A closer look at the importance of gut health

Hidden hormone disruptors

When we think of gut health, most of us think only about the food we eat.

But, did you know there are countless other factors outside of your plate that can profoundly impact your gut microbiome and, in turn, your hormones?

Let’s dig into these disruptors, explore the interconnectedness of your microbiomes (yes, plural), and uncover how addressing these influences can help you reclaim balance in your body.

Your gut microbiome gets the most attention—and for good reason. This community of trillions of bacteria, viruses and fungi plays a vital role in digestion, immunity, mood and hormone regulation. In fact, up to 90% of the neurotransmitters that control those things come from your gut, not your brain. Your gut, however, is just one of several microbiomes in your body. You also have microbiomes in your mouth, on your skin and even in your lungs.

These microbiomes don’t operate in isolation. They interact with one another and influence how your body functions as a whole. If your skin microbiome is disrupted, for example, it can trigger an immune response that affects your gut, and vice versa.

Understanding this network of microbiomes helps us see why it’s not just about eating well—it’s about nurturing your whole body.

While food is a primary factor, there are numerous other lifestyle and environmental influences that can throw your microbiomes—and your hormones—off balance. Here are a few of the most common culprits.

1. Stress and cortisol overload

Chronic stress is a significant disruptor. When you’re under constant pressure, your body produces excessive cortisol, your primary stress hormone. Elevated cortisol can alter the diversity of your gut bacteria, weaken your intestinal lining, and lead to conditions like leaky gut.

What’s more, your gut and brain are closely connected through the gut-brain axis. Stress can lead to inflammation in your gut, which further disrupts hormonal balance, particularly estrogen, progesterone, and thyroid hormones.

Practicing activities like deep breathing, mindfulness, and intentional movement to help restore balance are all simple ways to help bring down stress.

2. Poor sleep

Sleep is when your body repairs itself, including your gut lining and microbiome. Inadequate or poor-quality sleep can disrupt your gut bacteria, leading to hormonal imbalances. Studies have shown just one night of sleep deprivation can negatively impact your gut microbiome diversity.

Aim for between seven and nine hours of restorative sleep each night. Create a consistent bedtime and wake up routine, turn off screens about 30 mins before bed, keep your bedroom dark and slightly cooler than the rest of the house and maintain a consistent sleep schedule.

3. Environmental toxins

Everyday exposure to toxins—like pesticides, plastics and air pollution—can harm your microbiomes. Chemicals such as BPA and phthalates, commonly found in plastics, act as endocrine disruptors, interfering with hormonal signalling and gut health.

Your skin microbiome is also affected by the chemicals in personal care products, cleaning supplies and even the water you bathe in. These toxins can penetrate your skin, disrupt your microbiomes and contribute to inflammation and hormonal dysregulation.

Reduce your exposure to toxins by choosing organic, non-GMO foods whenever possible, drinking filtered water, and replacing chemically laden products with, toxin-free products whenever possible.

4. Medications

Antibiotics are one of the biggest culprits when it comes to microbiome disruption. While sometimes necessary, antibiotics can wipe out both harmful and beneficial bacteria, leaving your microbiome in a fragile state. Not only that, without proper replenishment, it can take as little as two weeks, or as long as two years for your microbiome to completely recover.

Other medications, like antacids, hormonal contraceptives, and even over-the-counter pain relievers, can also negatively affect your gut and its ability to maintain balance.

If you need antibiotics or other medications, work with a practitioner to support your microbiome with probiotics, prebiotics and phytobiotics during and after treatment.

5. Lack of movement

Exercise isn’t just for your muscles—it’s also vital for a healthy microbiome. Regular physical activity increases the diversity of your gut bacteria and promotes the production of short-chain fatty acids, which support gut health and reduce inflammation.

Incorporate movement into your daily routine, whether it’s walking, yoga, or strength training. Find something you enjoy and make it part of your lifestyle.

6. Over-sanitization

We’ve become a society obsessed with cleanliness, and while hygiene is important, over-sanitizing can have unintended consequences. Your microbiomes rely on exposure to diverse bacteria to thrive. Using antibacterial soaps, sanitizers, and harsh cleaning products can strip away beneficial bacteria and disrupt the balance.

Let yourself interact with the natural world. Spend time outdoors, garden, get a pet, or simply walk barefoot in the grass.

7. Emotional health

Your emotions don’t just live in your brain—they’re deeply tied to your gut microbiome. Anxiety, depression, and unresolved trauma can alter gut bacteria and create a feedback loop that perpetuates hormonal imbalances.

Address emotional health through targeting healing of the gut as well as self care through therapy, journaling, or connecting with a supportive community.

