Hello, and welcome to the podcast. I’m excited to have today’s guest, Stefanie Adler, on the show to share her knowledge and wisdom with us. We have an amazing conversation about digestive symptoms and the connection between your gut and hormones. I hope you stick around for this one episode as you will learn so much about all things female cycle syncing, digestive symptoms and fatigue; we really dive deep into these topics today.
Let’s delve in!
In this Episode You’ll Learn:
[00:56] Who Stefanie Adler is.
[02:47] Stefanie’s struggle with hormonal imbalance and digestive distress
[03:48] Reason why Stefanie went all the way to acquire a degree in nutrition
[13:10] Why Stefanie felt in love with the female body
[05:50] Why you may have differences in your digestive symptoms during different times of your cycle.
[ 07:31] A quick fix to feeling bloated before your period
[09:04] Microbes that metabolize estrogen and can also lead to other digestive differences.
[09:57] How energy affect female cycle
[11:12] The different phases of the female cycle
[18:05] A little bit of how estrogen and progesterone can have an effect of digestive symptoms, energy and bloating
[18:41] What’s normal and what’s not normal during your periods
[22:47] Core principles that are important to clients struggling with digestive and hormones /Why pooping problems become period problems
[ 23:38] The role stress plays on our hormones
[24:34] A Little bit about estrogen metabolism
[27:29] Actionable wins and how to support estrogen metabolism
[30:30] Stefanie’s favorite way to love her gut
Quotes:
- “So, the more cooked leafy greens you eat during that second half of your cycle, the less bloating you’re going to have before your period [07:30]
- “The 28 day is the average. And if you have a 32-day cycle or a 26-day cycle, there is nothing wrong with you, that is totally fine.” [11:30]
- “Our period is like the most visible sign of our cycle, ovulation is so much more important, like it’s the whole point of why this whole cycle happens,” [15:05]
Hey, welcome to the love your gut podcast. I’m your host, Dr. Heather Finley, I know what you’re thinking, how am I supposed to love my gut when all it does is hold me back. I thought the same thing before I found relief from my own gut health issues. I dedicated my life to getting into the bottom of my own gut issues, so I can help women just like you transform theirs. Now, I’m here to guide you through your own gut health journey. We do this through identifying your root causes and making sustainable and transformative changes. As a result, you can unleash your true potential. My goal is to empower you with the information and tools you need to love your gut so it loves you back right here on this podcast. Hello, and welcome to the next episode of the love your gut podcast. I am so honored to be joined today by Stephanie Adler. Stephanie Adler is a certified nutrition consultant, women’s hormone and fertility expert and wellness coach. Her practice focuses on supporting those with cycling bodies in balancing their hormones, healing their guts and all things baby making. She is immensely passionate about giving women the knowledge and tools they need to thrive in the modern world. She’s recently created a certificate training program to help other coaches do the same. When she isn’t supporting clients, you can find Stephanie on a pottery wheel making Moon mugs and hiking or reading a historical fiction novel novel. I am so grateful to be joined by Stephanie and I know that you’re gonna love this interview, she talks not only about digestive symptoms, and the connection between your gut, but also some really practical actionable tips that you can actually add into your day to day life so that you can not only support your gut, but you can also support your hormones. So here we go.
Welcome, Stephanie. I am so glad that you’re here. And I’m so excited to talk to you. We’ve been following each other for a while we connected through some mutual friends and connections on Instagram. And I’m so excited to talk to you about all things cycle thinking and digestive symptoms, and all the things that so many women struggle with energy and fatigue and all that. So I’d love for you to just introduce yourself, tell us a little bit about you what you do. And then we’ll kind of jump into some questions. And if anyone here is live, if you have questions, feel free to pop them in the chat and we will answer them.
