Are you suffering from hormonal imbalance? How do you know? If you get acne, dry skin, or rashes, irregular or painful periods, you may have a hormone imbalance. Have you recently had your period after months of not having it? Do you feel that your breasts are starting to get tender and sore more often? Do you have awful PMS, no libido, weight loss resistance, fibroids, heavy or super light periods?

If you answered yes to many of the questions stated above, then you’re probably having a hormonal imbalance. Hormone imbalance is generally normal for women who are either on the peri-menopausal (about 4-6 years before menopause), menopausal or post-menopausal stage. However, this does not mean that you have to stop taking care of yourself or detoxing every now and then. In fact, it’s better to detoxify more than ever during these years.

What does it mean to “detox?”

Detoxification occurs via the liver through Phase I and Phase II detoxification, our skin, our lungs, our bowels, and kidneys. But our main organs for hormone detoxification are our liver and digestive system. Estrogen gets broken down and re-packaged in the liver to be excreted through our bowels and kidneys. However, if you have any sort of liver dysfunction or compromise, the “dirty” and older estrogens may linger and cause problems. If your digestion is impaired with poor bile production, constipation, and poor motility, you may be re-uptaking those dirty, conjugated hormones.  Focus on repairing your gut function, eat a high-fiber diet, fermented foods, moving your bowels daily and moving your body daily.

Detoxing with Food

Detoxing is not solely dependent on food, but it’s one of the many ways that can help balance your hormones. Eat lots of Brassica family vegetables, broccoli sprouts, raw carrots, beets, leafy greens, and raspberries for their ellagic acid. Add in some warm lemon water in the morning and drink lots of filtered water.

Easing up on fried foods, fatty animal meats, gluten, and dairy for a while can also have a profound effect on your digestive system. It’s not necessary to go on week-long cleanses or smoothie programs, just lighten the intake a bit.

Through this cleansing, you allow your body to excrete excess waste and toxins that only contribute to hormonal imbalance.

Detoxing through Sweat

Working out as a way of detoxing through sweat is equally important as detoxing with food. By moving your body, you’re making sure that your hormones and your liver are working properly. Excess hormones get stored as fat in your body, that’s why it’s important to move your body daily to excrete the excess toxins through sweat, which can help restore hormonal balance.

Not only by working out can you restore your body’s natural hormone balance, but also by attending yoga classes. Find an activity that you love! As long as you’re sweating and excreting excess body waste or toxins, you’re good to go. Infrared saunas can also assist you with sweating out toxins via the skin. Just be sure to dry skin brush and shower right afterward.I have one in my home that I rent for clients and for my own use.

Detoxing through Self-care

There’s no better way to detox than actually taking care of yourself and prioritizing your inner peace and wellness. When you’re stressed, and a lot of things fill up your mind, your brain can signal your body to produce hormones that could help you ease up a bit. But, sometimes this signaling that the brain does cannot help in balancing your hormones. Instead, it only adds to the excess hormones or toxins in your body.

Detoxing through self-care is easy. Some people may like meditation. Take a few moments off during the day, either in the morning or at night, to close your eyes, reflect, and breathe. Typically, people would suggest thinking of happy thoughts, and this is very effective. You can also release happy hormones by also doing the things that you love (your hobbies, favorite things to do during your free time, etc.)

Other forms of self-care include warm Epsom salt baths, dry skin brushing,rebounding, and massage. All of these can help you move toxins out of the body.

What’s Next?

After you take these steps and you are still experiencing hormonal symptoms, it’s time to test your hormone levels with the DUTCH test for comprehensive hormones and see what’s really going on. The DUTCH test looks at your hormone metabolites, how the liver is processing your hormones and what pathway they are taking. I’ve personally run this test on myself and hundreds of clients since last year and it’s been very eye-opening to see what’s really going on.

The Dutch test measures estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, melatonin, DHEA, cortisol, and some organic acids. But, more importantly, we can see which pathway the estrogens are being detoxed via the liver. Is it the safer 2-OH pathway or the “dirty” 4-OH pathway, that can lead to reproductive cancers. This way, we can focus on what we need to be doing for your body – not just guessing!

