Foods rich in phytoestrogen, a natural estrogen, will ease women through the menopause years. Foods containing phytoestrogens include soy products, whole grains and legumes, lignin-rich foods like flaxseeds, millet and barley.

The bonus to adding these foods rich in phytoestrogens to the daily diet are that the foods containing phytoestrogen properties are also nutritious and disease fighting. It is best to use a variety of estrogen foods for overall menopause health.

Foods rich in phytoestrogens, a natural estrogen:

•  Soy
• Millet
• Barley
• Flax seed
• Lentils
• Kidney beans
• Lima beans
• Rye
• Clover
• Fennel
• Chickpeas (garbanzo beans)

Other foods containing the estrogen compound phytoestrogen include;

• Apples
• Alfalfa sprouts
• Celery
• Beets
• Bok choy
• Broccoli
• Cauliflower
• Cucumbers
• Mushrooms
• Brussel sprouts
• Seaweeds
• Squash
• Pumpkin seeds
• Cherries
• Olives
• Pears
• Plums
• Tomatoes
• Prunes
• Barley
• Oats
• Brown rice
• Wheat germ
• Bulgur
• Brewer's yeast
• Black-eye peas
• Mung bean sprouts
• Navy beans
• Red beans
• Split peas
• Spices; cloves, ginger, hops, oregano, red raspberry, sage tea, thyme, turmeric

Add pythoestrogens gradually to the daily diet, increasing the foods containing phytoestrogen to 30 to 50 mg per day. A simple add of phytoestrogens to the diet is to incorporate one cup of soy yogurt mixed with one tablespoon fresh ground flax seed into your daily diet.

Soy foods containing phytoestrogens are found in many forms in your local health food store. There are soy noodles, soy hot dogs, soy milk, soy yogurt, soy cheese, soy flour, roasted soy beans, textured vegetable protein, tofu...

Soy foods can also be excellent sources of calcium, which help combat osteoporosis, a condition common among postmenopausal women. Calcium fortified soy milk is an excellent phytoestrogen rich food choice.

Flax seed is exceptionally excellent, not only as a food containing the estrogen-like phytoestrogen, but for general, all-around health. Flax seed taken daily decreases the risk of heart disease and certain cancers. Flax seed improves liver function, vastly improves the condition of dry skin, dull hair and brittle nails and is helpful in the treatment of eczema and psoriasis. Flax seed alleviates some allergies can lower total serum cholesterol levels by up to 9 percent, lowers LDL cholesterol levels by up to 18 percent, aids in weight loss, improves energy and is effective in treating depressions. Flax seed also improves mental functioning and alleviates some cases of asthma.

Following extensive research conducted on the powerful benefits of flax seed and flaxseed oil, the Women’s Menopause Health Center recommends that women consume two tablespoons of flaxseed oil daily, or one tablespoon of fresh-ground flax seed daily.

Milled flax seed contains a much greater concentration of lignans, protein and fiber. We recommend buying the flax seeds whole and grinding them yourself. A small coffee grinder will do the trick.
 

The more I study nutrition, the more I am convinced that we need to eat raw uncooked unprocessed food. In 1970, Americans spent about $6 billion on fast food. In 2000, they spent more than $110 billion.

In 1968, McDonald's had one thousand restaurants. Today McDonald's has about 30,000 restaurants and opens about 2,000 new ones each year. I recommend the book "Fast Food Nation" by Eric Schlosser for a better understanding of what has happened to the American diet in the last few decades.

It is becoming increasingly clear that one of the major reasons vegetable juicing works is that it is living raw food. I am confident that most of us would notice significant improvements in our energy and health if we increased the amounts of living raw foods in our diet. If you juice vegetables on a regular basis, it is quite easy to consume over 50% of your foods as raw.

The enzymes in raw foods are destroyed by heat

Most raw food, like our bodies, is very perishable. When raw foods are exposed to temperatures above 118 degrees, they start to rapidly break down, just as our bodies would if we had a fever that high. One of the constituents of foods which can break down are enzymes. Enzymes help us digest our food. Enzymes are proteins though, and they have a very specific 3-dimensional structure in space. Once they are heated much above 118 degrees, this structure can change.

