Menopause

Did you know that women in their 40s and 50s need about 200 calories fewer per day than women in their twenties and thirties?

Women in their menopause years can gain 1 to 1 ½ pounds per year, if they continue with the food and lifestyle choices they made during their younger years. That slow, sneaky weight gain can add 10 to 15, or more pounds to your body before you hit menopause!

Here are a few suggestions that will help you have your youthful figure:
Start going for a 30 minute walk every morning to get fresh oxygen into your brain and body and rev up your metabolism for the day.
Start cooking with coconut oil rather than butter, grapeseed, olive or other oils! Yes, coconut oil has been proven to be a healthy cooking oil that'll help you release body fat!
Are you sick of having a jelly belly? Most women during their menopause years are dismayed to notice that they have extra belly fat that's difficult - "impossible"- to get rid of. Now researchers are identifying natural, nutrient-dense foods that when eaten regularly reduce abdominal fat - especially when combined with regular exercise and eliminating intake of non-foods, sugar and fried foods. These belly fat eliminators include apples - try eating three apples a day, watermelons, tomatoes (large: 33 calories), bananas (75 to 135 calories), tart cherries, raw celery (a negative calorie food - 8 calories per rib), avocados - a nutrition powerhouse, and kelp noodles (6 calories).
Choose to stop eating wheat products, including the ones you've been told are 'healthy' for you. Many women notice their bellies reduce almost overnight when they avoid eating wheat pasta and baked goods.
Here's a little known nutrition secret...start taking a daily multi-mineral supplement so your body gets the micronutrients it's REALLY craving when you think it wants a salty junk food. You cannot absorb vitamins when you are missing minerals, and minerals are missing from our food that's grown in minerally depleted soil. When you satisfy your body with nutrients it needs, you'll no longer have those irresistible cravings for fatty, 0-nutrient foods that are currently contributing to your weight gain. And yes, this small change will set you up to live longer, healthier too!
Don't eat anything with added sugar - those calories are stored rather than burned, and sugar causes many imbalances and deficiencies in your body.
Stop drinking that glass of wine every night with dinner! It's a recipe for weight gain during your menopause years. If you enjoy wine that much, treat yourself to a glass or two - one night a week. A former co-worker of mine looked forward to Friday because that was her 'Wine Night'!
Don't eat anything past 6 pm. Drink water or herbal tea only.
Start doing a nutritional cleanse three to four times a year. It's a healthy weight management tool since it releases the fat that stores body toxins, adds nutrients and reduces calories. Most cleansers notice pounds and inches lost in days.
With a little care, planning and updating your food and lifestyle choices, you can avoid or eliminate weight gain during your menopause years!

Wendy Vineyard is a holistic health practitioner, lifestyle coach and wellness journalist. She specializes in inspiring and empowering women to thrive during menopause naturally - without drugs or added hormones. Are natural remedies the best way to handle your menopause transition? You decide. http://www.naturalmenopausenow.com/ http://www.facebook.com/NaturalMenopauseNow

View the original article here