Peri/Menopause and Eating..

Hi Gypsy...good question!

I suffer from gastritis which I believe is hormone related and I also have periods of burning mouth, tongue and lips.  My biggest triggers are gluten, processed sugars, high sodium foods, processed meats such as deli meats (nitrates and sodium are bad in these), and dairy...especially higher fat.  Lol..that doesn't leave much.  I've learned to be creative with my eating.  I eat clean...lots of veggies, gluten free grains such as quinoa, millet, buckwheat, organic whenever possible and lo fat meats.  I try to avoid chocolate as it triggers my reflux and that is hard because I am a chocoholic!  When I am on a good eating program I feel better...less body aches, more alert and not so dragged out feeling.  That's not to say that I don't treat myself to a dessert or sweet every once in awhile.  I think total deprivation leads to excessive indulging.

For the burning mouth...it seems to become more aggravated if I fall into eating more salt and sugar...that definitely does make it work.  I also use a mouthwash and toothpaste called Biotene.  There is no sodium laurel sulfate in these, which is in other toothpaste and sometimes can irritate your mouth.

Hope this helps!

Hi Gypsy,  I certainly have had to switch to decaf coffee and as little dairy as possible. I've also cut out sodium as well. I take supplements to help with al the symptoms. Fish oil, B's, Ashwaghanda and Rhodiola, flaxseed oil and D3, Oh and magnesium at night. All help with keeping hormones balanced, cortisol down, adrenals in check. Yes I too get a burning tongue, swollen gums or swollen ridges on the top of my mouth. Oh the joys of this part of the Journey. So thankful to hear others going through the same thing and sharing what helps them. 

I have a friend who swears by fasting every few days-- she seems to be doing well.   I have another friend who did this diet for a week and lost 10lbs..  She too feels fantastic..-- it was a lot of celery, tomatoes, eggs, lamb chops and of course a few other things..  It was hard the first 2 days then after that didn't crave anything at all and woke up refreshed.  I am trying to add more vegatables in my diet as I believe that's my ticket.  Fruit, veggies, a lot of water, eggs, oatmeal, brown rice and then meat in moderation.  Just trying to get away from snacking, fast food and sugar..  I am learning that when I think I'm hungry, munching on veggies with a glass of water helps a lot.

Hi I've cut out sugar (replaced with honey) and caffine (replaced with herbal teas and lots water) bloating and indigestion has been an ongoung issue so i also have smoothies with fresh aloe Vera and Epsom salt baths and take digestive enzymes (and other vitamins..B magnesium omega) doing everything together has helped....on anxiety it seems no matter what I do I still get bad anxiety and depression in the mornings that lasts up until midday....i guess that's when my hormone levels are at their lowest....i meditate alot in mornings, listen to meditation music and sniff lavender or clary sage essential oils

to help me deal with it until it lessens.

I have cut out said Yes I was waking in the morning with severe stomach cramps followed by diarrhoea which was loose and pale in colour which was unusual for me. Also gelt nauseous. I read somewhere about dairy intolerant so replaced it for dairy free. Cramps and nausea have gone.

I have been on her for 3 weeks. The burning mouth made me extremely anxious and had me asking both my Dr and dentist to check my mouth. Neither were concerned despite the amount of ulcers I was getting. This too has subsided.

Peru and menopause is difficult. I now know why my poor mother referred to it as the change. She wasn't kidding

Thank you everyone for all your replies, I'm very grateful to hear that we are all so clearly alike with these symptoms... I too have a very clean diet with vegetables some fruits lean protein, no gluten no sugar caffeine, none of that, and I'm trying to ad more back into my diet but the symptoms just won't allow me to yet, I'd rather eat less of what I use to than more and feel worse😭

Hi Gypsy, i too am peri and have a burning tongue. I am also suffering with anxiety and cry for no real reason. I need to eat better but am suffering with nausea which, my GP says is due to the anxiety. It is a vicious circle. I am trying to buy crest tooth paste as a  facebook page has suggested this for my tongue but, cannot find it in the local large supermarkets. I am currently practicing mindfulness to try and help with anxiety. xx Keep in touch xx

Don't eat sugar!  I'm a type 2 diabetic, so I have already cut sugar out of my diet, but I am also treating it with a high fat low carb diet.  Well, that'll probably change, since fat now seems to cause diarrhea.  Anyway, sugar used to cause an extreme high but that doesn't happen any more,  In fact sugar seems to have no effect at all, except that I suspect my sugar levels are too high now and this will impact my health.  The only effect it does have is that the crash is much more extreme and just leave me feeling really awful.  It also seems to intensify the hot flushes.  So I can join the "Cut the sugar" group that seems to be on here (which is GREAT!) and say if you can eliminate it from your diet, life will be better anyway.  

Sorry, I didn't mean my comment to sound like I was lecturing people - wher eis the edit button??!!?!

It's great we are all on the same page about cutting sugar,  I find dates and honey are great for making cakes (which I adore). The way to use dates is to blend them up in a blender with some water (de-stone them first obviously!). They make a great paste which spreads evening though whatever cake you are making. I also grow my own HRT in the form of sprouted foods on my windowsill, there is load of science about the high amount of plant hormones they contain and I have got rid of my hot flushes completely.