Your microbiome is a key player in regulating hormones like estrogen, cortisol, and serotonin. For example:

• Estrogen: The gut microbiome is responsible for metabolizing and eliminating excess estrogen. An imbalanced gut can lead to estrogen dominance, which is linked to weight gain, mood swings, and even certain cancers.

• Cortisol: Chronic gut inflammation caused by an unhealthy microbiome can drive cortisol levels up, disrupting your sleep, mood, and metabolism.

• Serotonin: About 90% of serotonin, the “feel-good” hormone, is produced in the gut. A disrupted microbiome can hinder serotonin production, affecting your mood and overall well-being.

Healing your microbiomes isn’t about perfection—it’s about progress. Eat more whole foods, get outside more often, go for quality over quantity with your personal care products and opt for natural ingredients, get good sleep, and manage stress.

By taking small, intentional steps, you can restore balance, improve your hormones, and start feeling more like yourself again.

Remember, it’s not about perfection—it’s about progress, one step at a time.

Learn more and schedule your free call with Tania on her website.

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.

Carbs: They are our energy, not our enemy

Not all carbs created equal

If the goal is just weight loss, it will never stay off

Weight loss the right way

Let me say first of all, there’s nothing wrong with wanting to lose weight.

Every extra pound carried is an extra four pounds of pressure on your joints. Losing just 18 pounds can reduce internal inflammation by 23%, which has a positive impact on your overall health.

Feeling better in your body and improving your health are valid goals. But here’s the catch—setting a goal like wanting to lose 10 pounds by the end of January might seem measurable and motivating but it’s actually setting you up for frustration and setting you up to regain that weight and then some. Why? Because focusing only on the outcome, rather than the habits that get you there, will have you coming up short every time.

When you set an outcome goal like losing a specific amount of weight by a certain date, it sounds clear and achievable on its face. However, weight is a symptom of health and hormones, both of which are influenced by factors beyond our immediate control. Metabolism, stress levels, hormonal fluctuations, sleep, exercise and the quality of the food we eat all contribute to our weight. Trying to control the outcome without focusing on the processes that drive the outcome can lead to disordered eating and a poor relationship with your body, not just physically but mentally and emotionally too.

James Clear, in his book Atomic Habits, talks about how focusing on systems—the small habits we practice daily—can produce more reliable results than fixating on goals alone. He uses the metaphor of an ice cube sitting in a cold room, say -10 C. As the room’s temperature slowly increases, -9 C, -8 C, -7 C and even -3 C, -2 C, -1 C and zero, it is still frozen. But as the temperature climbs to past zero, to 1 C, 2 C and higher, it starts to melt. It wasn't the shift from zero to 1 C that caused the ice cube to start to melt. It was each small, incremental change in temperature leading up to it that got it to start melting.

We know weight is a symptom of health and hormones. So it makes sense to target those things that will improve health, which will then give you the results you are looking for. By eating balanced meals, managing stress, drinking more water than coffee, getting quality sleep, nourishing and healing the gut, we create an environment where weight loss can naturally follow. But if we only look at the number on the scale, it’s like checking the temperature of the ice cube every degree and expecting to see immediate results. It’s demotivating and creates a narrow focus that creates frustration, which can lead to desperation and making that diet look real good.

Here are three powerful shifts you can make in and around things you're already doing:

1. Prioritize whole nutrient-dense foods. Instead of aiming for fewer calories or “diet” foods, focus on adding whole foods to your meals. Choose vegetables, proteins, healthy fats, and slow-digesting carbs. This habit nourishes your body and balances blood sugar, reducing cravings and supporting healthy hormone levels.

2. Get a grip on stress. Chronic stress elevates cortisol, a hormone that, in high amounts, encourages the body to hold onto fat, especially around the abdomen. Habitual and intentional stress management, whether through a quick blast of exercise, deep breathing, mindful movement, prayer or even a five-minute meditation, breaks the chronic stress cycle and creates an environment where the body can let go of weight over time.

3. Get your Zzz's. Prioritizing a consistent bedtime and sleep quality is critical. Poor sleep not only disrupts hunger-regulating hormones and can lead to weight gain, it is detrimenal to overall cognitive function, memory and focus as well. Treating sleep as an essential part of your health routine rather than an afterthought will not only help your mood and energy but can also contribute to easier weight loss.

The truth is, you can't possibly know for sure how fast or slow your body will lose weight. Every person's “room” starts at a different temperature and there are countless factors that affect how quickly the body “warms up” and lets go of weight, many of which are beyond your control.

