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MyFitnessPal Community

Diet change/soy to reduce hotflashes?

TrailRunner61

I was wondering if any of you have tried soy products (or any other diet changes) to reduce hotflashes and if it has worked for you. I can't take estrogen anymore.

Replies

TrailRunner61

anyone?

kimiel51

I have tried the Estroven, which has soy and black cohosh, but I saw no change. I took it for one month! Flax seed is supposed to be helpful, but I haven't been remembering to add it to my food. I haven't really tried soy in food yet. I don't want to do HRT, but if I keep having so many of the hot flashes at night, I may have to!

bostongirl47

I tried Amberen. Amazing stuff! Took my hot flashes completley away and also my mood swings !!!

Gosser

Everyone reacts differently to the different solutions on offer. I'm pescatarian and eat quite a lot of soya products but didn't see any change because of it. Friends of mine have seen an improvement in symptoms by just swapping their milk in the morning cereal to soya milk so it is hard to predict if you would find it helps.

I take an agnus castus tablet every day and that keeps the hot flushes at bay, mostly.

I was thinking of trying black cohosh to see if that would eliminate them entirely

dcdickerson2

Everyone reacts differently to the different solutions on offer. I'm pescatarian and eat quite a lot of soya products

Pescatarian? I don't know that one. What is it?

Gosser

Pescatarian = vegetarian that eats fish

yvetter39

Hot flashed were killing me! I couldn't sleep or concentrate. I had at least 15 or 20 in 24 hrs and was miserable. I won't do HRT so I looked for a natural alternative. I began taking a product called Remifemin, 20mg of Black Cohash twice a day, a multivitamin daily and a B vitamin every other day. I also began exercising more regularly, a least 4 times a week of bike riding or walking or mild strength training for 30 minutes. I've also done my best to read all labels and cut out as much MSG(or any of its aliases) from my diet. At two weeks, the hot flashes were barely noticeable and I could sleep through the night without sweating!!! What a relief. Now about a month later I will occasionally feel a slight warmth but NO SWEATING!. I'm convinced that an all out attack on diet, exercise and supplements is the only way to do it. One approach alone would not have made an impact and I would have believed there was nothing to be done. I know some folks say supplements have not worked for them but, they make have relied on them as the only treatment. Best of luck.

k1mcat

I must be super strange. I've had hot flashes off and on for a couple of years. I only ever see people complain about them. Oddly, I don't mind them at all-the warm flushed feeling. I even kinda like it. Is that weird or what? Oh well, what else is new. lol :blushing:

kimiel51

I must be super strange. I've had hot flashes off and on for a couple of years. I only ever see people complain about them. Oddly, I don't mind them at all-the warm flushed feeling. I even kinda like it. Is that weird or what? Oh well, what else is new. lol :blushing:

I woud be fine with just a warm feeling, but what I have is a full out steam coming out of my ears feeling, along with sweating from my face to my belly button. I really do mind that feeling! LOL!!

glenner

I must be super strange. I've had hot flashes off and on for a couple of years. I only ever see people complain about them. Oddly, I don't mind them at all-the warm flushed feeling. I even kinda like it. Is that weird or what? Oh well, what else is new. lol :blushing:

glenner

I always thought how bad can hotflashes be- I love hot humid weather so I was thinking "Bring it"- but when they started it wasn't just the hotness- at night it would wake me up and nothing ever woke me up! I would be completely drenched and sort of panicky- like why was I awake, did I hear an intruder? (my husband used to be on midnights) I finally realized it was night sweats and can fall back to sleep now. But the daytime ones were awful- I would feel like someone dumped a hot pot of water on me- my face would turn beet red, sweat would pour off and I would usually feel nauseous. I can't take anything because of family health history and lots of herbal supplements recommended can't be taken with the medication I am on. But I have had success with soy. The book I read said 60 grams of soy powder a day (I have protein shake for breakfast and lunch because I would skip meals otherwise), add soy beans and tofu to your diet, soy protein of 40 to 80 milligrams a day spread out throughout the day should help. It also recommended Black cohosh 40 milligrams twice a day and vitamin E but if you are diabetic or have heart problems check with dr. (I can't take them). I have seen a decrease - sometimes no hot flashes for weeks, but when I do have them the frequency has decreased so I can live with it!

kmuellka

I definitely agree that diet and exercise can have an affect on menopause symptoms. I have soy milk everyday with oatmeal and take a multivitamin for woman over 50 and exercise 6 days a week. I also take a maca root supplement. My hot flashes will go away for weeks at a time and then they seem to always return, but it always seems it's when I have eaten more carbohydrates in my diet. (Also I've heard caffeine makes them worse. I never have caffeine though). Although by keeping up the exercising and the maca root and multivitamin daily, my hot flashes stay very mild. It seems once I cut back on the carbs again, then my hot flashes go away. I've had peri-menopause and now post-menopause symptoms for about 5 years now. From seeing other posts in this forum, it appears many woman experience symptoms for many years and some say they never have stopped. But I firmly believe diet, exercise and adding a supplement to your daily diet keeps the symptoms tolerable.

