A Little About Hormones
Hormones are messengers that carry information from one part of our body to another. They affect us all and are regulated by a system called the endocrine system. Hormones work together to adjust according to our environment.
Our sex hormone (estrogen, progesterone and testosterone) are fabricated using cholesterol. SAY WHAT? We are often told that cholesterol is BAD. That we should reduce or eliminate it. It actual fact it is vitally important for many of our hormones. Contrary to common thought we only take in 15% of our body's cholesterol through the foods that we eat. The other 85% we make in our liver. When we don't clear excess cholesterol from our body with fibre it gets reabsorbed and this is when it can become problematic. We will talk more about this in another month or so (stay Tuned for this) or reach out sooner if this interests you!
There are many steps between cholesterol and the fabrication of our sex hormones that can complicate this process leaving us out of balance or coming up short. Things like:
Stress (increased cortisol)
Protein intake or poor protein digestion
Vitamin and/ or mineral deficiencies
Toxins
Blood sugar
Estrogen, is a wonderful hormone that makes up a large part of us women. It promotes skin health, stamina, drive and give us our physical feature. It is a big contributor of energy during the first part or our menstrual cycle. However, like so much in life too much of a good thing is no longer a good thing. When we have too much estrogen or it's out of balance with progesterone (balanced is 10:1 ratio) we end up in a state ofestrogen dominance.
PMS
mood swings, irritability, anxiety, compulsive thought
bloating
breast tenderness
water retention
headaches/ migraines
cravings
acne
uncontrolled hunger
..... I could go on but I think that you see where I am going. Men can experience estrogen dominance with symptoms similar as women but including erectile dysfunction and hair loss.
Please know if this sounds familiar you are NOT alone.
I have been there too:
I had a entire separate set of clothing for before and after my period- I would fluctuate an entire size
I would get so angry with my husband and the stories that I would create in my head...
The fatigue and brain fog I was in a world of my own
The discomfort in my breast and abdomen I would not want to do anything.
I wasn't very fun to be around. To be honest I didn't really enjoy my own company.
These symptoms are allnormalised as PMS --> something that us women just have to deal with. BUT guess what they aren't normalat all. There are TONS of ways to support hormones. I would like to share with you the 3 that were instrumental in my hormone balancing journey.
Balancing Blood Sugar- this is not just for diabetics.
When we are on a blood sugar roller coast our insulin levels are all over as well. When we have more and more insulin being produced trying to regulate our blood sugar we end up dumping more and more estrogen into our system- this is due to the effect of insulin on Sex Hormone Binding Globulin (SHBG). By managing our blood sugar and reducing the highs and lows we will be able to help regulate hormones.
Start your day off right- breakfast with protein, good fats and fibre stops the start of the roller coaster ride.
Increase plants - Fibre helps to slow the absorption of sugar into the blood stream
Eat more whole foods - this in it self lowers the amount of sugar you are eating
No eating process sugar on its own - sugar should be eaten only after a full meal of fibre, fat, protein
Movement - 10 mins of movement 10 mins after eating helps to reduce the glucose curve.
Managing Stress
Stress is anything that threatens our state of equilibrium. This can be physical, emotional, mental, spiritual or chemical. Our body cannot differentiate between different types of stressors. Often we are fine until we are not. The adrenals are our stress response gland - they produce stress hormones (cortisol being the one) in responses. When we are in a constant state of stress we are producing more and more stress hormones which takes cholesterol away from producing sex hormones. When we have had prolonged stress and elevated cortisol we:
see elevated fat deposits in the mid section
increased protein break down
memory loss
surpressed immune system
increase blood sugar
to name a few. So managing stress in an important step. While this can be tricky. Taking steps to find time to yourself (even if it is 10min) is important. Stress management will look different for everyone. I like to go for a walk, attend a restorative yoga class, do a quiet meditation, or read a book. If you need some ideas reach out!
Supporting Digestion
You should be having a bowel movement everyday. It sounds odd and people don't like to talk about poop (except my kids find it hilarious!) but having one to two bowel movements a day (especially in the morning) is a HUGE deal when dealing with PMS and hormonal imbalances! Why? This is the one of the best ways to eliminate excess estrogen! Dietary fibre will collect all the excess estrogen and help move it out of the body. So when you don’t poop it get reabsorbed in the body and symptoms of PMS start showing up!
Please take a moment and check in with your body and if you are struggling with PMS, peri or postmenopausal symptoms please know that your body can be supported. This is an area that I am passionate about - supporting our health through daily foods and habits to build health within our body. Please reach out either by responding to this email or setting up a 30 min FREE discovery call if you have any questions at all!
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