(NC)-It's long been known that estrogen has a major impact on women's hormonal health. As women age, their estrogen levels become depleted and many women begin taking hormone replacement therapy to help boost their estrogen level and keep their hormones balanced.

Without enough estrogen to keep hormone levels in tact, many women suffer mood swings, hot flashes, weight gain, lack of sleep, poor skin quality - even hair loss, fragile bones and loss of lean muscle mass during menopause. The loss of estrogen in post-menopausal women is so severe that the average 55-year-old man has more estrogen than a woman of the same age, according to Sam Graci, nutritional researcher and author of the new book - The Food Connection: The Right Food at the Right Time.

However, taking medication to replace depleted estrogen is not appropriate for all women and there is continuing debate about whether it is linked to cancer - particularly breast cancer.

Yet medication is not the only option. Many women don't realize that food helps control how much estrogen the body will produce and just how well it will keep hormones balanced. Adding more leafy green salads and colourful fruits to the diet, which contain phytonutrients and antioxidants, will help promote good hormonal health and reduce symptoms of menopause including mood swings.

Women also produce a small - yet important - amount of testosterone, which is essential to healthy hormones. Not only does it help keep muscles and bones

strong, it's essential to keeping women emotionally fit. Testosterone typically starts declining in women after age 35. To help boost testosterone levels, add more soy products such as soy beans and the nutritional supplement greens+™, which contains a healthy dose of soy lecithin.

For more information about greens+, call 1-877-500-7888, or visit the web site at www.greenspluscanada.com.