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EATING TO SUPPORT YOUR MONTHLY CYCLE AS A WOMAN

BEFORE YOUR FLOW:

The building stage (Winter). Your body needs energy from more calories & nutrient dense foods with bioavailable intense nutrition. The brain needs glucose from sweet carbohydrates like papaya, banana, carob, sweet potato & pumpkin. More dense foods like mucusless grains like quinoa & millet, pumpkin/hemp/flax seeds to keep you satisfied & full of amino acids & buffer the acids and allow energy to flow. The body needs a large amount of greens 3-6 cups a day for minerals to support the body & algae & seaweeds. Dates & Figs are great as they are high in B vitamins & zinc which is good for stress & hormone balancer. Liquorice & Ginseng and other Adaptogen herbs will support you to. Beetroot/cucumber /celery juice will help detox the liver & cleanse the blood as will lemon juice. (be aware if you have a fatty toxic liver you may find beetroot makes you nauseas as it dislodges toxins) – avoiding salt as salt is contracting & this is an expansive stage. Avoiding sugar so the body can be utilising the anti inflammatory foods consumed.

ON YOUR FLOW:

The beautiful time of purging & releasing (Autumn). This takes energy from the body & oxygen from the brain function, so resting & surrendering is essential. Pulling back from work, agendas, schedules, study & exercise so all your energy can go to releasing the emotions and toxins. Allowing all to come up & out without needing to be anything to anyone.

If you have cramps using castor oil packs with doTERRA claryCalm can sooth you. Ginger & Fennel tea is good for nausea & cramps, chamomile tea for calming. Vetiver & Lavender Essential Oil deep relaxation in magnesium & sea salt baths. Tens machines & Pilates or yoga. During this time your uterus swells in size & puts pressure on the digestive system, so simplifying your food to soups & smoothies & fruit meals i.e easy to digest food giving your digestive system a break as it will not being working to its full capacity. If you are constipated I suggest prunes or celery juice if you are loose in your stools I suggest bananas – avoiding salt as salt is contracting and this is an expansive stage. Avoiding sugar & stimulants which will falsely stop you surrendering.

AFTER YOUR FLOW:

YOUR TIME TO SUPPORT YOUR BODY TO DETOX!
This time is cleansing time, the start of another detox round for another month ahead to prepare for ovulation. (Spring)

I suggest Green Juice Cleanses at this time or mineral rich broths – drinking lots of lemon water, eating lightly with loads of water rich hydrating foods like watermelon and big salads with raw veggies & even mono meals of fruit. Go lightly on nuts, grains & heavy oily cooked spicy foods, sugar, & anything that stops detoxification as this is a time to set your self up for the rest of the month and will determine how your next flow is.

OVULATION:

Releasing an egg takes energy & in nature you would be looking to reproduce and find a mate (Summer)- so the body gets very heightened & your temperature raises. It produces surges of hormones giving you energy & mental clarity & this uses mineral stores…so choose naturally mineral rich foods especially high in sodium like tomatoes, celery, carob, mesquite, seaweed, silverbeet, dates, rich variety of greens, sprouts & pumpkin/flax/chia/hemp seeds will help you here. Often we are more physically active around this stage, so using mineral rich dates & dried fruits for energy can be helpful, packing green berry smoothies on the go and keeping hydrated. Seaweed is incredibly helpful for hormones & organ support as is Ashwaganda & nettle teas and horsetail tea.

Most importantly is to listen to your body & when it needs rest…switch it off & cancel your day no matter what & when you have energy….support it with herbs & foods that allow it to thrive and achieve super women goals!

Woman when we run around in a forced energy falsely stimulating our nervous system….when our body is asking for inner peace & calm we cause it to not trust us. We loose the connection of listening to our intuition & we force our cycles to loose the rhythms of the land & the planets. We can command our bodies to return to a cycle connected to the moon….we can use herbs and foods to support our cycle to support our bodies. We can love our cycles & see the beauty in our amazing female bodies.

Allow for flow not force…intuitively eat for your cycle & needs.

with love Hannah x x

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The Hairdresser that lost her hair . . .

As an ex Hairdresser and trained Tricholgist, when I started to loose my hair and my eyebrows I was so alarmed and it caused me massive self esteem issues. I’d always had thick curly hair and most of my life I wished for thinner hair and spent hours straightening and flattening it so it wasn’t so big. Suddenly I was adding volume and putting rollers in to to make it seem big . . .

