The Galveston Diet – by Dr. Mary Claire Haver
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We’ve previously reviewed “It’s Not You, It’s Your Hormones” by nutritionist Nikki Williams, and noted at the time that it was very similar to the bestselling “The Galveston Diet”, not just in its content but all the way down its formatting. Some Amazon reviewers have even gone so far as to suggest that “It’s Not You, It’s Your Hormones” (2017) brazenly plagiarized “The Galveston Diet” (2023). However, after carefully examining the publication dates, we feel quite confident that the the earlier book did not plagiarize the later one.
Of course, we would not go so far as to make a counter-accusation of plagiarism the other way around; it was surely just a case of Dr. Haver having the same good ideas 6 years later.
Still, while the original book by Nikki Williams did not get too much international acclaim, the later one by Dr. Mary Claire Haver has had very good marketing and thus received a lot more attention, so let’s review it:
Dr. Haver’s basic principle is (again) that we can manage our hormonal fluctuations, by managing our diet. Specifically, in the same three main ways:
- Intermittent fasting
- Anti-inflammatory diet
- Eating more protein and healthy fats
Why should these things matter to our hormones? The answer is to remember that our hormones aren’t just the sex hormones. We have hormones for hunger and satedness, hormones for stress and relaxation, hormones for blood sugar regulation, hormones for sleep and wakefulness, and more. These many hormones make up our endocrine system, and affecting one part of it will affect the others.
Will these things magically undo the effects of the menopause? Well, some things yes, other things no. No diet can do the job of HRT. But by tweaking endocrine system inputs, we can tweak endocrine system outputs, and that’s what this book is for.
The style is once again very accessible and just as clear, and Dr. Haver also walks us just as skilfully through the changes we may want to make, to avoid the changes we don’t want. The recipes are also very similar, so if you loved the recipes in the other book, you certainly won’t dislike this book’s menu.
In the category of criticism, there is (as with the other book by the other author) some extra support that’s paywalled, in the sense that she wants the reader to buy her personally-branded online plan, and it can feel a bit like she’s holding back in order to upsell to that.
Bottom line: this book is (again) aimed at peri-menopausal and post-menopausal women. It could also (again) definitely help a lot of people with PCOS too, and, when it comes down to it, pretty much anyone with an endocrine system. It’s (still) a well-evidenced, well-established, healthy way of eating regardless of age, sex, or (most) physical conditions.
Click here to check out The Galveston Diet, and enjoy its well-told, well-formatted advice!
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The Estrogen Decline Nobody Really Prepares You For
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Nobody warned you that your 50s might come with surprise hair changes, sleep sabotage, and a body that feels like a Mariachi puppet.
Surprise! Welcome to your prime years. Don’t worry, the irony isn’t lost on us. Less of a gentle transition. More of a backstage costume change while the show is still running.
Let’s call a spade a spade.
Your Hormones Don’t Decline Gradually
Around your 50s, estrogen and progesterone don’t taper off politely. They fluctuate. Dip. Spike. And eventually settle into a completely new baseline.
Your body notices everything. Declining estrogen can shorten the hair growth phase and increase shedding, which is why many women experience thinning or changes in texture.
Hair isn’t the only thing reacting. Women & Home’s Lauren Clark writes that skin, sleep, mood, and metabolism all get the memo at once. This stage can affect everything from hair and skin to energy, cognition, and sleep patterns.
So if things feel “different everywhere,” that’s because they are.
First Your Hair
The most visible change occurs with your hair. You might notice:
- More shedding in the shower
- A widening part
- Hair that feels finer or drier
- Or that one stubborn chin hair that appears uninvited and overstays
This is common during menopause. Hormonal shifts, specifically lower estrogen, affect the hair growth cycle. There’s a name for it: menopausal hair change. It’s not rare; it’s rarely talked about properly.
Scalp hair isn’t the only change. The Mayo Clinic says that hormonal imbalance can also trigger facial hair growth in some women due to shifting androgen levels.
So yes, your hair is basically having its own midlife crisis.
The Emotional Side Creeps Up on You
The physical stuff gets attention. The emotional change? Not so much.
But fluctuating hormones also affect how you feel in your body. Sleep disruption, mood swings, and brain fog are all part of the package for many women during menopause transitions.
And it’s not “stress” or “getting older.” Think of it as biology adjusting to a new hormonal reality. That’s why so many women describe this stage as feeling slightly unmoored. Not broken. Rather… recalibrating.
The Unpredictability of Menopause
One of the most frustrating parts is inconsistency. One week you feel fine. Next week your sleep is off. Your energy dips. Your hair is everywhere except on your head.
That unpredictability is a hallmark of hormonal transition. Estrogen doesn’t decline in a straight line. It fluctuates before stabilizing later.
Think of it as a Wi-Fi signal switching on and off before the router resets.
This Isn’t Just a ‘Women’s Issue’
Healthcare systems are slowly recognizing that women’s midlife health needs more specialized, informed care. Nurses can play a key role in this context.
