Let's talk APPETITE!
Heyyyo!
I know you're all here for hormones and fertility reasons and probably wondering why I am constantly talking about things like metabolism, thyroid, liver, minerals and now appetite.
I get it! What the heck does this have to do with getting pregnant?
Well honestly, A LOT!
Let's talk a minute to talk about what having an appetite means for our health.
HUNGER & APPETITE
Hunger is a biological symbol that we need to pay attention to and honor. Just like thirst, hunger is our body letting us know it needs more energy, particularly glucose.
Losing your appetite is a sign your body is under stress. Your hunger hormones get manipulated because your body prioritizes using its energy elsewhere. Your blood flows away from your digestive organs to other parts of the body that need it for survival.
Let's stop for a second and think about our pets or our kids. If they aren't eating throughout the day or all of a sudden skip a meal we are like “omg they're sick or something is wrong" We are quick to try all the things to get them to eat or seek out medical help if they don't eat for long time.
But as adults, we might go all day without feeling hunger and skipping meals without a thought in the world about it. Some people even applaud it. “I'm not even hungry until the afternoon” UMMMM that means your running on stress hormones!
Quick recap… our body needs and prefers glucose as its energy source. We need to maintain this glucose supply with food throughout the day to keep blood sugar levels stable and provide energy for our cells. Our liver will store extra glucose for later use in the liver. But in the world we live in, where we overburden our liver with toxins, it often doesn't store glucose as adequately as it should. Even so, when we don't eat often or upon waking our liver has to dip into these stores. Eventually, we use up all of the stored glucose. Now what?
Well our body goes through a process called gluconeogenesis. This is a metabolic pathway in which the body (liver) makes glucose from non carb sources. These sources might be free fatty acids, amino acids, or other compounds. The way our liver gets these compounds is by the body releasing cortisol and breaking down our organs, tissues and muscles.
We quite literally begin eating our own body for energy. This process is very stressful on the body and creates inflammation. It is also not metabolically supportive. It also leads to appetite suppression because the body is not going to prioritize digesting food when it is trying to keep us alive and being forced to make its own energy.
So the big question… how does this impact hormones / fertility?
Well… our liver is responsible for regulating the balance of our sex hormones including detoxing and ridding the body of excess. When we are overburdening our liver by asking it to make energy for our body it cannot do this well.
Our liver is also responsible for converting thyroid hormone which is the conductor of our metabolism. Everything SLOWS down when the thyroid and metabolism are slow and our body is no longer going to prioritize reproductive health. It's simply trying to keep you alive.
When we are skipping meals, limiting carbs, not eating upon waking we are creating a consistent stressed state for our body. This leads to blood sugar imbalances which can impact our insulin sensitivity (hello insulin resistance… hello pcos) and wreak havoc on our hormones. Remember ovulation is a very nutrient needed process and if we are under eating or not getting those nutrients.. we simply won't ovulate. Also living in a stressed state is going to decrease our progesterone and increase our estrogen.
Ok, so now that we've established you need to have an appetite, what do we do if ours is long gone?
YA JUST GOTTA EAT!
Yes, unfortunately the only way to rebound your appetite is to balance your blood sugar & suppress stress hormones.
So what does this look like? EATING! Yes, even if you aren't hungry you have to eat!
NUTRIENT FOUNDATIONS
Nutrient foundation #1
Eat within 30 mins of waking… no coffee is not breakfast!
Nutrient foundation #2
Eat every 3-4 hours
Nutrient foundation #3
Eat a protein, carb and fat with each meal and snack
Nutrient foundation #4
Eat enough! You are not a toddler. You need more than 1200 calories!
Nutrient foundation #5
Prioritize nutrient dense, easily digestible foods
Your appetite will come back once you start nourishing your body. You may have to manually manage blood sugar for a bit (by eating on a schedule) but your appetite will come back when the liver is refueled and the stress hormones are at bay.
Remember, our body will never prioritize making a baby when it's just trying to keep itself alive.
NOURISH YO SELF LADIES :)
TILL NEXT TIME…
xoxo, Meghan
