Tune in for this fascinating conversation on food, hormones, and gut health, and how they are intimately related, with Dr. Amy Shah.

Episode Highlights

• The telltale sign before disease: inflammation  Oftentimes, people come to Amy with inflammation and seemingly minor health concerns – like digestive issues, food intolerances, hormonal imbalances, etc – and in western medicine they are are often ignored. The problem is, if not managed through diet and lifestyle, they often progress into more serious disease.
• Why you should still go to the doctor at least annually, even if you’re scared of them OR think you’re really healthy. 
• How Food, Gut Health, and Hormones are intimately connected. If you
• Worst foods for hormones/gut health: sugar is a drug and this is the worst food for your health. If you’re trying to balance your hormones, you should avoid all refined sugar all together. Dairy, gluten and grains can also be problematic. Many people with hormonal imbalance will see a large improvement by taking them out
• The most common food allergens: sugar, wheat, dairy, soy, peanuts, shellfish, tree nuts, corn, and eggs.
• If you have estrogen dominance – be careful of your exposure to plastic, which is seemingly everywhere – from food packaging, to beverage bottles, to personal care products, to our general environment.
• Besides food, what are non-food factors that impact hormones? There are so many chemicals in our environment, and many of the common ones can negatively impact the hormones.
• The connection between emotions and thoughts and hormonal imbalances. 
• What is the gut brain axis and why is it important?  
• Why you’re going to want to get to yoga class, stat. Yoga helps move and drain your lymph system, and the lymph system is the direct connection between our gut and our brain.
• Your gut will not work if you’re stressed. 
• Dr. Shah’s favorite stress relief techniques: yoga, spending time in nature, or your favorite pastime from childhood that brought you joy (singing, dancing, painting, etc).
• The “magic hour” in intermittent fasting and why Dr. Shah believes this is a under-utilized technique for better health. 
• Which types of people shouldn’t attempt intermittent fasting: pregnant women, breast-feeding women, people with a history of eating disorders, someone on the low end of the BMI scale, people with thyroid or hormone disorders.
• Water Fasting – why it is beneficial, but why it’s also dangerous and should be used with caution and absolutely must be done under guidance by a doctor.
• How the proliferation of antibiotics (in health care, in our food, etc) is messing with our gut health.
• Why vegetables are necessary for repairing gut health (and overall health!) 
• The adaptogens Dr. Shah likes to help balance the hormones: ashwaghanda and rhodiola. The problem with the rise in popularity of adaptogens, is that they are in many places in small amounts, but to be effective, they need to be in sufficient amounts and taken on a regular basis.
• why the mind-body connection is the missing key to your health