Natural Insomnia Treatment Without Sleep Gummies
I’ve worked in healthcare for a long time, and a common pattern I have seen over the years is, that not only do the adults I work with generally not sleep enough, but they don’t see it as a problem.
This is alarming, considering sleep is an essential function for detoxification and tissue healing, but also influences hormone balance, weight loss, and blood sugar levels.
Reaching for those sleep gummies is a solid effort in getting much-needed sleep, but it will not solve the underlying issues. We need to take a holistic look at insomnia treatments.
Ditch the sleep calculator and sleep gummies, for good
As a holistic health practitioner, I am here to tell you sleep is non-negotiable when it comes to weight loss, hormone health, and inflammation.
But it’s not always so easy to just go to sleep when you’re supposed to. Sleep health and insomnia treatment requires a multi-pronged approach that involves addressing diet, adrenal health, hormones, and light exposure.
Hi friends. I’m Hilary Beckwith, ex-dieter and holistic nutrition expert. Clients come to see me with signs of adrenal stress and inflammatory conditions, and my job is to find the root causes so we can address their symptoms more effectively, and fill in the gaps between what their doctor is saying, and what their body is saying.
I’ve worked in healthcare for a long time, and a common pattern I have seen over the years is, that not only do the adults I work with generally not sleep enough, but they don’t see it as a problem.
This is alarming, considering sleep is an essential function for detoxification and tissue healing, but also influences hormone balance, weight loss, and blood sugar levels.
Reaching for those sleep gummies is a solid effort in getting much-needed sleep, but it will not solve the underlying issues. We need to take a holistic look at insomnia treatments.
In this article, you’ll learn:
why sleep is important for health
what factors affect sleep (besides caffeine)
ways to get better sleep without using sleep gummies or sleep calculators
Follow my email feed to stay up-to-date on new articles like this one. Click here to subscribe.
why do you need sleep?
It’s not news to you that sleep is essential to optimal health.
So then why do you so cavalierly call yourself a “night owl” or wear your busyness like a badge of honor?
When considering insomnia treatment, it’s important to understand why sleep is so important.
HERE ARE SOME THINGS THAT HAPPEN WHEN YOU SLEEP:
tissue repair - factors that repair tissues, whether you have a sprained ankle, a pulled muscle, or something more subtle, like lesions in your intestines due to inflammation, happen while you sleep.
liver detoxification - research shows that liver detoxification and involved factors, operate on a circadian rhythm, and are more active at night time while in a rested state [1]
clearance of toxins and waste from the brain - more research on humans is needed to get a clearer picture on how this works, but scientists are finding clear indications that the human brain removes harmful, but normal, metabolites and waste that occur as part of normal brain function, while we are sleeping. This takes place through a system called the glymphatic (glial-lymphatic) system, as it acts similarly to the lymphatic system [2]. Scientists suspect lack of sleep may play a significant role in the development of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimers and Parkinsons.
memory formation - in the same vein as preventing neurodegenerative conditions I just mentioned, sleep is also when long-term memories are formed. If you are someone who deals with memory issues or brain fog symptoms, consider your sleep!
what affects sleep?
Sleep gummies can be helpful in a pinch, and sleep calculators can help you know the quality of sleep your body is getting. Both can be useful when exploring holistic insomnia treatments.
But what is affecting your sleep at the root cause?
Finding and supporting the root-cause of sleep issues is the only way to get truly long-term results. This is true for anything in the health world, and is exactly the work I do with clients. I’m here to help you figure out WHY you are having insomnia symptoms in the first place.
Arguably, the biggest factor in insomnia symptoms is rooted in cortisol - a hormone produced by the adrenal glands in response to external stressors, internal stressors (low blood sugar, unaddressed gut pathogens or other infections, tissue inflammation, unaddressed emotional trauma, etc.), and as a natural component of the sleep-wake cycle, known as circadian rhythm (see diagram above).
One important thing to remember here is that cortisol is released as part of the cascade of events that occurs when your fight or flight response is activated. And your fight or flight response will be activated by things you may not consider to be “stress”.
Let’s talk about what your brain views as stress.
HERE’S WHAT AFFECTS CORTISOL LEVELS:
low blood sugar
unaddressed emotional or physical trauma
chronic infections, such as candida overgrowth, bacterial overgrowth, undiagnosed parasites, or mold toxicity
exercise
daylight exposure
busyness, with little priority for rest
lack of self-reflection - lack of self-reflection through journaling, therapy, or other modalities, can lead to rumination - a cyclical form of processing that often has no resolve but instead perpetuates stress or anxiety
people-pleasing behaviors (yep!)
Not all of these cortisol stimulators are bad things, but it’s important to consider how frequently (and what time of day) they are utilized.
In some cases, removing the stressor is best, such as healing from emotional trauma, or eradicating gut pathogens. But in other cases, such as with exercise and daylight exposure, understanding how to time your cortisol stimulators in a way that supports healthy cortisol rhythms throughout the day, is a long-term solution to your sleep woes.
But that won’t happen overnight. It requires time and consistency to see results.
5 ways to improve sleep
get at least 10 minutes of daylight exposure within 2 hours of waking
take a morning walk
drink your morning tea by a well-lit window (here in the PNW it’s not always easy to be outside)
grounding in your front garden
prioritize workouts before lunch
look back at the cortisol diagram - hitting the gym after work is a surefire way of pumping up cortisol at a time when cortisol should be at its lowest, and I would bet good money that is a big factor in your insomnia symptoms
prioritize animal protein and greens, especially as your morning meal
managing blood sugar is a big part of supporting healthy sleep-wake rhythm. Animal protein and greens, in balance with healthy fats and a very small amount of unrefined carbs, is the dietary change that supports my clients most.
want help knowing which foods to eat? THIS WILL HELP
get professional support for your mental health
you’ve read all the self-help books, and follow all the wellness influencers - it’s time to put your tools into action with expert support.
whether it’s talk therapy, EMDR, somatic work, breathwork, journaling, or otherwise, please find an expert who has been trained to help you learn mental health tools and navigate communication and healing
get your gut checked by a professional
I’m not talking about magical breath testers or CGMs - Find a practitioner who is trained to assess your gut health, and can help you eradicate underlying infections that are harming your health and causing your body stress. (I CAN HELP!)
If you want more in-depth support for your sleep, hormone balance, stress management, and blood sugar levels, TAKE THIS 3-MINUTE QUIZ to learn if your adrenals might be part of the problem.
was this helpful?
Please share your thoughts and questions in the comments below!
