By Jacinta from Plantrition
Hi Beans. So let’s start with the facts, women we are physiologically built different to men.
Can we just embrace our uniqueness and individuality of bodies, minds and souls and be the STRONG, FIT and HEALTHY women we are!? YES, yes and yes.
Hormones and working with them.
- Everyone is individual so always suggest speak with a practitioner to understand your specific hormone levels.
- It is very Interesting that imbalance can cause, loss of energy, brain fog and affect you reaching your health and fitness goals
- so lets talk what we can do…..
- Firstly, a big part for balance is DETOXIFICATION….I will be talking about this next so have your pen ready for notes……
- Secondly, life stressors (work, family, social, the list can go on..)
- Essentially stress decrease hormonal balance . Why.. The reproduction hormones are produced secondary to adrenal hormones (stress hormones like cortisol). So the more you take time to move your body, meditate and try manage your stress the better you will feel!! Which I know you are doing by going to lean bean… you are taking a great step!
- Thirdly, consider what you eat….
- Antioxidants & Anti inflammatory foods , this include fresh fruits (especially berries), green leafy vegetables, fish, nuts, seeds, turmeric, garlic, and onion
- WHY….without these foods in your diet inflammation increases which then increases body stress and as above we said less stress will positively impact your hormone levels.
- Fibre, Increase consumption of fiber-rich plant foods (fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes)
- Aim for 6 cups a day, ie. 2 cups at each meal – this could even be adding 1 cup of baby spinach and frozen peas and corn to your scrambled egg in the morning…tick you had aded 2 cups!
- Snacking on fibre rich foods ie..seeds, nuts, fresh fruit throughout the day also helps
- The big WHY…. Fibre helps by binding to excess hormones and then removes them from the body
Detoxification, as you heard above – it is important for hormone balance…..
- A healthy liver and Gut = increased the elimination of excess hormones
Great to tips to remember….
- Toxins are fat soluble, so they can stay in the body for a long time if you consume large amount of saturated fats
- These toxins are ….chemicals added to foods, high bad fat foods (not omegas), by-products created in the body (waste) and what we breathe in the air, cleaning products, beauty products and trust me the list goes on…
- These all cause inflammation in the body so you don’t function optimally, and yep inflammation….unbalances hormones!
- So we want to rid of these toxins via Detoxification…and trust me this may sound draughting but.. It doesn’t have to be.
Here are simple ways to help keep your liver and gut functioning at its best:
- Fibre as i mentioned above…helps with elimination from the liver but and also feeds your good gut bugs!
- Foods to increase liver health and the 2 phases the liver goes through for detoxification eat…
- Cruciferous veggies such as broccoli, cauliflower, kale, Brussels sprouts and cabbage
- Fish oil or omegas (flaxseed, chia or hemp)
- Green tea and turmeric tea
- Citrus foods
- Rooibos, rosemary, soy, curcumin
- Vitamins B3, B6, Magnesium
Increase your energy & focus
This goes without saying – I don’t think there is a single person who doesn’t want to increase their energy levels.
Simple little tips to help each day:
- When it comes to coffee, Have it between 9am and 11am or when you have been awake for 2 hours
- You’r cortisol (natural stress hormone to keep you going) dips, so have your pick me up at the right time for full benefits!
- B vitamins, they help in the process to increase cell energy
- Help with metabolism of carbohydrates, turning glucose into ENERGY
- They also help turn fats and proteins into energy
- Essentially all you need to remember is that B VITAMINS help turn your food into ENERGY!
- B vitamins are found in wholegrains, Eggs, poultry, seafood, legumes, leafy greens, seeds, and fortified food
Now it’s time to focus:
- Eat Carbohydrates
- Glucose from carbohydrates is the main nutrient to past into the brain cells for optimal function!
- Opt for wholegrains (healthier choice and less processed) rice, wholegrain pasta, quinoa, oats
- Healthy Fats – The omegas (in particular omega 3s)
- These help with decreasing any inflammation and high inflammation changes brain structure
- so increasing your consumption of healthy fats (omegas) increases brain cell function and helps nutrients to enter your brain cells
Building Lean Muscle (which is a goal for some, not for all)
- The rule thumb for women is each day you need .74g x your body weight. You can increase if you have increased your exercise
- Aim for 4 servings a day and for protein to be 20-30% of your diet
- Include a variety of high protein vegetables such as : broccoli, spinach, asparagus, artichokes, potatoes, sweet potatoes and Brussels sprouts.
- The main amino acids for muscle building are isoleucine, leucine and valine which are found in fish, poultry, eggs, cheese, lentils, nuts, and seeds. However we do need all so eat an array of protein sources for the full 9 essential amino acids.
- The best way to understand it is the our body can not make these amino acids so we must consume them each day. every protein source is made from amino acids, then our bodies break them down when we eat them and use them where they are needed in the body.
Understanding plant based protein sources and their average protein content…
High protein snacks
- ¼ cup of nuts and seeds (raw or roasted) = 24g protein
- 2 tablespoons of nut butter = 8g have with sliced apple, blueberries, celery sticks
- Coconut yoghurt with handful of nuts = 30g protein – add hemp seeds, drizzle of flaxseed oil or fresh berries
- 1 egg = 6g protein have this with mashed Avocado sea salt and spices
- 1 cup of quinoa = 8g protein (always wash well before cooking and cook with a veggie stock for flavour) have with a small can of tuna
- I can’t go past a good smoothie – you can gain about 20g of protein per smoothie with plant based protein. Add healthy fats (chia seeds, hemps seeds, nut butters), fresh or frozen berries, banana and veggies like celery, zucchini, cucumber and baby spinach. Tip: try to consume it at room temp
- ½ cup of Legumes or beans= 8g protein – have the roasted ones you find in the health food section in the supermarket
- 1 tablespoon of chia seeds = 2g protein – chia puddings are the best and high in omegas and fibre as well!
FYI protein in every day foods
- 150g of Tofu, tempeh and edamame = 13g protein – I even do air fried tofu sticks with dip platters
- 4 tablespoons of nutritional yeast = 8g protein
- 3g of hemp seeds 3g = 10g protein
- 1 cup of wholegrains (oats and rice) = 3g protein
- 85g of fish = 21g protein
Got a question or would like support? Comment below and Jacinta will reach out.
Stay strong girlfriends!