Two Other Peculiar Sequelae of No S

[fkwan]

Since starting No S almost a month and a half ago, I've noticed two other changes.

#1: my hot flashes seem to have been wildly reduced, from 2-3 a day to 2 a week, if that.

#2: It became a snap to go vegan. I'm not one of those Vegan Police types who can't eat white sugar if nothing else is available or a pill if it's in a gelatine capsule and never will be, but before No S I would eat my husband's vegetarian cooking, like cheese on pizza or cornbread with eggs. Now it seems I'm eating 100% vegan food-wise and he's helping by making more foods vegan, like desserts. I was vegetarian for two years before even thinking about vegan, and then all of a sudden I went whole hog, er, whole haricot, without even thinking.

I don't know what any of this means, but it's interesting.

f

[JustAnnie]

Your hot flash reduction interests me. Have you an opinion about what you have stopped eating that has reduced them?

[fkwan]

Your hot flash reduction interests me. Have you an opinion about what you have stopped eating that has reduced them?

Not really. It seems to be gradual. I was bingeing great guns before, so that could be the only difference, but I wasn't bingeing every day. Otherwise diet is the same except reduced portions -- pretty much vegan. The stuff I was bingeing on wasn't vegan, but I can't believe 5 or 10 cookies a week or dairy ice cream could make that much difference.

I wouldn't want to go back to eating the stuff to see if they come back.

f

[wosnes]

I did vegan for a while and also noticed the reduction in hot flashes. I'm pretty sure it's the absence of animal products. When I resumed eating animal products, I noticed that the more I ate, the more hot flashes I had. If you think about it, it makes sense -- especially with dairy and eggs. Eggs and milk come from female animals and are higher in estrogen and that artificially raises our estrogen levels.

In countries where animal products are consumed in lesser quantities than they are here, hot flashes are uncommon. In fact, in Japan there is no word for "hot flashes." Estrogen levels in women there are normally lower than ours, and therefore don't drop so far at the onset of menopause.

I've heard that soy helps, but it didn't with me. It made them much worse.

[roseha]

This is interesting because I eat very little meat and I never had a single hot flash. Take that for what it's worth

[blueskighs]

rose,
my grandmother ate very little meat and had no problems with menopause, I am not quite there yet, 45, but hoping I'll follow in her footsteps in that regard,

Blueskighs

[Terez]

I eat animal protein at almost every meal, have done so pretty much my whole life, and had only minor experiences with hot flashes about four years ago when I entered menopause. I treated it with evening primrose oil, and later with blackcurrant seed oil. I take the oil supplements for months at a time, then I get out of the habit and don't take them for months at a time, then I get back on track. But the hot flashes have never come back, not even when I'm not taking the supplements.

Granted I tend to buy grass-fed beef, cage-free eggs with extra omega, etc. And I do eat a lot of vegetables and fruit as well, and have done so my entire life. I tend toward whole grains and sprouted grain bread products.

But I certainly have my refined flour breads, ice cream (lots!), coffee every day, etc.

Perhaps different bodies are suited to different types of diets. Or maybe I'm just the exception that proves the rule.

Terez

[Karma rex]

What I find is that if I don't overeat or have really heavy or spicey foods I have hardly any hot flashes. If I eat a heavy meal I can pretty much count on having a hot flash or two in the next hour or so. I'm still struggling to keep my meal portions down and healthy. Rex

[fkwan]

I used to get ferocious migraines when I got up in the morning after a particularly vivid nightmare, or when exposed to my MIL's chemical feast (Brut and Lysol; yes, you read that right), or just in her general presence. This morning I was exposed to all three triggers and had no headache whatsoever.

Since the transition to veganism from vegetarianism had not been a huge one (a muffin here, a pizza there), the only conclusion I can come to is that sugar is the culprit. Going from probable heavy sugar use every day to hardly any at all must have made a huge difference.

As if obesity and addiction were not reasons enough to stay away from the stuff, menopausal symptom exacerbation surely will keep me on track.

Still no hot flashes. If only No S could fix my bladder spasms...

f

[resting52]

Gosh, that is so weird that you said that. I was thinking about how yucky I felt this weekend and maybe it was the sugar!!!!!!!

Whoa!



Resting

[fkwan]

Gosh, that is so weird that you said that. I was thinking about how yucky I felt this weekend and maybe it was the sugar!!!!!!!

Whoa!



Resting

A colleague of mine looked at me as if I were an idiot and said that there was a long history of correlation between sugar and hot flashes, but I can't seem to find any solid evidence in the literature. I eat jalapeños and other hot foods like candy and drink 3 cups of coffee a day. Not a peep. Giving up dessert is the only major difference other than being completely animal free since about 30 March.

f

[blueskighs]

There is a book called SUGAR SHOCK and it has a section about having a more "peaceful" menopause without sugar,

Blueskighs

[Blithe Morning]

I do know that polycystic ovaries are associated with insulin resistance. (http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency ... 000369.htm) so there is a connection between hormones and blood sugar.