Women, Food & Hormones

Question 1

Why do we tend to store more fat and find it harder to lose weight over the age of 35?

Answer 1

footnote

Our metabolism grinds to a halt

Metabolism is the sum of all the biochemical reactions in our bodies, including those related to our hormones, that dictate how we feel and determine how fast or slow we burn calories.

Question 2

Conceptually, how can we turn our metabolism back on?

Answer 2

Footnote

Pursue a diet and lifestyle that supports a healthy balance of hormones.

The right balance of hormones improves metabolism, which in turn helps us lose fat and maintain a healthy body weight by burning rather than storing fat.

Balanced hormones also resolve unpleasant symptoms, like fatigue, cravings, moodiness, insomnia, and a weak immune system.

Question 3

What is the primary role of the hormone insulin?

Answer 3

footnote

Insulin moves glucose into your cells, thereby lowering the glucose in your blood.

Whenever we eat something sweet, the body produces insulin to maintain an acceptable range of glucose in the blood stream.

Diabetes is a metabolic condition in which the body’s cells become numb to the hormone insulin.

Treating diabetes with an improved diet and lifestyle is far more effective than medication because they don’t disrupt normal biochemistry, and instead helping an individual return to state of homeostasis or balance.

Question 4

What is a key learning outcome of this book?

Answer 4

To learn the names and functions of the key hormones and how they work together to create an extraordinary symphony in your body – or deafening alarm bells.

Question 5

What are the 8 main hormones of metabolism?

Answer 5

footnote

1. Insulin
2. Cortisol
3. Leptin
4. Ghrelin
5. Thyroid
6. Estrogen
7. Testosterone
8. Growth hormone

Metabolic hormones are involved in thousands of micro communications and processes in the body.

Question 6

What is the most abundant hormone in women?

Answer 6

Footnote

Testosterone

Testosterone is involved in vitality, muscle mass, and agency.

Question 7

Which hormones are involved in satiety (feeling full, satisfied)?

Answer 7

Leptin and insulin

Question 8

Which hormones are involved in hunger?

Answer 8

Ghrelin and cortisol

Question 9

Which 3 hormones are involved in fat burning?

Answer 9

Insulin, growth hormone, and cortisol

Question 10

What is the relationship between food and metabolic hormones?

Answer 10

Bidirectional

Metabolic hormones regulate your response to food, and in turn, food regulated metabolic hormones.

Question 11

What is metabolic flexibility?

Answer 11

footnote

The body’s ability to adapt to changes in metabolic demand (and switch to different fuel sources, i.e. fats.)

Like when you eat an apple (rich in healthy carbohydrates) versus a slab of salmon (rich in healthy fat), or when you go for 16 hours without eating and your body needs to burn fat to create fuel.

The ability to switch between these different fuel sources and use them efficiently for energy is called metabolic flexibility.

Question 12

What is metabolic flexibility?

Answer 12

footnote

The body’s ability to adapt to changes in metabolic demand (and switch to different fuel sources, i.e. fats.)

Like when you eat an apple (rich in healthy carbohydrates) versus a slab of salmon (rich in healthy fat), or when you go for 16 hours without eating and your body needs to burn fat to create fuel.

The ability to switch between these different fuel sources and use them efficiently for energy is called metabolic flexibility.

Question 13

What are some indicators that metabolic inflexibility may be sitting in?

Answer 13

Footnote

• rising blood-glucose levels
• insulin resistance
• prediabetes
• early damage to blood vessels
• abnormal lipids
• hypertension
• obesity

Metabolic flexibility exists on a spectrum, ranging from normal metabolic flexibility to in flexibility.

Question 14

What are two of the most common hormone imbalances that can make it hard to lose weight?

Answer 14

footnote

Insulin and thyroid

Insulin is debatably the worst but thyroid and sex hormones are close behind and interrelated

Question 15

What clinically qualifies as high blood pressure?

Answer 15

footnote

A systolic blood pressure greater than 120 or diastolic blood pressure over 80. I.e. > 120/80 mm Hg.

The ideal blood pressure for women aged 18 to 39 is 110/68 mm Hg. For women aged 40 to 59, it’s 122/74 mm Hg.

Question 16

What is a suitable analogy for hormones?

Answer 16

Hormones are chemical messengers that request certain functions, like stabilizing your mood, building muscle, feeling good after human connection, and feeling full after eating (or hungry if you haven’t).

Question 17

What part of the body plays the biggest role in hormone regulation?

Answer 17

footnote

The brain, particularly the hypothalamus and the pituitary gland.

Poor eating, alcohol, and stress affect how well the brain does its job.

The brain communicates with the other endocrine organs like the adrenal glands, ovaries, thyroid, and even fat.

Question 18

What are the most common endocrine disorders affecting women before menopause?

Answer 18

footnote

Problems with testosterone, insulin, and thyroid.

Then, additional shifts come with age and menopause, when women more commonly experience low estrogen, testosterone, and growth hormone.

Question 19

Which three hormones play the biggest role in the body’s fat management?

Answer 19

Growth hormone, testosterone, and insulin

Question 20

Describe the role of growth hormone in the body.

Answer 20

footnote

Growth hormone stimulates growth and cell regeneration. It builds muscle, keeps bones strong, and burns fat. It’s central to weight loss!

Growth hormone declines slowly as you age, beginning around 30, especially if you are stressed, eat carbs all day, sit too much, and don’t exercise enough.

Question 21

Describe the role of testosterone in the body.

Answer 21

footnote

Testosterone is a multitasking hormone in women, involved in keeping metabolism strong and libido healthy; building muscle and burning fat. it can also boost your mood and sense of confidence.

Testosterone declines in your 30s but drops more precipitously in perimenopause and menopause.

Question 22

Describe the role of insulin in the body.

Answer 22

footnote

Insulin regulates the amount of glucose in your blood.

When the pancreas detects that too much glucose is in the bloodstream, insulin signals muscles, the liver, and other tissues to absorb and converted to energy. If you eat excess carbohydrates or don’t manage stress well, insulin becomes blocked and glucose rises in the blood and at high levels it can be toxic.

Question 23

Growth hormone is a component of the hormonal switch between burning glucose and burning fat. Why does this switch sometimes get stuck to the “store fat” position?

Answer 23

The body perceives too much stress due to deadlines, restricted calories or other famine signals, over-exercise, insufficient sleep, or toxins.

Question 24

What are some ideal sources of protein?

Answer 24

footnote

• Whey protein shakes
• Grass-fed beef
• SMASH fish (salmon, mackerel, anchovies, sardines, herring)
• Pastured eggs and chicken

Pastured livestock eats natural food and grass, and not grains, which cause inflammation .

Question 25

What are some ideal sources of healthy fats?

Answer 25

• Omega 3 fatty acids
• SMASH fish
• Flaxseeds
• Macadamia nuts
• Avocado
• EVOO (uncooked)