Cooling Foods for Hot Flushes & Night Sweats

It comes from nowhere – you’re burning up like a radiator and sweat is pouring off your brow, it’s a hot flush and you can’t control it, but can you?

The good news is yes, you can help to control menopause hot flush symptoms by eating menopause friendly cooling foods in your daily diet, that work from the inside out.

Hot flushes and night sweats occur when fluctuating levels of oestrogen cause the body’s thermostat to get out of control, it overheats, and you cannot maintain a steady body temperature.

But there’s something you can do to achieve a cooling effect on your body with your diet.

There are cooling foods, that you can eat as part of a balanced diet to help you to control your body’s thermostat, a reduce your hot flush symptoms.

Here are 5 cooling foods that can help hot flushes and night sweats.

1. Melon

• Not only does a good juicy melon taste good, especially during the summer months, melon has a diverse nutrient profile which offer menopause health benefits.
• Melon is about 95% water, so that makes it a great cooling liquid type food.
• Melons are diuretic, which means they cool the body by helping to carry heat and toxins away from the body through increased urination.
• Melons are also full of vitamin B and iron and minerals such as Magnesium and Zinc that help to reduce muscle tiredness and support good heart health.

 

2. Coconut

We call the coconut the ‘life food’, as you can eat and drink, almost every part of the inside of a coconut. It’s nutritious, healthy, and refreshing.

Here’s some simple ways that you can use a coconut in your diet.

Use coconut milk for cooking for stews and curries.

• Use coconut oil for cooking and for skin and hair care.
• Drink coconut water it makes a cooling and refreshing drink.
• Put shredded coconut in your salads and desserts.

 

3. Leafy Greens

• Leafy greens are high in water content making them easy to digest. They produce much needed cooling water for your body. Stay cool with these on your plate:
• Spinach
• Kale
• Collard Greens (Large green greens with leaves and stems)
• Romaine Lettuce

4.Water Based Vegetables

Water based vegetable have a high-water content to help to cool the body. Examples are:

Lettuce

Mushrooms

Eggplant

Green leafy Vegetables

Asparagus

Cucumber

Spinach

5. Cold watery Fish and naturally fortified high Omega 3 fatty acids.

A study published by the Archives of Pharmacy Practice, highlighted that omega-3 supplements combined with vitamin E reduced hot flashes.

Although there isn’t much research on the impact these foods have on menopausal vasomotor symptoms (hot flashes and night sweats), these healthy foods are good sources of omega-3 acids. These Omega rich foods include:

• Cold-water fatty fish, such as salmon, mackerel, tuna, herring, and sardines
• Fortified foods such as certain brands of eggs, yogurt, cereals, juices, milk, or soy drinks. Check labels for added omega-3s; they may be listed as EPA and DPA, which are different forms of omega-3s.
• They are naturally a good source of protein for muscle strength and heart health.

These 5 simple easy to cook foods can help to stop hot flashes in their tracks and help them from occurring so often.

So be adventure with your cooking, make yourself a vegetable stir fry or a fresh salmon quiche, or a simple lunch with organic [poached eggs with spinach, not only will you enjoy your new meal regime, but you’ll be also healthier and be helping to control your hot flush symptoms.