Once enzymes are exposed to heat, they are no longer able to provide the function for which they were designed. Cooked foods contribute to chronic illness, because their enzyme content is damaged and thus requires us to make our own enzymes to process the food. The digestion of cooked food uses valuable metabolic enzymes in order to help digest your food. Digestion of cooked food demands much more energy than the digestion of raw food. In general, raw food is so much more easily digested that it passes through the digestive tract in 1/2 to 1/3 of the time it takes for cooked food.
Eating enzyme-dead foods places a burden on your pancreas and other organs and overworks them, which eventually exhausts these organs. Many people gradually impair their pancreas and progressively lose the ability to digest their food after a lifetime of ingesting processed foods. 

The effect of raw food versus cooked food on the immune system

In 1930, under the direction of Dr. Paul Kouchakoff, research was conducted at the Institute of Clinical Chemistry in Lausanne, Switzerland. The effect of food (cooked and processed versus raw and natural) on the immune system was tested and documented.

Dr. Kouchakoff's discovery concerned the leukocytes, the white blood cells.

It was found that after a person eats cooked food, his/her blood responds immediately by increasing the number of white blood cells. This is a well-known phenomena called 'digestive leukocytosis', in which there is a rise in the number of leukocytes - white blood cells - after eating. Since digestive leukocytosis was always observed after a meal, it was considered to be a normal physiological response to eating. No one knew why the number of white cells rises after eating, since this appeared to be a stress response, as if the body was somehow reacting to something harmful such as infection, exposure to toxic chemicals or trauma.

Back in 1930, the Swiss researchers at the institute of Chemical Chemistry made a remarkable discovery. They found that eating raw, unaltered food did not cause a reaction in the blood. In addition, they found that if a food had been heated beyond a certain temperature (unique to each food), or if the food was processed (refined, chemicals added, etc.), this always caused a rise in the number of white cells in the blood.

The researchers renamed this reaction 'pathological leukocytosis', since the body was reacting to highly altered food. They tested many different types of foods and found that if the foods were not refined or overheated, they caused no reaction. The body saw them as 'friendly foods'. However, these same foods, if heated at too high a temperature, caused a negative reaction in the blood, a reaction found only when the body is invaded by a dangerous pathogen or trauma.

The worst offenders of all, whether heated or not, were processed foods which had been refined (such as white flour and white rice), or pasteurized (a process in which milk is flash-heated to high temperatures to kill bacteria), or homogenized (also seen in milk where the fat in milk is subjected to artificial suspension), or preserved (chemicals are added to food to delay spoilage or to enhance texture or taste).
In other words, foods which were changed from their original God-given state.

Raw foods and digestive enzymes

Let's get back to enzymes. Raw foods are rich in enzymes. Enzymes are needed for the digestive system to work. They are necessary to break down food particles so they can be utilized for energy. The human body makes approximately 22 different digestive enzymes which are capable of digesting carbohydrates, protein and fats. Raw vegetables and raw fruit are rich sources of enzymes.

While all raw foods contain enzymes, the most powerful enzyme-rich food is sprouted seeds, grains, and legumes. Sprouting increases the enzyme content in these foods enormously.

Lack of digestive enzymes can be a factor in food allergies. Symptoms of digestive enzymes depletion are bloating, belching, gas, bowel disorders, abdominal cramping, and heartburn and food allergies. In other words the more food that you can eat raw, the better it is for absorption.

All of us loose our ability to produce concentrated digestive enzymes as we grow older. In cases where age is a factor, or where lack of digestive enzymes causes food allergies, supplementation may be helpful. You may also want to explore food combining.

If you do cook your food, the best way to cook food is to lightly steam, stew, or use a slow crock cooker. Eat as few over-processed and over-cooked foods as possible. The body has a difficult time digesting fried, pasteurized, barbecued, dried, and other over-processed and over-cooked foods which you find in boxed and processed foods.

I would encourage you to consume at least 50% of your food as uncooked. A good vegetable juicing program will easily put you over that volume.

As spring swings into gear, there's no better time to give your body a healthy, fresh start! Plus, if you're thinking about lowering your weight "eating clean" is a great first step. Add these 10 foods to your grocery cart and you'll get three terrific benefits:

• Lots of super-healthy liquids to flush out the body while pouring in nutrients.
• Fiber to keep your GI tract fit.
• Foods that energize cleansing enzymes in the liver, your body's built-in detox center.

