If you happen to have not experienced your monthly menstrual cycle for the last 12 months, chances are you have already gone through to the menopause zone. Once your hormonal imbalance has set in, it sets off a series of events that ultimately lead to your ovaries no longer able to produce egg cells. Here are the top ten causes of early menopause in women:

1. Everyday unmanaged stress – This results in the female body having higher levels of cortisol. This can subsequently do a real number on a woman’s immune system which eventually leads to hormonal imbalance as well as symptoms that signify adrenal fatigue.

2.     Obesity – Being obese can curb ovarian hormone production.

3.     Poor diets – Food that is high in processed ingredients, vegetables that have been grown with the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides contributes to the female body having hormonal imbalance. This then leads to early menopause.

4.     Autoimmune disorders – This can cause one’s immune system to eliminate the ovarian tissues responsible for the production of hormones.

5.     Estrogen dominance – This can be the result of long term oral contraceptive usage and steroid medicine which in turn lead to the female body having hormonal imbalance.

6.     Exposure to chemicals each day – Such chemicals get applied to the face and body among others. Additionally, the food that gets taken in is also filled with them. Also, they get inhaled. Some of these chemicals have the ability to change the female body’s hormones. This can lead to hormonal drop or rise which can then lead to early menopause.

7.     Chemotherapy – Sure, this is done in order to kill ovarian cancer cells (if a woman has that) but unfortunately this also kills healthy ovarian cells. Thus, one of the causes of early menopause is chemotherapy.

8.     Certain surgical procedures – Certain surgical procedures such as a hysterectomy are very likely causes of early menopause.

9.     Heredity – This can play a major role in why a woman goes into early menopause. If her mother went into early menopause then it is very likely that such a woman will then enter early menopause as well.

10.   Ovarian failure – This can be the untoward result of having a sickness such as liver disease, mumps or tuberculosis. This can then lead to lower levels of hormone production as well as early menopause.

By taking note of the causes of early menopause, you can help prevent or at least delay it.

It’s been a while since I’ve held myself accountable by publishing what I ate on my cheat day. That weekly post had to make way for newer ones, and as a result I have succumb to the very topic being discussed in this post. I have allowed my cheat day foods to bleed over into my non-cheat day… days.

If you decide to have a cheat day, it’s important to make sure that you only cheat on that day, otherwise it simply doesn’t work. But for whatever reason, I have been snacking (hate that word) on my cheat day foods throughout the week. Thankfully, I’ve caught the trend before it got out of control and now I’m going to share with you the tricks I use to curb this bad habit and fight the cravings!

Brown Bag It

Whenever you buy snacks, treats, or desserts, it’s hard to not eat them when they’re just laying around the house. So what I do is take all of them and put them in a big paper shopping bag and then staple it shut. After that, I take a sharpie and write down my cheat day (Saturday) in big letters on the bag.

By doing this, you are separating those foods (which should not be eaten everyday) from the good whole foods that comprise the lion’s share of your diet. That way you know that there is no barrier preventing you from eating vegetables on any given day, but the dark chocolate is off limits until your cheat day. You can even do this with ice cream in the freezer.

Don’t Keep It In The House

If you find that you are constantly ripping the big paper bag open and you just can’t help yourself, the best idea is to kick the treats out of the house. If they aren’t in the house, you will have to actively get off the couch, go to the super market to buy more.

It takes a premeditated act to actually get in the car and go for a ride, so you’ll probably be able to fight off the temptation a little better this way. You may only have to use this approach for the first couple of weeks.

Pick An Outside Location

If all else fails and you need some more help, try picking a restaurant that you love but isn’t exactly healthy and go there for your cheat day. For me, I love ribs so if I don’t want to keep snacks around the house, I’ll just go to my favorite rib joint on Saturday and get a full rack of ribs!

How do you fight the food cravings? Do you have an approach to keep yourself honest?