Foods to Avoid With Hot Flashes

With the onset of menopause, most women experience a variety of symptoms. Since the body produces less estrogen and progesterone hormones, the brain's thermostat, the hypothalamus, receives mixed signals that cause irregular expansion and contraction of the blood vessels. The result is that menopausal women experience intense and uncomfortable heat or hot flashes. Secondary factors, such as lifestyle, environment and food, serve as hot flash triggers. While diet plays a key role in the onset of hot flashes, every woman experiences different food triggers. Understanding what food types activate hot flashes is vital for avoiding them.

Spicy Food

• Spicy foods that contain hot pepper (capsaicin) rank high on the list of foods that trigger a hot flash, according to the Women's Health Resource website. Spicy foods, such as capsaicin/cayenne, ginger and pepper, increase body heat, because they stimulate nerve endings that dilate blood vessels in the brain.

Alcohol

• Alcoholic drinks, including wine and beer, heat up the body, acidify the blood and place great strain on the liver. Dr. Northrup's website states that alcohol, especially red wine, is a potent hot flash trigger. Alcohol is a refined carbohydrate that functions like sugar in the body. It can cause an epinephrine release and trigger a hot flash.

Hot Drinks and Beverages

• Hot or warm drinks and beverages, such as coffee, black tea, cola and chocolate, can raise your body temperature and give rise to a hot flash. You also might lose important minerals, such as calcium and magnesium, by consuming too much caffeine, which acts as a diuretic, states Ann Louise Gittleman, author of "Hot Times: How to Eat Well, Live Healthy and Feel Sexy During the Change."

White Sugar

• Sugar is a highly acidic substance that increases energy-level surges and can trigger hot flashes. Sugar-laden food products are also known to cause heart palpitations in menopausal women. Foods made up of simple carbohydrates, which are converted into sugar by our bodies, should also be avoided.