Hello all and welcome to the Hormone Harmony programme.
I created this programme because I discovered a lack of useful information whilst progressing through the female “phases” into post menopause. It´s only recently we´ve seen a huge amount of focus upon “menopause” and I am grateful this is the case, but I am still finding that uch of the information “out there” is confusing or incorrect.
The purpose of this programme is to help you/your loved ones understand the intricacies of the steroid hormones which can easily become imbalanced and furthermore create awareness around the changes that are happening during pre/peri-menopause and into (post)menopause. I invite all to share their questions and experiences.
Understanding the different “phases” of hormone fluctuations moving through peri-menopause towards menopause and into post menopause helps a women prepare.
Remember there is no “one size fits all” – your journey is personal to you but I hope you can find the information shared throughout this programme insightful.
As we age, hormone levels drop. The strongest symptoms of (peri)menopause happen during the largest drop with our hormone levels. This transition MAY trigger multiple symptoms such as: weight is harder to shift, anxiety increases, changes in menstrual cycles and bleeds change, low mood and sleep often occurs. A small percentage do not experience (or maybe don´t recognise and understand) symptoms.
Many women are confused by the terminology and both men and women refer to these symptoms as “menopausal”, yet a female may have these symptoms 2-12 years during peri-menopause before she reaches her menopause. Menopause is just 1 day – the day you reach the 12 months after your last period. After this you belong to the category “post” menopause. There is more than 500 million women in the world who are post-menopausal and this is expected to increase to over 1.1 billion by 2025. Only 1 in 4 women actually speak to their GP about menopause!
We may spend more years in post menopause eg: from 50-90+ years, than any other stage of life!
It is not possible to fix decades of hormonal issues in 20 days or promise to stop every peri-menopausal/post-menopausal symptom in its tracks ! However the course will help you put all the right pieces in place to support hormonal balance and point you in the right direction.
Each day I will be writing a post based around female Hormone Health from perimenopause into postmenopause. These are intended to be educational so that you finish the programme with a more informed idea of what may be contributing to any symptoms you may experience or perhaps how you can prevent certain symptoms from affecting you.
Remember there is no “one size fits all” – your journey is unique to you – but by sharing our experiences we can support each other and create more awareness.
My hope is that the course will guide you in finding hormonal balance and offer changes which you can implement into your daily life. Sometimes it is a matter of testing different things to find what works for you.
If you have questions that you would like addressing anonymously in the presentation with Dr Fionnuala Barton, please send them to me.
Take time to view the presentations by myself and other expert guests. There is also a nice overview in the Ebook available to you and a symptom questionnaire should you feel inclined to complete it.
Briefly an overview for the nutritional part:
What You Will Avoid For the 21 Days
- Red meats and processed meats (ham, sausage, bacon etc)
- All dairy products (milk, cheese, yogurt, milkshakes, cream)
- Gluten grains and gluten containing products: wheat, barley, rye, regular oats (gluten free oats are fine)
- Beverages: soda (i.e colas), fruit juice, squash, diet drinks, sweetened drinks
- Processed foods, ready meals and take aways. Deep fried foods.
- Processed sauces, ketchup, brown sauce etc.
- Processed oils e.g. sunflower, safflower, corn, soya, vegetable, margarine and spreads etc.
- Refined sugar in all forms including syrups, honey, molasses, fructose sweetened drinks
- Reduce or avoid Alcohol: you may include 2 units on a Friday and/or Saturday to get the most out of your programme if it can not be totally avoided)
- You may include up to 1-2 cup coffee or black tea per day without sugar preferably before noon (caffeine has a negative effect on the adrenals and increases anxiety)
Some recipe suggestions are provided in the online E-booklet.
Aim to increase phytoestrogens, even if it´s just 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseed and 1 tablespoon of flax oil everyday:
Include: tempeh, miso, tofu, linseed (flax), sesame seeds, berries, GF oats, dried beans, lentils, rice, alfalfa, mung beans, apples, carrots, rice-bran, edamame.
If you´ve time to start sprouting some beans, lentils, peas for 1-3 days this will increase the phytoestrogenic properties.
Above all – eat the rainbow and go for diversity!