Yeah, totally awesome. Heather. So happy to be here. And so excited to talk about this really important topic. For those of you who I haven’t met yet. My name is Stephanie Adler, I’m a holistic nutritionist by training. And through my own journey is struggle with not only hormone imbalance, but also a lot of digestive distress my entire life. My mom jokes that I like, was the gaseous most miserable baby that ever was, like the time I was. Yeah, I feel like and now you know, just understanding so much more like makes a lot of sense why it was like that as a baby. And that’s like a whole separate other topic, but really was unwell for a lot of my life. And when doctors really couldn’t help me and figure out what was going to be a solution for me other than medicine long term, I decided to take matters into my own hands from a really young age and change my diet, despite all of them saying it wouldn’t help and it turned, you know, through in three months symptoms I’ve been having for 13 years went away. And it just like really, really woke me up to how food can be medicine or food can be a catalyst for dis ease in the body. And so I got I went a roundabout way of going and getting a nutrition degree, my mom said I should do it. Like when I graduated high school and I was like shut up Mom, you don’t know anything about me because you’re 17 your mom can’t know anything about you. But of course she was right all along. And so I ended up going back for a second degree in nutrition. And when I was in school for nutrition, I fell in love with the female body. I just be you know, through getting off the birth control pill, which I had been on for 10 plus years for reasons that had nothing to do with contraception at the time, really came back to myself after getting off of the pill and learned so much about how incredible and magical female bodies are and also how disconnected we’ve become in our society from what actually makes us work. And so coming back to that was a really, really powerful experience for me. And so while I was in school, I decided to specialize in everything from preconception care all the way through baby’s first foods. And there my love of gut health and hormone balance and fertility all kind of came together. And so now I help women thrive in the modern world by helping them get control of their lives through balancing their hormones and just coming back to their bodies.
I love it. stories are so similar. My mom actually also told me my senior year of high school that I should study nutrition into her. So that was, that was a positive but like, you can’t study nutrition in college, it’s like, that’s not a thing. And she’s like, yes, it is. So, like, midway through my senior year, like totally pivoted, I was planning on becoming a teacher and totally pivoted. So I love that we have that in common.
Yeah, to your mom, that’s really if you get anything from this podcast, it is to call your mom and tell her she was right about something. Give her that satisfaction!
Yeah. So let’s just like kick it off by Can you tell me or tell the listeners? Why you would maybe have differences in your digestive symptoms during different times of your cycle? Why is that?
Yeah, it’s a great question. And the fact of the matter is, is gonna vary person to person quite a little bit. But there are a few things that are, you know, the overarching, like, why, you know, a question I get all the time and I feel like I’m safe to say all this on this page, but like, what are period poops? You know, and like, you know, things like that, which are like these big questions that every woman has or like, is wondering about, but sometimes feels too afraid to ask about. And so, you know, a lot of people have experienced that, right? Like, why do I have diarrhea when I’m on my cycle.
And oftentimes, that’s because of a hormone or a hormone like substance called prostaglandins, which basically is a response to inflammation. It’s also why you can sometimes have period cramps. And it’s really common in today’s day and age, especially as so many of us are inundated with vegetable oil, seed oils, other inflammatory substances in our day to day in our day to day, Environment, Food when we eat out wherever that might be. Another reason why our digestive system might change a little bit during our cycle is because of progesterone.
So if you’ve ever hung out with one of your pregnant friends, and she’s complaining about how she’s really constipated, oftentimes, it’s because progesterone, pro gestation, it’s the pro gestation hormone, can sometimes lead to a little bit of constipation. And so in the second half of our cycle, when your body after you ovulate starts producing progesterone, a lot of us might have a little bit of that backed up effect. It also might be why you feel bloated before your period, and everything as it relates to that whole digestive area.
A really simple, easy fix for that, just to you know, I love a good quick win is eat more cooked leafy greens. So the more cooked leafy greens you eat during that second half of your cycle, the less bloating you’re going to have before your period. And all that insoluble fiber can really help get things moving on progesterone has really put the stops on, you know, poop
Yes, period poops and constipation around her cycle is a very common thing. And I wish it was talked about more, because you’re right, I think so many women are curious about that and wonder like, what do I do about this and but are too ashamed maybe to ask. So this is a free space, anyone can ask that because it is your normal bodily function. And so it’s good to have information about how to empower yourself to you know, move through some of the symptoms. So that’s really helpful. So your cycle can definitely affect how you are experiencing digestive symptoms related to progesterone. So tell us about maybe some other things that affect your cycle? How does like, how is energy affected? How is she maybe stress affected? And why did we maybe just as females feel different at different times of our cycle? Totally.