Advanced nursing pathways such as BSN to MSN online programs are helping train clinicians to better understand and manage these transitions in primary care and women’s health.
In online BSN to MSN programs, the coursework is 100% online. It’s nearly half the cost of the traditional pathway. You can specialize in one of three in-demand NP concentrations when enrolled in accredited BSN to MSN online programs, adds Wilkes University.
Advanced practice nurses are stepping into roles to support hormone-related symptoms, lifestyle changes, and preventive care conversations.
Finally, midlife health is being treated as complex rather than cosmetic. Honestly, it should’ve always been that way.
Small Changes That Actually Help
There’s no single fix for the hormone shift, but there are stabilizers.
- Protein-rich meals help support hair and muscle health
- Strength training helps counter metabolic changes
- Consistent sleep routines support hormone balance
- Stress reduction matters more than people think
Simple routines can reduce intense symptoms over time. It’s not about reversing the shift. It’s about supporting your body while it settles into its changes.
“Bone broth comes with loads of other benefits, such as supporting gut health and joint health while also helping with hydration.” – Clinical nutritionist, Abigail Collen via Vogue.
Same Body, Different Hours
One of the sneakiest hormone changes in your 50s is that your body decides 3 a.m. is a reasonable time to be awake.
Many women find they fall asleep normally, then wake up in the middle of the night with a racing mind, a hot flush, or no obvious reason at all. It’s frustrating because you’re tired, but your body seems to have missed the memo.
Hormonal changes can affect the systems that regulate sleep, body temperature, and stress responses. Lower estrogen levels are associated with increased sleep disruption during the menopause transition.
In plain English, your hormones start meddling with your sleep architecture. And the result is less deep sleep. More waking. And that delightful experience of feeling exhausted while being strangely alert.
FAQs
1. Why is my hair changing so much in my 50s?
Estrogen levels fluctuate during menopause, which affects the hair growth cycle and leads to thinning or shedding.
2. Are mood swings normal during menopause?
Yes. Hormonal changes can affect brain chemistry, leading to mood changes, irritability, and emotional sensitivity.
3. Will these changes last forever?
Not usually. Symptoms stabilize after menopause as hormone levels settle into a new baseline.
4. Is there anything that actually helps?
Lifestyle support such as sleep, nutrition, movement, and stress reduction can help ease symptoms over time.
Quick Facts: Hormones in Your 50s
Change What Happens How Common It Is Estrogen decline Affects hair, mood, and sleep cycles Nearly universal in menopause Hair thinning Slower growth and increased shedding About 40% of women over 50 Sleep disruption Linked to hormonal fluctuation Very common symptom Cognitive changes Brain fog, reduced focus Reported by many midlife women A Shift in Perspective
You’re not doing anything wrong. Sometimes, all it takes is less late-night scrolling, a cooler bedroom, and a little patience with a system that’s being rewired. Not appealing advice, admittedly. Neither is arguing with the ceiling fan at 3 a.m.
There’s a narrative that midlife equals “loss.” Less energy. Less youth. Less everything. Yet many women experience something else: clarity. Less tolerance for nonsense. More awareness of their own needs. A sharper sense of what’s important.
Yes, the hormones shift. So does perspective. And that counts too.
Disclosure: this is a sponsored article, but its content has been checked by your usual 10almonds writing staff and has met with our approval. We wouldn’t publish it otherwise!
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The Body: A Guide for Occupants – by Bill Bryson
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Better known for his writings on geography and history, here Bryson puts his mind to anatomy and physiology. How well does he do?
Very well, actually—thanks no doubt to the oversight of the veritable flock of consulting scientists mentioned in the acknowledgements. To this reviewer’s knowledge, no mistakes made it through into publication.
That said, Bryson’s love of history does shine through, and in this case, the book is as much a telling of medical history, as it is of the human body. That’s a feature not a bug, though, as not only is it fascinating in and of itself, but also, it’d be difficult to fully understand where we’re at in science, without understanding how we got here.
The style of the book is easy-reading narrative prose, but packed with lots of quirky facts, captivating anecdotes, and thought-provoking statistics. For example:
- The least effective way to spread germs is kissing. It proved ineffective among volunteers (in what sounds like a fun study) who had been successfully infected with the cold virus. Sneezes and coughs weren’t much better. The only really reliable way to transfer cold germs was physically by touch.
- The United States has 4% of the world’s population but consumes 80% of its opiates.
- Allowing a fever to run its course (within limits) could be the wisest thing. An increase of only a degree or so in body temperature slows the replication rate of viruses by a factor of 200.
Still, these kinds of things are woven together so well, that it doesn’t feel at all like reading a trivia list!
Bottom line: if you’d like to know a lot more about anatomy and physiology, but prefer a very casual style rather than sitting down with a stack of textbooks, this book is a great option.
Click here to check out The Body, and learn more about yours!
