Tag: estrogen

Nutrition for Hormone Balance: Mediterranean Cruciferous Bowl

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It’s the final week – week 4 of our Nutrition for Hormone Balance video series and I’m going to show you why the Mediterranean-style of eating is so great for hormone balance (and P.S. it’s been shown to support fertility as well!)

 

Let’s get started!

 

 

Mediterranean Cruciferous Bowl

 

The Hormone-Balancing Ingredients

 

Dressing:

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil – a staple in the Mediterranean diet because of its healthy monounsaturated omega-9 fats. So great for heart health. A variety of healthy fats help support hormone balance and decrease inflammation in the body.

 

¼ freshly squeezed lime juice

 

¼ teaspoon dried parsley

 

Freshly ground pepper & salt to taste

 

The Goods:

2 organic eggs – A complete protein source and also provides cholesterol. Don’t be afraid women! Cholesterol is an important part of the structure of many of your hormones including estrogen, progesterone, and cortisol. If you want more animal protein, you can replace the eggs with a palm-sized portion of good quality chicken, fish or lean beef.

 

1/2 – 1 cup shredded purple/red cabbage – Cruciferous family veggie – so great for estrogen balance. Also packed with fibre for additional estrogen and insulin balance (fibre helps balance blood sugars!). Its beautiful deep pigmented colour is a sign that it contains a good amount of antioxidants. Remember, antioxidants are crucial to decrease inflammation and protect the body from oxidative stress – both important to overall hormone balance, health & longevity.

 

1.5 – 2 cups baby kale (or other leafy greens) – another of my favourite Cruciferous family vegetables. BUT if you have a thyroid condition due in part to low iodine, definitely be careful with too many raw Cruciferous family vegetables as they can prevent the thyroid gland from using iodine to make thyroid hormones. If this applies to you, talk to your healthcare professional about how much you can have raw and then enjoy the rest of this family of vegetables cooked.

 

½ cup spiced chickpeas – provides some plant protein as well as more fibre to stabilize blood sugars (and insulin & cortisol), and estrogen levels. You can definitely add in plain chick peas, but for a bit more flavour you can lightly sauté some chickpeas in some of your favourite spices. I used cumin, paprika, chili powder, onion powder, garlic powder – and can’t believe I forgot turmeric, but I would definitely add turmeric!

 

1 radish chopped – the bright red colour is a hint there are lots of antioxidants in this little guy – go back and read purple cabbage if you forgot about why antioxidants are so great!

 

How this Mediterranean Cruciferous Bowl comes to life:
  1. Bring eggs and water to a boil. Set timer for 10 minutes – adjust as desired to get softer or harder-boiled eggs. Meanwhile, prep the rest of the ingredients (seriously, this whole thing will be done in 10 minutes!)
  2. Add the dressing ingredients to a bowl and whisk (with the same fork you will eat it with – BONUS!)
  3. Arrange each of the rest of the ingredients around the bowl to make it look pretty if you plan to Instagram it or share it on Facebook. But if not – just toss it all into the bowl, resting the eggs on top. Give it a good toss to get all of the dressing mixed in.
  4. If you have any remaining ingredients (because you chopped too many like I always do), throw the rest into mason jars for lunch tomorrow, or if you have a lot of leftover ingredients, put into separate mason jars for easy assembly throughout the week.
  5. Enjoy!

 

 

Thank you!

 

That concludes are Nutrition for Hormone Balance video series. Thank you for watching, commenting and sharing these videos. I hope you learned something that will help you take charge of your health. I will see you next week for a brand new video series.

 

Take good care of your Self until then!

 

 

Nutrition for Hormone Balance: Satisfy Your 3 PM Snack Craving!

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It’s week 3 of our Nutrition for Hormone Balance video series and one area that I know a lot of my patients struggle with is snacking. I know many of us (yes, even me sometimes!) find ourselves crashing around 3-4pm during the workday.

 

And what do we typically crave?

 

Carbs of course!

 

The carbs most of us crave can be sugary quick-fixes like donuts and cookies or the salty, crunchy carbs like chips. Either way, they may satisfy you in the short-term (like for 10 minutes), but then you’ll feel hungry right after!

 

So I’m going to walk you through how to make one of my fave snacks to beat those sugar cravings AND stabilize your blood sugar levels, insulin, cortisol and estrogen.

 

And YES – they taste good and really satisfy that sweet and salty craving!

 

I give you….

 

My “Beat the 3 PM Crash Energy Bites”!