And actually, before we get to this question, I just like had a really a like, abstract thought to talk about digestion really quickly, and want to go back to that very briefly, because I just had this like, really fun aha moment in my head. But basically, and think that it’s gonna be really interesting to everyone. So basically, also, one thing to add is there’s an entire, everyone’s familiar with the microbiome at least a little bit, right? We’ve all been like, take your probiotics, everyone knows there’s a little bit about like gut bacteria. What does that mean?
Well, there’s a whole community of microbes in your gut that are called the estrobolome, okay, they’re like a community of microbes. And their job is to metabolize estrogen.
And so when the first half of your cycle, when your body is producing more estrogen than it is going to be a little bit later on, where it’s just the ruling hormone, it’s kind of a good way of thinking about it. That estrogen or if you’re taking birth control, and having estrogen or interact in the gut that way can really influence the microbiome that is struggle on, which then can also lead to other digestive differences. And so just like a little bit, if you’re sitting here being like, wait, but it’s not just right before my cycle, and it’s not just while I’m on my cycle, there could be that whole other component. I just kind of had that like fun. Oh, there’s another way in my head. I wanted to share that. Hi. And so let’s talk a little bit about energy. I mean, it’s Everything, like, truly, we could talk about this for seven hours and it wouldn’t be enough. Of course, we’re gonna get into it a little bit today. But ladies, if you are not cycling, forming your life if you’re like, okay, like what is a luteal phase? What is a follicular phase you are missing out on this incredible superpower this biohacking amazing ball of like a wonder that you could just be tapping into. And, you know, it’s such a shame that we’re not taught about it earlier on because you can use this to biohack your energy for spending time with your kids and taking care of your family, for your business for work for self care. I mean, truly, it can impact every single aspect of your life. And so I think sometimes the best way to really like go into that is like kind of pick one of these bigger categories that feels like most resonant or relevant to our lives and kind of look in like, oh, okay, like over the course of my cycle. How is this playing into a role? Or, like, how is this affecting the way I play a role in this area of my life?
Yeah, so some people might not know what a luteal phase is. So before we even really kind of get into anything else, can you explain the different phases of the cycles, just so everyone can kind of understand a little bit more about the, the 28 ish day cycle for many women?
Yeah, I would love to. So yeah, let’s do it. So just for reference, like the 28 day is the average. And if you have a 32 day cycle or a 26 day cycle, there is nothing wrong with you, that is totally fine. So typically, you know, once we go past 35 days, that’s when we start thinking like, oh, okay, maybe she’s not ovulating. Like, that’s when we start to think that it’s out of the side of that normal range. But the numbers and days that I give you right now, if it feels a couple of days off for you like that, you’re totally fine. It doesn’t mean anything’s necessarily wrong. So let’s break it down phase by phase. So first, we’re gonna start with our menstrual phase. And we’re gonna start with this one, because it’s most obvious, right? Most of us are pretty familiar with what is happening when we’re bleeding out of our vagina. And so this phase is typically three to five, three to six days. And is I actually, if anyone’s familiar with like, Elissa videos work, I actually use different seasons when I talk about it. So if you’re listening to this, and you’re like, wait, but she says it’s winter, and Stephanie says it’s fall, it doesn’t really matter, I think might make a lot more sense. But it’s like I have mad respect for the woman.
So I want you to think about this as like your autumn, right? Like the shedding of the lining the shedding of your little leaves. And it’s really an opportunity to like, start to go inward, and like really start that hibernation process, and like getting ready for winter feeling. You know, warm soups, warm stews, these like warming foods are going to feel really good.
You know, I always say to people, like, what do you do if you’re in pain, like for your period, you want a heating pad, right? So we almost want to create that environment internally, like really warming spices, warming foods, is going to serve you so much and having a pain free period. So anyways, that’s the menstrual phase, pretty easy to design, then we move into the follicular phase. And technically, the menstrual phase also encompasses the follicular phase. So if you’re talking to a doctor about this, and they’re like, hey, you know, like, that doesn’t make sense. It’s okay, the whole first half is the follicular phase. And that’s fine. But from an energetic perspective, we really think about this from anywhere from like day three to day 11 ish of your cycle.
Okay, this is a time of a lot of clearness, a lot of like levelheadedness hormone levels are relatively low, but estrogen is going to start rising. And as estrogen rises, I think of estrogen is your fun aunt estrogen, she comes to town and she’s like, do you wanna go get your nails done and like, let’s go do a fake ID, let’s go dancing and like talk to boys. She’s like, very like fun.
