The Power of Nutrition

While there are more than 40 symptoms of menopause, proper nutrition can alleviate even the most prevalent ones, including weight gain, poor sleep, brain fog, and mood swings. The root cause of many of these issues lies in blood sugar levels, which affect our hormones – something holistic nutritionist Sarah Wragge experienced firsthand while trying to get pregnant with her second child. 

Wragge’s long and transformative health journey, which began with inflammation and digestive issues during childhood, not only prompted Wragge to pursue a career helping others understand the connection between nutrition and well-being with the launch of Sarah Wragge Wellness in 2016 but also led to the development of Wragge’s SWW Method, an innovative and effective coaching-based approach to health and nutrition rooted in science, not trends.

Blood sugar — the glucose concentration (the fuel your body gets from carbohydrates) in the blood — can shift with nutrition, exercise, and stress. But blood sugar is similarly swayed by menopause; hormone shifts trigger blood-sugar fluctuations, often resulting in insulin resistance (when your body cannot regulate blood sugar levels). 

“Blood sugar balancing is everything,” says Wragge, whose 10-step, six-week SWW Method identifies ways to reset our routines to alleviate the impact. Here are several pillars of the lifestyle program you can easily incorporate into your own routine today.

SWW Method: Drink one liter of water upon waking — roughly equivalent to the amount of water we lose while sleeping just from breathing — and two additional liters throughout the day.

While hydration is essential to bodily functions such as circulation and delivering nutrients to organs, the intake of ample fluids during menopause combats symptoms associated with lost moisture, such as hot flashes and night sweats. Hydration also helps lower the effects of other menopausal symptoms, including brain fog and fatigue.

Conversely, dehydration can cause blood sugar to rise, impacting weight. “When your blood sugar is balanced you can coast between meals and make choices that fuel you, versus making choices based on cravings,” notes Wragge.

SWW Method: As your body detoxes overnight, you awake in an acidic state. Before reaching for acidic coffee, alkalizing with green juice (no fruit), hot water with lemon, or a greens powder is vital.

Due to decreased estrogen, we are more acidic in menopause, which can contribute to inflammation. Wragge loves to preach “ABA. Always be alkalizing.” Beyond kickstarting the day with greater mental clarity and increased focus, alkalization also benefits the body through hydration, reduced inflammation, and, specifically, necessary nutrition in the form of green juice and powders.

With the newly launched SWW Alkalize, a powerful green powder with seven nutrient-dense super greens (and a pinch of turmeric), Wragge’s mission to embolden more alkalizing and further support gut health and fat burning is coming to fruition. Bonus: At just 15 calories, Alkalize can be consumed each morning while allowing you to remain in a fasted state.

SWW Method: Alkalize before dinner with green juice (no fruit), hot water with lemon, or a greens powder.

By alkalizing before dinner, Wragge says you not only set yourself up for better digestion; the boost also wards off the afternoon slump that has many of us craving sugar — which stems from a blood sugar imbalance — or requiring a cup of coffee. Alkalizing also supports bone health, which is vital as bone density declines and the risk of osteoporosis increases with lower estrogen.

SWW Method: Supplement with minerals before bedtime.

Given the incidence of sleep disturbances during menopause, we don’t need confirmation from the National Healthy Sleep Awareness Project that we need support to achieve blissful slumber. While sleep is a widespread issue, Wragge notes that “30% of the population is [also] completely deficient in magnesium.” Menopause furthers this magnesium deficiency due to lower estrogen that depletes melatonin, the hormone that maintains the circadian rhythm. We can put sleepless nights to rest by replenishing our bodies with minerals such as magnesium, which calm the nervous system and restore our balance.

Wragge has just launched (the aptly named) SWW Restore with essential electrolytes and minerals to help you recover from workouts, decrease cravings, combat bloating, reduce stress, and improve sleep quality. With magnesium, B12, and other replenishing minerals (including alkalizing sodium bicarbonate, which improves insulin sensitivity) — Restore’s calming effect can lead to deep sleep.

To learn more about balancing hormones with nutrition, visit sarahwraggewellness.com.