 

Let’s get started!

 

 

Beat the 3 PM Crash Energy Bites

 

The Hormone-Balancing Ingredients

 

1 cup gluten-free oats – Oats add some good fibre to help stabilize blood sugar (which means more balanced insulin and cortisol release) and it also supports healthy bowel movements for optimal detoxification of estrogen. Why gluten-free oats? Oats will have some gluten due to cross-contamination unless they’re grown in specific environments to prevent this. Assume all oats have gluten unless labeled gluten-free. Gluten is a protein found in many grains and while not everyone has a true gluten allergy (known as Celiac disease), many people have a sensitivity to gluten which can range from mild to severe symptoms. The more you consume foods you have a sensitivity to, the more inflammation you’ll have and this adds additional stress to the body signaling the release of cortisol.

 

2/3 cup unsweetened desiccated coconut – Adds good texture and additional fat to help slow the release of sugar into the blood. Try to buy sulphite-free options like I used, if you want to avoid possible sulphite sensitivity (yes, it’s a thing!).

 

½ cup organic ground flax seeds or ½ cup hemp seeds – The store was out of the flax seeds I usually get so instead I used hemp seeds. I prefer ground flax seeds for their texture, fibre and healthy fats, especially the omega-3s – both of which help support healthy estrogen levels in the body. And of course the fibre and fat also help stabilize blood sugar so that’s great for balanced insulin and cortisol levels…do I sound like a broken record yet?!). But hemp seed are a good substitute because they also have omega-3 fats, a bit more protein (but do provide a bit more omega 6 fats as well).

 

BONUS TIP: If you are not going to be grinding the whole flax seeds yourself (which I know you probably don’t have time for!), make sure you purchase the ground flax seeds in freeze-dried bags and transfer to freezer after opening package to prevent the omega 3 fats from going rancid for as long as possible.

 

½ cup dark chocolate chips – Gives that hit of chocolate to satisfy your cravings plus magnesium to help your cells make energy more efficiently. And if it’s over 72% dark chocolate bonus points for more antioxidants. If you are very sensitive to sugar or don’t like chocolate (What?! Who are you?! Just kidding!!), feel free to omit this!

 

1 tablespoon chia seeds – More healthy fat, protein to regulate blood sugar, insulin and cortisol

 

½ cup raw natural nut butter – I used cashew nut butter, but feel free to use almond or peanut butter – just be sure to use natural (no added sugar, salt and definitely no hydrogenated oils or shortening!). The healthy fat from the nuts plus some protein both help to stabilize the sugar in this recipe

 

½ cup organic honey – I just finished a 2-week detox which included eliminating added sugars (including honey), and I found these bites just a bit too sweet with this much honey so I’ll be experimenting with cutting it back to 1/3 cup next time I make it. Will definitely let you know how it goes!

 

How to bring these bites to life!

 

  1. Add all of the dry ingredients into a bowl. Give it a quick mix to combine.
  2. Add the wet ingredients (nut butter & honey). Mix well by hand until thoroughly combined.
  3. Cover and stick in the fridge for 30 minutes to make the mixture less sticky and easier to mold.
  4. Remove from fridge and spoon out enough mixture to make about a 1-inch ball. I find a combination of pressing the mixture into the palm of my hand then giving it a quick roll works the best. Place in a glass container. Repeat for the rest of the mixture and definitely make sure to taste test it when you’re done to make sure they’re edible 😉
  5. Cover and stick in the fridge for a few hours or overnight so the shape sets and they’re not super sticky to handle and pack for work!
  6. Enjoy 2-3 at 3 pm to energize the rest of your work day!

 

This recipe was adapted from Ali’s recipe over at Gimme Some Oven’s No Bake Energy Bites – she’s got lot of other awesome recipes, that I’ve tried and will be sharing in the near future!

 

If you make this, I’d love to know what you think about it! Post a picture & tag me on Instagram @odettebulaongnd or Facebook Odette Bulaong ND because I’d love to know if you love it as much as I do!

 

See you here next week for our final hormone balancing recipe of the month!

 

Take care until then!

 

 

 

Nutrition for Hormone Balance: Quinoa & Kale

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It’s week 2 of our Nutrition for Hormone Balance video series and I’m going to share with you my 10-minute dinner bowl that I threw together after a busy day in clinic. And of course, I’ll share with you how all the nutritious & delicious ingredients help balance our insulin, cortisol & estrogen – how it came together so quickly…because I totally know you understand when I say I’m hungry (soon to be hangry) when I get home from work and need to eat stat!