And it makes you want to be outgoing and do things that are maybe a little bit outside of your comfort zone. So as she’s rising over the course of this week, you’re starting to be more outgoing, you’re starting to have more energy, you might start to be able to increase your workout intensity, more. Some clues that you can look at for how you know how do you know what phase you’re in with this one is your cervical mucus. So if you’ve ever like had the sensation of like when you go to the bathroom, and you wipe and it kind of feels like a slip and slide, if you actually are you see discharging your panties, that’s actually a really helpful indicator of where you’re at in your cycle. So over the course of this follicular phase, it’s probably going to look like maybe a little bit lotion or milky and especially as you get closer to ovulation, which comes next it’ll start to get a little bit more clear and a little bit more stretchy.
So everyone, like start paying attention to your cervical mucus, because it’s gonna give you so much insight into your cycle.
And then why that’s called the follicular phase is because of follicular which will mature into an egg is that’s what it’s doing. It’s maturing. And then when we go into ovulation phase, which is spring, it’s time to bloom right? What is the main event of the trees, right? It’s not when the leaves are falling off. It’s when the first blossoms are blooming and getting ready to be fertilized before they turn into fruit. So while actually, our period is like the most visible sign of our cycle, ovulation is so much more important, like, it’s the whole point of why this whole cycle happens, right? So we can reproduce. And so moving into that phase, this egg has decided like, Okay, I’m the most mature one, I’m the best pick, let me like go out into the world and like hope to be fertilized. And so your fallopian tube like goes and scoops it up, waits and it like sits to receive sperm or not, and then it disappears and you know, 12 to 24 hours. So your fertile window is actually technically only 12 to 24 hours. But because of that amazing cervical fluid we talked about before, you’re actually getting you know, a five or six day period where you can get pregnant because egg white cervical fluid, it looks like the white of an egg, not like the outside color white of an egg can preserve that sperm until you ovulate, which is really awesome.
So yeah, this part of our cycle, it’s like we’re the our most outgoing, most energetic, like estrogen is like, on, you know, her best behavior. And like everything is just so fabulous. We’re also getting a spike of testosterone right now, which makes us a little runny. And like, why would that be happening? Because again, we’re fertile our body wants us to reproduce.
And then after all this happens, we go into summer, the luteal phase. But this is not like oh my god, I just graduated from college summer, like the most fun summer ever. This is like grandma came to town summer, and she wants to stay home with us and bake cookies. And she wants to rub our backs before bed and like make sure we don’t feel anxious and that we like sleep well. And she doesn’t want us talking to strangers that she wants his home by 10. Like that is the vibe of your luteal phase. If you’ve ever had the feeling where you’re like, your closet has just been a nightmare for weeks. And one day you look at it and you’re like, I can’t take this anymore. I have to organize this like, this is what I have to do today. It’s that nesting. It’s that luteal brain, which makes you a little bit more aware a little bit more critical, a little bit more anxious, but also really like more attentive to details and able to organize things more. So there’s definitely a superpower in that too. Sometimes this is Miss defined as a PMS phase. And anyone who’s ever had a bad PMS knows why. But PMS is common, not normal. And that’s typically a sign that your estrogen and progesterone are out of whack. And so again, like funny and estrogen can easily turn into crazy and estrogen with a few too many drinks. And then like she’s the one that you’re putting in a cab home from Thanksgiving, like oh God, not again. And then you also have grandma progesterone, who’s like, I don’t even know what to do with my daughter who’s crazy and estrogen. And when they’re not in harmony, when they’re not imbalanced, that’s when we end up with a misdiagnosed or a misclassified. I rather luteal phase. So that’s a little breakdown of the phases with some fun characters that hopefully you’ll remember.
That is amazing. I’ve never heard it described that way. And I will never think of it the same again. So tell us a little bit about how crazy aunt estrogen and grandma progesterone and all these characters can actually then also have an effect of digestive symptoms, energy, bloating, etc, you’ve kind of alluded to some of that, but what’s normal and what’s not normal, I think would be helpful for people to know.
