Hormones and Gut Health with Bridgit Danner

03/28/16 • 42 min

Welcome! Today’s guest is Bridgit Danner, a fellow podcaster who is passionate about women’s health. I met Bridgit at a conference in CA, and we connected immediately. Bridgit specializes in hormones and gut health, so those are our topics today. Join us!

Bridgit shares the following:

The Hormone Summit is Bridgit’s latest project. The summit includes 35 interviews around themes of hormone issues, PCOS, PMS, endometriosis, thyroid disorders, skin problems, sex drive, life stages, fertility, per-menopause, food, lifestyle, and supportive modalities. The dates are April 11-18; see Resources below for details!
What we eat dramatically impacts our hormones! Pesticides and hormones in our food overload our bodies with toxins.
We need good fats, leafy greens, and fermented foods.
Signs of an unhappy gut include bloating, irregular bowel, food coma, heartburn, gas, migraines, and skin disorders.
There are common trigger foods for migraines, general inflammation, and even Candida issues.
“Very few people have a great diet and great digestion.”
An unhappy gut is a huge stress on the body, producing less sex hormones, less nutrients, and insufficient neurotransmitters.
There are four tests that can be used to check for gut health:

Urine test for intestinal permeability
LEAP food sensitivity test
Stool test
Genetic test for mutations contributing to IBS

Bridgit explains her best steps to start healing your gut:

Eat well, slowly, and mindfully.
Don’t rush while eating and don’t overeat.
An elimination diet may be the answer for you.
Eat fermented foods.
Take a probiotic.
Do what you can to lower your stress.
Avoid allergens like corn, soy, dairy, wheat, sugar.
Avoid coffee and tea.
Adopt soothing practices for your gut’s mucous lining: use bone broth, collagen powder, L-glutamine, and aloe.
Add lots of fiber; eat salad every day, and try to eat 20 different kinds of veggies each week!

How much fiber is ideal? Bridgit recommends 30 grams/day.
Bridgit shares ways to stimulate the “heat” of digestion to help break down foods.
Contrary to the normal American way of eating and drinking, you should NOT drink icy beverages with meals!

How to reach Bridgit and more

www.dranh.com/hormones

www.bridgitdanner.com

Now it’s your turn!

WHAT changes have you made in your diet?

HOW have those changes affected your health?

WHAT has been your biggest challenge while implementing a healthy lifestyle?

WHO do you want to hear from?

Let me know in the comments below and I will try my best to get them on the show! I want to answer your burning questions and for YOU to add your thoughts to the conversation. So go ahead and leave a comment now.

And if you want even more resources to heal yourself naturally, make sure you sign up for my email updates, because I share some insights in my email updates that I don’t share anywhere else.

Thanks so much for stopping by and until next time, remember to eat consciously, because the world needs a healthy and vibrant you!

BECOME A FOOD AS MEDICINE VIP FOR FREE. ENTER YOUR EMAIL BELOW AND RECEIVE:

My free gift, “The Clean Eating Rules.” It’s my #1 guide for how to eat to lose weight, improve your biometrics, and get more energy.
Summary of Pearls shared on the show
Occasional Love Letters from Dr. Anh, where I share my favorite recipes and products, upcoming events, new information I’ve learned, and other goodies ☺

Bridgit shares the following:

The Hormone Summit is Bridgit’s latest project. The summit includes 35 interviews around themes of hormone issues, PCOS, PMS, endometriosis, thyroid disorders, skin problems, sex drive, life stages, fertility, per-menopause, food, lifestyle, and supportive modalities. The dates are April 11-18; see Resources below for details!
What we eat dramatically impacts our hormones! Pesticides and hormones in our food overload our bodies with toxins.
We need good fats, leafy greens, and fermented foods.
Signs of an unhappy gut include bloating, irregular bowel, food coma, heartburn, gas, migraines, and skin disorders.
There are common trigger foods for migraines, general inflammation, and even Candida issues.
“Very few people have a great diet and great digestion.”
An unhappy gut is a huge stress on the body, producing less sex hormones, less nutrients, and insufficient neurotransmitters.
There are four tests that can be used to check for gut health:

Urine test for intestinal permeability
LEAP food sensitivity test
Stool test
Genetic test for mutations contributing to IBS

Bridgit explains her best steps to start healing your gut:

Eat well, slowly, and mindfully.
Don’t rush while eating and don’t overeat.
An elimination diet may be the answer for you.
Eat fermented foods.
Take a probiotic.
Do what you can to lower your stress.
Avoid allergens like corn, soy, dairy, wheat, sugar.
Avoid coffee and tea.
Adopt soothing practices for your gut’s mucous lining: use bone broth, collagen powder, L-glutamine, and aloe.
Add lots of fiber; eat salad every day, and try to eat 20 different kinds of veggies each week!

