Can Acai Help Lose Weight During Menopause?
You've got to say, I think that if I keep working at this and want it badly enough I can have it. It's called perseverance. -- Lee Iacocca
As a woman enters menopause she may start to gain weight and find that it is becoming harder to lose weight than it was when she was younger. This can be due to hormonal changes that are happening in her body, a change in exercise patterns or even the natural tendency of the body's metabolism to slow as people age.
The tried and true method of losing weight involves reducing calories and increasing exercise. This may work for some people but we all know that as you get older and take on more responsibilities that finding time to exercise every day is not always possible.
For the last thirty or forty years people have turned to using supplements to help with the weight gain problem. Some of these supplements were definitely not healthy and could be dangerous even when prescribed by a doctor. Over the last decade there has been a lot of research into natural supplements and super foods and their ability to help people lose weight.
One of these new super foods is the Acai berry.
The Acai berry is thought to be one of the most nutritious foods in the world today. It as found and harvested from an Amazon palm tree in the tropical rain forests of Brazil. One of the delights of the berry is that it tastes like a blend of chocolate and other fruit berries. It can be found in many health food stores as a juice drink, smoothie or in powder or capsule form. If you want to add this to your health regimen look for any product with the unsweetened pulp of the berry.
Sometimes called nature's perfect energy food, the acai berry contains a wealth of antioxidants - many times what is found in red grapes. Antioxidants remove free radicals in the body and help prevent premature aging. When you exercise your body creates free radicals which cause premature aging and need to be removed before they can cause any damage.
A unique feature of acai is that it is one of the few plant foods to contains fatty acids. These are monounsaturated fatty acids and it is thought that they work together with omega-3 fish oils to keep the cells in your body working well by allowing hormones and other receptors to pass through the cell membranes more easily. Menopause is such a critical point in a woman's life anything that helps her hormones work more efficiently should help with a weight loss program.
Many supplements that are used as part of a weight loss program will have more than one active ingredient. You should try to find a supplement that is mostly made of whole foods and natural herbs instead of chemicals that could be hard on your body. The best supplements will contain several active ingredients that work together to speed up your metabolism and curb your appetite. Some of these natural ingredients will include but not be limited to acai, green tea extract, kelp, brown seaweed extract, and grape seed extract.
Any time you start a new diet or exercise regimen or plan you should check with your doctor first.
About the Author
Stephen is an avid reader and researcher. His focus is on health and wellness with a specific interest in natural health.