This week, Sweet Life Wellness welcomes you to learn about the different hormones that help with digestion as well as how your diet and nutrition relate to those hormones. Though hormones are small and often overlooked, they are extremely important to weight loss as well as weight management. As we continue in our journey together of positive relationship with food and healthy eating patterns DC Metro Area Dietitian Kay Loughrey hopes that this information on hormones and nutrition will help you as you pursue a happy and healthy life!
Some of the main hormones involved in the digestion process, gastrin, ghrelin, and leptin can all be affected by the foods that you consumer. Gastrin is a hormone that is responsible for digestion going smoothly. Ghrelin is the hormone that will tell your brain when you are hungry. Leptin is the hormone that signals when you are full. Each of these hormones, if not functioning properly, can impact weight loss as well as weight management, so it is important to be aware of how hormones can be balanced by the foods you eat as well as how they can be “interrupted.” A hormone balance occurs when the hormone is acting in a normal way and a hormone interruption occurs when something stops the hormone from acting in the way that it should.
Studies have shown that the foods we ingest do indeed signal certain hormones in our bodies connected to metabolism and weight fluctuation. One’s intake of foods (their personal daily nutrition) has been said to act as a signal to the body’s hormones, causing either weight loss or weight gain depending on the type of food consumed. Knowing this, we can begin to shift our thinking about the foods we eat when we consider how the food directly interacts with our hormones. It is also important to remember that there are other factors besides diet and nutrition that impact weight loss and weight management, such as lifestyle, sleeping patterns, chronic diseases, or other medical concerns.
Hormones may be small, but they are far from insignificant! This is especially true in regard to weight loss and weight management. As you continue growing in your healthy lifestyle habits, remember to consider the foods you are eating and follow the tips below to avoid hormone disrupting foods and look for hormone balancing foods!
Hormone Disrupting Foods
- Unwashed fruits and vegetables due to pesticides and insecticides
- Eggs with chemical pollutants
- Certain fish from Malaysian bodies of water
- Pesticide residues in green tea
Hormone Balancing Foods
- Protein foods – decreases hunger hormone ghrelin and increases leptin, a hormone that helps signal when you are full
- Low-sugar foods – high intake of sugars causes insulin resistance, which can harm weight loss and weight management
- Healthy fats – assist with insulin resistance and hunger cues
- High fiber foods – help with insulin resistance hormone issues and can also help you feel full for longer
Learn more about weight loss and weight management in another Sweet Life Wellness blog here.
Resources
National Center for Biotechnology Information. Food as a Hormone. National Library of Medicine. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4240228/. Accessed
August 29, 2023.
MDPI. Special Issue “The Relationship between Diet and Hormones”. https://www.mdpi.com/journal/nutrients/special_issues/diet_hormones. Accessed
August 29, 2023.
National Center for Biotechnology Information. Endocrine Disruptors–‘Food’ for Thought. National Library of Medicine. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8632730/. Last updated December 1, 2021. Accessed August 29, 2023.
Gribble, F.M., Reimann, F. Function and mechanisms of enteroendocrine cells and gut hormones in metabolism. Nat Rev Endocrinol 15, 226–237 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41574-019-0168-8
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Kay Loughrey, MPH, RDN, LDN
Transformational Speaker, Breakthrough Coach, Nutritionist-Dietitian
Karis N. Hicks
North Carolina Central University
M.S. – Nutrition Studies
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