The top 10 detox foods:

1. Green leafy vegetables
Eat them raw, throw them into a broth, add them to juices. Their chlorophyll helps swab out environmental toxins (heavy metals, pesticides) and protects the liver.

2. Lemons
You need to keep the fluids flowing to wash out the body and fresh lemonade is ideal. Its vitamin C, considered the detox vitamin, helps convert toxins into a water-soluble form that's easily flushed away.

3. Watercress
Put a handful into salads, soups, and sandwiches. The peppery little green leaves have a diuretic effect that helps move things through your system. And cress is rich in minerals too.

4. Garlic
Add it to everything -- salads, sauces, spreads. In addition to the bulb's cardio benefits, it activates liver enzymes that help filter out junk.

5. Green tea
This antioxidant-rich brew is one of the healthiest ways to get more fluids into your system. Bonus: It contains catechins, which speed up liver activity.

6. Broccoli Sprouts
 Get 'em at your health-food store. They pack 20 to 50 times more cancer-fighting, enzyme-stimulating activity into each bite than the grown-up vegetable.

7. Sesame Seeds
They're credited with protecting liver cells from the damaging effects of alcohol and other chemicals. For a concentrated form, try tahini, the yummy sesame seed paste that's a staple of Asian cooking.

8. Cabbage
There are two main types of detoxifying enzymes in the liver; this potent veggie helps activate both of them. Coleslaw, anyone?

9. Psyllium
A plant that's rich in soluble fiber, like oat bran, but more versatile. It mops up toxins (cholesterol too) and helps clear them out. Stir powdered psyllium into juice to help cleanse your colon, or have psyllium-fortified Bran Buds for breakfast.

10. Fruits, Fruits, Fruits
They're full of almost all the good things above: vitamin C, fiber, nutritious fluids, and all kinds of antioxidants. Besides, nothing tastes better than a ripe mango, fresh berries, or a perfect pear.

Ultimate Detox Recipe:
Toss dark, leafy greens in hot, garlicky oil for a cleansing and delicious dish...
 

It's important to keep in mind that just because we didn't include a food like Turmeric or Sage or Walnuts in our Top 5, this doesn't mean that those foods aren't incredibly brain and health-friendly too; it's just that the foods in our Top 5 have been demonstrated to possess more 'yes' counts across our range of criteria, particularly brain health benefits.

So without further adieu, here are the Top 5 Brain Health Foods worth considering adding to your diet if you haven't already. These are not listed in order of priority, as all are beneficial in different ways and via different mechanisms:
 

Wild Salmon

Wild salmon is not only an incredible food for brain health, it qualifies as incredible across virtually every other health standard as well and is clearly one of the healthiest foods that one can eat. Period. Wild salmon (not farm-raised) in particular is a true brain food: one of the best sources of Essential Fatty Acids (such as the all-important Omega-3), a rich source of high-quality non-land animal protein, low saturated fat, generally among the lowest amounts of contaminants (such as mercury) among seafood, and other health properties -- wild salmon can help do everything from improve your brain matter, your mood, your synaptic connections, your arteries, reduce your risk of stroke and Dementia and Alzheimer's and much more.

It's also important to know that only WILD salmon has been shown to contain the highest levels of the good stuff that your brain & body crave...as wild-caught fish grow and evolve their muscles, tissues and fat levels the hard way, fighting for survival of the fittest in the oceans and rivers. By contrast, many or most farm-raised salmon exist in a locked-up, artificial and sometimes contaminated environment and thus have to be fed food (or worse, color added later just before going to market!) to make them LOOK orange and healthy instead of white and sickly. Ewww!

While there ARE some good sustainable, eco-friendly, health-focused farmed salmon operations out there, I'll take my salmon fresh and wild and naturally orange in color, thank you...as long as wild salmon remains a mostly non-endangered fish species (particularly in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska). Even if it costs more. Your brain and body are worth it.

Cacao Beans

Wait, you mean chocolate, right? Hurray! I've been looking for an excuse to hit that vending machine and grab a candy bar...it has chocolate in it, so now it's actually healthy, right?

