will not give you the results you are looking for. It can take at least three months to start to see more than just symptom relief, such as nourishing your ECS. When you begin to feel better, it’s essential to keep using them so that the benefits can continue to grow.
The first whole-food supplement is maca. Maca is an incredible plant that nourishes the ECS far more deeply than just about any other food. However, the benefits of maca can only be realized if it is made properly and taken consistently. For example, you should never take raw maca. We recommend using an activated women’s maca blend to nourish and concentrated red maca for balance.
Next up is a whole-food multivitamin for your hormonal system. It contains a blend of whole foods that help to supply the nutrients your hormonal system needs, including zinc and b vitamins, to help you function at your best.
Next up is magnesium. Most women do not get enough magnesium in their diet. Magnesium plays many key roles in the body, and not getting enough magnesium can lead to many issues, including issues that affect the hormonal system. We recommend taking two whole-food magnesium capsules at bedtime. Unlike many magnesium supplements, they are easy on the digestive tract. Not only will it help support healthy sleep, but also a healthy stress response.
Our Women's ECS Support And Balance Pack contains all four of these important supplements to help you feel nourished and supported.
Perimenopause support
This is a lot of information, so start slowly and ease your way into it. Start with the area you feel will have the most positive impact on your life. We are here for you if you need support or don’t know where to start. Email us at info@rooted-nutrition.com, or book a free call, and we will help you have a smooth and happy transition into the next stage of your life!
