More Recipes for a Dreamy Restful Sleep during Perimenopause and Menopause
More Recipes for a Dreamy Restful Sleep during Menopause Written by Emily Edmonds Loved our last post and looking for more recipes to provide you with restful sleep during the hormone fluctuations of menopause? Read on… Grilled Tofu with Reishi, Shiitake and Wood Ear Mushrooms Firm Tofu – 1 package Wood Ear Mushroom – 16 oz Shiitake Mushrooms – 16 oz Reishi Mushroom Powder – Dried – 1 tsp Porcini Powder – optional – 1/2 tsp Black Sesame Seeds – 1 tbsp Tamari or Soy Sauce – 1 tbsp Sesame Oil – 1 tbsp Ginger – 1” knob – freshly ground 10. Green Onion – 1 fresh – white rings sliced only 11. Miso – 1 tbsp 12.Ume Plum Vinegar – 1 tbsp 13.Maple syrup – 1 tsp Make sauce – peel ginger and zest with a microplane. Combine soy sauce or Tamari, sesame oil, ginger, green onion, miso, maple syrup and Ume plum vinegar into a bowl or blender and mix thoroughly. Slice tofu in 1/2” slices. In a small frying pan, heat sesame oil until hot. Add tofu to frying pan and grill until cooked through. Finish by brushing with sauce. Remove from heat, set aside and brush with sauce. Wash the mushrooms and dry thoroughly. Add more sesame oil to the pan and sauteé mushrooms until cooked through, about 15-20 minutes. Add a small amount of soy sauce to season and add some black sesame seeds and finish cooking until liquid is boiled off. Add reishi powder and porcini powder while still warm and stir thoroughly. This makes enough for about 4-5 nights so have one serving and keep the rest in the refrigerator for future use. Serve warm! Sardines with Wild Yams and Pumpkin Seeds Sardines – 1 can – wild caught Eggs – 2 *Wild Yams – 1 large Pumpkin Seeds – 1 tbsp Vinegar – 1/4 cup Celtic Sea Salt – 1 tbsp Dulse – optional Rye bread – optional This is a simple recipe to put together, but it can be an acquired taste for those who do not like fish. But sardines are the richest source of B12, they are also high in omega 3 fatty acids and quality protein. If you can adapt yourself to the taste, the health benefits you will gain will pay off dividends. Fill a pot with water and heat on the stove until boiling. Generously season with salt. Score the potatoes around the middle and make a small cut just through the skin around the entire width of the potato. Boil until fork tender, around 10-15 minutes. Remove from heat with a slotted spoon and allow to cool. Set aside. Keep the water and add the vinegar. Bring water to a boil. Boil eggs in water with the shell on for about 7-10 minutes. Remove from water and allow to cool completely. This is good to make in advance and have in the refrigerator as needed. Remove the peels from the yams and slice into 1/2” circles. Peel the eggs and slice horizontally into small circles. Slice the bread in 1/2” rounds an gently toast. Toast pumpkin seeds gently over low flame. Drain the sardines and allow to dry on paper towels if necessary. Place 1 slice of wild yam, 3-4 small slices of egg, 1-2 sardines on one slice of toast. Top with pumpkin seeds and dulse, if using. Serve warm! *Note – If you have Hashimoto’s Disease or Graves Disease or if you have been diagnosed with autoimmune thyroiditis – avoid dulse and season with Celtic sea salt. If you have these conditions, eat only the whites of the egg not the yolk (yolk contains a lot of iodine). If you have an allergy to gluten, avoid the rye bread but I don’t recommend eating gluten free bread. If you cannot find wild yams, the white yams are the ones that are closest and will work fine in this recipe but the wild yams are best. Millet with Almond Butter, Figs and Mulberries Millet – 1/2 cup Figs – fresh or dried – 1/4 cup Mulberries – dried – 1/4 cup Almond Butter – 2 tbsp Pea Protein Powder – 2 scoops Date syrup – 1 tbsp Lavender Flowers – 1/2 tsp – optional Boil 1 cup of water and add millet. Add figs, mulberries and lavender flowers if using. Stir frequently over low heat until cooked. Sift or sieve in pea protein powder and stir vigorously to combine. Add almond flour and stir until dissolved. Add date syrup to taste. Serve while warm. Split Pea Soup Leek – 1 – rinsed and cut into quarters Celery – 3 stalks – cut into small pieces Carrots – 2 – peeled and cut into small pieces Dried Split Peas – 1 cup Bone Broth – 2 cups Water – 2 cups Olive Oil – 1 tbsp Bay Leaf – 1 Thyme – fresh – 5 sprigs 10.Celtic Sea Salt Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Sauteé leeks and celery for 3 minutes. Add bone broth, water and split peas and season with salt. Make a bundle of bay leaf and thyme and tie with a string or cheesecloth, then submerge into the liquid. Cover and simmer for 60-80 minutes, or use in a pressure cooker for 20 minutes. Add carrots to soup. Cover and continue to simmer for about 20 minutes, or until peas have broken down (if using a pressure cooker – 10 minutes is all that is needed). Season with some more salt if necessary. Adzuki Bean Stew Ginger – 1” knob – peeled and finely grated on a microplane zester Leeks – cut and rinsed, minced into small pieces Celery – 3 stalks Soy Sauce or Tamari – 1 tbsp Ume Plum Vinegar – 2 tbsp, divided Sesame Oil – 2 tbsp Date Syrup – 1/2 tsp Adzuki Beans – 1 cup Water – 4 cups, divided Reishi powder – optional Kombu – 1 small piece
Recipes for a Dreamy Restful Sleep during Menopause and Perimenopause
