Manage Your Hormones Naturally

When you hit perimenopause, your progesterone starts to plummet before estrogen drops, resulting in estrogen dominance.

Estrogen dominance often manifests as bad PMS, brain fog, weight gain around the middle, grumpiness, and insomnia to name a few issues. To reverse these symptoms, you want to:

• limit caffeine;

• increase your good quality protein;

• supplement with a good quality multivitamin, including omega 3s and B vitamins, especially B6;

• reduce stress; and

• manage blood sugar spikes by pairing carbs with fat, protein, and fiber.

If you tolerate it, try eating 4 oz of organ meat weekly, which is really good for the liver. Our liver makes cholesterol and cholesterol makes our hormones so the more organ meat we eat, the better managed are our hormones.

• A topical progesterone cream can also help control estrogen dominance symptoms as can magnesium gel on the soles of the feet.

If insomnia is bothering you, try eating before bed a half of banana dipped in pink salt and rolled in cashew butter or cashew pieces. This treat will really help avert cortisol spikes that happen between 1-4 am, and helps to avoid hot flashes. Cashews have tryptophan with converts into melatonin and serotonin in the body, both of which help with sleep.

• Also, important is to set your circadian cycle with morning light before screens, wearing an eye mask at night, and keeping away from screens for 1 hour before bed.

**Content provided for educational and informational purposes only. It is derived from an interview of nutritionist Christa Orecchio by the Food Matters Institute, but it is not to be considered medical advice.**