HSN Episode #32: Healing Menopause Through The Power of Nutrition, Part 2
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Welcome to Healthy Sexy Nutrition with me, Michelle Fox, Culinary nutritionist, health coach, and your host For this podcast, I teach busy professionals how to get more nutrition in their bodies. And how to have more fun in their home kitchens. If you struggle with consistency or sometimes forget to make your needs a priority or [00:02:00] you avoid planning your meals.
You, my friend, are in the right place. Join me each week for inspiration to increase your energy, discover new recipes, manage your hormonal woes, and so much more. You are a busy professional, but that does not mean your nutrition should suffer. You deserve to live in a body and have a life that you love.
So let's dig in.
Welcome back to part two of our conversation around menopause and gluten. Last week. I. Shared a little bit about my journey around trying to get pregnant and how gluten absolutely changed my life. We also talked about menopause. The definition, that's way too simple. The definition out there in the world is just.[00:03:00]
Huh. I'm not bleeding anymore, but as you and I know, menopause is so much more and I'm so happy to be able to share with you that there are ways that we can absolutely manage our symptoms because you, my friend, are not meant to suffer. There are so many ways that we can perhaps just adjust some of our choices so that we can truly feel sexy in our bodies.
That is what I am here to be the messenger for. So today, let's talk about some of the alternatives to gluten so that we can make this journey as easy as possible for you. Before we get into that, though, I truly want to. Say alert, alert, alert. Just because something is gluten free, it does not mean it is good for you.[00:04:00]
We also want to manage our sugar intake and A lot of products in the market right now are absolutely filled with sugar, preservatives. Just junk that you don't want in your body either. So I just say that as being cautious to absolutely read your labels. With that said,
Let's talk about a few places that gluten hides. Well, if you can't see me on YouTube right now, Just know I've got my hands really tight right now because I'm doing my best not to get on my soapbox because I get very upset with products for adding gluten in places where it just is not necessary.
It doesn't need to be there. The number one item is soy sauce, and yes, I know it has a long, rich history. And you know that's for another podcast cause I [00:05:00] do love me some soy sauce. However, Tamari, which is a gluten-free soy sauce. It tastes the same. Like, identical. Like there's no reason for wheat to be there.
So just as I feel myself getting worked up, I will say just a hip tip. When you're at a restaurant and or if you like to cook with soy sauce, I strongly recommend reading the labels and grabbing the gluten-free soy sauce. It can often be labeled as tamari, or it can be labeled as,
soy aminos that can taste very much like soy sauce. And there's also the coconut aminos, which can be a bit sweeter, take on the soy sauce. And that's coconut based. So starting off with soy sauce is one place to be aware of another place that's kind of.
Surprising, at least to me, is the little sticky stuff that you lick on an envelope that often has gluten in it because [00:06:00] it's used as a binder, similar to the gluten that people use in baked goods. It's a nice binder. So you know when you are sealing up your envelopes, perhaps just think twice next time you stick your tongue out and just maybe grab a wet wipe.
Or better yet, use one of them. Envelope Sealers too, seal your envelopes. Another place to look out for gluten is chewing gum. So some brands put flour over the little sticks of gum to keep it from sticking to the paper. Or the wrapper of Corus upsets me because again, Maybe just package it differently.
We don't need flour, specifically wheat flour in our gum. As a side note, and I'm not affiliated with them yet, but there's a brand called Pure P u r, and it's exactly that. It's clean of sugar, dairy, and gluten. There's none of the junk in there, [00:07:00] but full of the flavor. So, Check out Pure Gum. I have seen it in Whole Foods and Sprouts.
I don't know about any of the regular grocery stores. I haven't looked for it, but it might be there. Oh, I have seen them on Amazon actually. The Pure Gum salad dressings, that's another alert to look at while you're at the grocery store. Just read the label. A lot of salad dressings are probably fine, but the handful that are not, it's absolutely worth taking a few moments, especially if you have a salad dressing that's like you're always go-to and you're like, ah, I grew up on this stuff. Maybe next time you go to purchase it, just double check the label again.