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This Chair Rocks: A Manifesto Against Ageism – by Ashton Applewhite
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It’s easy to think of ageism as being 80% “nobody will hire me because I am three years away from standard retirement age”, but it’s a lot more pervasive than that. And some of it, perhaps the most insidious, is the ageism that we can sometimes internalize without thinking it through.
10almonds readers love to avoid/reverse aging (and this reviewer is no different!), but it’s good once in a while to consider our priorities and motivations, for example:
- There is merit in being able to live without disability or discomfort
- There is harm in feeling a need to pass for younger than we are
And yet, even things such as disabilities are, Applewhite fairly argues, not to be feared. Absolutely avoided if reasonably possible of course, yes, but if they happen they happen and it’s good that we be able to make our peace with that, because most people have at least some kind of disability before the end, and can still strive to make the most of the precious gift that is life. The goal can and should be to play the hand we’re dealt and to live as well as we can—whatever that latter means for us personally.
Many people’s life satisfaction goes up in later years, and Applewhite hypothesizes that while some of that can be put down to circumstances (often no longer overwhelmed with work etc, often more financially stable), a lot is a matter of having come to terms with “losing” youth and no longer having that fear. Thus, a new, freer age of life begins.
The book does cover many other areas too, more than we can list here (but for example: ranging from pro/con brain differences to sex and intimacy), and the idea that long life is a team sport, and that we should not fall into the all-American trap of putting independence on a pedestal. Reports of how aging works with close-knit communities in the supercentenarian Blue Zones can be considered to quash this quite nicely, for instance.
The style is casual and entertaining, and yet peppered with scholarly citations, which stack up to 30 pages of references at the back.
Bottom line: getting older is a privilege that not everyone gets to have, so who are we to squander it? This book shares a vital sense of perspective, and is a call-to-arms for us all to do better, together.
Click here to check out This Chair Rocks, and indeed rock it!
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Does PRP Work For Hair Loss?
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Dr. Ankit Gupta takes us through the details of this hair loss remedy for androgenic alopecia.
The bald truth
Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) is a controversial treatment for androgenic hair loss.
What it involves: blood is drawn and separated using a centrifuge. PRP—including growth proteins and hormones—is extracted from the blood; about 30 ml of blood is needed to produce 5 ml of PRP. This is then injected directly into the scalp. As this can be painful, local anaesthetic is sometimes used first. This usually involves monthly sessions for the first 3 months, then booster sessions every 3–6 months thereafter.
Does it work? Research is young; so far 60% of trials have found it worked; 40% found it didn’t. When it works, effectiveness (in terms of hair restoration) is considered to be between 25–43%. Results are inconsistent and seem to vary from person to person.
In short, this doctor’s recommendation is to consider it after already having tried standard treatments such as finasteride and/or minoxidil, as they are more likely to work and don’t involve such exciting procedures as injecting your own blood extracts back into your head.
For more on all of this, plus links to the 13 papers cited, enjoy:
Click Here If The Embedded Video Doesn’t Load Automatically!
Want to learn more?
You might also like to read:
- Hair-Loss Remedies, By Science
- Hair Growth: Caffeine and Minoxidil Strategies
- Gentler Hair Health Options
Take care!
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The Midlife Cyclist – by Phil Cavell
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Whether stationary cycling in your living room, or competing in the Tour de France, there’s a lot more to cycling than “push the pedals”—if you want to get good benefits and avoid injury, in any case.
This book explores the benefits of different kinds of cycling, the biomechanics of various body positions, and the physiology of different kinds of performance, and the impact these things have on everything from your joints to your heart to your telomeres.
The style is very much conversational, with science included, and a readiness to acknowledge in cases where the author is guessing or going with a hunch, rather than something being well-evidenced. This kind of honesty is always good to see, and it doesn’t detract from where the science is available and clear.
One downside for some readers will be that while Cavell does endeavour to cover sex differences in various aspects of how they relate to the anatomy and physiology (mostly: the physiology) of cycling, the book is written from a male perspective and the author clearly understands that side of things better. For other readers, of course, this will be a plus.
Bottom line: if you enjoy cycling, or you’re thinking of taking it up but it seems a bit daunting because what if you do it wrong and need a knee replacement in a few years or what if you hurt your spine or something, then this is the book to set your mind at ease, and put you on the right track.
Click here to check out The Midlife Cyclist, and enjoy the cycle of life!
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Banana vs Mango – Which is Healthier?
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Our Verdict
When comparing banana to mango, we picked the banana.
Why?
In terms of macros, banana has more fiber, carbs, and protein, making it the more nutrient-dense option in this regard.
In the category of vitamins, banana has more of vitamins B1, B2, B5, B6, B7, and choline, while mango has more of vitamins A, B3 B9, C, E, and K; a 6:6 tie here.
When it comes to minerals, banana has more iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, selenium, and zinc, while mango has more calcium and copper. A second win for bananas.
Adding up the sections makes for an overall win for bananas, but by all means enjoy either or both; diversity is good!
Want to learn more?
You might like:
What Do The Different Kinds Of Fiber Do? 30 Foods That Rank Highest
Enjoy!
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