Let’s set up a free consultation to discuss your hormones today and if you should be using the DUTCH test (hint: everyone should test!).

Millions of women (and men) suffer from weight gain, mood swings, low libido, fatigue, and brain fog today. These common health issues can be a sign of hormone imbalance.  It’s our bodies telling us that something is wrong. The cause could be our diet, stress, or the myriad chemicals we ingest, breathe or come in contact with on a daily basis. Left untreated, hormone imbalance can lead to diseases such as obesity, breast cancer, thyroid disease, PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome) and even osteoporosis.

Mainstream medical protocols would call for a prescription drug to treat hormone imbalance or the diseases associated with it. But what if you could achieve balance or homeostasis by altering your lifestyle habits or changing something you eat? What if we could identify the root cause of your imbalance and focus on the underlying origin of your health issues?

First, find out what’s off-kilter and test your hormone levels with a functional medicine doctor. Or, get a DUTCH test through me! This is the new gold standard for testing hormone metabolites via urine.

If you have some minor issues like high cortisol or excess estrogen, you can try some of these lifestyle management techniques to correct the imbalance:
 

1. Manage your stress. Stress has a huge impact on our health. External stressors (like work, traffic, and family issues) can be managed with deep breathing, meditation, yoga, journaling, and massage, but don’t forget about internal stress such as food intolerance or allergies that can raise cortisol levels as well. Create a food journal and write down how you feel after a meal and note if you get gassy, bloated or have digestive issues. You could have a food intolerance. Take 10 minutes a day to unwind and have time exclusively for yourself. Do what makes you happy!
    

Did you know? Stress is the top reason behind most doctor visits today.  It starts as pain and inflammation in the body; which leads to disease.
 

2. Nix the chemicals. Every day we come into contact with chemicals that can disrupt our delicate hormone levels. These chemicals (BPA, parabens, fragrance, and fluoride in our water) are endocrine disruptors, meaning they can block or mimic estrogen in our bodies, influence thyroid-hormone signaling and block egg production in the ovaries. Look for BPA-free canned foods, paraben-free personal care products, choose fragrance-free items, use a refillable stainless steel or glass water bottle, get a high-quality water filter and choose fluoride-free toothpaste.
    

Did you know? Choosing a "BPA-free" product may not be safe either. Companies are using Bisphenol F or S to replace BPA products. Nix the plastic altogether and go for glass, stainless or ceramic containers.
 

3. Move your body, but not too much. We all know exercise is important, but did you know that 30 minutes of exercise per day can lower cortisol levels and help flush excess estrogen from the body? Find an exercise that you like, even if it’s just dancing around your living room.
    

Did you know? Too much exercise, like suddenly training for a marathon or long-distance running may tax or stress the body and raise cortisol levels.
 

4. Get Supplement Savvy. Fish Oil, Rhodiola, and ashwagandha have all been proven to lower cortisol levels. Di-indolemethane (DIM) has been proven to reduce excess estrogen levels. Doctors recommend 200 mg of DIM per day. But, test first to make sure you even need it!
    

Did you know? Some supplements are filled with gluten, artificial colors, fillers and preservatives. Read every label! Or, work with me to get pharmaceutical-grade supplements that can drastically improve your health.
 

5. Get Happy. When we smile or laugh, endorphins are released and that lowers cortisol levels. Connect with a friend, see a funny movie, volunteer, join a group of like-minded people, or act like a kid (ride a roller coaster, play a fun game, color, do a puzzle)!

6. Eat Nutrient-Dense Whole Foods. Make sure you’re getting enough fiber, cruciferous veggies, sprouted whole grains, and lean protein. Drink lots of filtered water. Eat less (or no) meat & dairy from conventionally raised animals, cut caffeine and lower alcohol consumption. Don’t eat soy and nix the vegetable oils, like corn, canola and soybean oil.
    

Did you know? Chia seeds can detoxify your colon because of their mucilaginous fiber that carries away toxins like excess estrogen.
 
Want to learn even more tips and tricks to balance your hormones and lose weight? Work with me in my Hormone Balancing Program with DUTCH testing. Don't guess, TEST!

