Perimenopause symptoms affecting your life? It could be inflammation. How to fix it.
There is increasing and compelling evidence showing that oestrogen decline during the menopausal transition years drives women's bodies into a pro-inflammatory state. Being in a pro-inflammatory state means that your body is constantly trying to fight off infection. That’s why many perimenopausal women report painful or stiff joints. Ouch!
If it’s not dealt with, ongoing chronic inflammation over years can cause:
- Cancer
- Heart Disease
- Diabetes
- Asthma
- Alzheimer’s disease
- Arthritis.
How to Reduce Inflammation
Reducing inflammation in perimenopause is essential to reduce symptoms and prevent triggering chronic disease in our later years.
If inflammatory foods and drinks are a consistent feature of our daily diets, it will make handling symptoms so much harder.
It can cause and aggravate perimenopause symptoms such as:
- Weight gain
- Heavy periods
- Increased hot flashes
- Bad sleep and
- Increased mood symptoms.
A focus on a diet rich in anti-inflammatory foods can go a long way in the fight against inflammation. Here’s the lowdown on foods that cause inflammation and those that fight inflammation.
Foods thats cause inflammation
- Processed foods - cut out the chips, breakfast cereals, biscuits (anything in a packet)
- Refined carbohydrates - white bread and pastries
- Hot chips and other fried foods
- Red and processed meat
- Margarine
- Cow’s dairy (has been linked to inflammation in some people)
- Alcohol
- Soft drinks.
Foods that fight inflammation
- Vegetables: eat lots! They increase phytonutrients (naturally occurring plant chemicals that are anti-inflammatory) and antioxidants
- Tomatoes
- Olive oil
- Green leafy vegetables: spinach, kale, and collards
- Nuts like almonds and walnuts
- Fatty fish like salmon, mackerel, tuna, and sardines
- Fruits such as strawberries, blueberries, cherries, and oranges.
It’s because inflammation wreaks so much havoc on our bodies that we included these anti-inflammatory powerhouse ingredients in our Peri Chai latte. Let me introduce you to them:
Turmeric - the Curcumin in Turmeric is a natural anti-inflammatory compound that also relieves pain.
Ginger - from the same family as Turmeric, ginger adds a warm, sweet and peppery flavour and contains potent anti-inflammatory compounds.
Cinnamon - a divine sweet and woody flavour, selected not only for it’s wonderful aroma and taste but for its powerful antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties.
Manuka Honey - We added this powerhouse honey for it’s sweetness and its health benefits. Manuka is known for its antiviral, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant benefits.
Black Pepper - The active compound in black pepper is piperine which has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties and also helps Turmeric do its wonderful thing.
You can see what your peri sisters think of our Peri Chai Latte here.
What are your favourite anti-inflammatory foods? Comment below!