Why do IBS symptoms seem to flare around the menstrual cycle? Why are women more likely to have IBS than men? Why do some women experience digestives problems like IBS after giving birth?
The reason is that there is a strong link between gut health and hormone health. Gut function is strongly influenced by hormonal shifts and the fluctuation of estrogen.
Estrogen dominance can cause PMS symptoms like tender breasts, cramps, heavy bleeding and mood swings. And it can also cause gut symptoms to flare.
There are many causes of estrogen dominance. Things like stress, being overweight, diet, toxins or sluggish liver function.
The hormone gut connection
Estrogen is filtered from the blood by the liver, so if the liver is sluggish and not able to do its job well, there will be more estrogen in the body.
Stress can drive hormonal imbalance, but it’s not just emotional stress that can do it. Physical stress from unstable blood sugar is also be a culprit.
Unstable blood sugar releases more cortisol into the body by activating the adrenals. This contributes to hormonal chaos. We know stress can flare IBS symptoms, this may be one reason why.
We can use food to reduce blood sugar stressors, detox the liver and escort estrogen from the body.
Plant fiber is particularly good for balancing estrogen, especially from cruciferous veggies.
Broccoli is an estrogen-balancing rock star. But those with a sensitive gut or FODMAP intolerance can react to broccoli. Most people can tolerate broccoli sprouts however (broccoli plants that are a few days old). You can easily grow your own.
The fibers and lignans from seeds are also powerful hormone balancers.
Seed cycling
Another way to balance estrogen and progesterone is with seed cycling.
This ancient practice uses ground seeds at certain times in the cycle to balance estrogen and progesterone. This will lead to fewer PMS symptoms, easier periods, better moods and fewer hormone-induced gut flares.
Pumpkin seeds, sun flower seeds, flax seeds and sesame seeds are cycled in two-week increments and act as sponges that soak up excess estrogen, helping the liver do its job.
To balance hormones with seeds, consume 1 tablespoon each of ground flaxseeds and pumpkin seeds in the first two weeks of your cycle and 1 tablespoon each of ground sesame seeds and sunflower seeds in the last two weeks of your cycle.
This will regulate estrogen in the first half of the cycle and progesterone in the last half.
Anecdotally, seed cycle has helped some women boost fertility and ease symptoms of menopause and perimenopause. It is also beneficial for PCOS, endometriosis and hormonal acne.
If you no longer have your cycle you can use the phases of the moon to time your seeds. Use the new moon to start pumpkin and flaxseeds and the full moon to switch to sesame and sunflower seeds.
Recipes for balancing hormones and blood sugar
In my Treats That Heal cookbook I’ve devoted a chapter to hormone balancing recipes.
Including a carrot salad (carrots are amazing estrogen cleansers), low sugar fat bombs (healthy fats balance hormones and blood sugar pictured below) and the recipe I am sharing here for seed cycling bon bon. A delicious way to balance your hormones.
There are also recipes to support the liver, like pesto, apple cider vinegar tonic, apple cider vinegar gummies and lemon detox shots.
How to balance blood sugar
The cookbook is full of low sugar recipes that balance protein, fat and carbs while still being fun, satisfying and stabilizing treats.
Blood sugar stability is essential for supporting the adrenals and thyroid and can stop the body’s internal stress response. When you take the body out of crisis mode it will favors sex hormones over stress hormones and help you feel balanced, happier and relieve symptoms.
Too much sugar or carbs are stressful to the adrenals but so are too few carbs. This balancing act doesn’t have to be complicated. Make sure to eat regular meals that are a mix of protein, fat and carbs. Reduce sugar and swap refined and simple carbs (breads, pasta, crackers, sugary cookies) for healthier, fiber rich versions. A lightly sweet spaghetti squash porridge would be a much healthier choice for breakfast than oatmeal.
My cookbooks show how to enjoy the sweet things in life without throwing yourself into hormonal chaos.
You can have your cake and heal your gut too.
This seed cycling recipe will start you on the right track.
Seed cycling bon bons
Enjoy a fun, tasty, convenient way to balance hormones with fiber, good fat, protein and healthy carbs.
Ingredients
1 cup of melted coconut butter
1 cup of nut or seed butter (use sunflower or pumpkin seed butter or your favorite nut/seed butter)
2 Tablespoons of melted coconut oil
1 Tablespoon of honey or maple syrup
Optional: 1 Tablespoon of collagen for leaky gut repair and extra protein
For the first two weeks add in
1 Tablespoon of ground pumpkin seeds into each bon bon
and
1 Tablespoon of ground flax seeds in each bon bon
For the last two weeks add in
1 Tablespoon of ground sesame seed flour into each bon bon
and
1 Tablespoon of ground sunflower seeds into each bon bon
Optional topping: Carob fudge
½ cup of carob powder
½ cup of coconut
¼ teaspoon of vanilla powder or extract
2 Tablespoons of non dairy milk (coconut, almond or your favorite milk)
1 teaspoon of honey or maple syrup
¼ teaspoon each of cinnamon, ginger, cardamom and vanilla or pumpkin pie spice
How to
In a bowl mix nut butter and melted coconut butter.
Melt coconut butter by submerging a glass jar into very hot water or scoop some out into a saucepan to melt.
Mix in melted coconut oil, sweetener and collagen if using.
In a blender, grind up ½ cup each of pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds and flax seeds.
Grind each one individually until they turn into a fine flour.
Spoon the coconut butter/nut butter mixture into muffin tin and fill each cup half way (silicon muffin tins work best for this)
Mix in 1 Tablespoon of pumpkin seed flour and flaxseed flour into each cup for the first half of the cycle.
Mix in 1 Tablespoon of sesame seed flour and sunflower seed flour into the cups for the second half of the cycle.
If using, mix ingredients of the carob fudge together in another bowl and spoon 2 teaspoons of carob fudge on top of each bon bon.
Put the muffin tins in the fridge to set for 3 to 4 hours. This should make about 12 or more bon bons.
When solid remove them from the muffin tins and store in a labelled container so you can remember which bon bons to eat when.
Enjoy one a day throughout the month.
You can double this recipe to make enough for the month and freeze half of the bon bons so they remain fresh.
Angela Privin is proof that IBS is NOT an incurable disease or a disease at all. IBS is a body out of balance. It’s an invitation for change. After solving her own IBS mystery more than a decade ago Angela trained as a health coach to help others.
Angela uses both science and intuition to help people figure out what’s out of balance in their body. She works with lab tests, dietary changes, supplementation and nervous system rebalancing. Get help rebalancing your digestive system and solving your IBS mystery here.
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