As the end of the year is upon us, I know how busy you must be feeling.
It’s always a time of the year, when not only can there be a lot going on, but stress can hit an all-time high. For many women on the MyMT™ lifestyle programmes for menopause symptoms and/or weight loss, this means that the best intentions for looking after themselves can wane with their drop in energy levels.
Our stressful, busy lives can also be the cause of gut health problems during menopause, as is the change in hormone production. Absorption of nutrients can therefore, be problematic … many of us already know that a gut that is under stress, doesn’t absorb nutrients very well.
That’s why my mantra is, that just like athletes before competition, we need simple, easily digested, low calorie, nutrient dense foods.
This is where ‘crackers for snackers’ come into play. These home-made Lavosh Crackers, which originated in the Middle East, have ingredients in them that are evidenced for the reduction of menopause symptoms.
For example, rosemary is a herb of the Mediterranean. Rosemary has significant antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, anti-anxiety and other nerve-protective properties. Furthermore, it shows important clinical effects on mood, learning, memory, pain, anxiety, and sleep. [Rahbardar et al. 2020]
Extra Virgin Olive Oil is also well evidenced in women’s health studies, including for cardiovascular health, joint health and reduction of anxiety and hot flushes. I’ve written about this powerful food HERE, so have a read sometime.
Lavosh Crackers
Source: Radio New Zealand (Gretchen Lowe)
Ingredients
**Optional ingredients
- **Dried herbs or rosemary – 1-2 tbsp
- **Fennel, cumin or caraway seeds – 1 tbsp
- **Chilli flakes – good pinch
- 1 cup cornmeal (not polenta, it’s too coarse)
- 1 ¼ cup seeds (I used pumpkin, sunflower and sesame)
- 1 tsp sea salt, plus extra for sprinkling
- ¼ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1.5 cups boiling water or more if needed
Method
Heat oven to 150C fan bake
Cover a large roasting/baking tray with baking paper
Mix the first 3 ingredients and any optional extras
Stir through olive oil
Add boiling water
Spread mix thinly with the back of a spoon (about 2mm thick) then sprinkle with sea salt
Cook for an hour or until brown then leave in a turned-off oven for an hour or so to fully harden.
References:
Ghasemzadeh Rahbardar M, Hosseinzadeh H. Therapeutic effects of rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis L.) and its active constituents on nervous system
disorders. Iran J Basic Med Sci 2020; 23:1100-1112. doi: 10.22038/ijbms.2020.45269.10541