WRONG. Well, mostly wrong: what's healthy is the cacao bean, minimally processed. This amazing, hedonistic bean is one of the world's longest-revered foods (think 'time of the Aztecs' old) and has in recent years been shown to be a veritable powerhouse of cognitive enhancement, mood and bliss-enhancement (thanks in part to the Theobromine in cacao), antioxidants, flavonoids, catechins and many other brain & body-enhancing elements. In fact, chocolate has been very recently cited by some top health professionals and researchers to be THE single most exciting health food, and as more research continues to pour in, the more true this appears to be.

How is this possible, something that only recently was thought of as an unhealthy, dangerous, guilty indulgence...a sign of dietary decadence, now being hailed as beneficial to everything from brain health to skin elasticity to cardiovascular health to anti-cancer and pretty much everything in between? It's simple: chocolate does not equal cacao bean, nor vice-versa; most candy and chocolate bars contain not only low levels of cacao bean compared to other unhealthy ingredients such as sugars, milk fat, artificial flavorings and so on, but the quality and processing of the cacao used in these products is often of low health benefits due to everything from alkalization (e.g. "Dutch process cocoa") to refining and processing and over-roasting the healthy elements right out of the beans.

So if you want the real stuff, the best bet is to either use 100% organic non-alkalized cocoa powder from a high-quality maker who minimally processes the cocoa to ensure that the health properties are retained, or, second best, choose only high cacao percentage dark chocolate bars (typically at least 75% cacao content or higher, but we suggest 85% or higher), also from a high-quality provider.

It easiest to just mix a large spoonful of 100% organic cocoa powder with a bit of espresso, organic unsweetened soy milk and some cinnamon, even a sprinkle of cayenne red pepper...yes, cayenne pepper!) in the morning (and sometimes again in the afternoon) to make a drink not unlike what the ancient Aztecs used to make: it's one tasty, brain & body-fueling drink that gives you your pure cacao bean dose without the sugars and milk fat, you get your protein from the soy milk, brain-enhancing (and blood sugar-stabilizing) cinnamon, a little brain-enhancing caffeine from the espresso and theobromine (plus more) from the chocolate, and a digestion, brain-enhancing and respiratory-enhancing kick from the cayenne pepper. No sweetener needed.

All that in one tasty drink that really gets you going!

In summary, yes: chocolate is a brain health food. Or more specifically, the cacao bean is a true brain health and body health food. And worth considering adding to your diet (barring any allergies to chocolate or contraindications, of course). 

Matcha (stone-ground Gyokuru green tea powder)

So those green tea bags at the office water cooler aren't the ultimate form of green tea? Do I need something better? What brand of tea bags ARE better?

Oh dear. Where to begin. If you're used to getting your tea from tea bags, you'll need to put aside notions of brands, tea bags, and tea in general for a moment and take a big step back: as we discussed in our BrainReady health feature on the health benefits of Matcha, Matcha -- which is the finely-ground powder of the highest-quality, most revered part of the shade-grown green tea plant (Gyokuru leaves...the very top part of the shade-grown green tea plant then dried to become"Tencha") carefully grown, selected, dried, stone-ground, processed and prepared according to an ancient Japanese tradition, is not your average green tea. Nor does it come in tea bags. Nor do you brew it, boil it, or consume the watery extract from leaves.

When you drink real stone-ground Japanese Matcha, you're not only drinking the arguably highest-quality, most carefully cultivated green tea variety, you're actually consuming it all -- you're eating the whole thing, you're drinking the green tea leaf itself, whole, in powdered form mixed with hot (but not boiling!) water. The powder itself is so rich in chlorophyl (from the shade growing) that it's literally bright green, and when mixed with water it becomes a rich, bitter-sweet, Kermit-colored concoction whose effects you can actually FEEL almost immediately after drinking a cup (or small bowl, if doing it the traditional Japanese way) of it.

Perhaps best known as the traditional, ceremonial drink tightly interwoven with the Buddhist ceremonies and tradition, Matcha's unique effects on the brain were a perfect fit for those monks in Japan preparing to endure 12-hour straight meditation sessions: calming and focusing while stimulating at the same time, it's no wonder that Matcha became integrated into the monks' meditative practices (thanks in large part to the amino acid L-Theanine).

