January 9th, 2015 
Lynn Many of you have asked how I’m feeling since I’m eating meat again. Here’s my update: I’ve been eating free-range chicken, grass-fed beef, new zealand lamb and even no nitrate/nitrite/MSG bacon in addition to my normal staples. Meat isn’t by any means my main staple as I eat it at one meal, probably 4 to 5 days per week.
Interestingly I was recently at a family style dinner in a remote location, with a pre-fixed menu. I had two options: beer battered cod and shrimp or lamb. Looking at the options I knew that if I’m sticking to my guns about “eating real food” lamb was the more viable option. I did eat a small amount of the beer battered cod since it was offered specifically to me, but I finished with a lamb chop, knowing that it was the more nutritious offering.
I’ve been through two menstrual cycles and this most recent cycle was my greatest surprise. I have always been forewarned (with minimally a light pain) when I would begin to menstruate. However, in this past cycle I discovered that my body had begun without any warning whatsoever. This is for the first time in my life (or as long as I can remember)!
As our female bodies begin peri-menopause (10 years prior to ending menstruation) our hormonal balances shift. At the start of the decade low estrogen begins which can create an imbalance in ratio with progesterone. Excess progesterone can lead to more bleeding and additional requirements for nutrients (iron, b-vitamins, amino acids). Since I’ve not experienced any pain and yet an improvement in a symptom I’m feeling that introducing meat is the right decision and may in fact be addressing nutritional deficiencies that I was not aware of.
Dairy remains omitted from my diet. Since mainstream dairy has dozens of hormones (estrogen is predominant and dangerous) it is looking more suspicious as the culprit behind 16 years of my pain. But I will report back in another 30 days.
(Side note: a great article from the Harvard News Office about hormones in milk http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/2006/12.07/11-dairy.html)
Be well,
Lynn
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