Women's Health

Take these suggestions to heart and get a move on down the road to easing your menopause experience – you’ll be happier, sleep better, have more balanced moods, and feel more like your old self.

Maintaining your health, your energy and your sanity, is oftentimes challenging. But if you’re not healthy, your family can fall apart! And you deserve to care for yourself and put yourself first sometimes. Think of it like the oxygen mask on the airplane. You need to address your own breathing before you can help anyone else. So in honor of all the amazing, do everything moms out there, we’ve got some things you can do to put your health first, for once!

Changing your diet is never easy. But more and more people are discovering the benefits that come from choosing to incorporate more plants into their meals. Some choose to go full-vegetarian or vegan, while others work to add more meatless options and whole foods into their daily routine. A plant-based diet doesn’t mean you have to eat only plants, but that you mostly eat things like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, legumes, nuts, and seeds. The first question that pops into many people’s minds is whether or not they’ll be getting enough protein with a plant-based diet? It’s a fair concern, as plant-based diets diminish many traditional sources of protein— meat, fish, eggs, and dairy. But the reality is that there are plenty of plant-based proteins that can take their places, such as quinoa, lentils, nuts, beans, soy, hemp, rice, peas, and even certain fruits, like pumpkins. Of course, getting those items into your diet on a regular basis is easier said than done. That’s why an organic, plant-based protein supplement is often a good idea to include in your diet. Terra Origin provides a thoughtful and scientifically supported line of nutritional supplements and powders designed to help in this process. It offers several plant-based supplements that help ensure that you’re getting the protein you need in an easy and convenient way. Organic Plant Protein powder, for example, is made from rice, peas, hemp, and pumpkin protein. With each serving, you’ll get 18 grams of protein to boost your energy and overall well-being. Unlike some protein powders on the market, this doesn’t contain empty fillers or confusing preservatives—you know exactly what you’re getting. (It also doesn’t hurt that the company has a 100 percent satisfaction guarantee, with free returns. Plant-based proteins not only provide faster muscle recovery after a workout but can support your immune system and a healthier gut as well. Maddi Bazzocco Plant-based protein and the foods in which you can find it offer many other benefits as well, including some specifically for women. Protein powders made with brown rice and pumpkin seed keep your glucose levels in check, eliminating any energy crashes. Hemp provides antioxidants to fight free radicals and reduce cellular damage. Chia and flax seeds contain omega-3 fatty acids that help lower cholesterol, blood pressure, and the risk of heart disease. Here are some of the top reasons you may want to consider adding more plant-based protein to your diet. 1. Helps Control Your Blood Sugar A diet high in fiber slows the process of breaking down and absorbing food, resulting in more consistent blood sugar levels. This helps you avoid the food cravings that come when your blood sugar is low. Another benefit for women is that hormones tend to be more stable, which is more likely to lead to a healthy ovulation process. 2. Reduces Constipation and Other Gut Issues Fiber also helps to keep your GI tract moving smoothly, and many plant-based foods are also high in prebiotics. You’ve probably heard of probiotics, which are live, beneficial bacteria that help our digestive systems, but prebiotics are just as important. They are a type of dietary fiber that probiotics love. Imagine prebiotics as the fertilizer that helps the probiotics thrive in your gut, reducing inflammation and constipation. 3. Supports Your Immune System The vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals, and antioxidants that can only be found in plants help keep your cells healthy so they can fight off infection if/when they need to. This doesn’t just mean protection against germs—it’s likely to reduce your risk for cancer as well. 4. Provides Faster Muscle Recovery After a Workout There’s a lot of evidence that consuming protein after a work out can lead to faster recovery and more positive overall results. Terra Origin offers clean, organic options that support your muscles and provide the amino acids, vitamins, and minerals that help your body perform at its best. 5. Reduces Inflammation in Your Body The same phytonutrients and antioxidants in plants that boost your immune system also help reduce inflammation by neutralizing toxins that our body absorbs from the environment and processed food. Our bodies can handle inflammation for short amounts of time due to stress or pain, but long-term inflammation can lead to serious diseases such as cancer and arthritis. 6. Helps Reverse Chronic Conditions Swapping animal protein for plant protein doesn’t just prevent chronic conditions from happening in the first place. It can also help reverse dangerous conditions that you might already have, like diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol. 7. Lowers Your Risk of Developing Endometriosis or Fibroids If you’ve dealt with endometriosis or fibroids, you know how painful that can be. While there is no foolproof diet that guarantees you won’t deal with them, a plant-based diet has been shown to reduce your risk. 8. Produces Better Skin, Hair, and Nails Healthier looking hair is one of the benefits of taking plant-based protein. Tim Mossholder The antioxidants and healthy fats found in plants have all kinds of perks for our skin, hair, and nails. Antioxidants neutralize free radicals that lead to skin aging, and healthy fats give your skin that effortless glow. Biotin, or vitamin B, has been shown to strengthen fingernails and can be found in a variety of plants, such as nuts, seeds, greens, whole grains, apples, bananas, and sweet potatoes. Biotin, plant fats, and plant protein have also been attributed to healthier hair. 9. Helps You Maintain a Healthy Weight Maintaining a healthy weight is the second-most important thing you can do to reduce your risk of cancer (Not smoking is number one.) A plant-based diet removes many of the processed and junk foods that lead to weight gain while providing filling fiber and fewer calorie-dense saturated fats. 10. It’s Better for the Environment Even reducing your meat consumption by one meal can make a difference—studies show that a whopping 20 servings of vegetables contribute fewer greenhouse emissions than just one serving of beef. No one diet is the right fit for everyone. Often it takes some experimenting to find what works best for you. But if you can move in the direction of adding more plants into your diet, you’re likely to enjoy the results. Written by Abbie Mood for Matcha in partnership with Terra Origin.

