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Eating for Your Hormones
A Natural Solution to Menopause Madness
By Kelly Burgess
Interestingly, Dr. Gillespie's approach is one that's getting a great deal of attention as an ideal diet for the population as a whole, thanks to an increasing push by obesity experts on the low-glycemic approach to eating.
"I didn't discover this idea; the research has been around for some time," Dr. Gillespie says. "Basically the low-glycemic diet is what is needed by the majority of people for optimum health."
Following a low-glycemic diet helps to stabilize both insulin and hormone levels, thus bringing a woman's body closer to the hormonal balance that Dr. Lark is trying to achieve.
However, Dr. Lark's diet suggestions are much more specific as to the estrogen deficiency types listed above, and are based upon the pH levels in foods. The other lifestyle changes she recommends trying also incorporate other holistic medical models such as ancient traditions of Chinese medicine.
On the dietary side, she suggests that slow processors focus on more acidic foods such as hot and spicy foods, soy, nuts, high-fiber foods and nuts. Fast processors need cooling foods such as cooked grains, beans salads and lightly cooked vegetables.
There are women entering the menopausal years whose children are grown and gone or are off to college or otherwise independent. For them, following a diet based upon pH, or any diet at all, can be a lot easier as they have the freedom to stock their cupboards only with their foods and eat pretty much however they want. But many women at this age still have children at home – sometimes even fairly young children – as well as a husband or other partner. This can make eating for menopause fairly challenging as the food placed n the table needs to please everyone.
