All the white bread, donuts, pastries, sweetened drinks, and French fries are major causes of obesity. I still feel that carbohydrates should makeup a significant portion of the diet, but it is important to eat the better kinds of carbohydrate foods like fruits and beans, rather than worse kinds. My son with cystic fibrosis has no appetite. Regular exercise is often one of the best ways to stimulate appetite. It works well for many people and is one of the better diet plans out there.
Caffeine definitely increases anxiety.
I am trying to eat soy. Really, each individual woman has to make that decision based on her family history, personal health history and particular symptoms. If one does decide to use hormone replacement, I recommend using the newer forms of estrogen and progesterone that are identical to those produced in the body. In countries where women eat soy regularly, menopausal symptoms are much less troubling than in our country. So I think soy is a good addition to the diet, especially as moderate amounts of whole soy foods.