if you feel like you’re doing everything right but are still frustrated with weight gain, hormones may be to blame. There’s a huge connection between hormonal imbalance and weight gain. In this article, we’ll explore the causes and symptoms of three hormonal weight gain patterns. Pay close attention if one rings true for you!
Can You Lose Weight Through Detox?
Have You Missed Our Recent Expert Interviews?
Three New Strategies for Weight Loss
How Toxins Affect Your Weight with Lara Adler
Lara Adler is an environmental toxins expert who teaches practitioners very detailed information about toxins so that they can share it with their clients. In this episode we talk about how & why toxins affect our weight, ways to reduce toxins in our lives, and childhood obesity.
Here's what you'll hear:
Min 02:30 Maintaining healthy body weight
Min 07:10 How toxins & phamaceuticals affect body weight
Min 14:50 Genetics & body weight
Min 19:30 The diet & eating healthy organic food
Min 27:50 Other ways chemicals can trigger weight gain
Min 36:40 Going organic to reduce toxin exposure
Min 39:00 Doing away with plastics & fragrances
Min 44:50 Benefits of filtrating water
Min 55:25 Lara Adler's resources
To learn more about Lara Adler, visit her website here and follow her on social media:
Facebook
Twitter
Resources:
Beautycounter shop - for non-toxic line of beauty products
Tools for Teaching Toxicity
Lara Adler's PDF Guide
Learn more about phthalates (chemicals in plastic) here
And here's the video version of the interview with Lara Adler:
5 Easy Detox Swaps for Women’s Health
Are you doing all the ‘right things’ but still feeling blah?
Get my list of 5 Easy Detox Swaps for Women’s Health to start clearing out the toxins and reset your system to feel better today!
Macronutrient Balance and Traditional Cooking for Weight Management with Wardee Harmon
Wardee Harmon is the founder of Traditional Cooking School and author of The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Fermenting Foods. In this episode we focus on weight management, macronutrient balanced diets, traditional cooking and sourcing healthy foods.
Here's what you'll hear:
Min 03:00 Introduction to Wardee Harmon
Min 06:00 Re-evaluating how we eat
Min 13:30 Eating low-carb & restricted diets
Min 16:25 Energizing vs satisfying dishes
Min 18:55 The concept of traditional cooking
Min 26:30 What foods to eat at home
Min 28:20 Learning how to cook traditional foods
Min 36:15 Wardee's programs
Min 39:30 Sourcing healthy food
Min 42:00 Wardee's menu plan & home cooking tips
To learn more about Wardee Harmon and Traditional Cooking School, visit her website here and follow her on social media:
Resources:
Sourdough bread
Wardee Harmon's FREE 1-week menu plan
The Complete Idiot's Guide to Fermenting Foods
Here's a video version of the interview with Wardee Harmon:
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If you have not yet joined our community, be sure to grab our hidden Hormone stressors quiz here, and come on board!
Thanks for listening!
Bridgit Danner, LAc, FDNP
Founder of Women's Wellness Collaborative
The Right Way to Lose Weight with Dr. Ann Louise Gittleman
Dr. Ann Louise Gittleman is an author and has been a pioneer in the field of nutrition and functional health for many years. She is the author of the new book "The New Fat Flush Plan" which is our focus today.
Click here to download an mp3 of "The Right Way to Lose Weight with Dr. Ann Louise Gittleman."
Moving Into Menopause: Hormone Balance After 40 Summit
BUY the Hormone Balance After 40 Summit package here!
Hear 32 expert lectures on improving metabolism, balancing moods, increasing sex drive and more!
You can also take our peri-menopause quiz here to help you identify your own symptoms and what could be going on for you. You’ll also get some articles on balancing hormones and once the summit starts you'll be automatically added.
Here's what you'll hear:
Min 01:50 Introduction to Dr. Ann Louise Gittleman
Min 02:30 The Lamp Post story
Min 04:30 Hidden weight gain factors and their effects
Min 09:00 Ways to enhance estrogen metabolism
Min 10:00 How the liver helps in losing weight
Min 12:30 The connection between thyroid health and liver gall bladder
Min 13:00 Effects of a removed gall bladder & the supplement to take
Min 18:50 Cellulite & the lymph system
Min 20:05 Connection between fluoride, tea, and lymphatic system
Min 21:10 Tea, chocolate & caffeine
Min 24:20 Dr. Ann Louise's personal experience with weight
Min 28:15 Dr. Ann's book & how to get it
To learn more about Dr. Louise, visit her website here and follow her on social media:
Dr. Ann Louise's Resources:
Guess What Came to Dinner - Ground breaking parasite/weight loss connection
Super Nutrition For Women - Guide to combat PMS, alleviate yeast infections, lose weight, and strengthen your immune system.
Before The Change - Taking Charge of Your Perimenopause
Bile Builder supplement - Healthy bile and gallbladder support formula
Thanks for listening.
