Try “Cooler” Meals Based on Traditional Chinese Medicine Hot flashes and night sweats are very common in women undergoing the menopause transition. In fact, about 80% of these women experience the aforementioned vasomotor symptoms either during perimenopause, after menopause, or in both phases. For most, flushing ceases after a few years, but for the latter […]
Food Sensitivity: Histamines
(Part 4 of the Food Sensitivity series) Did you ever lay down at night and notice a new runny congested nose, itching, scratchy throat, or vague gastrointestinal (GI) discomfort? Maybe it was something you ate—food and drink containing histamines. For some people, especially foodies, edible sources of histamines add up to cause these and other […]
JEWELED RICE
The Hot Flash DietTM recipe for March is Jeweled Rice. It is an over-simplified, unspiced version of a Persian rice. It omits the many “warm” spices (according to Traditional Chinese Medicine) that are classically added and the complicated steps for the crunchy base, so this jeweled rice recipe is quick, pretty, and tasty. The purple onion […]
Food Sensitivities: Saponins
(Part 3 of the Food Sensitivity Series) Ever feel like your intestines have been pulled out, scrubbed, and hung out to dry? Eating large quantities of foods and herbs containing compounds called saponins (pronounced SAP-uh-nins) can cause this assault on your gastrointestinal (GI) system. Saponins derive their name from the Latin word for soap and […]
Food Sensitivities: Lectins
Part 2 of the Food Sensitivity Series Lectins are a current hot topic on the nutrition front, being blamed for problems ranging from gastrointestinal distress to obesity, diabetes, and autoimmune diseases. The premise is that grains, beans, and other cultivated agricultural products from the past 10,000 years are relatively new to humans and our bodies […]
FODMAPs and Gut Sensitivity
(Part 1 of the Food Sensitivity Series) FODMAP is not a word from a Dr. Suess book, but an acronym for Fermentable Oligosaccharides, Disaccharides, Monosaccharides, And Polyols. These complicated-sounding compounds are types of carbohydrates that frequently cause gastrointestinal (GI) distress. Fermentable oligosaccharides are sugars strung together to create undigestible “resistant” starches; disaccharides and monosaccharides are […]