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can. Eventually it runs out and production of new proteins slows. When that happens, you can
start to lose muscle tissue and your immune health will gradually deteriorate.

Some foods contain all of the essential amino acids in amounts sufficient to maintain protein
synthesis (manufacturing); these are the complete protein foods. The problem for women who
might be suffering from the inflammatory effects of menopause however, many of these
‘complete’ protein foods are meat and dairy based which we have already said are quite acidic.

To reduce the inflammatory symptoms of menopause, it is important to eat a less-acidic diet for a
few weeks and this is what Circuit Breaker and Transform Me Liver Lover phase is all about. But
don’t worry. Because if you combine the right proteins together and/or add more fish and organic
chicken to your diet, you can still get the protein benefits that red meat offers. Use the list of
protein foods to guide you in your choices.

How Much Protein is Enough during the Menopause Transition?

There has been a lot of talk lately about ‘high-protein’ diets and their benefit for weight loss,
however, I am often asked “how high?” is ‘high’. I typically say, “that depends”. Because the
amount of protein you should eat daily depends on factors such as gender, age, training regime
and most importantly, your gut and liver health. The last factor relating to protein digestion and
absorbability is often forgotten in the 'high protein’ debate but this is really important for
menopausal women who might be over-weight and struggling with a ‘fatty liver’ or for women
who have poor gut health.

Protein digestion begins with
cooking. They are ‘denatured’ by
heat. Eggs, including the whites,

need to be cooked so your body can
absorb the proteins more readily.
Proteins that we eat are partially broken down by
hydrochloric acid in the stomach and an enzyme called
pepsin. Further digestion occurs by polypeptides released
from the pancreas. Final digestion of amino acids takes place mostly inside the small intestine.
These single amino acids are then absorbed into the portal vein which transport them to the liver.
From here, they enter the general bloodstream. So doesn’t it make sense then, that if your gut
cells are inflamed or your liver is fatty, that you might not be absorbing these amino acids
sufficiently, so they can’t do their job to restore your immune health? And guess what happens
then? Yes, they get converted to fat and end up in fat storage areas.