NUTRITION SERVICES
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
BLOG REFERENCES
McCommis, K. S., & Butler, A. A. (2021). The Importance of Keeping Time in the Liver. Endocrinology, 162(2), bqaa230. https://doi.org/10.1210/endocr/bqaa230
Bohr, T., Hjorth, P. G., Holst, S. C., Hrabetova, S., Kivinemi, V., Lilius, T., Lundgaard, I., Mardal, K.-A., Martens, E. A., Mori, Y., Nagerl, U. V., Nicholson, C., Tannenbaum, A., Thomas, J. H., Tithof, J., Benveniste, H., Iliff, J. J., Kelley, D. H., & Nedergaard, M. (2022, August 20). The glymphatic system: Current Understanding and Modeling. iScience. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2589004222012597
Symptoms of Hormone Imbalance and Hormone Balancing Supplements
The adrenal glands do not get nearly enough limelight when it comes to addressing hormone imbalance symptoms. Dysfunction in the adrenal glands will disrupt hormone balance and cause issues with sleep, periods, mood, energy, and blood sugar levels.
Addressing adrenal health and stress management are the keys to getting better, more predictable periods, and improving mood and energy levels.
But there’s more to it than bubble baths or meditation.
Stress management and hormone imbalance
You’re gaining weight, you don’t sleep well, your periods are getting progressively off track, and you are desperately trying to find answers.
You go in for your annual bloodwork and ask your physician to test your hormones, which are all coming back relatively “normal”.
So, why are you experiencing symptoms? And more importantly, how can you stop them?
Hi friends. I’m Hilary Beckwith, ex-dieter and holistic nutrition expert. Clients come to see me with signs of adrenal stress and inflammatory conditions, and my job is to find the root causes so we can address their symptoms more effectively, and fill in the gaps between what their doctor is saying, and what their body is saying.
The adrenal glands do not get nearly enough limelight when it comes to addressing hormone imbalance symptoms. Dysfunction in the adrenal glands will disrupt hormone balance and cause issues with sleep, periods, mood, energy, and blood sugar levels.
Addressing adrenal health and stress management are the keys to getting better, more predictable periods, and improving mood and energy levels.
But there’s more to it than bubble baths or meditation.
In this article, you’ll learn:
how your body responds to stress
health effects of prolonged chronic stress
how to improve hormone imbalance symptoms by addressing chronic stress at the root
Follow my email feed to stay up-to-date on new articles like this one. Click here to subscribe.
the body’s natural stress response
Stress is a normal part of human existence, and is modulated by the Autonomic Nervous System. It is necessary to keep us alive, and even become stronger!
Most stress is caused by what your brain perceives as a threat, but some stress is necessary for improving health, such as bone remodeling, building muscle, and cold plunging.
The stress your brain perceives as a threat (most stress), your body responds to as if it were a tiger. Evolution has not yet caught up to our modern lifestyles, and your brain cannot yet tell the difference between the threat of a tiger, and stress that comes from running late for a meeting.
When tigers are coming at you from all directions (work deadlines, heated conversations with your partner, toxic load from processed foods or medications, undiagnosed gut infections, people-pleasing behaviors, unaddressed emotional trauma, low blood sugar…), your stress response system will be constantly activated.
That chronic activation of the stress response system interferes with hormone production and balance. This is why effective stress management is essential to addressing hormone imbalance symptoms.
HERE’S HOW IT WORKS:
In response to a stressor, your fight or flight response is activated, and a feedback loop called the HPA axis (or hypothalamus, pituitary, adrenal axis) [1], stimulates your adrenal glands to produce stress hormones to increase energy production and increase blood flow to large muscle groups, heart, and lungs, to help you fight or flee the danger (tigers!).
When the threat has been successfully dealt with, the stress response stops, and your body returns to its rest and digest mode
If the stress becomes chronic, the system stays activated, and the adrenal glands adapt by producing less stress hormones, but more frequently.
TAKE A LOOK:
stressor or danger is sensed, and fight or flight response (a part of the Autonomic Nervous System) activates, signaling a cascade of events
the hypothalamus releases Corticotropin Releasing Hormone (CRH)
the increase in CRH signals the pituitary gland to produce AdrenoCorticoTropic Hormone (ACTH)
ACTH travels to the adrenal glands, signaling them to release stress hormones such as cortisol, adrenaline, and noradrenaline
these hormones begin the processes of energy metabolism (to fight or flee the stressor), and increase blood flow to large muscle groups, heart, and lungs
health effects of chronic cortisol release
The health effects of poor stress management impact more than just hormone imbalance symptoms. Chronic cortisol release has been shown to:
suppress the immune system [2]
cause sex hormone imbalance [3]
increase belly weight by way of insulin resistance [4]
increase inflammation [5] - Cortisol itself is anti-inflammatory, but its presence signals immune cells to react in response to stressors. This is inflammation. Chronic cortisol = chronic inflammation.
decrease thyroid hormone activity at a cellular level, causing elevated TSH levels on bloodwork
increase appetite by reducing leptin (hormone that tells you when you are full), and increasing ghrelin (hormone that tells you when you are hungry)
decrease digestive activity - when fight or flight is active, rest and digest cannot be.
causes poor sleep quality - the ability to fall asleep, stay asleep, and ultimately makes it difficult to get up in the morning.
Regarding hormone imbalance symptoms, the most important thing to remember about chronic stress is its ability to disrupt feedback systems for sex and reproductive hormones.
Take another look at the HPA axis. Components of this feedback system are also components of other important feedback systems, including the HPT (hypothalamus, pituitary, thyroid) axis, and the HPG (hypothalamus, pituitary, gonadal) axis.
When your fight or flight response is chronically activated due to poor stress management, or undiagnosed root-causes of stress, this will prevent hormone feedback systems from communicating properly, leading to hormone imbalance symptoms.
ways to improve stress management
I discuss methods for improving stress management at length in this article. But the best thing you can do for yourself right now, is to get data.
Let’s get curious about your symptoms and find out if there’s even anything to be concerned about.
Take this 3-minute quiz to figure out if your adrenals need support, and what you can do to support them.
was this helpful?
Please share your thoughts and questions in the comments below!
NUTRITION SERVICES
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
BLOG REFERENCES
Slominski A. (2009). On the role of the corticotropin-releasing hormone signalling system in the aetiology of inflammatory skin disorders. The British journal of dermatology, 160(2), 229–232. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2133.2008.08958.