Being a mother is a lifetime career with responsibilities 365 days of the year, 24 hours a day for at least 18 years, and that’s only if you’re a mother of one. Then the love, care, support and concern continue everyday after they leave the nest. This job not only takes time, considerable attention and lots of energy, but it also requires your entire heart, your full mind, all your emotions, eyes in the back of your head, the ability to read between the lines and an intuition that would rival Nostradamus. So we respect that this is no easy task, and that’s why we want to take a moment and really say thank you to our mothers and to every compassionate, caring and supportive mom out there who has done or is doing their best to raise up the next generation. This Mother’s Day we hope that each one of you is showered in the love and gratitude that you deserve, and we want to share a few ideas for all of you still searching for the best way to show your mother how thankful you really are! In true Terra Origin style, we will start at the root, for we believe that to truly understand something and reach the desired outcome you must go to the source. If we really want to heal a body, prevent a disease or surprise our mom, we should know exactly what it is we’re doing and why. Motherhood was always a revered path in life, and for thousands of years ancient cultures ideologized the ‘Great Mother.’ She had many names and was considered the mother of all, but the idea to make a national day to honor our actual mothers came a bit later. During the American Civil War, a woman named Ann Reeves Jarvis worked as a peace activist and care giver to the wounded on both sides. During her work she started the Mother’s Day Work Clubs to bring attention to issues in public health. When she passed away, her daughter, Anna Jarvis, became determined to honor her mother’s work and this idea grew into a desire for everyone to honor their mother. Ann passed away in 1905, and this is when Anna’s work began. After three years of campaigning to make Mother’s Day a recognized holiday, in 1908, Anna held a memorial service at St Andrew's Methodist Church in Grafton, West Virginia to publicly recognize her mother. This is the same year that Congress denied her petition, but she did not quit. With determination and persistence, likely inherited from her mother, Anna managed to convince the individual states to each observe the holiday by 1911. As some made it official, it garnered enough attention for President Woodrow Wilson to sign a proclamation in 1914 stating that Mother’s Day would be a national holiday held on the second Sunday of May. This next bit of history is what inspired us this year. By the 1920s, this special day had swept through cards, candy companies and florists. Anna was determined to not let the day she worked so hard to get recognized turn into a commercialized holiday without sentiment. She believed that gifts should come from our hearts, so she began to boycott large companies who didn’t leave room for something genuine. She argued that mothers should be shown personalized love and gratitude. This was not a battle that Anna fully won, but her sentiment left an impression, and we would like to follow through. Mother’s Day should not be a last-minute dash to the supermarket for a carnation and empty platitude, but we would prefer you do that over doing nothing! Luckily, we are here to give you some great ideas with plenty of time to implement them. In our modern society, gifts made from glue and crêpe paper are left in our kindergarten years, so buying something may be your better option. This doesn’t mean you give a hollow gesture. Get your mother something that takes thought, effort and attention. Show her that you really considered all the ways she cared for you and found something to reflect that love back to her. What does her daily life look like? Is she stressed, suffer from illness or age, short on time? The Stressed Mom How can you destress your mom? How about a deep tissue massage, a facial, a mani/pedi appointment or a weekend B&B? Wake her up with a fresh made breakfast that has all her favorites! Offer to do her daily chores for a day, two or maybe all week. If her stress is chronic, consider herbal adaptogens like Ashwagandha, Astragalus root or Rhodiola found in Healthy Inner Balance. Perhaps stock up on a wildcrafted herbal tea blend for stress and anxiety with soothing combinations of holy basil, chamomile, lemon balm or lavender. This would be a very thoughtful gift alongside a lovely tea pot or new tea cup. If she struggles sleeping or has high levels of anxiety, opt for gentle herbs like passion flower, valerian and hops found in Healthy Sleep supplements. This along with a sound machine for sleeping or a subscription to a meditation app might help her rest easier.  The Aging Mom We all get a little older every day and sometimes we need a little support. Help her feel young again by returning to one of her favorite places or planning a youthful activity. Does she love dancing? Sign her up for a weekly class. Perhaps summer days were spent at the beach. Take her to the sea shore and have a picnic by the waves. If she is struggling with signs of aging, fill her cabinets with collagen and bone broth. This doesn’t have to be difficult or disgusting. Choose from the many flavors of Collagen with Probiotics, Collagen with Bone Broth or for the mother who needs energy and cognitive support Collagen with MCT powder. Whip her up a smoothie bowl with fresh berries or blend it in the mix for a stack of her favorite pancakes. Help her age gracefully and with support. The Out of Time Mom The busy mom may be the most common dilemma of motherhood as she wears many hats for her many jobs. Find ways to make her life a little easier. Plant based protein powders take the pressure out of packing a snack for her day and give her a boost as she’s running around. How about a homemade book of IOUs to be used when she just doesn’t have the time or energy for one more thing in her day. Or get a subscription for grocery delivery each week, premade meals each month or a weekly house cleaner. Take a good look at what your mother does each and every day. Remember what she says when sharing how she feels or what she needs. This year let your Mother’s Day gift be something that really shows how grateful you are and tells her that she is loved.