 

So let’s get started!

 

 

10-Minute Quinoa Kale Stir-fry Bowl

The Hormone-Balancing Ingredients

 

1 tablespoon avocado oil

 

½ chopped onion – Contains sulphur compounds that help support liver detoxification

 

1-2 cups chopped kale – A proud member of the cruciferous family vegetables that are awesome for estrogen detoxification – great for heavy/painful periods, fertility concerns and perimenopause.

 

½ cup cooked quinoa – This is actually a seed that works like a side-dish grain in place of rice. The higher protein content than most grains helps keep blood sugars more stable which means your insulin and cortisol can stay balanced too

 

Cooking tip: Cook a cup of quinoa on the weekend so you can throw it in quick dinners or pack lunches all week. I cooked 1 cup quinoa (to 2 cups water) earlier in the week and this is probably the 4th or 5th meal I’ve used it in…it makes so much!

Hormone balance BONUS tip #1: Store your big batch of quinoa in glass containers to reduce hormonal exposure to plastic which can contribute xenoestrogens that disrupt our estrogen balance.

 

½ cup chickpeas – Adds additional protein and fibre. The fibre helps feed healthy gut bacteria and keep bowel movements regular (yup, I said that!) – both of which help eliminate estrogen in the body, especially helpful for those with estrogen dominance

 

Avocado – Healthy monounsaturated fats further stabilize blood sugars, keeping insulin and cortisol in check…and the healthy fat increases the satiety factor of the meal (meaning it helps you feel fuller longer, as in it satiates you!)…and who doesn’t love avocado?

 

Hormone Balance BONUS Tip #2: if you saw my Instagram post yesterday, you saw I shared the EWG Guide. Remember, pesticides add to the work your liver has to do to help detoxify your body from well, everything – including our own hormones. So it makes total sense to avoid as many pesticides as you can, and the EWG Guide totally helps you do that. Why do I mention this here? Avocados are #1 on the Clean 15 list (onions are on there too!).

 

Garlic powder & sea salt to taste (I would have added freshly ground black pepper but my pepper grinder broke & I am literally heartbroken and don’t know how we’re surviving without it!

 

How to bring this bowl to life!
  1. Heat avocado oil on low-medium heat. Add onions and saute for a few minutes.
  2. Add kale and saute for 2 minutes max.
  3. Add quinoa and stir for 1 minute.
  4. Add chickpeas and stir for 1 minute.
  5. Turn off the burner and add garlic powder & sea salt to suit your taste.
  6. Serve in a bowl with half a small avocado, decompress & enjoy!

 

 

If you made this, make sure you let me know – I’d love to see how yours turned out! And of course – modify the recipe to suit your need and make it your own! Post a picture & tag me on Instagram @odettebulaongnd or Facebook Odette Bulaong ND because I’d love to see how it worked out for you and know if you like it as much as I do (it’s totally ok if you don’t!).

 

Make sure you check back right here for next week’s hormone-balancing recipe!

 

Take care until then!

Know Your Hormones! #4 Thyroid Hormones

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Do you ever wonder if you have a slow metabolism?

 

Many women who come to see me ask the same thing. So today, we’ll review some of the symptoms related to slow metabolism and the hormone involved in metabolism.

 

Have you guessed it?

 

It’s the thyroid hormone.

 

 

What is thyroid hormone?

 

There are 2 main thyroid hormones that are made by the thyroid gland:

  • T3: Triiodothyronine
  • T4: Thyroxine

T3 is the more active form.

 

The thyroid gland is located at the front of your neck, and it’s shaped like a butterfly. It makes mostly T4 and some T3, but T3 is the more active form. Cells in different organs need to convert T4 into its active form T3, in order for it to have its effect on the body.

 

Optimal T3 levels functions to regulate and ensure a healthy metabolism. Basically, this means that T3 helps our cells make energy efficiently so that our body can function well.

 

Common symptoms of underactive thyroid function (hypothyroidism) include:
  • Difficulty losing weight
  • Fatigue
  • Feeling cold all the time
  • Constipation
  • Depressed mood
  • Heavy periods

 

Common symptoms of overactive thyroid function (hyperthyroidism) include:
  • Weight loss
  • Anxiety
  • Shakiness
  • Feeling hot
  • Sweating
  • Heart palpitations

 

Why are thyroid imbalances an issue?

 

So what can we do about it?