Recipes for a Dreamy Restful sleep during Menopause and Perimenopause Written by Emily Edmonds Many women lately are coming to see us for relief from menopause and peri-menopause symptoms. These symptoms include hot flashes, night sweats, dry mouth and throat, joint pain, and insomnia. Women experiencing these symptoms often have difficulty with sleep, frequently waking up at night and unable to go back to sleep. It can feel very frustrating experiencing these symptoms when we still have to work and we still have our responsibilities! We need restful sleep every night for our health and for us to function well. If you are finding yourself waking up a lot at night, it could be b/c your blood sugar is low. Often, having a light meal before bed consisting of protein and resistant starch can be helpful to go to sleep and stay asleep through the night. Here are some simple recipes that are easy to put together that have both protein and resistant starch. I’ve also included some foods that are helpful to relieve symptoms of menopause, such as night sweats and hot flashes. What is Resistant Starch (RS)? Resistant starch is a type of starch that passes through your digestive tract unchanged. It is similar in function to soluble fiber. There are three types of resistant starch and they come with a lot of benefits. The benefits of resistant starch include improving insulin sensitivity, balancing blood sugar levels, and reducing appetite by maintaining satiety. Resistant starch is also beneficial for women going through menopause, resistant starch is important b/c it feeds beneficial gut bacteria and contributing to a healthy gut microbiome. There are a few types of resistant starch, but we will focus on the first three. Type 1 resistant starch is found in grains, seeds and legumes. Type 2 resistant starch is found in potatoes and green (unripe) bananas. Type 3 resistant starch includes potatoes, rice, and pasta when cooked and then allowed to cool overnight. The cooling process converts many of the digestible starches into resistant starches through a process called retrogration. WHY IS RS important for SLEEP If you are able to go to sleep but have difficulty staying asleep, often times this is due to a drop in blood sugar. This is closely related to our cortisol / melatonin cycles and circadian rhythms. Cortisol is produced by the adrenal glands while we are sleeping to maintain blood sugar levels while they drop. Cortisol is normally low while sleeping and high when first waking up in the morning. If your blood sugar levels are too low at night, your body may produce too much cortisol to bring your blood sugar levels back up. This may cause you to wake up early and frequently, often with anxiety and racing thoughts. High cortisol levels will also prevent you from being able to go back to sleep and have a restful nights sleep. Often, this is due to unstable blood sugar and cortisol levels while we are sleeping. Resistant starch keeps your blood sugar levels stable at night so that you don’t experience these sudden swings. RS will not help you go to sleep, but it will keep your blood sugar from dropping for 7-9 hours so you can sleep soundly throughout the night. It’s important to note that many popular diets are lacking in RS. These include Paleo, Ketogenic Diet, and the Whole 30 diet. While these diets have benefits for other conditions, I wouldn’t recommend these diets for women going through menopause, especially those with the sleep patterns described. I would only recommend doing these diets under the care of a qualified health care practitioner. WHY is PROTEIN important for Menopause? Protein is important for human health, in general. But it is especially important for going through menopause b/c the drops in hormone levels can cause bone mineral loss and lean body mass. Protein is essential for all cellular functions, liver function, and tissue regeneration. To get optimal amounts of protein, we need b/w 35-65% of our body weight (in lbs) in grams. For example, if you are a 140 lb woman, you will need 50-90 grams of protein a day. If you are going through menopause, I recommend the higher end of this number (65%). Protein also stabilizes our blood sugar without raising our insulin levels too sharply. Protein also provides essential amino acids to keep your liver fueled without spiking insulin levels, cortisol levels, or triglycerides. This will keep you asleep at night. Pea Protein I like this product b/c it contains pea protein and pea starch, both excellent sources of plant based protein and resistant starch. I like pea protein b/c it is easy to incorporate, it is plant-based so it is a good source for vegans and vegetarians, it’s gluten free for those with allergies or sensitive GI tracts, it contains resistant starches, and it is more alkalizing than animal meats and doesn’t contribute to creating an acidic burden in the body. If you don’t like to cook – a simple thing you can do is add some water, pea protein, and stir. This simple recipe an help mitigate menopause symptoms and insomnia. Below are some recipes you can try if you are experiencing frequent waking, hot flashes or night sweats. If you find yourself waking up a lot at night, eat one serving of these recipes once a night before bed. One serving would be equivalent to about the size of a fist – that’s all. You don’t want to over-eat – just enough for a snack size is appropriate. Avoid alcohol and caffeinated beverages within 3 hours of bedtime, and if your sleep doesn’t improve – avoid these altogether for at least one month. You can also prepare these for dinner and have a small amount before bed. It is best to prepare these recipes by dividing them into small quantities and keep them in the refrigerator as needed. Rosemary Boiled Potatoes with Turkey Slices Maca
