There is no denying it – I am a green diva of a certain age and let’s just say I’m a hip Ya Ya (my grannie handle), who might not need so much heat this winter, thanks to awesome unscheduled, but fairly frequent power surges (aka hot flashes).

I’ve been a vegetarian for most of my life with forays into omnivorism. But after my husband’s triple bypass surgery nearly 2 years ago, I went back to my early vegan days as our doctor recommended that he, “Do like Clinton,” (said with a thick Romanian accent) “go vegan.” He recommended that we watch Forks Over Knives and he recommended some books that underscored the value of a plant-based diet for cardiac recovery. NOTE: my husband is VERY fit and healthy and has always eaten healthy foods fairly moderately, and he ran every day and has been essentially the same exact size he was in high school! He has unfortunate genes that put him at serious risk for heart disease – hence the triple bypass surgery, but fortunately it was caught before any heart attack or any damage to the heart, so he is in a great position to heal completely, which he has miraculously.

So, I’ve happily gone back to preparing more vegan and vegetarian fare, but we both have had issues with iron deficiency, so when this opportunity came to try Gaia Herbs PlantForce Liquid Iron, I jumped up and said, “me! me! me! Please pick me!”

Neither of us does well on traditional iron supplements and we have tried them ALL over the years. I’ve actually been fine without it until this last year, when the “changes” began in earnest. My energy levels were dropping, as the unpredictable furnace would kick in at the most inconvenient moments. I’m not big on pharmaceuticals and have generally stuck to natural, herbal and homeopathic remedies whenever possible, and because of my family history, I am not a good candidate for hormone replacement anyway.

Low-Stress Menopause

I read that it is fairly common for women in the throes of menopause to become iron deficient from the irregularity of their cycles, which generally brings on heavier periods. Oh goodie. But I was encouraged to read that once I cross the threshold into post-menopause, iron deficiency isn’t usually an issue and in fact iron or iron supplementing can be detrimental as it can accumulate in the organs and joints if it is not needed and cause trouble. Don’t need that!

However, in the stage I’m in, which could last for a couple of years (yikes), an iron supplement like Gaia Herb’s PlantForce Liquid Iron is perfect. I’m not sure it is documented anywhere, but I would swear that the hot flashes have calmed down significantly since I’ve been taking Gaia Herbs PlantForce Liquid. Wouldn’t have necessarily connected the two, but as I sat to write this, I considered how I had been doing and there you have it! I’ve also definitely noticed more energy and less of a desire for that late afternoon nap.

I was pleasantly surprised by the taste. Seriously, I did not expect to like it, but I do!

I was also pretty impressed with the ingredients, which include all the herbs and foods that one would think of as iron-support, AND it is 85% organic.

If you are a green diva of a certain age, I would definitely consider Gaia Herb’s PlantForce Liquid Iron. I wouldn’t have necessarily thought of it to support me in this fun stage of life and health, but now that I’ve tried it, I will definitely keep using it.

Listen to the latest Green Divas Eco-Sexy podcast . . .

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This post sponsored by Gaia Herbs & Green Sisterhood