Hormones are the most powerful chemical messengers in your body and are critical for disease prevention, weight loss and to reduce belly fat storage. At my clinics -teaching clients how to achieve hormonal balance (at any age!) is a major key to their lifelong weight loss success. Once you understand the impact blood sugar balance and gut health has on hormones – you will have a back pocket tool that can help you at every stage. For some amazing examples of health transformations, click here.

The three little hormones I want you to know about are:

1) Insulin– Insulin is a hormone secreted by the pancreas whose main role is to regulate glucose (sugar) levels. In a nutshell, insulin helps to take sugar from the blood and transports it into the cells. Unfortunately, due to the standard North American diet (the SAD diet) filled with processed foods – a high demand is put on the pancreas to secrete insulin. As we age, we become “insulin resistant” which causes the body to secrete more of this hormone to compensate. Excess insulin results in excess belly fat storage.

2) Glucagon– Glucagon and insulin have opposing effects. In other words, when one is up, the other one is down. Glucagon is a fat-burning hormone and is secreted by the consumption of protein.

3) Cortisol – Cortisol is your stress hormone secreted by the adrenal glands. Due to the fast pace of life and constant stressors -cortisol can become poorly regulated, especially as we age. At first, cortisol will elevate to compensate for the chronic stress. Over time, excess cortisol will drop and you may experience a total adrenal fatigue. Symptoms associated with adrenal fatigue include weight gain, brain fog, anxiety, poor sleep and body aches. It is important to note that cortisol and insulin are “best buddies”. If cortisol is elevated due to mild or moderate periods of stress (typically chronic stress), insulin raises which can make weight loss difficult.

What can I do to balance my hormones as I age?

Minimize high glycemic index foods – The glycemic index measures the speed of entry of sugar into the body. The higher the glycemic index, the more insulin is secreted in response. Examples of high GI foods are white rice, processed flour and sugars, cereals, muffins and cookies. Click here to learn more.

Pick glucagon- stimulating foods at every meal – Eating protein at your meals helps to balance blood sugars by stimulating glucagon -the hormone that has the opposite of insulin. On average -women require 4-6 ounces of protein per meal. You can select from grass-fed beef, chicken, fish, turkey, yogurt (dairy or coconut based), cottage cheese, protein powder, non- GMO soy, tempeh, hemp hearts, lentils and chickpeas.
Please note: I do not recommend eating tuna more than 1x per week at maximum due to the mercury levels. 

Support your hormones with essential fats -Fats are critical for hormonal balance and health. Eat the “good fats” to fill up and lower your body mass index (BMI). Options include almonds, walnuts, olive oil, sesame oil, ground flaxseeds or chia seeds and avocados. It is also advisable to supplement with a high-quality, distilled fish oil. Avoid all trans fatty acids and saturated fats as they trigger inflammation in the body.

Build a bulletproof microbiome – Your gut helps to metabolize your hormones and is essential for balance. Supplementing with a mixed strain probiotic and taking a minimum of 1 tbsp of ground flaxseed daily is advised. Also, engage in a 12-14 hour fast (i.e. 7pm – 9am) to give your gut a chance to restore and eliminate toxins. You should be having 1-2 bowel movements per day without strain in the shape of a “C” or “S”.

Hydrate daily
Proper elimination and detoxification is a key step in keeping balance in the body. Do NOT drink from plastic bottles as they have a xenoestrogenic effect (a.k.a – estrogen mimickers that have a bad effect on the endocrine system and hormones). For my favourite water bottle that comes in a variety of colours – click here. I also add electrolytes by Organika Health in my water daily to help with hydration and energy (and they. have 0g of sugar!). When ordering, use discount code JOEY25 to save.

Additional tips to help maintain hormonal balance include:

• Drink green tea or matcha. In addition to boosting metabolism, green tea secretes an amino acid called L-theanine which tends to have a calming effect on the nervous system and adrenals.
• Exercise, there is no way around it. Exercise is by far one of the most effective ways to lower cortisol response. For women as we age, we need to lift weights!
• Sleep well. A good night’s sleep can do wonders for proper cortisol secretion and weight loss. In fact, research has shown poor sleep quality to be associated with an increase in cravings and hunger, thereby leading to weight gain.
• Hug someone you love. Whether it is your child, husband, friend, parent or pet– hugging naturally lowers cortisol response.
• Meditate, pray or journal. While this may sound “out there” for some of you, I assure you, it works.
  Take time for yourself. Whatever it is that you love to do – walk, spend time with friends, – try to take time 15-30 minutes per day for yourself.

If you are looking some 1 on 1 help to lose your weight, balance your hormones and feel your best, book in for a free health and weight loss assessment today!

I look forward to meeting you. xo