Food Allergy, Intolerance or Sensitivity...
How can you tell them apart? How do I test?

Choosing a diet for yourself can be fun, but also overwhelming. There are over 100 different dietary theories out there today, and it can be hard for us to choose which one is the ideal diet for us and our families.

A few years ago, when I began culinary nutrition school, my first assignment was to develop my own written food philosophy. Because I had my own health coaching practice for six years, I already had a fairly solid understanding of my food philosophy or where I stood when it comes to food. But I wanted to dig deeper and really explore what that meant for me and my family.

Finding Your Ideal Diet

Over the course of my healing journey, my food philosophy has evolved. I struggled with weight issues, high cholesterol, allergies, autoimmune disease and frequent illnesses. In the beginning, I was focused on losing weight and feeling better – having more energy. My initial focus was cutting out highly processed and packaged foods containing high fructose corn syrup, partially hydrogenated oils and preservatives. In the 1980’s and 1990’s, I ate a lot of fat-free and low-fat foods. I immediately threw those foods out and replaced them with full-fat versions. I started adding in more vegetables as well.

As I started to lose weight and gain more energy, I found myself in the kitchen more and began to enjoy the process of cooking and developing new recipes for my family. Soon, I started visiting farmer's markets and began learning about local farming practices. I made new friends with farmers and producers and really began to understand the complexities of sustainable farming practices. This is when I really began to shift my belief system. I developed relationships with farmers, market vendors, beekeepers, herbalists, kombucha makers, and produce growers. These new friendships deepened my understanding of our food economy, how the government is so involved in our food and how we truly can create change with our purchasing habits. Supporting these folks became a way of life. I knew my food, the people who grew it and how it was being processed. Currently, all of my meat, eggs, raw honey, herbal medicinal teas and produce come from local farms. I do supplement some fruit, vegetables and snack foods from a local grocery store though.

These connections enabled my children to have a better understanding of where our food comes from as well. These see the happy cows, romp around with the piglets, and chase after chickens on the farm near our home. It makes for a fun, family outing. For those local to me in Northern VA, this farm is Whiffletree Farm.

Why is this important to do though?

 I personally feel as a society we have moved so far beyond a connection with our food. We’re eating dinner at the drive-thru, snacks come in packages and boxes instead of whole foods and we turn a blind eye to the atrocities of conventional animal feeding operations or CAFO’s. If you’ve ever seen video of their living conditions or how they’re processed, it really will have an impact on your future food decisions – it did mine anyway. I watched several food-focused documentaries going through nutrition school and they really opened my eyes to what is being done to the animals and our planet in the name of feeding us. Some may think that I may be or should be a vegetarian given what I know, but my body craves meat – not a lot, but some. So, I choose to source locally-raised, pastured animals fed their natural diet of grass (and bugs for the chickens). The fatty-acid profile and mineral content of pasture-raised animals is much higher than CAFO meat. For example, the cholesterol content from a USDA grocery store egg is 423 mg, yet a farm-raised chicken produces an egg with 292 mg of cholesterol! The pasture-raised egg has 10,200 mcg of folate, while the grocery store egg has 47 mcg of folate.

I believe that every person is different and we each have individual biological dietary needs. Therefore, we must each develop an ideal diet that works for our individual bodies. However, I do believe that everyone could benefit from eating whole, unprocessed foods, small amounts of grass-fed meats if necessary, organic produce and support local agriculture while doing so.

My Personal Food Philosophy

Eat S. L. O. W.  (Sustainable. Local. Organic. Wild.) 

My motto for the last six years has been to choose foods that are sourced ethically and sustainably. I try to choose local whenever I can and support my farmer friends who live nearby. I choose Organic as much as possible to avoid the “processed” stuff and often go “Wild” - for example, I will forage for wild herbs and plants and choose wild over farmed seafood.  Plus, it’s just a reminder to “eat slowly,” or mindfully, which is great for digestion. 

Developing Your Ideal Diet

With all of the dietary theories to choose from, don’t feel compelled to select one and proclaim to the world how you eat. That’s your business and no one else’s. You can decide if you feel good eating meat or fish or if a vegetarian diet is right for you. Or, perhaps you want to mix it up like I do, and eat vegetarian one day and fish the next – I call that the “flexitarian diet.”