Segerstrom, S. C., & Miller, G. E. (2004). Psychological stress and the human immune system: a meta-analytic study of 30 years of inquiry. Psychological bulletin, 130(4), 601–630. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.130.4.601
Ranabir, S., & Reetu, K. (2011). Stress and hormones. Indian journal of endocrinology and metabolism, 15(1), 18–22. https://doi.org/10.4103/2230-8210.77573
Kahn, Barbara B., and Jeffrey S. Flier. “Obesity and Insulin Resistance.” The Journal of Clinical Investigation, American Society for Clinical Investigation, 15 Aug. 2000, www.jci.org/articles/view/10842.
Hannibal, Kara E., and Mark D. Bishop. “Chronic Stress, Cortisol Dysfunction, and Pain: A Psychoneuroendocrine Rationale for Stress Management in Pain Rehabilitation.” OUP Academic, Oxford University Press, 1 Dec. 2014, academic.oup.com/ptj/article/94/12/1816/2741907?login=false.
Tips for Improving Sleep | Stop Searching Sleep Memes
Keeping circadian rhythm regulated in check is essential to optimal health, and can have damaging effects if not taken into control. In fact, one paper I’ll reference in this post goes as far as to say that, “Circadian Dysregulation Is Both Symptomatic and Causative of Metabolic Disease”.
Aside from not feeling like a real person, let’s talk about how else you’re impacted when you can’t sleep.
Can’t sleep?
It starts with a “f*****ck” at the sound of the alarm clock.
You feel like you’ve barely slept a wink. You all but throw your alarm across the room, and you lay back in bed and utter the infamous words, “Just a few more minutes”.
A few minutes turns into an hour, and before you know it, you’re late!
You jump out of bed, panicked, adrenaline surging through your veins to get out the door.
You grab a coffee and a granola bar on your commute, and you get to work just in time for your first meeting, still shaky from the rush (and maybe also the traffic you just fought through).
Friend…
I see you…
And I want to tell you…
This is not healthy…
But I can help…
Let’s talk about how to fix it.
The most amusing and unsettling thing about writing this post was that I learned that far more people are searching for the words, can’t sleep meme than they are searching for any kind of support to improve their sleep.
This is upsetting.
Culturally, we’ve accepted poor sleep, feeling run down, burnt out, and exhausted, as a normal part of being. We’ve accepted it as the nature of being a mother, a career person, a night owl, or just the way we’re wired.
It’s time to stop accepting it and start asking questions:
WHY is your body not sleeping during the night hours? HOW is it impacting other parts of your health? And WHAT do we do about it?
I’ve got you.
why sleep is important
The obvious answer is it makes you feel rested! It’s harder to do things tired.
You don’t think straight, you make more mistakes, and it’s harder to pay attention to what you need because you’re just trying to survive the day. You don’t have the energy to play with your kids or go on fun adventures with friends.
When you can’t sleep, you turn into the can’t sleep meme!
To define things up front, when I refer to sleep cycles and the like in this post, I’m referring to circadian rhythm, a natural 24-hour cycle in humans impacted by diet, light, stress, and sleep.
Keeping circadian rhythm regulated in check is essential to optimal health, and can have damaging effects if not taken into control. In fact, one paper I’ll reference in this post goes as far as to say that, “Circadian Dysregulation Is Both Symptomatic and Causative of Metabolic Disease”(2).
Aside from not feeling like a real person, let’s talk about how else you’re impacted when you can’t sleep.
WHAT HAPPENS WHILE YOU SLEEP:
DETOXIFICATION - Your body uses many forms of detoxification throughout the day, including sweat, urine, and feces, but your body uses two main detox pathways while you sleep.
glymphatic system (1) - The brain does not contain lymphatic (no ‘g’) vessels like the rest of your body does. Instead, it contains a similar system formed from astroglial cells that work to deliver nutrients to the brain and central nervous system, as well as carry metabolic waste away from the brain and central nervous system.
Like most other cells and tissues in the body, the brain and central nervous system require nutrients like amino acids, carbohydrates, and fatty acids, in order to perform. Additionally, all that hard work that the brain and central nervous system are doing all day, produces metabolites, waste that needs to be eliminated. Waste that remains in the brain and is not quickly eliminated, becomes toxic. Sleeping drastically enhances the glymphatic system, enabling the body to begin eliminating toxins from the brain.
liver detoxification - your liver is working hard all day. It’s responsible for many different tasks (READ MORE ABOUT THE LIVER HERE), but arguably a significant responsibility of the liver is to prepare toxins for elimination, using pathways such as glucuronidation, sulfation, and methylation. And much of that happens, again when you are resting, for most at around 1-3:00 am.
TISSUE REPAIR - Tissue that is damaged or stressed will repair itself during times of rest. This includes tissues that have been intentionally stressed or challenged during workouts.
MEMORY - It is thought that sleep is when memory is consolidated (3). The information you’ve obtained is essentially sorted through and solidified into long-term memories.
supporting circadian rhythm
There are many ways to support circadian rhythm, and they all boil down to supporting adrenal health.
Most people know the adrenal glands in relation to stress regulation, and that’s true.
Remember that the adrenal glands are also involved in:
sex hormone production
fluid balance and hydration
immune system regulation
thyroid health
blood sugar balance
energy production
SLEEP!!!
WHAT ARE ADRENAL GLANDS?
Most people have two adrenal glands, each resting on top of the kidneys. They operate primarily based on information from a feedback loop called the HPA axis (Hypothalamus Pituitary Adrenal axis).
Adrenal glands produce a number of different hormones, but the one we are going to focus on in regard to circadian rhythm, is cortisol.
WHAT IS CORTISOL?
Cortisol is a glucocorticoid, meaning it is a steroid hormone involved in the metabolism of glucose. More simply put, Cortisol is a hormone made from cholesterol that kickstarts the process of turning sugars (glucose) into energy.
WHAT DOES CORTISOL HAVE TO DO WITH CIRCADIAN RHYTHM?
Cortisol is released in times of stress, but also first thing in the morning as part of what’s known as the Cortisol Wakening Response (CAR).
Remember, cortisol is needed to start the process of energy production, so we need it to jump-start us in the morning, and slow way down by night time.
If you’re here because you can’t sleep, this diagram below will give you a visual of how cortisol should work.
Many lifestyles are not conducive to this type of cortisol rhythm throughout the day. And that impacts your physical health.
Doing what you can to support healthy cortisol release is essential to preventing chronic disease and autoimmune disorders.
But more importantly, and why you are here, is it impacts SLEEP!
THINGS THAT STIMULATE CORTISOL RELEASE:
low blood sugar levels and poor blood sugar management (READ MORE ABOUT BLOOD SUGAR HERE)
workouts
relationship stress
work stress
traffic
busyness
skipping meals
caffeine
emotional stress
unaddressed pathogenic infections (candida, parasites, SIBO)
Most of these are things within your control! You may not always be able to cut out stressful things in your life, but in many cases, you can control when they impact you (and thus, when cortisol is released).