I could be fine, but. Your culinary nutritionist wants you to check that label. Another area that gluten can hide is in ground spices. Hmm. So, and you can see I'm still holding my hands. I'm trying my hardest not [00:08:00] to get on the soapbox. Thanks for bearing with me. But I hope you feel my excitement in wanting you to feel better in your body, because if we're making just small tweaks, it truly can make a difference in the long run.
And in some cases, right away. I've heard many stories of people feeling immediately better once. Release the gluten. So the other place, I was gonna say, ground spices. A lot of times the manufacturer will say it's an anti-caking agent so that you know, the spices don't stick together. and while the intentions may be good, cuz of course nobody wants their spices to stick together, however, Gimme sticky spices all day long if it means they're clean and clear of wheat or any other preservatives. So again, as you're buying your spices, just double check the label. Instant Coffee.
I'm hoping if you're listening to this podcast, you're probably well beyond the instant coffee part of your life. However, [00:09:00] if you are. Check the label. Maybe I'll say that a thousand different times. Maybe I can change my tone so, you know, I, I get you to stick with me. but yes, a lot of instant coffees. I think it's also that idea of an anti kicking agent.
They can have wheat flour and them, so please avoid that. Hard liquors. There are some liquors and I always find it interesting. you know, back in my single days. I will say I did a bit more drinking than I am proud of, and I always found it so interesting that I would say, you know, no, Jen, because you know the way.
That it's created, it's in, I think, wheat barrels. I don't even know the whole process. It's been so long. All I know is from my doctor and the people around me who were in the gluten-free world, they're like, stay away from gin. And when I'd go to a bar and maybe there was a drink with gin in, I'd say, you know, sub out the gin for vodka.
Because it felt a little bit cleaner. And the bartender, nine times outta 10 would [00:10:00] be like, oh, don't worry, the alcohol in it will kill them, any kind. Substance of gluten that could be in there. And I would always be so frustrated cause I'm like, hmm. First of all, I am the one that's in charge of my health.
Second of all, I've probably done way more research about gluten than you. And third of all, I asked for vodka. It shouldn't be a problem. So if you find yourself in that situation, this is my friendly nudge. Advocate for yourself, whether it's around alcohol, which hopefully it's not that. Hopefully it's around Ordering gluten-free at a restaurant, asking for the gluten-free menu.
Many, many, many restaurants have their own gluten-free menus now, and the food tastes just as delicious, if not better, than a traditional menu. So it's another hip tip. Try the gluten-free menu. [00:11:00] last but not least. I wanna talk about corn starch. So in a recent blog article I mentioned sub arrowroot flour for cornstarch because it gives you the same crispiness and consistency if you're sauteing or frying up some veggies or any other types of food. But what I neglected to share, because I put it in the gluten article, is it's not necessarily gluten related.
Although again, you definitely wanna check the labels cuz perhaps. The corn starch may have, gluten in it, but regardless, corn itself, very similar to wheat, can be very inflammatory for a lot of our systems because again, the way corn is harvested in 2023, it is very different from the way it was harvested even just 50 years ago.
And because of some of the chemicals. Gotten into our foods, and also because [00:12:00] the soil has been turned so many times, our bodies are reacting whether you notice it immediately or not. Corn in general is gonna be another inflammatory ingredient, and so as much as you possibly can be aware, I strongly recommend you remove the corn from your.
Just as easily and simply as you're removing the gluten from your diet. Okay, so those are a few sneaky places. Let's talk about some alternatives to make it fun and delicious so that you are not struggling because again, you are not meant to suffer. I want you to eat well. Nobody goes hungry in Michelle's kitchen, just saying, okay.
For my friends who love having toast, perhaps for a snack or for breakfast, let's just try some gluten-free bread. There are hundreds at this point, literally hundreds of different brands on the [00:13:00] market now because the messaging is out there. It wasn't out there 25 years ago where I felt like I had to continue to educate all of the chefs and the grocers around me, but now my friend, you have it so much easier.
And I am so happy to say that you got options. So in a most recent workshop, a corporate workshop I did, the number one question was, well, what brand do you like? And the answer is, canyon BakeHouse. Again, not an affiliate. However, they are delicious and they are even sold. At Costco, it is very easy to find at Costco, King Supers, Sprouts, all of the stores, so that's a really good one where I think it tastes even better than some of the traditional breads on the market.
