The Gut-Hormone Connection
Jumping into gut and hormone talk
Gut and hormones go hand-in-hand in a BIG WAY. If your gut isn’t treating you well, you’re not going to feel well. This can result in some crazy hormones and can make you start to feel all sorts of emotions (we’ve all been there).
Why are your hormones actually being affected? Great question! In all honesty, your gut compliments your hormones. If your gut is whack, your hormones will most likely be whack too.
Making sure YOUR gut is good
The gut (specifically, the small intestine here) absorbs all of your nutrients. If it’s working properly and is absorbing your nutrients, those nutrients will fuel many other process systems in your body as well. For example, they will fuel your detoxification system, endocrine system, and your nervous system. If none of these are working properly, your body is going to feel out of line. This is why eating nutrient rich foods are SUPER important, as well as getting enough rest, and drinking plenty of water. Your body will only then start to digest food properly after it’s fueled with what it needs to do so.
Let’s talk about bowel movement...
So when your body actually starts to process everything correctly, it needs a place to dump (literally) these toxins. Your body is not meant to carry these toxins for long. If you’re NOT getting rid of this waste at least daily, you may actually reabsorb it or ferment it, which will increase bad bacteria in the gut. You must be poopin’!
Inflammation & leaky gut
When you’re inflamed, your body will find a way to let you know!. A triggered immune system means that you have some sort of inflammation that’s happening. How does this happen? Bacteria or food proteins get through the protective lining and trigger the immune system. Long term inflammation impacts the stress signal to the brain which impacts what messages the brain sends to your thyroid, ovaries, and the gut (to name a few). It slows your system down because it kicks into protection mode. If you’re dealing with inflammation and or leaky gut, I highly suggest partnering with a practitioner to get to the root of things. It’s better (and easier) to put that inflammation fire out earlier versus waiting till it’s a huge, chronic issue!
Your body is a complete package
It’s true. Your body needs everything from the right diet, sleep schedule, movement, light, relationships, community, supplements, water, etc. It needs it all in order to function properly! Bringing this back to hormones, when there’s too much bad bacteria in the gut, it increases an enzyme called Beta-Glucuronidase. That little bugger will break the bond that’s taking estrogen out of the body and allow it to be reabsorbed. This ultimately leads to too much estrogen in the body and can contribute to symptoms like PMS, heavy bleeding, acne, and a number of other things.
Probiotic foods are a big part of keeping those good gut bacteria around. Additionally, eating the right foods to get the right amount of fiber and prebiotics your body needs is a must as well. This helps to keep the good bacteria around by keeping them fed.
Some examples of great probiotic foods include:
Sauerkraut
Kim Chee
Tamari
Kombucha
Miso
Tempeh
Yogurt containing “live cultures”
Everyone’s body is truly unique and different. It’s important to recognize and keep track of the symptoms, and get to know your body the proper way through and through. Your body is important, and it’s important to make sure that you not only get to know it, but that you’re able to feel good about it too.
If you want to work with a practitioner to get to know your body a bit better by understanding the root cause of your symptoms, you can set up a free strategy call here or go to nutritionbyrobyn.com/apply
Xoxo
~Robyn