If you got here by searching for that can’t sleep meme, this is something worth considering.
7 tips and tools for improving sleep
Let’s be clear, these are not tools for immediate symptom relief (ie. sleep aids, sleep medications, meditations, supplements, etc.).
These are holistic tools to improve circadian rhythm and sleep for the long haul!
This list is not exhaustive! There is loads more that can be done from an individualized perspective. Getting assessed by a qualified functional practitioner will allow for more personalized dietary recommendations, supplements, and other modalities that would support great sleep.
We’re here to address the root cause of your sleep woes:
PRIORITIZE WORKOUTS BEFORE LUNCH - The closer to waking time, the better. Remember, exercise increases cortisol levels. Hitting the gym after your 9-5 is part of what’s destroying your sleep quality.
GET 10 MINUTES OF SUNLIGHT WITHIN 1 HOUR OF WAKING - Especially in your face (ditch the sunglasses for this one). Your retina contains sensors for UV rays, and when sunlight hits them first thing in the morning, it’s a great way to communicate to your body, “It’s morning! Let’s go!”
PRIORITIZE BREAKFAST, WITH A FOCUS ON FIBER AND PROTEIN - Fiber, especially that from green, leafy vegetables, and protein are crucial to fueling your body, keeping you fuller for longer periods of time (notice how you’re famished just 1-2 hours after that coffee and apple?). This focus on breakfast will improve digestion and insulin sensitivity, contributing to improving adrenal health over time.
AVOID COFFEE ON AN EMPTY STOMACH - Our focus is on adrenal health, so I’m not going to dive into how this destroys your digestive health (READ MORE ABOUT THAT HERE). But caffeine on an empty stomach will spike your blood sugar levels when it’s not paired with something to slow it down. That’s a great way to jump-start the energy roller coaster, rather than keeping it steady throughout the day.
ALLOW YOUR EYES TO SEE THE SUNSET - This won’t always be possible, and if you live in a region where the sun sets at an unreasonable hour, this may not always play out well. That’s okay! The purpose is to tell your brain, it’s getting close to sleeping time.
HUNGRY BEFORE BED? PRIORITIZE PROTEIN, FAT, AND FIBER - If you are the person who wakes up around 1:00-2:00 am to pee, I have news for you - it’s not your bladder that’s waking you up. It’s your blood sugar crashing (MORE INFO ON THAT HERE). Giving your body fuel that will satisfy your blood sugar needs, but keep them steady throughout the night, will prevent your adrenals from reacting in a stress response mid-sleep.
CREATE A BEDTIME ROUTINE (and stick to it!) - Make a list of things you do just before bed, and be consistent with it. Here are some ideas of things to consider adding to your bedtime routine:
consider a time you can consistently commit to getting to bed
brush hair/teeth
wash face/skincare routine
put your phone to bed (away from your own bed if possible)
read (choose something easy, not stimulating)
journal - focus on gratitude or affirmations, and try to avoid highly emotional journaling
warm bath
magnesium or GABA supplement to help you relax and calm your racing thoughts
light stretching
was this helpful?
If you had any “ah-HA!” moments while reading this article, chances are your adrenal glands need some help.
NUTRITION SERVICES
MORE RESOURCES
BLOG REFERENCES
Jessen, N. A., Munk, A. S., Lundgaard, I., & Nedergaard, M. (2015). The Glymphatic System: A Beginner's Guide. Neurochemical research, 40(12), 2583–2599. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11064-015-1581-6
McCommis, K. S., & Butler, A. A. (2021). The Importance of Keeping Time in the Liver. Endocrinology, 162(2), bqaa230. https://doi.org/10.1210/endocr/bqaa230
Rasch, B., & Born, J. (2013). About sleep's role in memory. Physiological reviews, 93(2), 681–766. https://doi.org/10.1152/physrev.00032.2012
Reasons Why You’re not Losing Weight | How to Lose Weight Fast
What if I told you that calorie tracking was making it harder for you to lose weight?
What if I told you there is viable research to show that calorie restriction actually slows your metabolism over time?
I’m about to share with you the top four reasons you struggle to lose weight. These are the first things I look for in clients who tell me they want to lose weight fast.
Weight loss programs are not working for you. here’s why.
It is no surprise that the phrase “how to lose weight fast” is searched and average of 246 thousand times on Google at the time this was written.
Our weight impacts how we feel about ourselves. It makes us feel inadequate, unappealing, and unhealthy and causes us to worry about how we are going to show up for others.
As a holistic nutritionist, I am not an advocate for weight loss programs as a measure of health.
But as a sufferer of disordered eating behaviors and body dysmorphia, I can relate to the negative feelings that often come with weight gain.
HERE’S HOW IT OFTEN LOOKS:
You gain some weight, you put in the legwork, you track the calories, and you hit the gym 5 days a week. And for a while, it works! You lose unwanted pounds!
It feels good!
And then out of nowhere, it stops. The weight stops shedding, and you’re wondering why the work you’re doing isn’t paying off anymore.
You think:
what am I doing wrong?
what’s wrong with me?
this happens every time
____ can eat anything they want and stay thin - why do I have to try so hard?
What if I told you that calorie tracking was making it harder for you to lose weight?
What if I told you there is viable research to show that calorie restriction actually slows your metabolism over time?
I’m about to share with you the top four reasons you are struggling to lose weight. These are the first things I look for in clients who come to me with weight loss goals.
4 reasons you can’t lose weight
We will get into the details of how to lose weight fast. But in short, the top four reasons you are not losing weight, are:
Chronic Stress
Constipation and digestive issues
Unaddressed gut pathogens
“Obesogens”
Your organs, systems, and hormones do not operate independently. They work together with other factors, nutrients, neurotransmitters, other hormones, and organs.
We need to look at weight gain as a symptom, and then figure out what factors are causing that symptom.
If calorie-tracking and exercise were enough to help you lose weight and keep it off, you wouldn’t be here. And you wouldn’t be adding “lose weight” to your New Year’s goals every year.
Dieting is not the answer to weight loss. It never has been.
Let’s talk about it.
1. Chronic STRESS
Before you bail, I’m not here to tell you to stop having stress. Let’s begin with a vocabulary lesson:
What do I mean by “stress”?
I define stress as any factor, whether internal or external, physical or emotional, that the brain views as a threat, and so triggers the cascade of biochemical and physiological events known as the stress response.
As humans, we experience both acute stress and chronic stress.
