If you've been keeping up to date with my interviews recently, it is likely you know a thing or two about gut health. There is an abundance of information on gut health, so today we are expanding our knowledge with Holistic Nutritionist Eliza Hedley into the connection between the gut and our hormones. I hope you enjoy this one, I definitely learnt a few practical tips I can start to incorporate into my own life. Happy learning!
Firstly, Introduce yourself! Who are you, what do you do, and what are your passions?
I’m Eliza, aka The Holistic Sister. I’m a Holistic Nutritionist and I’m obsessed with the human body. How we function, the role of food and how food is able to switch on and off genes, repair our DNA, enable our cells to function and just works 24/7 to keep us in balance – like human beings are incredible. My day to day is I see clients and utilise holistic nutrition to get to the core root of their symptoms and health issues, and teach them everything I possibly can to enable them to thrive more in life. I’m a content creator on Instagram and just really want to educate people on how to eat for their wellbeing – focusing on food as medicine and not on macro’s or calories – on the function of food.
What sparked your interest for all things health and wellness, and what led you down the path of studying Holistic Nutrition specifically?
I think if we go back my key motivation for getting into Nutrition was my fascination and love of the human body and human biology. It was definitely not the first thing I thought of doing, I think Nutrition was the 7th degree I started and originally I didn’t really know where I wanted it to take me. And then on the other side my lack of self-love and always thinking that I wasn’t skinny enough or enough really, drove my own personal development and exploration of wellness and living a holistic life.
What role do hormones play in female bodies?
Our hormones regulate and influence so much of our biology and wellbeing. We have hormone receptors on so many different cells in our body, we have them in our skin, our brain, our bones, our muscles – so our hormones influence everything from energy production and utilisation, to mood, to collagen production, to hair growth, to libido, to memory, to cognition, to of course – reproduction.
So when our hormones are either silenced via hormonal birth control or are out of balance or not being detoxified properly – we can see this on a systemic level – we can see depression, anxiety, low mood, low energy, bloating, acne, hair thinning, weight gain, low libido, vaginal dryness.
How do symptoms caused by an imbalance of these hormones present in the body?
When it comes to women’s hormones we can kind of simplify it into 3 key branches
Excess estrogen – manifests as PMS, heavy periods, painful periods, is linked in with fibroids, endometriosis, menstrual headaches and migraines, difficulty losing weight, fluid retention, worrying, over thinking.
Elevated androgens – PCOS, facial hair, painful ovulation, no periods, jawline, chin and back acne, irritability
Low progesterone – the above symptoms, irregular / scant periods / spotting, depression, anxiety, a lack of vaginal fluids, painful sex.
How can these imbalances occur?
All imbalances occur as a product of stress. But stress is much more than just the typical concept of “having a deadline”. Stress is conscious and unconscious and stress can be biological, physical, emotional, psychological, environmental and spiritual. Some key stressors that people may not realise register as a stress to the body and thus, activate our sympathetic nervous system include
Biological - imbalanced blood glucose, inflammation, altered pH levels, allergies, candida overgrowth, viral and bacterial infections, inflammation, low iron, low B12, poor diet
Physical - over exercising, injury, lack of sleep
Emotional - break ups, arguments, resentment, avoidance, losing a job, etc.
Psychological - expectations, childhood trauma, limiting beliefs, negative self talk, deadlines, etc.
Environmental - air pollution, toxins in personal care products, fragrances, plastics etc.
How does gut health factor into hormone production and health?
So as women we have bacteria in our gut that make up what’s called the estrobolome and these bacteria are involved in the metabolism and elimination of estradiol – the main type of estrogen in reproductive women. When we have gut dysbiosis or leaky gut – this ability of the estrobolome to completely metabolise estrogen gets impaired – and we often see more estrogen being recycled back into the body, creating more estrogen dominant symptoms and driving PMS and painful periods as an example.
We also in general poop out excess hormones once the liver has transformed and detoxified them – so if we’re not having regular bowel movements (2-3x daily)l, if we’ve been on courses of antibiotics, if we don’t have enough plants or variety of plants in our diet, eating a high sugar and pro-inflammatory diet, we’re negatively enabling the balance and metabolism of our hormones.
How could we go about healing our gut health in order to help balance out our hormones?
Healing the gut is first about addressing and becoming conscious of what stressors are in your life. I encourage my clients to write a list of all the things that cause them to feel anxious or stressed. The next thing is to take out the foods that drive GI disturbances and issues within that individual. Common foods include wheat gluten, conventional dairy, seed oils like sunflower and canola oil, refined sugars, alcohol, processed deli meats and artificial ingredients.
The next thing would be to consume prebiotic fibers to support the blossoming of varying species of beneficial bacteria within the gut – things like chickpeas, artichoke, chia seeds, sweet potato, psyllium husk, oats etc. As well as just a greater diversity of plants in the diet – and aiming to eat as seasonally as possible.
Ensuring you’re drinking enough water is also a big one.
Finally, where can we work with you/find you on social media?
To work with me you can book an in-person or online appointment here – https://theholisticsister.com.au/services
On instagram I’m @theholisticsister_ and you can listen to the podcast on Apple or Spotify!
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