I know deep in my heart that a big part that trickled in, has absolutely been my battle with eating disorders coming and going since I was a teenager. When it really started taking over my life again and running the show, I was only about 24 years old..

This was also the time when my body said “NO MORE – I’m reserving what little energy I have left in me to preserve your vital organs and I’m not shedding any blood or allowing your reproductive hormones to work because I need to keep you alive”. And at this low-point in my life, was when I stopped having my periods all together.

I’ll be honest, being so young and not getting your period is pretty ‘handy’.. I also was in no frame of mind to truly consider whether I wanted kids or not – I didn’t have a partner at the time and I felt like I was still a kid myself. So I just went along with it. The not having your period ‘thing’ – I’m a little ashamed to say that, but it’s the truth..

Speaking the words above, I do want to sincerely emphasise the fact that is is not normal to not get your period and it should not be looked at something being ‘handy’ or convenient. We, as women, are so truly blessed with having a monthly cycle with 4 different phases that help us with so many things in life because of a ‘little’ thing called hormones.

Ultimately, hormones control the function of entire organs, affecting such diverse processes as growth and development, reproduction, and sexual characteristics. Hormones also influence the way the body uses and stores energy and control the volume of fluid and the levels of salts and sugar (glucose) in the blood. Very small amounts of hormones can trigger very large responses in the body. Which means, we really need to look after our hormones and make sure they are balanced.

Another thing I’m seeing a lot of is girls and women going on the pill in order to combat acne, period pains or balancing their hormones – can I simply ask you to consider this; you’re filling your body with synthetic hormones and the ‘bleed’ you have once a month is fake.. It’s not real. And this means you’re simply putting a band-aid on your symptoms instead of actually getting to the root-cause of your issue. I started on the pill when I was only 14 years old, but I stopped it when I was 22. I know it’s been a huge cause in some of the issues I face today, and 8 years later I’m still ‘cleaning up’ after these ‘little innocent pills’. I feel incredibly strongly about finding more natural alternatives if you’re after birth-control.

I spent almost 6 years without a period. It would come back once in 2 years and then once again 1,5 years ago.. I’m proud to say that I’ve had 3 regular periods in a row writing this and each of my cycles have been perfect at 30 days. And I cannot tell you how happy I am about this. It means that my body is starting to work again, albeit, my hormones are still very imbalanced. You know why it also came back? Because I started letting go of control of being a certain ‘size’ and gained weight. Yep, my body needed the extra bit to feel safe and for my cycle to come back. It’s not been easy, but damn has it been worth it!

The fact that my hormones are still very imbalanced means that I do suffer with a lot of symptoms, including; ovulation pain, fluid-retention, lower back pain, swelling, bloating, mood swings, period pain and more.. I also find it important to tell you that these symptoms are NOT normal – no matter how much society wants you to believe that ‘PMS’ is part of being a woman, it’s complete BS and it’s simply just your body telling you that something is wrong and you should seriously listen to it.. This means working with a practitioner (holistic & natural, I’d suggest) to figure out why you’re experiencing these symptoms. Again, don’t just pop a birth-control pill and think you’re magically solving the issue.

I know, for me, through blood-works and working with a practitioner, it’s because my body is currently recycling Oestrogen, I have no Progesterone and my gut is still working hard on repairing itself. Gut health and Hormones are directly linked to each other, so be honest with yourself about the state your gut is actually in?

It’s definitely a journey, and not one that will sort itself out tomorrow, but in the mean-time, I’ve had to look into ways in which I can help soothe these painful symptoms whenever they arise, and I’ve listed a few of them below for you:

Water Intake: I know it sounds counterintuitive, but if you, like me, have a lot of swelling and fluid-retention one of the best things you can do as well is up your water intake. Aim to get 2-3 laters a day if you can and watch your salt-intake as well as too much salt & sodium will make your body hold onto more water. Ditch the salt and use spices to make your food more tasty.