ACUTE STRESS CAN INCLUDE THINGS LIKE:
a car accident
injury
a single conflict
being physically or verbally assaulted (by yourself or others)
a scary movie
low blood sugar
death of a loved one
CHRONIC STRESS CAN INCLUDE THINGS LIKE:
unaddressed gut pathogens like overgrown bacteria in the intestines, parasites, or candida overgrowth
other types of chronic infections
toxic burden - environmental toxins from air and water, toxins from processed foods, endotoxins from bacteria or other pathogens, medications, recreational drugs, caffeine, alcohol, chemicals, fillers, and colorings in skin products - all of these will add to your body’s toxic burden
chronic constipation - many toxins are eliminated through your feces. When toxins cannot be eliminated, they are reabsorbed into your body
caregiving
disability
discrimination
overexercising
poor sleep
burnout factors - people-pleasing behaviors, regularly working more than 40 hours/week, overcommitting, high-stress job, lack of boundaries
insulin resistance
emotional stress from relationships or trauma
All stress types, acute and chronic, activate the sympathetic nervous system, also known as the “fight or flight” response.
In acute stress, this system activates, responds, and deactivates, based on a feedback loop.
In other words, your body is doing what it is supposed to do, but it is meant to stop once the stressor is dealt with, or has gone.
The problem is, that in chronic stress, the stressor doesn’t dissipate; as long as it remains present, it continuously activates the stress response.
And because our bodies have not yet evolved to know the difference between the stress of being chased by a tiger, and the stress of a work deadline, our body reacts the same to both types of stress.
WHEN ACTIVATED, THE SYMPATHETIC NERVOUS SYSTEM:
tells the adrenal glands to release epinephrine and cortisol to pull stores of glucose into the blood for energy to deal with the stressor
increases blood flow to large muscles, lungs, and heart, to help fight or flee the danger
inhibits non-essential processes to preserve energy for fighting or fleeing danger, such as digestive processes
increases insulin activity - more glucose means more insulin is needed to shuttle glucose into cells for energy production
In cases of chronic stress, the sympathetic nervous system is continuously activated, and thus continuously does all of the things listed above.
This is commonly known as “survival mode” - your body is literally trying to flee a tiger… all the time.
The only way to deactivate the sympathetic nervous system response is to deal with the stressor (fight the pathogen, decrease toxicity, leave the relationship, leave the job, etc.).
There are resources for ways to temporarily deactivate the stress response that can help with sleep, mood, and digestion. Those processes take time to learn and are helpful tools to have in your back pocket. But it’s important to remember that as long as the stressor still exists, the stress response will continue to reactivate regularly.
Referring to the list above, let’s talk about cortisol.
EFFECTS OF CHRONIC CORTISOL RELEASE
supresses immune response (1)
disrupts hormones (2)
causes weight gain (3) by way of insulin resistance
increases inflammation (4) - cortisol in and of itself is anti-inflammatory. But its consistent presence during chronic stress regularly activates inflammation pathways to deal with the stressors, thus leading to systemic and chronic inflammation. INCREASED INFLAMMATION LEADS TO INCREASED CORTISOL RESPONSE
glucose pulled from muscle tissue in a stress response does not return to muscle - it turns to fat
reduces T3 (active thyroid hormone) - READ THIS WITH CAUTION: Low T3 when a chronic stressor is present, is typically not a thyroid issue. In chronic stress, cells will deactivate T3 on site, in order to preserve energy to deal with the stressor. Although your doctor will try to put you on thyroid medication, it’s important to remember that low T3 in a chronic stress situation is often not a thyroid issue - it is a stress issue.
reduces the activity of leptin (a hormone that tells us when full), and increases ghrelin (a hormone that tells us to eat) - increases appetite
decreases digestive activity
affects sleep - heightened cortisol keeps you awake and alert, making it difficult to sleep.
2. CONSTIPATION AND DIGESTIVE ISSUES
DIGESTION HAS TWO MAIN PURPOSES:
breaks down whole foods into nutrients that are needed for the body to function well
finds and eliminates toxins
The intestines are a large piece of your immune system. So when digestion is not working well, tissues become damaged, immune health becomes compromised, and toxins are not effectively eliminated from your body.
SYMPTOMS OF DIGESTIVE DYSFUNCTION
chronic constipation or diarrhea
heartburn/acid reflux
bloat after meals
excess belching or farting
excess hunger
chronic sinus congestion or stuffy head
DIGESTION WORKS FROM NORTH TO SOUTH
If something is not going well on the north end (brain, mouth, digestive enzymes, stomach acid), it will have an effect southward (bloat, bowel movements, gas).
These symptoms are important to listen to. Left unaddressed (or more commonly, the symptom is addressed without looking at what’s causing it), these symptoms lead to:
intestinal hyperpermeability (AKA “leaky gut”), which leads to increased inflammation and heightened chronic stress response
damage to the intestinal tissues increases susceptibility to pathogens like parasites, bacteria, and yeast
overactive immune activity (frequently getting sick)
suppressed immune activity (never getting sick)
skin conditions like eczema and acne
inflammatory conditions like autoimmune disease and asthma
CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT DIGESTION AND HOW YOU CAN TROUBLESHOOT YOUR SYMPTOMS
The three main factors within your digestive system that find and keep out pathogens and toxins are:
your liver
the tissue of your intestines
your feces and urine
The liver, when functioning properly, acts as a filter to prepare toxins for elimination. I cover more about liver detoxification here.
Intestinal tissue acts as a physical barrier to between the food and microbiota inside your intestines, and your blood stream. You can learn more about intestinal health here.
Additionally, toxins that have been prepared for elimination by the liver, must actually find a way out of your body. When toxins are not eliminated, they are reabsorbed and continue to add to your body’s toxic burden.
Many of those toxins are removed through urine and feces. Additionally, toxins have a high affinity for fat, meaning, they are stored in fat tissue, and if there is not enough fat tissue, your body will make more fat tissue to store the toxins. For this reason, chronic constipation is adding to your weight loss woes.
3. UNADDRESSED GUT PATHOGENS
When a client comes to me struggling with their weight loss program, the first three things I look into are adrenal health, liver health, and gut pathogens.
I’ve briefly touched on gut pathogens when it comes to weight loss programs, but let’s look at it a bit closer.
There’s a wide variety of pathogens that can infiltrate your body and cause problems, but when it comes to nutrition, the three most common pathogens I come across that are preventing you from losing weight, are:
candida (yeast)
bacteria in the small intestine
parasites
Often when we can find these pathogens and address them, clients can lose weight fast.