Bridgit Danner
Founder, Women's Wellness Collaborative
Healthy Fats for Happy Hormones
In this article, we’ll be focusing on fats that increase the production of prostaglandins, which are not hormones, but are powerful, hormone-like agents that do important jobs such as regulating inflammation and stimulating hormone production. (1) So if you want to have regulated hormones and managed inflammation, read on to learn about your helpful prostaglandins and how to support them.
Are you dealing with symptoms like:
Hot flashes
Night sweats
Irregular periods
Heavy periods
Anxiety
Weight Gain
Menstrual migraines
These are all potential symptoms of inflammation and hormone imbalance that may benefit from the prostaglandin lovin’ you’ll learn about today.
What are Prostaglandins?
Prostaglandins are lipid compounds produced throughout the body, derived from fats and produced by an enzymatic process. They are made from Omega 3 and Omega 6 fats, plus some micronutrients and minerals are needed in their production as well.
Prostaglandins can both initiate and reduce inflammation. (2) Inflammation is a normal process in the body, but too much inflammation causes pain and hormone dysregulation.
Since prostaglandins can be inflammatory or anti-inflammatory; one way to reduce symptoms is to increase anti-inflammatory prostaglandins by consuming the fats that are needed to make anti-inflammatory prostaglandins.
If you’re nutritionally savvy, you may have learned that Omega 3 fats are good and that Omega 6 fats are bad. This is somewhat true, but there’s more to it.
The Fats
Omega 3 and 6 fats are both polyunsaturated fatty acids, and the numbers 3 and 6 refer to the location of a double carbon bond within the structure of the molecule. Omega 3 and 6 oils are considered ‘essential’ to consume because the human body cannot make them.
The Omega 3s
Omega 3 oils are anti-inflammatory which means they reduce the unwanted symptoms of inflammation like headaches and acne. Their anti-inflammatory effect even helps in treating the autoimmune diseases that are becoming so common in women by regulating the immune system.
The three types of Omega 3 fatty acids involved in human physiology are α-linolenic acid (ALA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). ALA comes from plant sources and DHA and EPA come from marine sources.
ALA sources of omega three can be converted in EPA and, less efficiently, to DHA. There has been some debate about the rate of this conversion. It appears that women, as a result of higher estrogen levels, convert ALA to EPA at a higher rate than in men. (3)
EPA is what we are focusing on in this article, as it is converted to a prostaglandin.
From the Omega 3 category, consume foods such as:
Wild, fresh salmon
Grass-fed beef and lamb
Pastured chicken or duck eggs
Fish eggs
Sardines
Tuna
Oysters
Shrimp
Anchovies
Flounder
Bass
Mackerel
These vegetarian sources of Omega 3s are awesome additions to your diet:
Fresh ground flax seed
High lignan flax oil (use for dressing, not for cooking)
Walnuts
Chia seeds
Leafy green vegetables like spinach and kale
Brussels sprouts
Sea vegetables
Hemp seed and oil
As a supplement, you can take 1,000 mg /day of high quality fish oil, like this one we carry. You can also find an algae-based Omega 3 oil as well, like this one from Nordic Naturals.
The Omega 6s
While all clean sources of Omega 3's are good, Omega 6's are more of a mixed bag.
Omega 6 oils include linoleic acid (LA), an essential fatty acid, and gamma-linolenic acid (GLA). Similar to the conversion process of the Omega 3 ALA into EPA, it is possible to CONVERT LA into GLA, but there can be snags in the process. Another downside of linoleum acid is that too much is inflammatory.
So it’s best to get your linoleum acid from clean sources, and also to add in the lesser-known and potent GLA oils below.
The Bad Boys
Some Omega 6 fats are dangerous, like the ones coming from canola, corn, safflower oils. These processed vegetable oils often are derived from non-organic, genetically-modified seeds, and the oil can only be extracted from a series of complex steps. In other words, they are not real food. The resulting product is inflammatory, can contribute to leaky gut, and can actually block normal hormone production and function, contributing to things like cramps and infertility. (4)
These oils are prevalent in processed foods like bakery items, margarines and most prepared foods, whether from the grocery store shelf, the deli section or a restaurant. When you use these oils to fry things like French fries, they become really bad, as the extra heat exposure creates even more free radicals.
Please do not use vegetable oils in your home cooking and avoid all margarines. Minimize processed foods and cook at home much more than you eat out.
The Good Girls
Clean sources of linoleic acid (LA) include:
Avocado
Almonds
Brazils nuts
Pistachios
Pecans
Pine nuts
Sunflower seeds
Organic organ meat
Great sources of gamma- linoleic acid (GLA) include:
Borage oil
Evening primrose oil
Flax oil
Olive oil
Hemp oil
Spirulina (5)
As mentioned earlier, LA can be converted to prostaglandins, but too much compared to Omega 3 ALA can be a problem. (6) So watch your ‘bad boy’ oil consumption. And do get your extra special GLA fats, as these are not inflammatory and tend to be the most overlooked in our diets.