When we focus solely on the scale, we tend to ignore other important markers of healthful progress. I call them NSVs, non-scale victories. Improved energy, better digestion, more stable moods, feeling more comfortable in your clothes, brain fog lifted, improved digestion, better immune function, lower cholesterol, blood pressure coming down, and more. Weight is just one measurement of health. It’s not the only one.

When you set up your daily routine with habits that support health, you’re essentially priming your body for success. The number on the scale often takes care of itself when we create an environment where the body can let go of weight naturally. This approach is healthier, more sustainable, and reduces the chances of regaining weight because the habits that helped you lose weight are the same habits that will help you maintain it.

When you focus on the process rather that the end number, the pressure of seeing that specific weight by a specific date disappears. You’re no longer chasing an external result that you can’t fully control. Instead, you’re nurturing your health with things you can absolutely control.

A healthier body, one that’s balanced and supported by healthy habits, will naturally find its optimal weight over time. And even better, those habits will leave you feeling more energized, confident and comfortable in your skin, regardless of the number on the scale.

So, next time you feel the urge to set an outcome-based weight loss goal, consider this, instead of wanting to lose 10 pounds by the end of January, try setting a habit-based goal, like eating small, whole-food, balanced meals regularly throughout the day, or, going for a 20-minute walk every day.” By focusing on what you can control, you’re giving yourself the best possible chance to reach your goals and maintain them for life.

Remember, your health is a journey. Sustainable weight loss isn’t about chasing numbers but about creating habits that support your health for life.

For more information on how to balance blood sugar and create health in your body, watch Tania's free video.

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.

How to avoid the dreaded Twelve Pounds of Christmas

Sensible holiday eating

The Twelve Pounds of Christmas

(Sung as “The Twelve Days of Christmas”)

Oh, the first pound of Christmas was easy to ignore…..
(And) It all started with a box of Lindor.

The second pound of Christmas, a tummy full of bloat…..
Fast food while Christmas shopping …

The third pound of Christmas came sneaking up on me…
Eggnog and cookies…

The fourth pound of Christmas came with the butter tarts….
I should never start!

The fifth pound of Christmas appeared overnight….
Yikes! My pants are tight!!

Shortbread cookies baking, how fattening can they be?
Butter added six pounds…..

Staff parties are in full swing so plan for food and cheer….
Seven pounds already this year….

The neighbours came a-calling and brought with them some cheer….
Can eight pounds come from beer?

The thermometer is dropping, but the scale says nine pounds up…
Make that latte “light whip”…

Now it’s time to trim the tree and decorate the house…..
That extra 10 pounds makes it a workout….

The season’s not complete without fruit cake and mincemeat….
11 pounds to my seat!

After turkey and the fixin's you’ll be more stuffed than the bird….
12 pounds up this Christmas, how absurd.

It's fun to play around like this and change the words to The Twelve Days of Christmas but for some people, this isn't actually that far off what really happens during the Christmas season.

Here are five last-minute tips and a few strategies to help you not just survive the holidays but to thrive right through without gaining 12 pounds for Christmas this year.

1. Think protein and eat small meals throughout the day to keep blood sugar stable. One meal won't make or break your results, it's what you do consistently in and around that meal that determines health and weight.

2. Bring snacks with you. Protein bars, shake mix and shaker bottle, unsalted nuts and a Mandarin orange are just a few of the things I never leave home without during the Christmas season.

3. Never arrive hungry. Having a small balanced snack before heading out to a dinner or party will make sure you are choosing what to put into your mouth rather than the mindless munching that happens when your blood sugar drops. Restricting food all day and “saving room” for that big dinner is actually worse and will cause your body to burn muscle and store even more fat that sticking to the plan all day and then simply indulging for the one meal.

4. Have your alcohol with food. Alcohol is a carbohydrate. Think of that glass of wine like a piece of bread. When carbs are consumed by themselves, blood sugar spikes and fat is stored. In order to minimize that spike and the carnage, it's best to enjoy that glass of wine with dinner. Or a least a small handful of nuts.

5. Hydrate. Not only will water help flush out any bloat that may have been collected by the extra sugar, salt and alcohol, but it will also help you to feel better the next day if you did happen to overdo it just a little the night before.

Even with just a few weeks left until Christmas, it's never too late to make a difference.

Plan your celebration meal and be choosy when you indulge and enjoy it guilt free. Studies show that those who plan their moments of indulgence, tend to make much better choices in the days leading up to it. And those who choose to indulge in only their most favourite treats tend to enjoy them guilt free and are typically satisfied with smaller portions. As opposed to those who randomly indulge simply because it's Christmas and treats are available, report less enjoyment, tend to eat more, and hold more guilt.

And that’s something none of us want to carry into the new year.

For more information on how to use food to create hormonal balance and stabilize blood sugar, watch Tania's free video.

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.