Do you run on a full battery most days, with plenty of energy to do the things you want to do? Or do you find yourself fatigued, drained and relying on coffee or energy drinks to power you through your days? Maintaining high energy levels and a healthy weight is about much more than calories in versus calories out. There are many hormones that affect our weight, health and energy levels. In this post, I will focus on the main drivers of healthy weight and energy: Insulin, cortisol, thyroid, estrogen and testosterone.
First let’s look at what these hormones do:
- Insulin: insulin is released by the pancreas to escort sugar into cells where it used for energy. Think of insulin as the key that unlocks the cell “door”, allowing glucose to enter and be used as fuel. If your muscles do not need sugar while it is circulating in the bloodstream, the liver stores the excess glucose in the form of glycogen. The liver can hold about 100 grams of glycogen. After the liver, if there is still excess sugar to store, insulin transports it to fat cells. Fat cells can stockpile an almost unlimited supply of sugar, in the form of fat.
- Cortisol: Known as the stress hormone. cortisol is secreted by the adrenal glands. In a healthy individual, cortisol spikes in the morning to help us wake up. It gradually declines throughout the day, with its lowest levels occurring in the evening when melatonin kicks in to help us sleep. (Read about the many critical function melatonin performs in this post.) When we face an acute stress, the adrenal glands secrete large amounts of cortisol. This suppresses digestion and the action of insulin so that blood sugar can be used by our muscles. Chronic stress leads to on-going over-production of cortisol, causing insulin resistance, sugar cravings and insomnia, as well as accumulation of belly fat. High cortisol promotes high blood pressure. Cortisol causes the body to retain sodium and excrete potassium, and also causes blood vessels to constrict. So if you have high blood pressure, managing your cortisol levels is always a good starting point.
- Thyroid: considered the master regulator of metabolism. Thyroid hormone is secreted by the thyroid gland. (Side note: there is much talk about “sluggish” or “slow” metabolism as a cause of weight gain. This implies that we want a “fast” metabolism. A fast metabolism can be just as problematic as a slow one. Ideally, we want an efficient metabolism.) Stress and endocrine disruptors from our food and environment are the biggest disruptors of the thyroid gland. Symptoms of low thyroid include fatigue, brain fog, weight gain and depression.
- Estrogen: Excess estrogen can contribute to weight gain in both men and women, while low estrogen can stimulate appetite. Xenoestrogens, or estrogen-imitators, in the environment from plastics and certain foods can lead to estrogen imbalance. Top foods that contain xenoestrogens are commercially-produced animal products, anything with insecticide or herbicide residues, soy in any form, and unfiltered tap water. This is one of the many reasons why eating organic foods is so critical for your health. Read this post to learn more about the importance of organic food. Xenoestrogens do not decrease estrogen production, making blood tests of circulating estrogen unreliable markers of estrogen levels. The body continues to make estrogen, but it cannot attach to the necessary receptor sites because the xenoestrogens are attached where the natural estrogen should go. Signs of estrogen imbalance in women include breast tenderness, fluid retention, PMS, fibroids and heavy menstrual bleeding. In men, symptoms include loss of body hair on chest, arms and legs, beer belly and “man boobs”.
- Testosterone: Like imbalanced estrogen, imbalanced testosterone is a problem for both men and women. Low testosterone in both sexes has similar symptoms: low libido, loss of muscle mass and fat gain, fatigue, and loss of bone mass that can cause osteopenia or osteoporosis. Additionally for women, low T can lead to sleep disturbances, depression, anxiety and irregular periods.
So what can you do to keep your hormones balanced and your energy going strong?
HERE ARE SOME TIPS TO GET YOUR HORMONES RUNNING SMOOTH:
- Insulin: As mentioned above, our bodies can’t handle large amounts of sugar coming in at one time. If you are in the middle of a triathlon or other intense physical activity, sugar may be used as fuel and not stored as fat. For most of us, however, insulin is released to get the sugar out of the blood stream. Sugar is actually very damaging to our bodies, so there is good incentive to clear it as quickly as possible and store whatever is not immediately needed as fat.
