Healthy Hormones (Women)

 

 Normally, I am of the belief that what is good for the goose is good for the gander. Health is universal- we ALL need more water, eat more veggies,  and get enough exercise… At this point, you know the drill. However, when it comes to our hormones, we are drastically different, we men and women. Men have a 24-hour cycle, women have a 28-DAY cycle. Men are controlled by testosterone, and women are estrogen and progesterone ran. (Although both genders also have all 3, they are obviously in different quantities.)

            A “one-size-fits-all” mentality doesn’t work in this scenario, as we are so drastically different: the times of day we have our biggest spike of energy or when we are the most mentally productive, the list goes on! So, this week we are going to do things a little differently and addressing each properly, so you can get the best information to suit your body!

            Ladies let’s start where this story has to, with our menstrual cycle. We have been led to believe our whole lives that PMS, terrible periods, headaches, mood swings, acne, cramping… the whole lot is just a part of being a women and we just have to live with that. But I have had a life-changing, revolutionary app come into my life recently, and being the week of hormones, I feel it is of germane importance that I need to share this information. Please know we are unaffiliated, but I have recommended this to all of the women in my life and we have all noticed wonderful changes in our moods, periods, and all the other fun business that comes with being a women.

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Every week I do lots of research, find multiple sources, and talk with our nutritionist so as to get you the best information I can, but this week I want to recommend you to the women and the app that has spent YEARS researching just this topic. Why recreate the wheel when the experts have already made a car? MyFlo app and website will change your life. Alissa Vitti is the creator of the app, and I would like to direct you to her phenomenal work: Flo Living - Natural Healthcare for Your Female Hormones. Every time I look at this website, I learn something new. Much of her philosophy is eating your way to hormonal health through each phase of your cycle. One of the things I have found so wonderful about her work is how much it will correlate with what we have already talked about these last 23 weeks. Eat lots of fruits, make sure you are getting enough probiotics, and good carbs are all concepts she covers- which we are already doing! This just gives a little more direction as to which weeks you should maybe step up the green juice and which week sprouted bread is going to be your BFF. 

Our menstrual cycles are composed of more than just ovulating and a few weeks later we start our periods. There are actually 4 phases of our cycles: follicular, ovulation, luteal and menstrual. During each of these phases our body goes through shockingly drastic phases hormonally. Our estrogen levels change dramatically throughout this 28-day, or however long your cycle is. Sometimes we have a high levels of estrogen right after the egg has passed and it can lead to us experiencing PMS symptoms. Other times when estrogen levels are low we can have mood swings, hot flashes, fatigue and even depression; so creating the hormonal balance is so important. Even odd things that would seem like they weren’t related such as hair loss or UTIs can be an indicator of a hormonal imbalance. 

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            The reason I have liked this app so much is because their whole goal is to help us women find a balance and lead an amazing life totally in-sync. As much as we may not like to admit it, our cycles have a lot of say in our lives. But when we can embrace those internal changes and then use it to our benefit, imagine not only what we could accomplish but also how good we can feel through the whole process! It’s been wonderful to learn little hacks, like we most likely experience cramps when our progesterone levels are low and the fix for that can be as simple as upping our B6 intake! So, some B-Complex and a nice salmon dish can help stave off cramps! The whole point of this Health Marathon is to feel good, inside and out. To not let our health hold us back from the things we want to do, and especially as women, our hormones really have to be included in that change!

            Do yourself a favor and download the app, even if you’re not tracking for period or pregnancy, the information provided for each phase of our cycle, which affects everyone of us for LITERALLY YEARS regardless of when/if we are/want to be mommies. A sweet potato today could be the different between a good and bad mood! (And yes, this is a real thing! The luteal phase needs root veggies to help process extra estrogen that can lead to a sour disposition!)

 

Watch Hormone and Endocrine System Video

Stop Letting Carbs Hold You Back

 

 

Okay, so we have spent the last two weeks discussing two of the three macronutrients your body has to have to even function, and this week we are talking about the third: CARBS!!! Here’s the cavate: when talking about eating healthy carbohydrates, this rarely (aka never) refers to things like Naan bread or French baguettes, and I’m mostly saying this for my benefit.

               Carbohydrates are composed of sugar, starch, and fiber. The important delineation we have to make here is between simple and complex carbohydrates. Now simple carbs are just sugar and are most naturally found in milk. However, these simple carbohydrates are often added to our foods and are not healthy for us. Think soda, cookies, cereal, or any sweetener like corn syrup.

