There are many elements to dealing with hot flushes from overcoming oestrogen dominance to choosing the right clothes and night wear to keep you as cool as possible. One that is often overlooked is how your diet can affect flushes and a new book Cool Recipes For Hot Women addresses that to help you eat your way to a healthy – and hopefully cooler – menopause.

What you need to know

It is a very simple, straightforward, book with short chapters that start by outlining just what is happening to your body and then explaining how your diet can help with your symptoms. Knowing just what to eat in order to really nourish and support your body through menopause is essential and it really makes sense to be as prepared as possible.

Common triggers for hot flushes

* Spicy foods
* Red meat
* Red wine
* Chocolate
* Coffee
* Fizzy drinks

Everyone will have a personal trigger, whether stress or food, and one common link certainly is caffeine and probably sugar. One of the other things that it is always recommended to reduce at menopause are refined carbohydrates, as women at this time of life need more protein and less carbohydrate. Other items to reduce in the diet are refined sugar, dairy products, alcohol and cigarettes

Nutrition for a healthy menopause

There is nothing new here, but it certainly bears repeating that if you have some phytoestrogens, omega-3 and 6 fatty acids, antioxidants from dark and orange coloured fruit and vegetables, unrefined carbohydrates, healthy fats and water then you have the basis for a healthy diet whether you are in menopause or not.

Meal ideas

There are certainly plenty of ideas here for a healthy diet from breakfast right through to dinner. Of the many recipes given, here are a couple of suggestions from the book that may help you:

Breakfast: Wholemeal or buckwheat pancakes with yoghurt, berries and honey

Lunch: Mackerel pate, hummus and crudités

Dinner: Turkey and apricot burgers

Snacks: Nut butter on apple slices, soy sauce roasted seeds

There are so many ideas here it is easy to find a healthy daily routine, and I can recommend the turkey and apricot burgers as both delicious and easy to make.