What is your Body Type saying about your Hormones?

There isn’t a one diet fits all, however there are a few really great tools to help you create a deeper understanding about YOUR body.

Is your body type; Adrenal, Thyroid, Ovary/Gonad, or Liver Type?  The first 3 types are glands that are part of our Endocrine System that secrete hormones to help your body function properly.

The Endocrine System is the collection of glands that produce hormones that regulate our metabolism, growth and development, tissue function, sexual function, reproduction, sleep, and moods. The endocrine system can get damaged by malnourishment from over consumption of sugar, low nutrient diets and exposure to toxic chemicals, which can disrupt or block glandular function.

Adrenal Type:

Adrenal body types tend to crave fatty and salty foods because these foods provide the most stimulation to the adrenal glands. When too much of these types of foods are consumed, the adrenals can become overstimulated, which can lead to weight gain. The areas of weight gain for adrenal type are triceps, lower back and mid section.

There are two adrenal glands, one located on top of each kidney, and are critically important to the human body to protect itself from the destructive effects of chronic stresses. Hormones produced by these glands help balance blood pressure and blood sugar and stimulate energy production at the cellular lever. When too much stress builds up, our fight-or-flight response kicks in, and triggers the hormone cortisol to stimulate excess fat storage around our vital organs in the core of our body.

If the adrenal glands become exhausted, the body will no longer handle stress efficiently, and cause physical, mental and emotional symptoms. Constant stress leads to poor sleep patterns, causing worry, excessive thinking, brain fog, poor memory and weight gain.

Foods to eat & self care tips for this body type are: 

1. Engage in relaxing activities such as; meditation, yoga, and deep breathing exercises.
2. Add in parsley, raspberry, Celtic sea salt, kelp, seaweed, Omega 3’s.
3. Add in Magnesium at night. 
4. Take Digestive enzymes with meals
5. Get regular, quality sleep without electronics. 

Thyroid Type:

Thyroid types tend to gain weight all over, not in just one place. Besides weight struggles, those with a thyroid body type also often suffer hair loss, saggy skin under the arms, ridged nails, and loss of the outer eyebrows. They also tend to crave more simple carbs like bread, for quick energy to rev up their sluggish metabolism.

Thyroid hormones help speed up the body’s metabolism for energy production, fat burning, weight loss, mental activity, intestinal function, growth, repair of tissues, absorption of nutrients and the elimination of wastes in the body.

Symptoms of a Sluggish Thyroid:

• Cold Intolerance or Can’t Stand Sudden Temperature Change
• Hair Loss or Coarse Hair
• Dry Skin
• Lack of Interest
• Low Body Temperature
• Fluid Retention
• High Cholesterol
• Chronic Joint and Muscle Pain and Inflammation
• Gradual Steady Increase in Body Weight
• Fatigue, Sleepiness or Lethargy during the day
• Insomnia or Difficulty Sleeping Through the Night
• Poor Mental Focus
• Constipation or Sluggish Elimination

Foods to eat & self care tips for this body type are: 

1. Add protein sources: from eggs, vegetables, low-mercury fish, and monitor red meats.
2. Add in low sugar fruits: such as green apples and berries.
3. Limit refined processed carbohydrate and pasteurized dairy intake, especially in the middle of the day.
4. Eat breakfast or snack FIRST before you have coffee or tea. Try reducing caffeine intake.
5. Add herbal teas containing chamomile and peppermint and dandelion coffee.
6. Try adding in aerobic workouts such as; Yoga, Pilates, swimming and weight training.

Ovary/Gonad Type:

Ovary types tend to gain weight around the lower part of the abdomen, and can also suffer heavy periods and develop facial hair and acne, especially during that time of the month.  For men or Gonad Types, because male sex glands work closely with the adrenals, they can carry weight in his hips and thighs, and the shoulders will be smaller than the hips. He may have a “Pot belly” if overweight.

Foods to eat & self care tips for this body type are: 

These types should monitor chips, spices, heavy creams, butter, desserts, caffeine, fats, oils, pork, organ meats, sugar, ice cream and all fried foods.

1. Add in Fiber: Estrogen is excreted by the bowel; if stool remains in the bowel, estrogen is reabsorbed. Add in celery, sprouted nuts and seeds,
2. Add in freshly ground flax seeds to your diet. Flax seeds contain compounds called “lignans.” According to the Linus Pauling Institute, a health research center at Oregon State University, lignans have an “anti-estrogenic” effect, in which they interfere with the enzymes that are involved with the production of estrogen. While flax seeds have anti-estrogenic properties, they are also very high in phyto-estrogens, which are estrogens from a plant source, so you want to consume them from a food source no more than once a day.
3. Add in Strength training exercise. 
4. Detoxify your liver: Add in lemons, limes, spinach, leafy greens and Brussels sprouts to support the liver to cleanse. Also, try our 3-week RESET which we conduct two-three times a year to enhance liver function.
5. Decrease stress: Learn how to say no to excessive demands on your time.

Liver Type:

A liver type will often crave the foods that will stress the liver even more, like fatty/fried foods, chocolate or alcohol. These body types typically have thin legs and a protruding belly (called ascites), which is basically the liver leaking a plasma-like fluid into a sac just above the intestines.  This can cause a “pot belly”, due to an accumulation of fluid, not fat. There may be appearance of a roll of fat or bulging just below the rib cage.

In healthy individuals, blood sugar naturally rises in the morning because of natural hormonal changes, but after fasting overnight, liver types inevitably wake up with low blood sugar and can be irritable. They also have digestive problems such as gas and heartburn after they eat because of their sluggish digestive juices, which means food is not breaking down thoroughly, and if bile isn’t released, the person will feel unsatisfied and crave carbs for energy.

Foods to eat & self care tips for this body type are: 

1. Add in onions and garlic: they are rich in allicin that flush out the liver and the digestive tract.
2. Add in Grapefruit and lemon: either in water or add a bit with your vegetable juice.
3. Add in Green Tea especially from 1-3 pm to help support your energy and sugar cravings.
4. Add in Tumeric: It is composed primarily of a chemical known as curcumin, which helps produce bile in your liver, and is important in the detoxification process. Sprinkle on food, make golden milk (warmed almond milk with tumeric), add in juices.
5. Add in Cabbage: in the form of  kimchi, coleslaw, cabbage soup and raw sauerkraut.

You may have a combination of these body types. Be cautious of implementing too many changes at one time. ALWAYS, observe your body and see how your body responds with gentle, conscious changes.

Love your whole body,

Heather Fleming, C.C.N.