If we find that there is an imbalance in thyroid hormone levels or function, you may be surprised to learn that by addressing some of the other hormone imbalances we already learned about earlier in this video series, thyroid hormone function can improve as well. For example:

  • Cortisol levels that are too high or too low can prevent normal thyroid hormone activity
    • To start you off on some ways to help balance cortisol levels, make sure you watch Week 3’s video on cortisol if you haven’t watch it yet
  • Excess estrogen can reduce the available free T3. Identifying and addressing estrogen dominance is important for thyroid balance
  • Make sure the body has the nutrients needed to convert T4 into T3, which again, is the more active form in the body. Some of these nutrients include the minerals selenium, zinc and magnesium.
  • Decrease inflammation in the thyroid gland – and the entire body. One of the most common causes of hypothyroidism (an underfunctioning thyroid gland) is autoimmune – meaning your body’s immune system attacks your own body cells, in this case, those found in the thyroid gland. Balancing these autoimmune reactions can help improve thyroid function, ovulation and optimize fertility.

 

Final Thoughts

 

As you can see thyroid hormone balance is complex.

 

In order to truly understand what is going on with your hormones – it’s important to get a baseline reading of the levels of hormones in your body. So next week we’ll take a look at hormone testing options that are important to determine what needs to be done to balance hormone levels most efficiently.

 

 

Have you heard of compounded Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy (BHRT)

 

To help women address hormone balance it may be important to consider hormone therapy when necessary. It is worthwhile to consider specially compounded bioidentical hormones that mimic your natural hormones more effectively.

 

This requires extra training which Dr. Odette has taken with the LP3 Network in order to provide this additional service of prescribing compounded bioidentical hormone therapy safely & effectively. If you would like to learn if you are a good candidate for BHRT contact Dr. Odette here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Know Your Hormones! #1 Estrogen

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Do you feel like your hormones are “out of balance”?

 

You’re not alone!

 

Many women feel like their hormones are out of control – but they don’t know which ones.

 

Over the next 4 weeks I’ll be introducing you to 4 of the main hormones that could be responsible for many common symptoms women experience, so you can start to become more aware of the importance of hormonal balance.

 

Let’s start with estrogen!

 

 

Estrogen is an important hormone for women.

 

Estrogen is made mainly in the ovaries for women who are still having their periods. Estrogen is made during the first half of your menstrual cycle (before ovulation occurs), to really help prepare & thicken the uterine lining for implantation after ovulation and successful fertilization.

 

But sometimes estrogen can be too high (estrogen excess) and sometimes it can be too low (estrogen deficiency) resulting in many symptoms that fluctuate over a woman’s cycle and lifetime.

 

Possible signs of estrogen excess:

Estrogen excess can be seen in women with endometriosis, fibroids, PCOS and fertility issues.

 

Possible signs of estrogen deficiency:

  • Dry hair, skin
  • Fatigue
  • Hot flashes
  • Sleep disturbances
  • Urinary incontinence
  • Vaginal dryness

Estrogen deficiency can be seen in women with fertility issues, menopause, and post-menopause

 

To complicate matters, both estrogen excess and deficiency can lead to similar symptoms, for example:

 

How do we know if estrogen is too high or too low?

 

Sometimes it can help to test your estrogen levels as well as for other factors involved in estrogen level changes. This can be done via blood testing. 

 

What happens after I get my estrogen results?

 

Sometimes, once we know more about what your levels are, then we can help address your hormones more effectively.

 

To balance estrogen excess, options may include cruciferous vegetables, fibre and restoring gut health to eliminate estrogen more effectively, as I’ve discussed here in my Hormone detox series and again here in my Fertility series. If you’re look for more information on other important hormones for fertility click here.

 

To improve estrogen deficiency, options may include nutritional changes, supplements and herbs to help to support the body’s own production of estrogen. If necessary, we also may need to consider whether bio-identical compounded hormones are necessary.

 

Final Thoughts

 

Now remember, even though you may see one or more of your symptoms in either the estrogen excess or deficiency category – that’s not the end of the story. That’s because your hormones don’t function in isolation from one another. They can overlap in function, interact with one another, and can even modify the function of one another. This means that your symptoms may be due a combination of hormonal imbalances and not just estrogen. To achieve whole body hormonal balance we need to understand your other hormones are functioning as well.

 

Next week, we’ll be learning about another important hormone – and here’s a hint – it’s important for blood sugar balance.

 

Take care until then!

 

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