But as Matcha has become more known (and researched) in the West recently, even more exciting are the health properties being discovered and reported (and yes, now marketed as buzzwords by tea companies..have you seen that EGCG commercial for a bottled green tea maker?). You've probably already heard about many of the health benefits of green tea in general, so imagine those benefits amplified exponentially (up to 10x or more!) in the case of Matcha...as you're drinking an extremely concentrated, ultra-high quality form, straight. Antioxidants, catechins, vitamins such as C and A, even Fluoride. And the meditatively calming yet focusing effects of L-Theanine.

But perhaps best known is EGCG: Epigallocatechin Gallate, a compound found uniquely in green teas which has been shown to possess almost unbelievable anti-cancer, anti-aging and overall health benefits...so much so that 'EGCG' has become a health marketing buzzword for tea companies. Here's where Matcha is really unprecedented: Matcha contains exponentially higher amounts of EGCG than regular brewed green tea (including high-quality fresh Sencha green tea). Matcha also has over 33 times the antioxidant levels of antioxidant powerhouse blueberries(!)...hard to believe, but real.

So if you're looking for a great way to get a veritable blast of antioxidants (not to mention EGCG, vitamins, minerals, etc.), boost your brain with Zen-like concentration and physical benefits, it's hard to beat Matcha. And you can't get that with a tea bag.

A word of warning: not all Matcha is created equal! There are many non-Japanese (as well as Japanese) products out there called 'Matcha' that are often nothing more than powdered low-quality green tea, or worse, a mixture of ingredients with artificial green coloring(!). The stone grinding method is also very important, as low-quality Matcha is sometimes 'exploded' instead of stone-ground, reducing the health properties.

For more details on Matcha, check out our BrainReady Blog article on Matcha!
 

Blueberries

Then there's blueberries: it didn't seem fair to leave this time-honored, well-researched superfood off the list, particularly given its reputation as the 'brain berry' and its wide availability in fresh, original form (compared to Acai). And given how relatively easy it is to add blueberries to your daily diet, the combination of proven health benefits with ready availability make it a no-brainer to consider eating blueberries daily if possible. Think about it: what would your brain health, brain abilities, disease/risk profile, and overall health be like 5 or 10 or 20 years from now if you consumed blueberries every day? Exactly...
 

Coffee Beans

Ah, coffee. So popular, so ubiquitous, yet still so surprisingly misunderstood when it comes to "healthy or not". How can this be?

You'd think that virtually everyone would be an expert on coffee these days, given the explosion of coffee chains like Starbucks over the last decade. Perhaps it's because the situation is much like chocolate: the coffee bean, much like the cacao bean, is incredibly rich with antioxidants, amino acids, vitamins and minerals. Fresh-ground gently roasted coffee bean powder (again, like with cacao) has numerous brain and body health benefits...yes, including the caffeine content which has recently been shown to be GOOD for the brain, not bad, and particularly in the area of antioxidants.

Regular coffee consumption has been shown to actually reduce the risk of mental decline and diseases such as Dementia and Alzheimer's, and has also recently been found to be (shockingly) the "#1 source of antioxidants in the average American diet"...showing at once how health food-deprived the average diet continues to be while illustrating the surprising health benefits of something as common as coffee.

So where's the controversy and confusion? The problem comes in when coffee is combined with other unhealthy things, as is so commonly done: triple-carmel-double-whip-chocolate-creme-mocha-blast-freeze drinks, weak over-extracted brewed cheap poor quality coffee, coffee loaded up with artificial cream and sweeteners, you know the drill. Compare such carb, chemical and fat-laden concoctions with, say, a high-quality organic coffee freshly ground into an Espresso-grade powder and served as a couple shots of fresh espresso, straight? No comparison. This should be obvious, but surprisingly, many or even most people still don't get it.

Equally odd is that for many people, coffee is still viewed as a 'vice', something bad for you, something 'naughty' that should be avoided...as if it were akin to smoking cigarettes or pounding shots of tequila. The origin of this bizarre thinking comes partially from the effects of the caffeine (and other elements) which contribute to the stimulating effects of drinking coffee, and yes, for some people, coffee is contraindicated due to sensitivity to caffeine or gastrointestinal effects that coffee can sometimes produce.