You’ve probably gathered from previous discussions that pathogens cause a stress response. They trigger our immune system and adrenal glands to step up and do what they are supposed to.
One important thing to remember about any pathogen is that all pathogens are living things. They, like us, are working to survive in whatever environment they are in, and they, like us, need food and produce waste. If your body is their environment, they will leech your nutrients, and produce waste that becomes toxic and harmful to your body.
They can live in balance with your body, and should to some extent. The problems occur when the pathogen becomes overgrown and undetected.
This is why you are not losing weight. Calorie restriction and workouts are not going to kill off overgrown pathogens. In fact they will stress your body more.
CANDIDA
Candida is a type of yeast or fungus. Your body contains a small amount of candida as part of the natural order of things. But if you’re familiar with wine making, bread making, or beer brewing, you know that yeast is a fungus that grows rapidly and ferments when it is fed sugar or starch.
Candida itself is trying to thrive in your gut, and so it depends heavily on making sure you eat the things it needs. It leeches your nutrients and releases waste that increases toxic burden and increases your stress activation.
SYMPTOMS OF CANDIDA OVERGROWTH CAN INCLUDE:
excess hunger
cravings for sweets or carb-heavy foods
wanting to snack often
poor blood sugar regulation - “hangry” before meals, feel ill if meals are delayed, feel hyper or jittery after coffee or carbohydrate-rich foods
weight around belly, hips, and thighs that is difficult to lose
poor energy
brain fog
chronic fungal infections - fingernails, toenails, genitals, skin, mouth
Candida, like other pathogens, including “good bacteria”, will build a sticky film in the lining of your gut called biofilm. This biofilm helps pathogens to evade the immune system (and testing), and helps it to gather food in order to thrive, as well as live synergistically with other pathogens.
It’s sneaky.
Because yeast is a type of fungus, it has a lot of similar characteristics and symptoms as mold toxicity. Both types of pathogens are worth getting tested for when determining pathogen overgrowth.
BACTERIA IN THE SMALL INTESTINE
Bacteria are an important factor in immune health. “Good” bacteria live in your large intestine and feed off of dietary fiber in order to produce and maintain a strong mucosal barrier in your colon that prevents unwanted pathogens from getting into your bloodstream.
When bacteria get into your small intestine and begin reproducing and thriving there, it causes fermentation and tissue damage that leads to long-term health issues like intestinal hyperpermeability, food sensitivities, and uncomfortable bloating.
Your body is not meant to have bacteria that live in the small intestine. In fact, it has mechanisms in place to keep bacteria out of the small intestine. READ MORE ABOUT THESE MECHANISMS HERE.
Similar to candida, bacteria will create biofilm where they live off of the food you eat, produce waste, and hide from the immune system.
SYMPTOMS OF SMALL INTESTINAL BACTERIA OVERGROWTH CAN INCLUDE:
excess hunger
cravings for carbohydrate-rich foods
bloating within 1-2 hours after eating
excess foul-smelling gas
excess belching after meals
inflammatory conditions such as autoimmune disease or asthma
skin conditions such as eczema or acne
chronic constipation and/or diarrhea
chronic congestion or stuffy head
fatigue, especially after meals
PARASITES
You might think our modern technology prevents things like parasites from infiltrating your body, but we actually are exposed to parasites in new ways, despite modern technology.
To begin, a parasite is an organism that relies on another organism for its survival and at its expense. Parasites are commonly shaped like a flat or round worm and can be microscopic, or many feet long (even the ones that find their way into your body)!
Like other pathogens we’ve discussed, parasites will hide in biofilm, feed off your nutrients, and produce waste that increases toxic burden and heightened immune response.
WAYS YOU MIGHT BE EXPOSED TO PARASITES:
unfiltered water, from any source
swimming in lakes or rivers
handling pet waste
having your face licked by a pet
contaminated food
bug bites
undercooked meats, especially fish
It’s important to remember that animals are commonly affected differently by pathogens and toxins than humans. A great example of this is fish.
There are some parasites that can live in a fish’s guts without affecting the health of the host. In former days, fishermen would catch fish and immediately gut it before transporting it, preventing the parasites from moving into the meat of the fish. In modern fishing techniques, it’s common to catch the fish and store it prior to gutting it. This allows time for the parasite to make its way into the meat of the fish, leaving us exposed to them more commonly than we used to be.
SYMPTOMS OF PARASITE INFECTION CAN INCLUDE:
fatigue
fever
digestive symptoms (bloat, poor bowel movements, abdominal cramping, etc.)
skin rashes, acne, or eczema
excess hunger
sleep issues
diagnosed nutrient deficiencies, such as iron and B vitamins
frequent colds or cold symptoms
This is how unaddressed pathogens are keeping you from losing weight like you want. Eradications of these pathogens require strategy and are heavily personalized to the person’s nutrition needs.
Want to lose weight fast? Find an experienced and qualified holistic practitioner who can provide effective testing and can create a personalized and strategic plan for getting rid of them for good.
4. “OBESOGens”
This section will be short, as it is entirely too complex to go into every “obesogen” out there.
It’s much easier to say, the reason you are not losing weight is due to chemicals, preservatives, and other additives in foods, skincare products, and supplements, that are known as hormone disrupters.
The reason these additives are effectively known as obesogens is that weight is heavily regulated by hormones (not calories!). First, let’s talk about what a hormone is.
A hormone is a substance that exists in and travels through tissue fluids throughout your body, that regulate certain body functions. A few examples of hormones are:
ghrelin - tells you when your body needs food/fuel for energy production
leptin - tells you when to stop eating
estrogen (5) - affects tissue growth and maturation, such as egg follicles in the ovaries
cortisol - regulates sleep/wake cycles and regulates fat, protein, and sugar metabolism in cells
thyroid hormones - known as T3, T4, rT3, and rT4, these hormones regulate cellular metabolism and energy production
oxytocin - regulates contraction of the uterus during menstruation and birth
Regular consumption of additives that disrupt these hormones, or confuse their ability to activate, deactivate, or communicate, causes a wild cascade of events that can create imbalance and general dysfunction.
For example, you can imagine if ghrelin is produced, stimulating hunger, but leptin is not produced when you are full, this causes a pattern of overeating.
Another example would be chronic stress which causes a consistent stream of cortisol to be produced, stimulating the release of stored sugars to be converted to energy. Glucose not used during this process will be converted to fat tissue.
One last important note on hormone imbalance is hormone excess. Balance is relative to other hormones in the body, and so when hormones are out of balance, there has to be an excess of one over the other (depending on which hormones we are discussing).
