Back in the '70s, my mother grew or raised most of our food. There were no pesticides. My sister and I were paid a nickel or so for each worm we'd pick off the tomato plants. Where we grew up, you could walk or ride your horse around and pick fruits off low-hanging trees. I've never had a better pomegranate in my life.

My mother was an OK cook, I am sure she tried, but all of the food she cooked was just ok…very '70s, and she also kept a bunch of junk food around. (Mother's Cookies, Laura Scudders, and Doritos chips.)

Did you come from the "There are starving kids in China, finish your food or it will be breakfast in the morning" house? We did. What the dogs wouldn't eat or what I couldn't stuff in the hidden jar I had, must be eaten. My sister ended up spending hours at the table because she didn't eat a lot as a kid, or even eat like a normal kid. Poor thing. I had a jar.

When I was 11, a boy at school called me fat. Yes, I remember his name and have put a curse on him. At 13, my mother said I had a double-chin and fat ass.

So a new routine started, I would eat everything in front of me and more and then puked it up. I was 13. It was 1980. The powers that be didn't have a known name for it yet but eventually it would be named "Bulemia" or "Bulemia Nervosa". That was a 6-year process for me. My girlfriends and I would have parties. Eat everything in sight and go puke. I threw up six to ten times a day for six years.

If you would like to chat about my process for quitting, you can IM me anytime.

Re-teaching yourself how to eat and how to keep food down after an eating disorder is tough training but I accomplished it on my own and it has helped me considerably during menopause.

As a kid I sure loved junk food but, then I had a kid, and the food labels got complicated and confusing, and it was apparent I had to find healthier food options.

Did you grow up with soda? I did. Mom kept Tab in the fridge, and we were allowed to have it. I did the same with my kid until I read a study…then took it away, the little bastard cold-cocked me. He was 4.

Then I had a heart condition, and I was told to give up caffeine completely. Haven't had any in 16 years (on purpose).

When I began to look at labels and discover what they are doing to our foods, I learned it's nasty and they know how to hide it from us.

Before I get into listed ingredients, let's talk about the ones they cannot list and how this happened. There is no label on any package that tells you how the farmers treated their farm. Whether they use pesticides for veggies and such, or if they add hormones to livestock feed. Pretty sure they don't pay kids to pluck worms off tomato plants.

You can be Organic and Non-GMO all you want (all-natural can be both, one, or neither), which I try and be even though it is probably in vain. At this point, we have tainted our food and water supply so badly, I cannot see how we could remove it all. And where would we put it if we could? And how is this affecting our menopause symptoms? I have no idea, but I believe it is. (Along with other diseases and such but I am only discussing menopause.)

You can hope that someone born soon will figure out how to make our land and water pure again.

All my musings and ramblings aside, there are things you can do and things you can avoid, making your physical life better at any age: before, during, and after menopause.

Stay away from added sugars. After a trip to the market one day and picking some of the bakery items that "looked" healthy, I read the label. Dear JANE! The added sugars were off the charts. Why do you need them if there is already fruit in the treat? Sometimes as much as 40% added sugar. Wanna hot flash? Eat this.

So, look in your pantry and then decide whether the hot flashes that are preventing your sleep are worth it.

If you need your Oreos or ice cream, use the smallest plate or bowl. You can still have your treats and your sleep, but only if you keep the sweets in moderation.