Do This to Slow the Ageing Process and Protect Your Health!

During perimenopause and menopause, we’re faced with numerous physical, psychological and emotional challenges that we often seek help to cope with. 

These can include symptoms like hot flushes, low libido, heavy bleeding, anxiety and difficulty sleeping as well as coming to terms with reaching this new phase in our lives. 

That’s almost certainly how you found me and continue to support your health throughout this time of transition. 

But many of my ladies don’t realise that this isn’t the only thing they need to think about when they reach the menopausal years. 

Once we enter our post-menopausal years, we become more vulnerable to various health problems such as cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, diabetes and UTIs because we don’t have the same protective effect of the hormone oestrogen. 

Nitric oxide could help

The good news is that scientists are discovering that the compound known as nitric oxide could help. 

Studies suggest that it won’t only help boost your overall health, reduce your risk of all these health problems, strengthen your immune system and even reduce your cancer risk. It can also help boost your libido, sleep better, learn better and improve your memory! 

Today I’d love to explain more about this brilliant compound, how it can benefit your body throughout your perimenopause to post-menopause journey and how you can boost your levels by eating more of certain foods and making some easy tweaks to your lifestyle. 

What is nitric oxide?

Nitric oxide is a compound that your body makes when you eat foods containing certain nutrients like vitamin C and nitrates. 

It is involved in the signalling system of your body and helps your blood vessels dilate and constrict your blood vessels so that blood, oxygen and nutrients can travel around your body effectively and efficiently. 

But that’s not all; it also acts as a neurotransmitter, stimulates the release of certain hormones like insulin and human growth hormone, plays a role in bone metabolism and regulating bone density in women, boosts your immune system and even helps regulate blood flow to the genitals. 

Why do we need to think about it during perimenopause and menopause?

As I mentioned at the beginning, women experience a significant decline in oestrogen during the menopausal years. 

This can contribute to reduced nitric oxide production, so the blood vessels can’t contract and expand as they usually would, and many other systems in your body are impacted. 

As a result, we have an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, impaired immune function and an increased risk of chronic diseases. Your skin is also likely to age faster; you are more likely to have a low libido, suffer from bone fractures and have more difficulty sleeping, learning and thinking. 

How to increase our bodies’ levels of nitric oxide

Luckily, we can take matters into our own hands and boost the levels of nitric oxide in our bodies so we stay in optimal health during the perimenopause, menopause and postmenopausal years. 

This includes eating the right kinds of nutrient-dense foods and also paying attention to certain other lifestyle habits. Let me explain…

Foods to increase the production of nitric oxide

If you want to increase your nitric oxide production, fill your plate with the following foods. 

1. Leafy green vegetables: Leafy greens such as spinach, kale and arugula are high in nitrates which the body can convert into nitric oxide.
2. Beetroot (Beets): This humble root vegetable is another good source of nitrates which can increase nitric oxide production. They can be eaten raw, cooked or in juice form.
3. Garlic: Garlic contains a compound called allicin which can stimulate the production of nitric oxide in the body.
4. Citrus fruits: Citrus fruits such as oranges, lemons, and grapefruits are high in vitamin C, which can help to increase nitric oxide production.
5. Pomegranate: Pomegranate juice has been shown to increase nitric oxide levels in the body, which may help to improve blood flow and reduce inflammation.
6. Watermelon: Watermelon contains an amino acid called citrulline, which the body can convert into nitric oxide.
7. Walnuts: Walnuts are a good source of arginine, an amino acid that can stimulate the production of nitric oxide in the body.

Lifestyle tools can help to support healthy nitric oxide 

Here are some of the lifestyle tricks you can use to increase your nitric oxide levels naturally. 

1. Exercise: Regular physical activity can help to increase nitric oxide production in the body.
   
2. Sun exposure: Exposure to sunlight can help increase the body's nitric oxide production thanks to the effects of UV radiation on the skin.
   
3. Stress management: Chronic stress can impair nitric oxide production in the body. So adopt some healthy ways to manage your stress through relaxation techniques such as meditation, deep breathing or yoga to help to support healthy nitric oxide production.
   
4. Sleep: Getting enough restful sleep is important for healthy nitric oxide production. Chronic sleep deprivation can impair nitric oxide production and lead to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease.
   
5. Avoiding tobacco use: Smoking and other forms of tobacco use can impair nitric oxide production in the body and increase the risk of cardiovascular disease.
6. Practice conscious breathing. Simply sitting quietly and paying attention to your breath for 10 minutes per day can help increase nitric oxide levels in your body.  

Adopt these habits and include more of these nitric oxide-producing foods in your body, and you can stay healthy, energetic and vibrant for many years to come! 

Join the Flourish and Thrive for support during this phase of life!