PJilly

I've been having hot flashes off and on for a year or two now, but only recently have they become uncomfortable enough that I am exploring ways to cool them off, mostly because they are now keeping me from getting a good night's sleep. Night after night of that is taking its toll. I've recently added B complex and flaxseed daily, so I am hoping those bring some relief.

runs4zen

I had to quit taking HRT pills after just two weeks. I became bloated, water logged and crazy on them.

I then started eating soy trail mix from Costco. Haven't had a hot flash since (knock on wood!)

MeliciousGibson

I'm convinced that an all out attack on diet, exercise and supplements is the only way to do it. One approach alone would not have made an impact and I would have believed there was nothing to be done. I know some folks say supplements have not worked for them but, they make have relied on them as the only treatment. Best of luck.

I have been on HRT since October when my last ovary was removed. My doctor knows my moral preferences, so we came up with the Estradiol patch. I was on oral forms of estrogen, but they did NOTHING to improve my hot flashes/night sweats. I, too, would get 15-20/day. One day I had 5 within 15 minutes and had to just leave work and rest at home.

I tried the all-out attack on diet. I tried the menopausal multivitamins. I tried replacing my milk with soy. I excersize regularly (4X a week for at least 60 minutes at a time). I have tried just about everything possible, but the only thing that worked for me was going on the Estradiol patch.

Everybody's system is different and is going to react differently. I don't think it can be an "all or nothing" across the board. Having said that, I am glad that people have been able to find something that works for them - because hot flashes and night sweats REALLY suck!

Best of luck to ALL of us going through this.

okidoke

I had a total hyst with ovaries removed. Can't take HRT either and I avoid estrogenic foods like soy for the same health reasons. My hot flashes were unbearable and I couldn't sleep for more than 2 hours at a time and then I tried acupuncture. Now I just have normal flashes two or three times a day. It saved me!

PJilly

I've been having hot flashes off and on for a year or two now, but only recently have they become uncomfortable enough that I am exploring ways to cool them off, mostly because they are now keeping me from getting a good night's sleep. Night after night of that is taking its toll. I've recently added B complex and flaxseed daily, so I am hoping those bring some relief.

I don't know if it's the B complex, the ground flax, or purely coincidence, but my hot flashes are all but gone. I plan to keep taking those two supplements. If it ain't broke…

joanlwolf

Omitting caffeine and chocolate are supposed to help but I only cut back, didn't give up entirely. My dr. suggested Remifemin which is Black Cohosh. The best place to buy it is Walmart in the vitamin for women section. Times when they didn't have it I substituted Black Cohosh capsules and seemed similar but I think the Remifemin worked a little better. And like others have said, diet, exercise and supplements - a full on attack

I'm afraid of soy because of so much cancer in my family and not taking HRT for the same reason. My hot flashes have decreased to one or two mild ones every day, much better than before and rarely at night anymore. I eat healthy, exercise and take basic vitamins and the Remifemin or Black Cohosh.

BackwoodsMom

The hard part is that there are so many options to reduce hot flashes!

It would be so much easier if we were all the same in this area. At least then we'd know what to do. The challenge for me is finding one that works. I tried Black Cohosh a couple years ago and my hot flashes increased a lot!!! I've tried different natural supplements but have to stay away from soy-based products. So far, the only thing that takes them away is when I might get my period - which is so unpredictable now as it's anywhere from 4 weeks to 4 months. :ohwell: I sweat from head to toe but don't get flushed. At least when I'm exercising it really looks like I'm putting out a hard effort with how much I sweat. :laugh:

chicpeach

I must be super strange. I've had hot flashes off and on for a couple of years. I only ever see people complain about them. Oddly, I don't mind them at all-the warm flushed feeling. I even kinda like it. Is that weird or what? Oh well, what else is new. lol

Not weird in my opinion, I'm the same way.

But I did pick up some soy nuts today to have something healthy and different. Do they count? I can let you know if they work on me, although it sounds like your hot flashes are super more intense than mine.

Annec0911

Hi - I haven't tried soy products ...but here's what's been working for me to reduce hot flushes:

- Remifemin - two tablets in both morning and night
- A good sweaty* work-out 3-4 times per week...for a burn of 350-450 cals per workout
- Cutting out coffee - I still drink black tea and green tea which have caffeine but not as high as coffee.
- This forum! - makes me realise I am not going nuts...well maybe I am? :huh: but at least I feel I am not alone!