And I think you can get that in like a white form and a multi-grain form, and that's gonna be a delicious gluten-free bread.[00:14:00] I did touch on advocating for yourself at a restaurant. So when you are out, especially at your favorite restaurant, that's a great time and place to practice. Just ask if they have a gluten-free menu, and if not, nine times out of 10, the server will be happy to walk you through your options on their menu because chefs.
Restaurant owners, service staff, They want you to have a good experience and they are typically very happy to provide that good experience when you're in that establishment. So please self-advocate and just ask for gluten free options. Next, if you like to bake, try experimenting with some gluten-free flowers.
I can tell you if you just wanna go straight for the one-to-one conversion, Bob's Red Mill [00:15:00] flower is amazing because they have multiple different types of flowers and it tends to taste almost identical to the traditional flower. The reason why I kind of pause as I was saying is that When you are baking with gluten-free flowers, you definitely wanna experiment because a lot of the ingredients that create these gluten-free flowers don't necessarily have the binding properties that the wheat flour has.
And so, Just be creative and perhaps keep an open mind as you Google a recipe or there's a lot of cookbooks on the market. Mine is coming soon, by the way, so stay tuned for that. But I just truly encourage you to keep an open mind and try something new. A few other things that I love. I will tell you about the CTE brand, [00:16:00] CTE foods, you can get them on Amazon.
They're also in Costco now. I think they're in pretty much all the grocery stores, but they have pretty much any of your Mexican style foods. so you know, grain-free corn chips. No corn, grain-free taco shells. That's what we have in our home. grain-free cookies and everything's grain-free, gluten-free and delicious.
So, CTE Foods is an amazing brand. I've got plenty of gluten-free recipes. Actually. All my [email protected] slash food, those are all gluten free, so you can find some fun recipes there. Let's see. Ooh, snacks. I love a good protein bar, and Resist is the only protein bar I recommend to my clients because it is clean and it is.
Hormone balancing, believe it or not, and I will tell [00:17:00] you, heads up, the chocolate is my absolute favorite, and I'm not even that much of a chocolate lover, but love the resist protein bars and then also for snacks that I keep in my purse, chomps. The Chomps meat sticks are amazing. They come in so many different flavors, but they are gluten free, dairy free, sugar free, and so good.
Try those out and let me know what you think.
And as I wind down this episode, I want to encourage you.
To really look at your current choices because there is a great chance that you are making amazing choices already. There's also a great chance that most of your diet is probably gluten free already. There's. The grilled veggies, the grilled proteins, the delicious carbs like [00:18:00] buckwheat and brown rice and millet.
There's a great chance you're already eating wonderfully. I would just like to encourage you to get that gluten out. It is not serving any of us. And bottom line, you've gotta listen to your body. I am here. I am here as your health coach, as your culinary nutritionist, and I would absolutely love to have you.
In our healthy sexy May group coaching program, doors open today. If you had to michelle fox.com/group coaching, you will see all of the juicy details and I would love to have you with us. I will tell you that this program will be for six weeks. I listened to the feedback from our courses last year, and that was actually one of the number one requests was to have more time to [00:19:00] integrate the information, and also people requested meal plans that were already done for them. Guess what? You girl listened. I gotcha. Cool. I would love, love, love to invite you to join us, michelle fox.com/group coaching and we will walk together as we eliminate a lot of those.
I'll just say menopausal symptoms that you are likely experiencing right now. I truly do not want you suffering, and I wanna help you feel better, feel sexier in your skin. I also want to help create a beautiful community around you so that you know without a doubt that you do not have to do this alone.
Michelle fox.com/group coaching and I will be waiting for you. I'll talk to you soon.
Thanks so much for listening to Healthy Sexy [00:20:00] Nutrition. Have you been driving, doing laundry or walking around the neighborhood? Sweet. I've got show notes for you at michellefox.com/podcast. Click over there when you are ready. I will let you know that on the page you will find resources to support what you just learned on today's show.
And of course, you can grab some health supportive freebies as well. If you enjoyed this episode, I would be so honored if you would leave a review on whichever podcast platform you are listening on. It will help me with my mission to build healthier communities one person at a time. Big love from your favorite culinary nutritionist and health coach, and until next week, keep showing up for yourself and know that you and your health matter. [00:21:00]