This excess of hormone is treated as a toxin that must be processed through the liver and eliminated. Remember what happens to toxins that are not properly eliminated? They are reabsorbed into the body, and stored in fat tissue. This is a common reason for people who struggle with weight loss.
HOW TO AVOID OBESOGENS
Simply put, it is choosing more whole foods, choosing cleaner skin care products, choosing better cookware and storage, and choosing quality water and air filters for your home.
For most, this is not a process that happens overnight. It involves educating yourself and gradually replacing foods one grocery trip at a time. Replacing cookware one pan at a time. Learning what skin care products are clean, and gradually replacing those.
Take your time with it. Small changes are BIG in the long run. They create new habits that over time, will help you maintain better health and a more sustainable weight.
HERE IS THE BEST RESOURCE FOR LEARNING HOW TO CHOOSE CLEANER PRODUCTS
TAKEAWAYS
If you want to lose weight fast, consider having your gut health evaluated by a qualified practitioner
Digestive symptoms, sleep issues, and energy levels are common symptoms of pathogenic overgrowth that are preventing you from losing weight
Obesogens are additives in products we use every day and will disrupt hormone balance and function, which is a big driver of weight
I’ve written more on the subject here.
Want personalized support to help you lose weight? I can help you figure it out.
Did You Learn Something?
What’s your weight loss story?
Share your thoughts in the comments below.
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BLOG REFERENCES
Segerstrom, S. C., & Miller, G. E. (2004). Psychological stress and the human immune system: a meta-analytic study of 30 years of inquiry. Psychological bulletin, 130(4), 601–630. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.130.4.601
Ranabir, S., & Reetu, K. (2011). Stress and hormones. Indian journal of endocrinology and metabolism, 15(1), 18–22. https://doi.org/10.4103/2230-8210.77573
Kahn, B. B., & Flier, J. S. (2000). Obesity and insulin resistance. The Journal of clinical investigation, 106(4), 473–481. https://doi.org/10.1172/JCI10842
Hannibal, K. E., & Bishop, M. D. (2014). Chronic stress, cortisol dysfunction, and pain: a psychoneuroendocrine rationale for stress management in pain rehabilitation. Physical therapy, 94(12), 1816–1825. https://doi.org/10.2522/ptj.20130597
Mair, K. M., Gaw, R., & MacLean, M. R. (2020). Obesity, estrogens and adipose tissue dysfunction - implications for pulmonary arterial hypertension. Pulmonary circulation, 10(3), 2045894020952019. https://doi.org/10.1177/2045894020952023
Why I Don’t Recommend Vegetarian Diet for my Clients | Vegan Protein Powder | Plant-Based Diet
As a holistic nutrition expert, I get asked about vegetarian eating often, and whether or not I recommend it.
So I’m here to offer my opinions based on the knowledge I have of the human body.
Why I Don’t Recommend a Vegetarian Diet
Hold on a second…
If you’ve already made a decision about what this article is going to say about vegetarian eating and vegan diets, I invite you to take a step back and check your assumptions at the door.
I’m going to turn some heads with this article, I am certain of that.
But first and foremost I ask you to please keep in mind that this is a complex subject with many strong points on either side.
I’m not here to argue which is ‘right’ or ‘wrong’.
Nor am I going to stick rigidly to this recommendation if a client’s body is clearly calling out for a vegetarian food diet.
As a holistic nutrition expert, I get asked about vegetarian eating often, and whether or not I recommend it.
So I’m here to offer my opinions based on the knowledge I have of the human body.
what’s really important?
Whether you’re new here, or have followed my work for some time, please know that I believe the following statement is more foundational to health than anything I else I will cover in this article:
A person’s bio-individuality is the most important consideration when addressing health in a sustainable way.
One’s food experiences, genetic factors, digestive health, toxic load, and immune health, all come together to inform how each body handles what is put in front of it.
For this reason, I do not advocate for any one diet over another, 100% of the time.
follow your gut
Let’s first acknowledge that there are many reasons for eating vegetarian food or a vegan diet, that have nothing to do with your health or bio-individual needs.
You get to consider those factors and decide for yourself what’s right for you and your family. I’m not here to argue against that.
I’m going to share what I know to be true from a nutritional standpoint.
What I hope you’ll take from this article is that it’s important to make an informed decision.
Before you opt into a health claim, do your research, and equally important, listen to your body.
3 reasons I do not recommend a vegetarian diet for my clients
GUT HEALTH
The production of stomach acid, the mucosal lining of the intestines, and a process known as the Migrating Motor Complex are all important factors in fighting off gut pathogens like bacterial overgrowth (SIBO), candida (a type of yeast) overgrowth, mold, and parasites.
Macronutrient Imbalance
Macronutrients include carbohydrates (starches, sugars, fiber), fats, and proteins.
Vegetarian food is commonly higher in carbohydrates, relative to fats and proteins. This is especially true in vegan protein powders and vegan meat substitutes.
This imbalance creates a prime feeding ground for these pathogens.
Think of how yeast feeds off sugar in order to ferment and make wine or bread. Similarly, when these pathogens make their way into our gut (as they commonly do), they will feed off of carbohydrates, create stronger structures to hide in (called biofilm), and outnumber the “good” bugs in our gut.
When these pathogens become out of control, this leads to chronic adrenal stress (fatigue, poor stress handling), increased inflammation, skin conditions like acne and eczema, autoimmune disease, and disruption to neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine.
Migrating Motor Complex
The Migrating Motor Complex (MMC) is a mechanism our intestines use to help “sweep” out unwanted pathogens.
In a fasted state, when the small intestine is nearly empty of food, a hormone called motilin is released, triggering smooth muscle contractions of the intestines to begin moving any contents of the intestines, out. During this process, digestive enzymes are also released to help break down anything larger.
The MMC cannot be triggered when we are constantly “grazing” or snacking.
Here’s Where the Roads Cross
Proteins and fats are known to help us feel more full for longer periods of time. They are more calorie-dense, meaning we don’t need to eat as much to feel satiated, allowing mechanisms like the MMC to go to work, while simultaneously choosing foods that do not feed unwanted pathogens in the gut.
The Takeway
To support optimal gut health, it is important to eat a diet well balanced with quality proteins, fats, and carbohydrates. It can be very difficult to find this balance in a strictly vegetarian or vegan diet.
Since gut health is often compromised in the clients I work with, a vegetarian diet is not conducive to their healing.
BLOOD SUGAR LEVELS
For the same foundational reasons vegetarian food is not conducive to gut health, it can also be harmful to blood sugar levels.
What is Blood Sugar?
The term “blood sugar” refers to the amount of glucose (the smallest form of sugar, used in the production of energy called Adenosine TriPhosphate, or ATP) floating freely in the blood.