There is no doubt that mothers have the most demanding job on the planet. You get no vacations, no days off, no sick days, no overtime or holiday pay, yet it is an incredibly rewarding life choice. If you’re going to be the “do it all” mom, your plate is more than full as you raise your children, prioritize extracurriculars, manage your home, possibly continue with a full- or part-time job and still maintain your health. As you juggle all your different responsibilities, your health may often fall to the side as you put others first, but this is the biggest mistake any busy person can make because your health is your energy, and your energy is how you get everything done! We reached out to some very busy moms who have found ways to keep fitness in their routine, and these are the tips they had to share. What Goes in Your Mouth   1. Do not eat what the kids eat. It can be very tempting to finish off their plates, make one meal that everyone likes or grab the same high calorie snack. Don’t do it. If your little ones are not quite ready for a massaged kale salad and grilled salmon, then make two meals. It may be a little extra work, but it doesn’t need to be every day. Anytime you cook for yourself, make enough for the next day’s lunch and if it will keep, the day after that as well. 2. Keep it organized. Organization and planning can be really difficult with children not yet in school, so get in the habit of structuring your day as soon as you wake up. Take a look in the fridge and plan out your meals and snacks for the day. If you have childcare or assistance during the week, you can meal prep your whole week, but if that is daunting, keep it simple. Moms have energy to spare when they take things one day at a time. 3. Snacks can make or break you. Snacking is your body’s way of asking for more energy, so be sure to give yourself food that will keep you going. For the on the go mom, shakes and smoothies can be a quick and convenient form of nutrition, but they can also wreak havoc on your health if you don’t pay attention to the ingredients! Look for clean sources of protein like Terra Origin Healthy Plant Protein Powder and use the powerful benefits of superfoods, like Acerola Fruit Extract in Healthy Reds Superfoods and spirulina powder in Healthy Greens Superfoods. 4. Remember to hydrate. As you run around with sippy cups and bottles, you may forget to give your body the hydration it needs to stay energized. For those days when you’re feeling a bit off, mix a little honey, raw sea salt and magnesium powder into your water to give it a dose of minerals that will rejuvenate your body and quench that deep thirst! Finding Time for Your Body   1. Workout when you wake up. Exercise gives you energy, keeps you in shape and healthy and prepares you to run after toddlers and teenagers, but once the house is up, your chances of squeezing it in your day decrease. Our successful workout moms all have one thing in common, they get up before everyone else and give their bodies some personal attention. If your workout is based in a gym, find one that opens very early, is 24-hours or gives keys to members. If you workout at home, set up your television to work with a Bluetooth headset and crank your video as loud as you like. Your options may be a bit limited, but there are still plenty of ways you can stay in shape. 2. Get your sleep. When it comes to having energy to spare, sleep is one of the few things that trumps exercise. We acknowledge that mothers have a lack of sleep superpower when it comes to pushing through, but you are not invincible. Our workout moms all admitted to great difficulty and some saying it was impossible to grab their workouts with children under one year of age. Your body is undergoing massive changes pre-, during and post- birth, so allow it time to adjust as your infant learns to sleep through the night. Consider the countless hours of breastfeeding to be your daily workout as your body burns up to 500 calories a day in milk production. If getting to sleep is a challenge, look for an organic, herbal sleep aid like Terra Origin Healthy Sleep, but always check with your doctor if you’re pregnant or breastfeeding. 3. Keep a healthy dose of grace. Even moms who seem to have it all together experience days that completely fall apart. That is okay! Our workout moms all had stories to share when pajamas replaced barbells and pizza took the place of broccoli. We should all approach our lives with a little flexibility and a large dose of grace, but mothers need this even more. Your day changes moment by moment as you cannot predict all that can happen in the life of your child. Do not see failures. Instead look for humor and self-compassion. The secret to letting yourself off the hook is to immediately get started once more. One day here and  there, even a rough week, will not be the end to your health and energy. 4. Channel your inner warrior. If you really want to be the “do it all” mom and have energy at the end of your day, you will need to find a steel resolve inside and check in with your willpower each and every day. Try visualizing tomorrow each night as you drift to sleep. Don’t go down your checklist. Instead see yourself nailing your workout, enjoying your food and feeling accomplished as the day progresses. Find something that empowers you and can alleviate a little stress like a few minutes of journaling, a hot bath, a daily meditation or tapping.