At the same time I and lost a lot of weight and was very malnutritioned due to by body failing me with Hypothyroidism, Adrenal Fatigue and Mast Cell Disease so it was not a surprise.

But recently as I’m returning to health my weight is equalising,  my body and cells are healthy so my hair has started growing thick and strong and my eye brows are there!!

It made me want to share with you all why this happens and how you can stop or prevent it if it’s happening to you. It can range from the simple and temporary issue like a vitamin deficiency, to the more complex like an underlying health condition.

Firstly I think the best way to look at it is your blood carries nutrients to each cell in your body, and if your under stress or have inflammation the body concentrates on the vital organs and fighting inflammation. So the hair, skin and nails are not as import and and tend to be the first thing the suffer. Which is why ladies when you are pregnant your blood supple increases and you have thick luscious hair and your nails grow like crazy and then you have baby and the body goes into repair and feeding mode and your hair nails and skin suffer. It’s not far I know . . .

Your hair goes through life cycles too and will not always be the same, for example hair has a programmed life cycle, a growth phase, rest phase and shedding phase. It also sheds more in the Autumn/Winter again due to the blood supple, and as does your skin loose more layers. But if outside of these normal stages you are thinning and its not normal you may want to look at the following to see if you have an underlying issue that may be causing your hair loss.

  • Thyroid Function (Hypothyroidism or Hyperthyroidism: Hair, nails, and skin may become more brittle and break more easily if your thyroid is producing to many hormones or not enough hormones. 90% of hair loss in women is to do with their thyroid. A blood test will determine this and i’d advise that if your have more than a few symptoms of either Hypothyroidism or Hyperthyroidism, but your test result come back in the ‘normal range’ to take them to a Naturopath as you can be out of range but still have issues.
  • Iron Levels: Women who have heavy periods or don’t eat enough iron-rich foods may be prone to iron deficiency especially after child birth. This is because the blood doesn’t have enough red blood cells and red blood cells transport oxygen to cells throughout your body, giving you the energy you need which is why it can cause extreme fatigue, weakness, and pale skin. You may also notice headaches, difficulty concentrating, cold hands and feet, and hair loss.  Ask you Doctor for a blood test to measure ferritin, the protein that stores iron in your body, is usually needed to diagnose iron-deficiency anaemia. By eating iron-rich foods such as beef, pork, fish, leafy greens preferably, along with foods rich in vitamin C, which enhances iron absorption. And steering clear of food that prohibit iron being absorbed like dairy, alcohol, coffee and black tea, soy, and eggs (not to say you can’t eat these but just don’t pare them with iron rich foods have them as stand alone foods.)
  • Inflammation: Inflammation on the body can cause each cell to be under stress and causes scalp and skin issues like seborrheic dermatitis (dandruff), psoriasis fungal infections. By healing your gut you will reduce inflammation in the body and repair your scalp and skin. See my post of healing Leaky Guts.
  • Iodine, zinc and magnesuim levels: The thyroid gland relies on iodine to make the hormones necessary for the growth of healthy hair, teeth and bones. When we are deficient in these nutrients, such as iodine, magnesium and zinc the health of our hair can suffer, leading to hair weakness or total hair loss. Taking a safe nascent iodine supplement recommended by your Naturopath or Doctor and eating iodine and zinc rich foods may boost hair health and growth, and may event prevent or reverse hair loss. it has been a massive help to me.
  • Fat Malabsorption: If your bodies not absorbing important nutrients and fluids like proteins, carbohydrates and espically fats your skin and hair will suffer. The problem may be caused by inflammation or an auto-immune disease. Sometimes, the condition may be the result of the body’s failure to produce enzymes needed to digest some foods and taking digestive enzymes can help along with healing the gut lining. Talking to your doctor about taking a stool test to see if this is happening is the best choice here.
  • Your diet: plays a massive part, and of course if you are not putting the good stuff in your body will not be able to function and your hair will suffer. A diet rich in greens, protein and good healthy fats is essential for good hair growth. Supplementing with iodine, magnesium, grass fed collagen and MSM will help boost hair and nail growth.
  • Low B vitamins but high vitamin A: A deficiency or excess of any vitamin will upset the balance of the body but vitamin B-12 plays a big role in many parts of the body, including the liver, eyes, skin and hair. One possible symptom of vitamin B-12 deficiency is hair loss, because cells need to divide constantly to produce new hair, a process that requires production of new DNA. Without enough B-12, hair grow slows or stops and existing hair starts to fall out. Hair loss that is accompanied by symptoms of malnutrition and gastrointestinal disorders should be checked for deficiencies of several vitamins and minerals, including vitamin B-12. On the flip side to much synthetic vitamin A can cause hair loos too.
  • Stress: Any kind of physical trauma, surgery, a car accident, emotional stress or trauma or a severe illness, even the flu can cause temporary hair loss. This can trigger a type of hair loss called telogen effluvium. as I said hair has a programmed life cycle, a growth phase, rest phase and shedding phase. When you have a really stressful event, it can shock the hair cycle, (pushing) more hair into the shedding phase. Hair loss often becomes noticeable 3-6 months after the trauma. Which is why mothers loose hair 3-6 months after giving birth. But if this is your case your hair will go full cycle and grow back to be thick again. Mediation and self care will help balance your life and allow your body to equalise and repair.