               One of the biggest mistakes we made as a whole is assuming carbs come from things like breads, pastas, cereals, cookies… pretty much anything from wheat we assume is a carb. Although this is partially correct, real carbohydrates are so much more than that. They are a more complex food. Oats, carrot, prunes, squashes, and beets are all carbohydrates (and healthy versions at that). Many fruits and berries are also considered great source to get your carbohydrates from. Berries, bananas, apples, grapefruit, and oranges are all excellent choices. (If you look back to week 12, you can also get a quick refresher on all the other health benefits you gain from eating lots of fruits!) These complex carbs are often high in fiber and chock full of dense, rich nutrients.  

            Carbs, like many other foods, have many bad rumors circulating about as to how they are bad for your health, or you need to be on a low-carb diet. But like we discussed last week, sometimes the reason a “trend” starts was misguided. We don’t eat fat because it makes us fat. We don’t eat carbs for the same reason. However, carbs are one of three of the most important nutrients your body needs to survive! Just as too much protein can lead to kidney problems, too many unhealthy carbs can also lead to weight gain. The key here, I say again for the umpteenth time, is moderation and being conscientious of what you are consuming. If you reach the point where you have actually started gaining weight because you ate too many carrots and apples, please call me, I have questions.

               So, what do carbs do: they provide us energy!! When you’re not consuming enough carbs, your body will start using your stored proteins as fats for energy, but your body needs both for other uses. As we discussed a couple of weeks ago, when you have muscle, it will burn more calories literally just sitting than anything else. Yes, when losing weight, you will want your body to tap into those reserves, but on a normal basis, let those proteins build muscle and eat those whole carbs! These carbohydrates break down into glucose and move into your bloodstream to provide us energy. Medical News Today also says that “The brain uses 20–25% of a person’s glucose when they are at rest and is reliant on a constant supply.” For obvious reasons, it’s germane our brain gets enough fuel to in turn run every single process in our bodies! 

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Now maybe you have noticed when you eat a carb heavy meal you may have a burst of energy for a while and then c r a s h. This happens when we consume “empty” carbs meaning there is no real nutritional value to them- your body still releases insulin into your blood to process the glucose, but shortly thereafter any nutrients these foods had has been absorbed into your muscles and cells and that glucose is gone. At this point, your blood, however, is still left with all that insulin and none of the sugar, leading to hypoglycemia. Suddenly you’re feeling sluggish and tired. The easiest way to keep this from happening is to eat more nutrient dense carbohydrates. Donuts, pancakes, practically anything made from white flour (pasta, breads, cereals) will give you that quick energy high and then leave you feeling lackadaisical for the rest of the afternoon.

               Now I am fully aware that substitutions for your favorite snack foods never taste the same. But that’s kind of the point isn’t it? When we have been eating one way for some long, we have trained our taste buds to only like that flavor. When we eat nothing but foods that have a lot of chemicals, MSG, and sugars in them it will take a while to retrain your palette to like more natural foods. This is normal, and if you want to live a healthier life then it’s also very important to remember throughout the process.

               Let’s take a Sunday morning breakfast for example. If you are used to eating pancakes made from a pre-made mix and topped off with maple syrup (who’s most common ingredient is high fructose corn syrup) and chocolate chips- an alternative may never fully live up to that. But here’s the fun part, once you start eating as close to nature as possible and for long enough, suddenly those things you found so good for such a long time no longer have their same appeal. Switch that pre-made pancake mix for a whole wheat flour made with farm fresh eggs and then top that pancake off with a nut butter and local honey (maybe even throw in some dark chocolate chips for fun) and you may be AMAZED how delicious that can be.  And the best part, you won’t have the crash at about 11am you might normally feel on Sundays.

               The biggest thing to remember through all of this is that health is a lifestyle. It’s unfortunate but true that eating unhealthily, not exercising and an overall laissez-faire outlook on your health will never let you feel amazing. But that’s why you’re 23 weeks deep into a health marathon- because you care. You do want to live a good, healthy life, you do want to feel vibrant and not allow your body to hold you back! And for that I commend you, it’s not an easy task and it’s something you have to make a dedicated effort to every single day. But in the end, the reward is so worth it. So, eat those carbs, enjoy your life and maybe next time you want to have a little cheat meal maybe chose whole wheat!