Heat-Therapy: Such an old-school trick, but it really works. Especially if you also feel yourself getting constipated from your period or in the lead up to. Use a heat pack on your lower stomach and put your legs up against the wall or on a stool and just chill for 10 minutes. Do this in the morning as you get up and at night before bedtime.

Seed-Cycling: My nutritionist got me on to this and although I already eat all of these seeds, I’m making an effort to do so in accordance with my cycle. Seed cycling is a naturopathic remedy that claims to balance hormones by regulating the hormone oestrogen in the first half of your menstrual cycle and the hormone progesterone in the second half.

You want to eat 1 tablespoon each of freshly ground flax and pumpkin seeds per day for the first 13–14 days of your menstrual cycle, which is known as the follicular phase. During the second half of your cycle (day 15 – period), which is known as the luteal phase, you will have 1 tablespoon each of ground sunflower and sesame seeds per day until the first day of your next period when your cycle starts again (your cycle starts on the first day you bleed).

Natural Pain Remedies: forget about the Panadol (it screws up my gut!), and reach for natural pain relief like Abundant Natural Health’s Topical Magnesium Gel or Spray. This product has a 1000 uses if you get creative. I rub it on my belly when I’m bloated. I use it on my lower stomach when I get period pains. I use it on my lower back when I get lower-back pain from ovulating or when I have my period. I use it on my ankles when I’m holding too much fluid and on my temples when a headache is coming on. The 100% natural magnesium helps to soothe and relax muscles so you can get on with life again, knowing that you’re taking something that is healing your body instead of medicine in which just masks the symptoms.

Use CAROLINE15 for 15% off your purchase with ANH.

Movement: Have you ever heard of the Infradian Rhythm? If not, then I urge you to look it up. The Infradian Rhythm is a cycle that lasts for longer than a 24-hour period and studies are starting to show that, we women, should actually have different routines based on our 4 different cycle phases in a month. This also means that women should strongly consider having different training routines depending on what cycle they’re in. For example, you might be well equipped to do early morning cardio or high intensity workouts during your ovulation cycle but you should incorporate more yin-practices like yoga or slow-paced pilates when in your menstrual cycle and preferably later in the morning or afternoon.

It is completely possible to balance your hormones out with a natural approach and to live without pain.
But we do have to make an effort to get to that place and there’s never been a better time to start than now.

The post GREAT NEWS; An Update On My Hormones & Period. appeared first on Anna Høgh Groth.

A lot of you have frequently asked me what I’m eating on this Gut-Health Diet I’ve been on for 2,5 weeks now, so I thought I’d share a collective look into my ‘Day On A Plate‘, but just the Gut-Health Version.

Remember that I’m working together with a qualified Clinical Nutritionist & Gut-Health Specialist on this, so if you are experiencing gut-health issues or other health issues, then I suggest you liaise with a professional first and draw inspiration from this.

Morning:

As I wake up I start my day with Raw Unfiltered Apple Cider Vinegar + 1/2 Fresh Lemon + Water & drink that before heading off to training. With me I bring a 500ml water bottle with 15ml Chlorophyll.

Breakfast is by far my favourite meal of the day, and I enjoy cooking it at home.

For breakfast I have:

• 2 free-range eggs fried in coconut oil. (If your stomach is really sensitive try to cook the white completely)
• Steamed veggies seasoned w/ salt&pepper, turmeric, flaxseed oil & pepitas/hemp seeds (zucchini, cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, asparagus, brussels sprouts, green beans)
• 1/2 avocado
• 3 roasted cherry tomatoes
• Small pieces of smoked salmon-fillet
• 1 tsp Hummus (some tummies might not like this, so be careful)

This breakfast will keep me full for about 3-4 hours, but we’re all different, so please eat when you’re hungry. Some days I’ll eat more, some days less. My aim is to eat mindfully and intuitively.