All carbohydrates are broken down into glucose, not just sweets. Even protein and fats can be converted into glucose when the body has good metabolic flexibility.
Here’s the short version of how blood sugar works (read a more in-depth explanation here):
When we eat, carbohydrates are broken down into glucose and enter the blood (“blood sugar”)
A hormone called insulin is released from the pancreas, which acts as sort of a key to unlock the door into cells, shuttling the glucose into cells, where it will be used to make ATP.
Once the cells have had their fill of glucose, what’s left in the blood gets converted by the liver into glycogen (storage form of glucose in the liver).
When the liver’s stores are full, what’s remaining gets converted into triglycerides and stored as fat (no limit of storage in fat tissue). This is why triglycerides are often monitored in those with diabetes.
After some time of fasting, the brain recognizes there is no more glucose to create energy, and goes into stress response. The adrenal glands release cortisol and norepinephrine, which stimulate the breakdown of stored glucose to be put into the blood, and hormones are released to stimulate hunger.
In someone with poor blood sugar handling (poor insulin sensitivity, adrenal dysfunction, or a diet higher in carbohydrates), this commonly occurs every 1-3 hours, and manifests as “hangry” - shaky, fatigue, irritability, ravenous.
In someone with optimal sugar handling ability, this likely happens closer to 4-5 hours, with no “hangry” symptoms.
Refined carbohydrates (anything broken down from its whole form - flours, white rice, fruit syrups, flavored syrups, sugars, starches, etc.) break down into glucose much more rapidly than whole food carbohydrates, causing a more sudden “spike” in blood sugar, and thus, a more drastic “fall”.
Proteins and fats (and fiber associated with whole foods) help slow the breakdown of carbohydrates into glucose, stabilizing blood sugar levels throughout the day.
Eating a diet higher in carbohydrates, over time, will cause symptoms like:
insulin resistance (if insulin is a key that unlocks the cell door to allow glucose in, think of insulin resistance as though the cell changed the locks, and the key no longer works. This stresses the pancreas to produce more insulin, the adrenals because cells are not getting the glucose they need, and the liver, because it has more glucose to convert into stored forms)
diabetes
adrenal dysfunction
poor energy
reliance on caffeine and sugar for energy
poor sleep
weight gain
The Takeaway
If vegetarian food is generally higher in carbohydrates as compared to proteins and fats, this puts a person at risk for long term health concerns. Unless one is very intentional about choosing whole foods and prioritizing fats and proteins, a vegetarian diet is not conducive to supporting blood sugar levels.
HORMONE HEALTH
Here’s where the rubber meets the road.
Hormones are chemical messengers produced by various glands in the body, to be released in response to a stimulant. It’s part of a much larger and more complex communication system, and is regulated by feedback systems collectively called homeostasis.
Hormones are used in a wide variety of systems - reproductive health, stress handling, bone health, skin health, and energy production, to name just a few.
Hormones come and go in the body, and are either converted to other chemicals, or prepared for elimination from the body by way of the liver, kidneys, feces, urine, and sweat.
Too much of any hormone, in and of itself, is generally considered a toxin and causes imbalance in other hormones as the body tries to deal with it.
To learn more about the long term effects of these types of stressors, read this article.
In relation to our topic here, when there is additional stress on the liver, the pancreas, and the adrenal glands as we’ve discussed earlier in the post, hormones will also become a toxic burden, adding to the stress on these organs, and will contribute to a chronic stress response.
Reproductive health, digestive health, blood sugar handling, thyroid health - all of these systems will begin to suffer due to an imbalance of hormones. This could manifest in symptoms such as:
irregular periods
bleeding abnormalities
PMS (no, PMS is not normal)
hair loss / excess facial hair
poor energy/drastic energy fluctuation
poor sleep
infertility
“hangry” symptoms when meals delayed
poor stress response
autoimmune disease
IBS symptoms (constipation, diarrhea, heartburn, urgency)
unexplained weight gain
Another contributor to hormone imbalance in a vegetarian diet, is that the nutrients required to make many hormones are often lacking in vegan diets and vegetarian food.
Sex hormones and stress hormones are known as types of steroid hormones, which are made from cholesterol.
Proteins are essential to facilitating nutrient transport through cellular walls, and throughout the body.
The health of your skin, muscle tissue, and blood also rely on good quality fats and proteins to be consumed in the diet.
The Takeaway
Vegan diets and vegetarian food diets commonly cause overburdened adrenals, liver, and pancreas, leading to symptoms of hormone imbalance. Additionally, our cellular health as a whole will suffer if not taking in adequate (and quality) nutrients.
so, what?
Am I saying no one should eat a solely vegetarian diet?
That is not at all what I’m saying.
Plants are loaded with great nutrients that we cannot get in high quantities from animal products (and vice versa).
We would all benefit from eating far more plant foods, and especially in their whole forms.
Whole plant foods are loaded with antioxidants, polyphenols, fiber, minerals, and other vitamins. In a person with optimal digestion, a diet rich in these foods would provide great benefit!
But does it mean we should cut out animal foods altogether? I would argue not.
A few examples of the nutrients in question:
Fatty Omega 3, 6, and 9 acids are found in higher quantities in animal foods, and are essential to regulating inflammation.
Vitamin B12 is found abundantly in beef and lamb (and is virtually nonexistent in many plant foods). To absorb B12, we need something called Intrinsic Factor, which is produced by the cells in the stomach, and released when protein is present (yep!).
Cholesterol is needed for healthy cells and hormones, as we mentioned.
what’s more important?
If you are considering a vegetarian diet for the sake of health, please consider these things:
Optimize gut health and blood sugar handling first - work with a functional or holistic practitioner who can assess your body’s bio-individuality and address gut health and sugar handling first, will go a long way in helping you understand your body’s needs, and allow you to really get benefit from a vegetarian diet.
Balance your macronutrients - The guidelines will not be the same for every person. For someone with good digestive health, looking to support blood sugar and adrenal health, a good starting point is 90 grams of protein per day (unless you have compromised kidneys). You will find that if you are reaching that amount, the other macronutrients will easily fall into place.
Choose quality food sources - My online course, Cut the Crap, is a great resource for learning about food quality, sourcing, and to understand common food marketing terms to help you decide what products to use. Click here to learn more about Cut the Crap.
was this helpful?
What is your experience with eating a vegetarian food diet? Have you experienced signs of hormone imbalance, symptoms of poor gut health, or poor handling of blood sugar?
How have you been navigating that?
Please share your thoughts in the comments below ⤵️
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