A Gut and Hormones Episode

Did you know that your gut health impacts your hormones and vice versa? When it comes to gut and hormones, there are multiple ways they impact each other!

We know that conditions like IBS and IBD are more common in people with hormone-driven conditions like PCOS and endometriosis, we know that menstrual cycles impact digestive symptoms, and we know that a healthy gut is necessary for proper estrogen elimination. We also know the gut impacts blood sugar balance and inflammation, nutrient absorption, and neurotransmitters and mood.

So the connection between gut and hormones is complicated!

In this episode, I’m talking to Dr. Leigh Wagner, an integrative dietitian with a PhD in medical nutrition science. She has a virtual private practice and helps her clients optimize their energy, decrease pain, fix digestion and balance hormones using in-depth, personalized nutrition. Leigh also offers her “Mind Your Body” program to women wanting to learn how to tune into their bodies and find what foods make them feel their best without obsessing over every single bite.

Leigh is co-editor of the textbook “Integrative and Functional Medical Nutrition Therapy” and loves examining the bridge between conventional and integrative and functional approaches to health. 

Leigh has a special skill for breaking these complex topics down into easy, actionable, sustainable steps that you can incorporate to improve your own gut and hormone health!

This Week We Talk About: 

• The mind-gut connection and learning to tune into your body’s signals and signs
• How chronic stress and constant “fight or flight” mode impacts gut health and how your body is trying to protect you
• How you can use curiosity & experimentation to get to the root of your problems… and the right solutions for you
• Why you don’t want to rule out conventional medicine when it comes to gut issues and why an integrative approach is safest and best
• The multiple connections between gut and hormones
• How menstrual cycles impact gut symptoms
• The connection between gut health, hormones and neurotransmitters
• Why small consistent changes over time matter most when it comes to gut health & hormones

 

Mentioned in this episode

PCOS Meal Prep Made Easy Workshop – In this hour-long workshop, I break down what foods you want to include for PCOS and what you may want to consider avoiding or minimizing. Learn my simple 3-step formula for planning meals with PCOS, which includes learning how to eat to balance blood sugar.

 

Where to find Dr. Leigh Wagner, PhD, RD

Website: www.drleighwagner.com

Instagram: @dr.leighwagner

 

Read my blog post on root causes of PCOS (including gut imbalances!) here.