*I've recently started doing 30 Day Shred and similar Circuit Training DVDs by Jillian Michaels after reading lots of good reports on MFP - I 've built up being able to do 2 or 3 sessions, back to back (50-75 mins) - They get me absolutely dripping (sorry, that's a bit gross!) I think this goes a long way to decreasing the impact of the hormone storm brewing in me.

I've also begun to see some long-lost definition in my arms and stomach!

I've been a runner for about 5 years. It really bugged me that I never seemed to be able get out of the 5-7 lb gain/lose cycle than earlier posters mentioned....I think that running (or walking) alone won't cut it (for me)...these circuits seem to really get my furnace burning...Clothes are fitting better....Although decreases aren't showing up fast on the scale, I dfefinitely feel better!

I aim for around 1200-1350 nett cals per day. Some days...heck, some weeks, I am way off...but long term persistence/consistency is the game...and I'm winning on that front.
:happy:

bimpski

I increased my progesterone through food and it has helped curb my symptoms. If you try soy to increase your estrogen do a little research to find out how much soy you should be eating as there are some differing opinions on it's safety. You can also do a google search to find out if there are foods other than soy to increase your estrogen. Good luck!

Bikerchickmomma

I have been eating one serving of soy products daily since I was 40. I am 57 now. I have not experienced any "real" hot flashes. I also exercise regularly and I truly believe between the exercise and soy I have kept the "flashing" at bay. I also find that if I don't indulge in too many processed carbs, I stay "cooler".

My main source of soy is tofu, which I mix in yogurt or cottage cheese. It can be mixed into a lot of different foods as it really doesn't have much of a flavor of its own. Sometimes I'll have a serving of soy nuts, which are dried soybeans that look and taste a bit like little peanuts. They have fewer calories and less fat than peanuts too.

tyresank

Hi ladies
I have been on a fitness journey now for about 12 months, working out six days a week cardio, and three days strength training, and this has not helped my hot flashes at all. My. Diet had improved tremendously and I am off processed sugars too. I have soy several times a day usually but at least once per day, and also started taking Oona recently but while things are a slight bit better not seeing dramatic changes yet. The Oona is a formulation of Black Chohash. I am now down close to 80 lbs as well and 11 percent body fat, so I think I am going all of the right things. This started for me in 2002 with night sweats off and on and has been much worse the last few years now. My last menses was in Feb so I am on the countdown again as I too stop and start up again usually after 7 or 8 months each time for the last 4 yrs! I have never heard of Amberen I might give it a try if another month on Oona appears to be a waste of time.

trixiemou

I was telling a friend about feeling queasy, lightheaded and putting it down to the start of menopause. She has brought me some YMEA. It contains Soya extract, Hops extract and bitter melon extract. Comes highly recommended although I have not tried it yet.

Can any one give more advise?

workshy000

Soy definitely helps reduce the hot flushes for me, as I've found out since I've stopped taking it.
I was taking a cup of soy milk a night, as well as tofu, soy grits and soy sauce at least one night a week. However, due to my stupid memory I had forgotten since last winter that if I take too much soy for too long (nearly every night) I end up feeling like I've swallowed cement and been punched in the stomach for about a week. Very unpleasant. But since I've stopped having a cup of soy milk at night my hot flushes have gone through the roof.

deeschange

Same for me.A cup of soy milk made the hotflashes bearable, however it also brought about chest congestion....and digestive issues.... I had to give it up and well.....the hotlfashes are right back.....

Dee

katejkelley

I can't take estrogen either, so my doctor put me on Peroxetene, which helps calm the hot flashes quite a bit. I also cut back on alcohol - red wine really triggers the flashes. I went to a wedding this weekend and had "a few" glasses of white zin - I was a broiler all night long! I found chocolate can trigger the flashes, too. I've tried soy but find it sort of acts like estrogen, and maybe not in a good way. After my sister had a full hysterectomy, her doctor told her to avoid soy, so I'm not sure if it is the solution. Spicy foods can be a trigger, too. Though I love Mexican food and a nice Coronna Lite, my face turns bright red and I practically have to take my shirt off I get so hot. I keep fans nearby in my office and bedroom. No amount of winter can prevent a flash when it's coming! :mad:

godsown1961

Drinking Soymilk helped me along with Black Cohosh. It takes a while to kick in, for me soymilk was about one month and black cohosh after 2 bottles. I stopped and they restarted, so Im starting all over again. lol

GodzGirlStarria

Hello, I'm new to the group.

What is Amberen?