May 13th, 2016
4 Women’s Health Tips You Haven’t Thought Of
It’s National Women’s Health Week, so today let’s talk about 4 of my favorite health tips for Women that you haven’t thought of. My focus in this article is to help you think of things that you might not always think of, and most importantly to listen up! Our bodies are GREAT at telling us when things aren’t right, but it’s about us actually listening to those cues and paying attention, so that’s my first and most important tip.
Along with this short list of topics that I think are important, are of course the other more obvious and talked about topics like healthy eating, exercise, checking in with your doctor, yoga/mindfulness, sleep etc. Remember to take time for your body and your mind, they’re both important in the whole picture of health- so don’t forget to keep your body and mind in balance by spending time with both your physical and spiritual self.
It’s National Women’s Health Week, so today let’s talk about 4 of my favorite (but often overlooked) health tips for Women. 4 women’s health tips you haven’t thought Of:
- Listen up: This isn’t a generalization against men (guys, I love you!) but I find that sometimes women are a little better at listening to what our bodies are telling us- and this is a good thing, keep it going. You are your own best meter, so when something doesn’t feel right, speak up. If you’re feeling out of tune with your body or you feel like you could do a better job of tuning in, start each day with a journal of your feelings- both emotional feelings and how your body feels; this is helpful when it comes to raising our own awareness.
- Keep your thyroid happy: Thyroid issues are becoming a growing issue among women, and incase you’re not aware of how important your thyroid is, it’s basically the powerhouse for your metabolism (so it’s pretty important). Like many other parts of our bodies, they thyroid is pretty sensitive, so you want to try to reduce environmental and food toxins. To nourish the thyroid you want to include foods rich in both zinc and selenium.
- Zinc-rich foods: Pumpkin seeds, almonds, chickpeas, oysters, cashews, oats, animal protein (pork, chicken, fish)
- Selenium-rich foods: Brazil nuts, shiitake mushrooms, chia seeds, cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cabbage, spinach)
- Naturalize your skincare: Our skin absorbs most of what we put on it (shocker, right), so start reading your beauty-product labels just like you do your food labels (skin on your face and body absorbs about 60-70% of what you put on it… yuck!). Avoid ingredients like acrylates, 1,4 dioxane,butylated compounds, paba, parabens, pthalates- and for more take a look here or take a look at another blog post I wrote about toxins in your makeup here. You can also try making your own natural skincare products, like these:
- Eat for your cycle: This may sound new to some of you but, there is some truth to needing to eat differently at different points of your cycle.
- Week 1: Eat foods rich in prebiotics and 3-endole-carbinol: Foods like cruciferous vegetables (kale, cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage) and sprouted and fermented foods like kimchi, sprouted grains (think Ezekiel bread), bananas, asparagus (rich in prebiotics)- because all of these foods help the body to metabolize and break down estrogen as it begins to rise in the first week.
- Week 2: More fruits and vegetables: This includes raw fruits and vegetables, salads, smoothies and juices. This because they contain healthy antioxidants and glutathione; glutathione is important in estrogen metabolism along with many other key processes in the body as well. Try a few of my favorite fruit and veggie-based recipes:
- Maple Beet and Spinach Salad
- Green Detox Juice
- Raspberry Maca Smoothie (maca is good for hormonal balance!)
- Week 3: Eat good-mood foods. With the shift in both estrogen and progesterone during these weeks, it’s important to keep our mood happy- so choose foods that are rich in fiber, as well as folate (key for production of serotonin) and b-vitamins, like green leafy vegetables, and whole grains (although I prefer the greens to the whole grains!).
- Week 4: Eat Healthy fats and root veggies. Root veggies contain fiber and nutrients like vitamin A that is key for metabolizing estrogen. Healthy fats are also key because they help to keep blood sugar steady and mood elevated, as during the fourth week of the cycle hormone levels fall and it can leave you feeling totally exhausted.
- If you’re post-menopausal you should be focusing on having consistent meals- at least 3-4 small meals daily, loaded with vegetables, some lean protein and a small amount of whole grains- this will be another post coming up.