Is there any help for perimenopausal fat? Turning the big 4-O has me paying more attention to what I eat—I don’t want to gain 50 pounds like my sister did during perimenopause. So this summer I ate tons of fruit like watermelon and oranges, and I had a spinach-and-tomato salad just about every night. But I still gained! What went wrong?
Women in their late thirties and early forties experience a thyroid slowdown caused by hormonal flux. Progesterone levels fall too low, so estrogen becomes dominant, which in turn hinders thyroid-hormone production. That alone causes weight gain, and unfortunately your healthy diet may have added to the problem. The culprit: a contaminant called perchlorate that can lurk in water-laden fresh fruit and veggies (like watermelon, citrus, tomatoes and spinach). Perchlorate hinders iodine uptake in the thyroid, making the organ even more sluggish. To offset these effects, flavor meals with iodine-rich seaweed seasoning, I like Eden Organic Seaweed Gomasio ($3 for 3.5 oz., at EdenFoods.com). Also, a progesterone cream (like ProgestaKey, $37 for a two month supply, at unikeyhealth.com) can keep hormones balanced and stop estrogen-induced thyroid slowdown.