It can be easy to increase good fats in your diet. Here are some suggestions:
Drizzle hemp, flax or sesame oil over your cooked food or salad.
Buy raw nuts and mix with coconut flakes and dried berries for a trail mix/ easy snack. (Store in fridge.)
Add nuts and seeds to your morning smoothie.
Make a chia/ seed porridge.
Find a clean source of fish and learn to cook it!
Learn about sea vegetables and how to use them.
References:
Before the Change: Taking Charge of Your Perimenopause by Ann Louise Gittleman, Harper Collins 1998
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/why-the-omega-3omega-6-ratio-may-not-matter-after-all/
Bridgit Danner, LAc, FDNP
Founder of Women's Wellness Collaborative
Bridgit Danner, LAc, FDNP, is trained in functional health coaching and has worked with thousands of women over her career since 2004. She is the founder of Women’s Wellness Collaborative llc and HormoneDetoxShop.com.
My Three 'Hot Body' Summer Secrets
I'm not always smiling while I do this!
This past Spring my family and I got exposed to toxic mold and got quite sick. I had 'exercise intolerance,' as they say in the mold world. Meanwhile I was hosting our Hormone Summit, which was a load of work. I still ate pretty well, but my belly was expanding.
I started the summer on a mission to get fit! I wasn't sure how it would go. But I am pleased to report that in one month's time, my body transformed. I will always share every health secret I discover with you, my dear one!
1. Reformer Class
I knew I wanted to get back into Pilates this summer to work my core . But I got 'Pilates on steroids' at Reformed in Phoenix, Arizona.
The reformer is a piece of resistance exercise equipment designed by Joesph Pilates. It consists of a platform that moves back and forth along a carriage. Resistance is provided by the exerciser's body weight and by springs attached to the carriage and platform.
German-born Joseph Pilates was living in England, working as a circus performer and boxer, when he was placed in forced internment in England at the outbreak of WWI. While in the internment camp, he began to develop the floor exercises that evolved into what we now know as Pilates mat work.
Pilates began to work with rehabilitating detainees who were suffering from diseases and injuries. Amazingly, he developed his first pieces of exercise equipment from bed springs and whatever he could find around. Joseph Pilates went on to teach in New York from 1926 to 1966.
This was my first time on a Pilates reformer machine, and it rocked my world. My body responded so quickly to this type of workout. I got toned all over right away, my body carriage improved, and my back pain reduced.
You can seek a small group or private reformer training in your town, or check out Reformed in Phoenix.
Plank it out!
2. No Snacking
I used to be a really bad snacker. I was hungry every two hours, and I would eat that often! I couldn't picture that changing. I have gotten better over time, and this summer I got really focused on it, thanks to Cate Stillman and her Body Thrive book and program.
I interviewed Cate about Body Thrive, which is ten habits, based on Ayurveda, that she has taught to thousands of women. I am loving these habits for myself, and Cate says that she has witnessed many, many women lose weight and decrease anxiety with this simple habit.
3. Earlier, Lighter Dinner
This habit is also courtesy of Cate, and I was really resistant to this one! Dinner is usually when I cook and enjoy a big meal. But I gave it a try, and it did feel good. This habit is supposed to increase our ability to digest in the daytime, when our digestive activity is still a-happening.
That's it! Not too complicated, right?! It feels sooo good to tone up, and a summer tan doesn't hurt either! When you feel good in your body, it really shifts your confidence about life.
If you'd like to hear more about these ten habits of Body Thrive, Cate and I recorded a video about it last month.
Hope that helps, and feel free to leave your comments on this topic below!
Should You Try a Ketogenic Diet?
Ketosis is a nutritional state in which we are primarily burning fats for fuel. Perhaps the easiest example of this is when you think of a traditional Eskimo diet, in which the vast majority of calories came from the fat of sea animals.
But you don't have to eat only whale blubber to get into ketosis! Our guest today, renowned podcaster Jimmy Moore of Livin' the Vida Low Carb, joins us to talk about his book, Keto Clarity, co-authored with Dr. Eric Westman, MD.
Metabolism Makeover with Dietitian Cassie
Do you feel like you burn calories too slowly, or too quickly? Do you struggle to lose weight, even though you think you eat healthy foods?
Our guest today, Dietitian Cassie of Healthy, Simple Life, demystifies metabolism in this helpful episode!
Guest Blog: Do Your Gut Bugs Influence Your Weight and Overall Health?
New research shows that your body does best when your gut microflora exhibits more bacteria AND a high degree of biodiversity or richness. A lack of gut bacteria and diversity is a cause for concern. This makes sense since the bacteria living in you produce vitamins, mature and strengthen the immune system, and communicate with your nerve and hormone-producing cells, among many other functions.