Menopause – Can Juices and Smoothies Help?



Can Juicing Help Menopausal Symptoms?

 

menopause and smoothiesMenopause – even the word sounds, well, not very nice.

Sure, you say goodbye to painful periods (hooray) – but you also say hello to night sweats and hot flashes or flushes (sigh).

Can you do anything about the not-so-nice parts of menopause?

Now, many doctors prescribe HRT (hormone replacement therapy), and it has helped many women. But there are side-effects, and also remember that you’re taking pills for a long, long time.

And there aren’t many other options – unless you go the natural route.

One of the best things you can do to help reduce the unpleasant effects of menopause, is to increase your intake of fresh vegetables. It sounds odd, doesn’t it? Below I’ll show you 4 ways that juices and smoothies can help with menopause.

For best results, juices and smoothies to help with menopause should be vegetable-rich, with only a small amount of fruit for some sweet flavour.

But a lot of people find veggies a bit, well, boring. (Me too).

And that’s where fresh juices and smoothies come in – they’re a yummy way of getting your fresh vegetables!

Now, let me say right up front that there aren’t huge numbers of medical studies out there that prove that juicing is beneficial for menopausal women.

But there ARE plenty of anecdotal reports that show that drinking fresh juices and smoothies can help.

Here are 4 ways that juices and smoothies can help you when you have menopausal symptoms.

Menopause, Breast Cancer and Carrot Juice

carrot juice and menopauseJuices, especially carrot juices, have been found to be preventative against breast cancer, which reaches its peak right around menopause. Research has shown that the daily intake of carrots can reduce the risk of breast cancer.

In fact, one study found that women who ate raw carrots daily had a 5 times decreased risk of getting breast cancer, when compared to women who did not consume any carrots.

5 x less likely to get breast cancer – that’s pretty good odds, and all for just eating some carrots! Scientists aren’t totally sure why this is so, but it is believed that the beta-carotene in the carrots is the star ingredient.

Eating fresh carrots daily can also help reduce your chances of getting lung cancer and colon cancer.

Menopause and Slow Metabolism – Fibre-rich Smoothies Can Help

It’s a sad fact that our metabolisms slow down as we enter menopause. This can cause several problems, including chronic constipation.

If you use fresh vegetables in a smoothie rather than a juice, you keep all the beneficial fiber of the food. This fibre can really help reduce constipation.

It’s better to use vegetables rather than fruit as they are naturally higher in fiber. However, if you want to include some fruit in your smoothies, choose berries as they have more fiber than most fruits.

Menopause and Heart Disease

Women who enter menopause begin to have an increased risk for cardiovascular (heart) disease because of the loss of the protective effect of estrogen (oestrogen) normally produced by the ovaries.

Many juices (especially carrot juice) are high in potassium, which lowers blood pressure and therefore puts less stress on the heart. They also help to reduce inflammation, which can help to reduce your risk of heart disease.

Menopause Weight Gain

Green Juices and menopauseSigh. It’s a sad fact that many women gain weight during menopause. Extra weight can lead to an increased risk of diabetes, heart attacks, and stroke.

Losing that weight naturally reduces your risk of those diseases.

Juices are great for weight loss – as long as you include mostly vegetables rather than fruit. Veggie juices are naturally low in both sugar and calories. (If you want to add a touch of sweetness to a healthy vegetable juice, add carrot, apple or berries to the juice).

Having juices and smoothies made mostly from vegetables a few times a day, instead of eating a more normal meal or snack, can easily result in weight loss and thus better health with lower disease risk.

What’s not to love?

So, Are Menopausal Symptoms Helped by Juices and Smoothies?

There is no scientific certainty that juicing helps reduce menopausal symptoms, but there are many women who believe that the severity of their symptoms was greatly reduced by juices and smoothies.

Both juices and smoothies provide you with excellent nutrition that is easily absorbed, leading to better health and reduced risk of disease.

If you are in menopause and want to try juicing to reduce your menopausal symptoms, make sure to include mostly vegetables with only a little fruit in your drinks. (Fruit juices and smoothies are higher in calories and can cause fluctuations in blood sugar).

Of course, always rely on your medical practitioner for help and advice.  But adding lots of fresh vegetables to your normal diet will let your doctor know you are serious about taking control of your own health. And if you do it right, you may be able to avoid chemical hormone replacement therapy altogether!

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