After my breakfast I have my Calcium-D-glucarate + Glutagenics + Enzymes.

Lunch:

For lunch I like to keep the majority of my plate full of vegetables and normally without animal-protein, however sometimes I do have some tinned salmon if I feel like it.

Again, I’ll try to focus on the good vegetables that I can have – I cannot have starchy vegetables or grains at the moment, so I fill up on cruciferous veggies a lot which I adore.

I like to make a stirfry of:

• 1/2 zucchini, sliced
• 3 florets of broccoli
• 3 florets of cauliflower
• 2 mushrooms, sliced
• 1/4 red capsicum, sliced
• 1/4 cup of red cabbage, sliced
• 1/4 cup of white cabbage, sliced
• 3 stalks of kale, torn
• 5 snowpeas, sliced
• Homemade Guacamole or Avocado
• Sesame Oil & Sesame Seeds
• Spices of choice
• Salt & Pepper
• Coconut Oil
• Lemon

Just add coconut-oil to a hot pan and stirfry it all until soft, but with a bite to it. Add your preferred herbs; I like turmeric for anti-inflammatory properties & fennel-seeds. Add to a bowl and sprinkle with sesame seeds, sesame oil, add avocado & lemon.

After this I’ll have another round of Calcium-D-glucarate + Enzymes.

Afternoon:

This is normally when my cravings set-in for something sweet or hearty. As I am also trying my best to cut out sugar & fructose I’m a little bit limited, however that said, if I really crave it, I’ll have something like Pineapple, an apple or a piece of 100% raw Cacao which you can get from a good health-food shop (make sure they don’t add fruit-sweetener or anything artificial)

I also like to take myself up to Orchard Street and treat myself for a cup of Raw Cacao + Espresso tonic with some herbs that’ll be made on homemade cashew & coconut milk (without any sweetener).

Sometimes I’ll make a raw cacao at home, myself. All you need is 1/2 cup of nutmilk, 1/2 cup of boiling water, 1 tbsp raw cacao, liquid stevia & 1/2 tsp maca. Heat the milk and add to a blender along with the rest of the ingredients and blend on high for 5 seconds. It’ll be nice, creamy & thick. Perfect treat to enjoy.

Night:

For dinner I keep it simple again. This diet is really about dialling it back to basics. It’s about cutting out processed & shelf-stable items that just aren’t fresh and in a whole-foods format.

I normally cook up a stirfry again or make a green salad with a piece of crispy-skin salmon or crispy-skin barramundi. I always buy fresh fish from the fish-butcher and I always buy it on the day I’ll eat it. I can also have something like tempeh, tofu, chicken or meat, but I don’t really like meat & chicken much, so I stick to fish or plant-based meals all together.

That said, I do like a bolognese sometimes, so the other night I cooked Pash and I a bolognese and made zucchini noodles instead of spaghetti as I can’t have gluten, starches or grain as I mentioned before. I am also completely dairy-free.

I always make sure I have good fats for dinner as well as I find myself being more satisfied and I sleep better without feeling heavy.

Notes:

• I add ACV to most of my meals and splash it on top of food as it helps to my digestive system break down the fibre easier.
• For snacks I also have lots of nut-butters, nuts and tahini.
• I completely avoid eating raw vegetables as its too harsh for my digestion.
• I drink chlorophyll throughout the day
• I enjoy teas like Earl Grey, Peppermint, Chamomile, Licorice etc.
• I’ve started having a tiny bit of starches like 1/4 cup of sweet potato or cooked quinoa if I really crave it.
• I incorporate lots of bitter vegetables to encourage hydrochloric acid production (stomach acid) to help breakdown the food I’m are eating for proper digestion and absorption.

You can read more about my Gut-Health Supplements here & about my ACV Ritual here.

Love, Anna xx

The post My Day On A Plate – Gut-Health Reset Version. appeared first on Anna Høgh Groth.