I came across an interesting book last Spring that caught my attention. It shows how you can regain your natural energy, detox your liver, improve your gut health and find your flat tummy! All this by simply rebalancing your hormones.
After reading the book and practising its advice for a while now, here's a basic summary of what I learned and five simple steps to follow for a post-summer indulgence body reset.
Hormones regulate blood sugar levels, sleep, energy, mood and hunger—yes, I'm not talking just about oestrogen and testosterone, it is also about insulin, cortisol, serotonin, thyroid and leptin. It has been said that up to 95% of the population is affected at some point in their life from hormone imbalance. Hormones are impacted by our age, our stress levels, the food we eat and our genetics. And, they are also impacted if we indulge a bit too much!
We can’t change our age or our genetics (or our stress levels at times), but we can change what and how we eat.
Post-Summer Body Reset
As we digest different foods at different speeds, the book recommends that we maximise digestion by specific combinations of foods:
Only eat grains with vegetables
Grains take two to three hours to digest. Eat grains for breakfast or lunch so that you can use the released energy from the carbs during the day.
Only eat protein with vegetables
Protein is the most complex nutrient to digest, taking two to six hours to process. Protein and veggies are the ideal combination for dinner, as you don’t need energy from carbs during sleep.
Don’t eat protein and grains in the same meal
Eat one protein food per meal
The simpler the meal, the easier it is to digest.
Eat fruit on its own
Sugars in fruit are digested quickly (between about 20 minutes to an hour). Protein takes longer to digest. When protein and sugar are eaten at the same time, digestion is more complex and can cause a sore stomach. Only eat fruit at morning or afternoon tea (at least one hour either side of meals).
Therefore, to make it easier for you, you just need to follow these five simplified steps to construct a meal in order to get back your hormones in balance.
5 simple steps to construct a meal
Step 1.
Select a protein or grain.
Step 2.
Select several veggies.
Step 3.
Create a spice mix.
Step 4.
Choose a quality fat.
Step 5.
Make a dressing or marinade.
It’s as simple as that! Why don’t you give it a try and see whether you can reset your body?
Eat Wisely!
Sonia x
(Sourced from ‘The Australian Healthy Hormone Diet’ by Michele Chevalley Hedge. https://drronehrlich.com/018-michele-chevalley-hedge-the-australian-healthy-hormone-diet/)
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