Did you know if you suffer from poor gut-health, you risk damaging your hormonal balances? Not only does the food you eat just effect your hormones but can affect your entire body in ways you may not even notice/realize!
Have you ever heard the saying “good health starts from the gut”? Well this saying couldn’t be more accurate! There are a variety of process that occur within your gut that can directly impact your hormones!
Without consumption of certain macro and micronutrients, we can actually enhance signals of oestrogen dominance that lead to side effects such as PMS, fluid retention, heavy cycles and more (this particular hormone imbalance is caused from a lack of fibre consumption).
Poor gut health affects your body’s ability to produce a hormone called serotonin which is a neurotransmitter that regulates your mood and appetite! 90% of our serotonin is produced in the gut, so with this in mind, it is clear to understand why poor gut health can lead to bad moods, hunger, tiredness etc.
So how can we improve our gut health and in-turn improve our hormonal balance?
- Consume anti-inflammatory foods
- Consume foods rich in antioxidants
- Consume foods high in fibre
- Consume foods rich in fermented and cultured microbiomes
- Try supplementing magnesium
- Supplement probiotics
- Ensure you are getting adequate sleep
- Try exercising at least 2-3 times a week
- Try different methods of ‘de-stressing’ e.g. yoga, massage, deep breathing, meditation etc.
There are many things that effect our hormones, a variety of these effects are out of our control, however what we consume and supplement, is. If you are finding yourself struggling with moodiness, hunger, inadequate appetite, unusual side effects of the female cycle, tiredness (I could continue listing ways hormones can effect us but I think you get the idea)…then you should look into your gut-health and try a few new ways outside of your usual routine to help improve your gut health!
- Bec