If your hair is failing out your body is not nourished and is in need of proper nutrition. Part of the detoxification stage you may also loose hair and this is normal as your body sheds and rebuilds, it will regrow as mine did. Please contact me and I can guide you through changing your health!

 

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To soy or not to soy?

Soy or soybeans, are a type of legume that have been used for 5,000 years in China for food like tofu, tempeh, and edamame beans and also for medicinal purposes. Soybeans are considered a source of protein, and are processed into many meat and dairy substitutes. The main producers of soy are the United States, Brazil, Argentina, China and India. Over 80% of soy in the US is genetically modified, but that’s where almost all of the soy is now grown for our Australian foods, scary huh!!

So many of us have thyroid function issues and so many of us have undiagnosed Hypothyroidism when the doctor’s test comes back fine but we are still having symptoms. This often leaves us wondering why and how we can change this. Dr Mark Hyman has some great tips and advice on his website for this.

Thyroid Disease: Are You Sick, Tired, Overweight?

Studies are showing the connection to the increase in soy in so many of our foods now and issues with Thyroid function. It’s not just your soy milk latte but products you didn’t know it’s in like shampoo, bulking agent, hydrolyzed plant protein (HPP) or hydrolyzed vegetable protein (HVP), gums, soy Lecithin (chocolate) natural flavorings, Additive/emulsifier 322, stabilizer, thickeners, starch, shortening, and vegetable oils. Basically all packaged foods, especially kids foods.

So why is it so harmful?

Soy contains Phytoestrogens and is higher in phytoestrogens than just about any other food source. Phytoestrogens are plant-based estrogens that mimic estrogen in our bodies. Soy also has Goiltrogens that can disrupt your hormones, which can slow your thyroid down. Many foods are goitrogenic (thyroid suppressing) but soy is one of the worst. Goitrogens work by preventing your thyroid from getting the necessary amount of iodine. If you are low in iodine you will likely be suffering from chronic fatigue, adrenal Burnout and a host of other issue that are hard to correct. Trust me I lived on soy as a vegetarian and I’m in that place now.

It also has something called Phytates which are enzyme-inhibitors that block mineral absorption in human digestive tract. They are naturally present in all grains, seeds, nuts, and legumes. But soy is so high in phytates that it’s almost impossible to get rid of them. Simply soaking soy overnight won’t be enough. But this is why it is so important to soak beans and legumes and most grains to stop bloating and cramps.

Finally soy is rich in trypsin inhibitors. Trypsin is a digestive enzyme we need to properly digest protein. Without enough trypsin, you’ll experience many digestive problems including stomach cramps, diarrhea, and bleeding. You’ll also be leaving yourself open to future problems with your pancreas.

There is studies done showing that an infant taking the recommended amount of baby soy formula is consuming a hormone load equivalent of 4 birth control pills a day! Is it any wonder we’ve seen such a dramatic rise in precocious puberty with young girls starting their periods at 6 and 7! Soy is also found in dairy formulas too. But I hear you saying, you said not dairy? There are still safer alternatives. there are recipes for coconut and avocado bases formulas you an make at home which have the right ratio of fats carbohydrates and minerals to be as close to mothers milk…far closer than cows breast milk!

 

 

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