But how do we actually put that into practice? Here are some things to consider when you start to design your ideal diet.

1. Develop Your Own Food Philosophy

I hope that what I’ve described above offers you inspiration for creating your own food philosophy. Some of the things you may want to consider in your philosophy are:

• What you eat
• Where your food comes from
• What you’d want someone to cook you for dinner
• What’s your dream meal?

2. Consider what is locally available

We all love avocados and bananas, but for many of us around the world, these foods aren’t local. I’m not saying you should never eat them – however, it’s important to also consider what foods are abundant in your area, and also what’s in season. Local foods contain more nutrients than those that were picked weeks ago and shipped across the country.

In an ideal world, your ideal diet would focus on what you have access to. This allows us to support local businesses and farms, reduce our environmental impact and eat food that is freshest – which is going to be better for our health!

3. What are your activity levels?

 Also, consider how active you are. If you’re training every day, your nutrient requirements are going to be higher than someone who has a desk job and isn’t working out several times a week. You may need more protein, water and electrolytes if you’re working out consistently.

4. What is your health situation?

If you’re suffering from an autoimmune disease or battling an illness, your diet will need to reflect these concerns. Those with autoimmune disease need to avoid inflammatory foods, like gluten, dairy, sugar and possibly nightshades. Conversely, if you have a family history of illness and want to prevent disease, you need a diet high in superfoods, antioxidants, and plant-rich meals.

5. Demographic Factors (age, gender, etc.)

Typically, males need more protein and complex carbohydrates than women. They also have different micronutrient needs. Women and men need specific nutrients at each stage of life, so take into consideration where you are in life and what your micronutrient needs are at this time and as you age.

6. Your Lifestyle

One of the biggest factors is how your diet will fit in with your lifestyle. If you’re balancing a full-time career, family life, church or school functions and hobbies that keep you busy night and day, then you need to determine how to carry over your food philosophy into your lifestyle. Perhaps you don’t enjoy cooking or don’t have much time to spend in the kitchen. You may need to research food delivery companies that align with your food preferences to help you meet your goals.  You may have to shift your priorities to align with your new lifestyle. For example, if I know I have a busy week ahead, I meal plan, shop and prep a few meals on the weekend when I have more time.

7. Dietary Preferences

You’ll also want to weigh in your allergies, sensitivities and general foods that you dislike. Some people do well on carbohydrates and others do not. Jot down how you feel and start to make the connection between food, your mood and energy levels after you eat.

8. The Research

Nutrition research is one of those areas that will never, ever be settled. We’re learning more and more about nutrition science every day. But you have to be careful where that science is coming from and who is paying for the studies.  Many doctors use “bias” to make their points – meaning they will cherry-pick statistical data to prove their point. You’ll find hundreds of studies saying that veganism is best or Paleo is the way to go, or everyone should be eating a raw food diet. Research your diet thoroughly from numerous sources to get a well-rounded point of view.

8. Trial and Error

Don’t be afraid to make mistakes along the way. I once tried to eat raw foods for a week and had such tummy troubles that I was miserable. Be open to trying new foods and diets, but remember to be in tune with your body and how you feel. Choosing a diet can be an evolving process.

You need to take into consideration your lifestyle, your activity level and personal belief system. On days when you’re more active, you may need more protein to fuel your muscles and on days when you’re working at a desk, you may need to eat a simpler meal like a salad with a healthy fat to keep your brain functioning optimally. Remember, your plan can change too.

Creating your personal diet plan can be fun. Remember to consider your overall health goals, what you want to achieve, take into account your dietary preferences, sensitivities, and one that suits your lifestyle. If your diet isn’t sustainable – meaning something you can do for the rest of your life – then it won’t work for you. Try to create a plan or way of eating that works for your body and your lifestyle.

It all comes down to common sense, so we must respect the physiology of the human body to determine what our nutritional needs really are and then tweak for bio-individuality.

If this sounds like way too much work for you, I can help. I design meal plans for all of my clients based on bio-individuality. Let's chat if you need more support.