Why Do I Get Hot Flashes When I Eat?
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Causes
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During menopause, hormone levels in the body begin to shift. An unfortunate byproduct of these shifts are hot flashes, which can cause the sufferer to experience intense feelings of heat, causing discomfort, sweating, and sleeplessness. While some hot flashes occur with no trigger, sometimes eating certain foods can stimulate hormone fluctuations, causing a hot flash.
Food Triggers
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Generally speaking, types of foods that cause a person to sweat just by eating them also can trigger hot flashes. Examples of these types of foods include spicy foods, such as curry, salsas, or other foods that contain hot peppers. These foods act as stimulants to the nervous system, and can trigger responses such as sweating. When women are in menopause, consuming these foods can also stimulate a hot flash.
Other stimulants you consume include caffeine and alcohol. These not only stimulate the nervous system, but they also are a diuretic. Both can cause a loss of calcium and magnesium in the body, which depletes these substances in the bones and can lead to osteoporosis.
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Lesser-Known Triggers
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Surprisingly, many fruits act as a trigger for hot flashes. Fruits, especially citrus fruits, have a high acidic content as well as high sugar content. Consuming these can trigger hot flashes. This does not mean you should cut out all fruits from your diet, however. Instead, choose low-acid fruits, such as apples or grapes.
Foods high in sugar are highly acidic and can trigger hot flashes. They also can affect mood swings in women suffering from menopause and should be avoided as much as possible.
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