But generally speaking, the coffee bean is a safe, true superfood. And when properly consumed in ideal forms (such as pure Espresso), it's one uniquely enjoyable beverage that also packs a host of brain and health-friendly.
 

Too much candy after the trick o treatin'?  

Well, don't be tricked into eating it all or letting your kids do the same. A few pieces are fine, but allowing the children to their own, most would probably over eat.

I have a great way to get rid of the mass of colorful pieces, give it to the "Good Witch."  After the kids have gathered up the 8-10 pieces of their favorites, we take the rest of the candy and place it on the front porch. In the morning, the Good Witch leaves a small prize for giving her the candy to share with other children. If there isn't another option, just throw it away, where the kids can't find it. 

Another option is to keep the chocolates, chop them up and freeze them for cookies at Christmas or another holiday. That way, you aren't tempted either!

Portion control is a growing problem in this county. We are served plates of food that 20 years ago would feed 3 people. Yet we all wonder why America is getting fatter and fatter. There is an article that I found comparing the sizes of foods from 20 years ago to now. A bagel used to be 3-inches in diameter and 140 calories, now the average is 5 to 6-inches and 350 calories. We have doubled the size and calories in 20 YEARS! Today’s bagel counts for 3 servings of bread, but we look at it and see one serving. 20 years ago, we used to drink an 8 oz cup of coffee with milk and sugar containing 45 calories. Now when we drink a Grande café mocha with whip and 2% milk weighing in at 16 oz, we consume a whopping 330 calories. That’s 6 ½ more calories than we used to take in for ONE cup. Everything is bigger. A better bang for your buck and that may not always be a good thing for you. We live in the days of super sizing, of more for less, upgrading, and drive thru’s. For example, when you walk into a 7-11 to get a Big Gulp for 32oz (way more than any of us need) and it will cost you $0.99--- but if you choose the 44oz it’s only a $1.09. That’s 12oz more for only $0.10!! What a deal. Then, there is the double big gulp (double gulp!) and it is 64oz for only $1.19. That’s 20oz for only $0.10 or if you were going to choose the 32oz, it’s double (funny) the ounces for only $0.20. Now that’s a steal! Right?  You have now taken in twice the calories with that great deal. Twice the calories.

So… what is a serving size? I’ll give you a few visuals.

Grain Products:

· 1 Cup of cereal is an adult fist full

· 1 pancake is the size of a CD

· ½ of cooked pasta, rice, or potato is the size of ½ a base ball

· 1 slice of bread is the size of a cassette tape

· 1 piece of cornbread should compare to a bar of soap

Dairy & Cheese

· 1 ½ oz of cheese looks like 4 dice

· ½ cup of ice cream looks like a ½ a base ball

· 1 tsp. of butter is equal to 1 dice

Vegetable & Fruit (these are bare minimums- eat all you want of these)

· 1 cup of salad is equal to a baseball

· 1 baked potato looks like your fist

· 1 med fruit is the size of a baseball

· ½ cup of fresh fruit looks like ½ a baseball

· ¼ cup of raisins would fit into a large egg shell.

The darker the fruit or vegetable the most likely they will be better for you. Take grapes for example. Red grapes will contain less sugar and more antioxidants than green grapes. The red grapes skin is thicker and provides more nutrients.

Meat & Alternatives

· 3 oz of meat is equal to a deck of playing cards

· 3oz of fish would be the size of a checkbook

· 2 Tbsp. of peanut butter would be the size of a ping pong ball

Another issue that I really would like to address is serving sizes in the packages we pick up at the grocery store. You MUST look closely at how many servings there are - not just the calories and fat. Many "personal" pizzas and other "single serving" products can be deceiving. The FDA hasn’t changed what a serving size is, but public perception has changed. Therefore, companies do not need to put it out there and tell you the whole truth. If you get a 20 oz. drink there are normally 2 and ½ servings in that bottle. Who is going to drink their 8 oz. and either save the rest, share it, or throw it away? No one! You are going to drink the whole thing. So when you look at the serving sizes make sure that you are looking closely.

We all need food enzymes from raw food to help use the nutrition in our diet, but how many of us eat one or two servings of raw food with each meal? Without food enzymes our diet can end up as stored calories called weight gain. So be sure your supplements include a healthy dose of enzymes.