How much fiber is ideal? Bridgit recommends 30 grams/day.
Bridgit shares ways to stimulate the “heat” of digestion to help break down foods.
Contrary to the normal American way of eating and drinking, you should NOT drink icy beverages with meals!

How to reach Bridgit and more

www.dranh.com/hormones

www.bridgitdanner.com

Now it’s your turn!

WHAT changes have you made in your diet?

HOW have those changes affected your health?

WHAT has been your biggest challenge while implementing a healthy lifestyle?

WHO do you want to hear from?

And if you want even more resources to heal yourself naturally, make sure you sign up for my email updates, because I share some insights in my email updates that I don’t share anywhere else.

Thanks so much for stopping by and until next time, remember to eat consciously, because the world needs a healthy and vibrant you!

BECOME A FOOD AS MEDICINE VIP FOR FREE. ENTER YOUR EMAIL BELOW AND RECEIVE:

My free gift, “The Clean Eating Rules.” It’s my #1 guide for how to eat to lose weight, improve your biometrics, and get more energy.
Summary of Pearls shared on the show
Occasional Love Letters from Dr. Anh, where I share my favorite recipes and products, upcoming events, new information I’ve learned, and other goodies ☺

Previous Episode

Lyme Disease Diet, Testing, and More with Dr. Jay Davidson

Welcome! My guest today is Dr. Jay Davidson, who is a doctor of natural functional medicine---AND a fellow Milwaukeean! He specializes in heavy metal detoxification and Lyme disease, treating these disorders from a natural perspective. Jay is a #1 national best-selling author, a husband, father, speaker, church elder, and former radio talk show host. He is hosting the Chronic Lyme Disease Summit coming up in April. Let’s talk to Dr. Jay!

Our conversation covers the following:

Dr. Jay got involved in Lyme disease treatment because his wife contracted the disease at age 7 and experienced brain swelling, a coma, and many health issues.
After giving birth to their daughter almost four years ago, Mrs. Davidson went through a life or death health crisis; this began his intense focus on Lyme treatment.
Dr. Jay explains the iSpot, his favorite test for Lyme and a tool for understanding the diagnosis.
In the healing approach for Lyme, diet and food are #1.
In 2007, Jay and his wife explored testing for heavy metal toxicity.
Intermittent fasting and block fasting are techniques that bring success to some Lyme disease.
His wife reacted to almost every food except bone broth; she eventually added vegetables back in to her diet, especially avocados, green leafy vegetables, and bell peppers.
Jay discusses three things that cause inflammation in the body:

Sugar, and grains that turn to sugar
Bad fats like vegetable oils
Toxins such as heavy metals and mold

Besides decreasing the intake of carbohydrates, there are things we should increase in our diets, like healthy fats, vegetable juices, bone broth fasting, and short-term ketogenic diets.
“Our bodies are not meant to eat ONE way forever!”
Dr. Jay discusses ketosis, which is limiting carbs to 30g/day or less.
Perimenopausal and menopausal women have trouble going into ketosis, so Dr. Jay advises repeating the process to stoke the body for success. He explains.
Some people have success and can stay in ketosis for a few months, as they increase carbs up to 50g/day and even to 100-150g for one day weekly.
Dr. Jay discusses SIBO—small intestinal bacteria overgrowth. Most digestive bacteria should stay in the large intestine, not the small.
SIBO symptoms can be limited by using bone broth to starve the bad bacteria and limiting fiber and sugar.
Jay shares his favorite bone broth recipe, using bones, apple cider vinegar, water, Himalayan sea salt, garlic, onions, and spices.
If SIBO isn’t a problem, then veggies can be added into the bone broth.
In the modern diet, going gluten-free is not enough! We all should limit foods that cause blood sugar spikes and stay away from grains.
Dr. J leaves us with two tips:

The missing piece in the modern diet? Fresh herbs!
Cut out sugar! “The American addiction is unreal!”

How to Reach Dr. Jay and more:

www.chroniclymediseasesummit.com See the list of speakers and topics for the Summit, coming April 4-11, 2016!

Now it’s your turn!

WHAT changes have you made in your diet?

HOW have those changes affected your health?

WHAT has been your biggest challenge while implementing a healthy lifestyle?