To minimize the release of insulin, minimize the amount of sugar you consume. Sounds easy enough, right? Keep in mind that sugar hides in just about every refined, denatured, “stripped” food that lines store shelves these days. And refined carbohydrates that make up most of the industrially processed food-like substances quickly turn to sugar in the body and give just as much of an insulin spike as straight sugar. Eat real, nutrient-dense food. What is that? Food that looks like it comes from nature, not something that has a list of ingredients created in a bubbling beaker in a laboratory. - Cortisol: Eating the right foods at the right times can have a huge impact on your cortisol levels. Try starting your day with ample protein and healthy fats, and very little carbs. Increase your carb intake at dinner and focus on high-quality carbs such as sweet potatoes, squash, turnips and/or quinoa. This approach also helps regulate leptin (the hormone responsible for helping you feel satiated), ghrelin (the hormone the “hunger” hormone) and adiponectin (a hormone that regulates blood sugar levels and fatty acid breakdown).
Limit or eliminate caffeine. It raises cortisol.
Of course, it is also crucial to minimize chronic stress, and get enough rest and sleep. Light has a major impact on one’s ability to sleep well. Get bright light first thing in the morning by exercising outside or using a light box within 30 minutes of waking. Avoid blue lights from screens after dark. Use a salt lamp or other orange/amber lamps for reading. Get flux for your computer or amber glasses to wear if watching TV. (Better to turn the TV off and don’t look at any screens at least an hour before your planned bedtime.) Having a sleep routine and going to bed and getting up at the same time is one of the most overlooked aspects of good sleep.
Minimize stress, and get enough rest and sleep. Learn a simple meditation technique, and use it! Take a hot bath, go for a walk, have tea with a friend, get some exercise every day. Do something you love. We put a lot of emphasis on what we “should” do, and not enough on what we “want” to do. - Thyroid: Cortisol can stimulate too much thyroid hormone production, or hyperthyroidism. Lowering cortisol in that case (see above) will help balance thyroid hormone. If you have hypothyroidism, avoid eating raw cruciferous vegetables, which are goitrogenic and damage the thyroid. Eating wild-caught fish and seaweed are excellent ways to get enough iodine, which is important for thyroid health. Low thyroid can also be caused by zinc-deficiency, so eating brazil nuts and pumpkin seeds (soaked and dried for best absorption) is helpful; chlorine and especially fluoride exposure can lead to low thyroid so be sure to use a water filter for drinking and bathing.
- Estrogen and Testosterone: Too much sugar, alcohol and stripped carbohydrates lowers estrogen in both sexes. All sex hormones are made from cholesterol, so eating cholesterol and healthy fats and avoiding use of statin drugs are important steps in being able to make sufficient sex hormones. Eat plenty of fermented foods to keep your gut healthy. (Read about the many benefits of fermented foods in this post.) A healthy gut helps to regulate estrogen, whereas constipation or leaky gut compromises waste excretion which can spike estrogen. Eliminate environmental toxins, such as pesticides, herbicides, most household cleaning products, most personal care products and plastics.
To summarize:
*Eat nutrient dense foods. I know I sound like a broken record on this point, but truly, a nutrient dense diet is the starting point for greater vitality, boundless energy and lasting health. Read this post for a more detailed explanation of what nutrient dense foods are. In a nutshell: avoid industrially produced, refined, denatured, stripped, edible food-like substances. Eat organic and local vegetables (when possible), pastured meats and eggs, and …
*Eat plenty of healthy fats. Avoid vegetable oils, which are rancid and contain large amounts of pro-inflammatory Omega 6 fatty acids. Imbalance between Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids is a major contributor to inflammation and its related diseases. The proper ratio is about 1:1, but thanks to the Standard American Diet (SAD) most of us eat the ratio is closer to 15 or 20:1 Omega-6 to Omega-3.
*Eat lots of fresh vegetables, both cooked and some raw, if tolerated. Include ample fermented veggies. These promote a healthy gut which promotes overall good health.
*Get plenty of sleep, meditate (even five minutes a day makes a big difference), and relax.
*Get at least 20 – 30 minutes of exercise every day. Walking, yoga, pilates, or, try high intensity interval training (HIIT) if you feel more ambitious. (HIIT exercise should be performed no more than 2 – 3 times per week, with other exercise in between HIIT days.) Keep in mind that the “High Intensity” aspect is relative. A short jog may be high intensity for someone who has not moved their body much in many years, but may not be enough for a triathlete. Find what works for you. and remember, you must move your body to keep it healthy.
*Avoid toxic chemicals in your food (see the first bullet point above, and choose organic), household cleaning products and personal care products. Check www.ewg.org/skindeep for a comprehensive list of safe products and products to avoid.
*Check out my e course “Six Weeks to Abundant Energy” for a step-by-step, 6 week plan to transform your nutrition, movement, lifestyle and mindset habits for best health and vitality of your life!
To your abundant health and energy!