 

Learn More About Healthy Carbs

 

How Does Your Body Process Fat From The Food You Eat?

 

For a moment, let’s take a fun little trip down memory lane. Type into your search engine: Low-Fat Commercials 90s and just watch a few videos. Some are funny with little catch lines; others are just plain ridiculous, and most wouldn’t make it past today’s censors. But they all have one thing in common: the craze to eat everything low-fat. Many funny commercials and a lot of terrible health advise came from this era. Repeat after me, out loud if you need too: “Fats are good for me”. Healthy fats are one of the macronutrients which our body needs to survive. Now that I feel I have made my point abundantly clear that you need not starve yourself away from all fats, let’s discuss what exactly is a “good” fat and what is a “bad” fat.

            The two main types of fats are saturated and unsaturated. From there it breaks down into so many different types: trans-fat, monounsaturated, polyunsaturated, both medium and long-chain fatty acids. Now we can look down to the atomic level and discuss the different bonding mechanisms, but that may be a little too in depth, but if you would like a very detailed video click here. I am going to stay away from the terms “good” and “bad” for fats, as typically saturated fat is deemed to be bad for you as it raises your cholesterol levels. However, coconut oil is a saturated fat but is actually fantastic for you. Not only that, but full animal fats found in meat and dairy are also good for you in their natural form- it’s only once they have been proceed with sugars and chemicals that they are bad for you. As an article on The Power of Positivity puts so eloquently “Full fat unsweetened yogurt will be healthier than a vegan donut fried in vegetable oil”. As we have discussed in depth through this whole marathon: be conscientious of what you are eating, and everything in moderation. If you really want to eat as healthy as possible, eat as close to nature as you can. Once foods started getting processed and shrunk-wrapped is when the integrity of that food has been lost, and your body will no longer know what to do with it.

 

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            There have been dozens of studies done over the last few decades showing how terrible fat is for your heart health, but here’s the kicker: what’s actually bad for you is sugar, but the sugar industry is so massive they have been able to buy off these researchers to release how “terrible” fat is for your body. Fat is one of the 3 macronutrients your body needs to survive! But we make the correlation between fats and the excess weight on our bodies and automatically want to avoid it. Walter Willett, MD of Harvard Public Healthy stated in reference to the fat-free craze: “One of the most unfortunate unintended consequences of the fat-free crusade was the idea that if it wasn't fat, it wouldn't make you fat.”;  But staying away from fats would exclude all eggs, butter, and coconut oils from your diet, which are all very good for you!

So, let’s stay away from the idea of “good” and “bad” fats, and instead focus on what you should be eating. Nuts and seeds, avocados, extra virgin olive oil, eggs, fish, and dark chocolate are all excellent sources of good fats! And, most of these foods are high in Omega-3s! Omegas are good for, but not limited to the following: brain, heart, and eye health; staving off depression and anxiety; pregnancy; mental diseases such as Alzheimer’s and ADHD; your skin, sleep… Really you name it and Omega-3s help it! It is important to note that all of your omega-3 fats must come from your food, as your body does not make its own. One important thing to note: if you are eating nut butters, be conscientious of the sugar content. Really your best option here is to find brands that are only nut and oil as so many nut butters (especially peanut butter) have a lot of added sugar.

Fast food, fried food, corn chips, salad dressing (which we have seen before with lots of added sugar), and pizza are all highly fatty foods. But here is the CRAZY thing, your body will not actually absorb more fat than what it needs. Those big fat cells float around through your blood system and what your body needs it releases in the bowels. But when you start combing this with sugar is when your body starts having the problem. That sugar combination is what leads to visceral fats building up around your organs and on your belly, hips, legs and arms. In fact, all of the cholesterol that your body has packed into your veins and arteries is actually produced and released from your liver when the sugar has stimulated the liver into producing that excess.

By no means am I suggesting you cut all “bad” fats from your diet. Life is meant to be lived and the food we eat adds enjoyment on so many levels. There’s nothing better than a pizza night with the family to play games and watch movies. BUT we have to be considerate to not only our bodies, but our future selves. The take-away: your body has to have fats to function properly! So, grab that extra virgin olive oil and get to cooking!

 

Watch Video On Why Cholesterol Is Important