WHO do you want to hear from?

And if you want even more resources to heal yourself naturally, make sure you sign up for my email updates, because I share some insights in my email updates that I don’t share anywhere else.

Thanks so much for stopping by and until next time, remember to eat consciously, because the world needs a healthy and vibrant you!

BECOME A FOOD AS MEDICINE VIP FOR FREE. ENTER YOUR EMAIL BELOW AND RECEIVE:

My free gift, “The Clean Eating Rules.” It’s my #1 guide for how to eat to lose weight, improve your biometrics, and get more energy.
Summary of Pearls shared on the show
Occasional Love Letters from Dr. Anh, where I share my favorite recipes and products, upcoming events, new information I’ve learned, and other goodies ☺

Next Episode

From Incurable to Invincible: Overcoming Chronic Pain and Disease

Welcome! My guest today is Marcie Peters, a holistic nutritionist and featured speaker. She is the best-selling author of You Are Not Broken: From Incurable to Invincible, to be released later this week. Marcie is a graduate of the University of Washington and the Institute for Integrative Nutrition. She founded The Health and Happiness Guide and the Transform Your Health World Summit. Join me as we hear Marcie’s story!

Marcie shares the following about her life and work:

In her early 20’s, Marcie began struggling with chronic health issues that began with flu-like symptoms.
She was given no answers except for fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome and was told to manage her incurable symptoms with medications.
Besides crippling fatigue, Marcie experienced body pain, digestive distress, cognitive dysfunction, migraines, weight gain, joint pain, and insomnia.
Marcie began a 16-year journey with many ups and downs, but she finally found answers and changed her life!
Her mission today is to help others bypass the years of confusion and jump right to helpful answers with the right strategy for success.
What did she do? The first steps were to change her diet. She eliminated gluten, dairy, soy, eggs, corn, artificial sweeteners, artificial colors, and reduced her natural sugar intake.
Marcie’s advice is to have a doctor or a health coach to help during the transition to a healthy diet, to have the right mindset, and to realize that there will be several days of feeling worse because of the narcotic effect of those eliminated foods.
What does Marcie eat for sustainable change? Clean, organic, grass-fed meats, wild fish and seafood, organic fruits and vegetables, nuts, seeds, beans, legumes, quinoa, rice, millet, and lots of coconut products. She drinks LOTS of water, coconut water, herbal tea, and occasional coffee, but NO alcohol. Listen to find out what Marcie says about gluten-free products!
As you make changes, your body sends you cues that you are doing the right things and improving.
“You have a choice in everything you do in life!”
As a health coach, Marcie has Seven Steps to Wellness:

Sleep
Nutrition
Water Intake
Movement
Mindset
Social Support
Life Purpose

Regarding mindset changes, Marcie says you have to “re-train” your brain by:

Recognizing that YOU have a choice.
Creating new associations and responses, called “pattern interrupts.”
Celebrating successes.
Being aware of “fight or flight” response and change it to activate relaxation.
Meditating to “center” yourself.

“Symptoms are really communication cues to alert us that something is going on and needs to be corrected.”
“The journey toward yourself is where the real juiciness lies.”
Marcie briefly shares her Pillars of Happiness:

Personal responsibility
Living consciously
Accepting yourself
Personal integrity
Self-assertiveness
Living purposefully
Trust and surrender

Writing her new book was a cathartic experience, but is a resource that anyone can use to heal. It’s a guide full of tools and information. It’s out later this week, on April 8!

How to Reach Marcie and more:

www.thehealthandhappinessguide.com

You Are Not Broken: From Incurable to Invincible by Marcie Peters

Now it’s your turn!

WHAT changes have you made in your diet?

HOW have those changes affected your health?

WHAT has been your biggest challenge while implementing a healthy lifestyle?

WHO do you want to hear from?

And if you want even more resources to heal yourself naturally, make sure you sign up for my email updates, because I share some insights in my email updates that I don’t share anywhere else.

Thanks so much for stopping by and until next time, remember to eat consciously, because the world needs a healthy and vibrant you!

BECOME A FOOD AS MEDICINE VIP FOR FREE. ENTER YOUR EMAIL BELOW AND RECEIVE:

My free gift, “The Clean Eating Rules.” It’s my #1 guide for how to eat to lose weight, improve your biometrics, and get more energy.
Summary of Pearls shared on the show
Occasional Love Letters from Dr. Anh, where I share my favorite recipes and products, upcoming events, new information I’ve learned, and other goodies J