Totally. And, you know, this is, honestly, I think, the most shocking bit because for a lot of us, this has been normalized our entire lives, you know, you might have even been taught to you when you were 12. Like, it’s normal for you to have painful periods, it’s normal to have cramps, it’s normal to break out before your bleed, like we’ve just normalized these things. And so sometimes there can be like a little bit of like mourning almost that comes along with hearing that some of these things are not normal, but are common. And so if that’s true for anyone here, like you’re not alone in that my love. So some things that are common, but not normal, as I mentioned, painful periods. And that could be in the form of migraines that could be in the form of cramps that could be in the form of, you know, intense bleeding or diarrhea or whatever it is that might come up with your period. I like to say that, you know, your uterus whispering to you like a slight awareness that like something’s happening there is within the scope of normal, you know, I’ve definitely experienced many, many times in my life, like the total pain free period, and it is 100% possible and a beacon for all of us.
And that doesn’t mean if you have like, you know, a few twinges here and there and like you’re aware of your uterus at that time that that’s abnormal, but anything that would require you to want to take you know, any sort of anti inflammatory medication, anything that would want you know, prevent you from doing any of your day to day activities is definitely not normal. Bloating, bloating before your period. Again, a little bit of awareness totally fine, but feeling like you know, my clothes don’t fit or I only want to wear my sweat pants, not normal. Breaking out before your bleed very heavy periods is one that I see a lot of people who just come to me and like think it’s totally normal to be bleeding this much, you know, 40 to 80 milliliters, which if you’re using a menstrual cup, it’s really much easier to see how much you’re actually bleeding. And so I highly encourage everyone to at least try it for a cycle or two. So you can get an accurate read on how much you’re bleeding is not normal.
And also, on the flip side, very light cycles are not normal. And this is something that I have experienced a lot with my fertility clients. And so I really want to raise a little bit of awareness around because so often, especially when we’re using tampons or pads, it’s really hard to see how much we’re actually bleeding. And after being on birth control for a long time, which actually does light in your period, which everyone is like, Oh, great, like I doing this, because it gives me a lighter bleed, even Asana actually a period. A lot of times that’ll stick around. And so what we’ll see a lot of times is that people are able to get pregnant, but they’re not actually able to carry that pregnancy to full term because that uterine lining isn’t getting big enough. And so a cycle that is like significantly less or less than that 40 milliliters is also not normal. So like likely the last one to two, maybe, you know, on the light side, two days of bleeding one day of spotting three days, sometimes we need to look at that as well. Severe PMS, like again, a little bit of tenderness, like thinking like, Oh, that’s sweet, and like I kind of want to tear off but that that’s okay. But like feeling intense mood swings, a lot of irritability, also, feeling like a deep sadness that can come two weeks before your period that like goes away once you start bleeding. Not normal, either. I think PMDD is like very, very under diagnosed, and typically is a symptom of blood sugar Miss dysregulation, which is really interesting. But anyway, so a lot of this the like, normal period stuff is actually not that normal.
Yeah, yeah, that’s really helpful. And I think like you said, a lot of it has been normalized. And so a lot of times people just think, Oh, well, this is just that time of the month. And this is how I feel. And it’s just gonna suck for a couple of days. But the reality is, it doesn’t have to. So on that note, I know and you know that digestive symptoms and hormone symptoms are kind of go hand in hand, like it’s, a lot of times people present with both, maybe one stronger than the other. But in your opinion and your experience working with clients. What do you feel like some of the foundational habits are like, what are the foundational kind of core principles that you say are so so important for these clients? Whether they’re struggling more like on the digestive and or hormone it? Yeah.
That’s a good question. I mean, the here’s the thing that I experienced the most is that pooping problems become period problems, right. And so one of the like, most typical, like, one of the biggest things I look for when I’m working with someone on their hormones, is like, where’s the inflammation, and where’s the inflammation coming from, and nine out of 10 times, it has to do with the gut. And then like, also, we layer in stress, and we know how connected your gut and your brain are, right? Like, whoever’s get that gotten the, you know, experience of like butterflies in your stomach, like you are actually feeling it in your gut. When you have IBS, one of the most common medications they give you is like low grade antidepressants, right, because it’s the same similar type of cells. And so when we layer in the stress component, but then we also recognize how stress plays such a taxing role on our hormones. It’s like we’re in this menage a trois, you know, like this whole like system that can’t break free, unless there’s like a clear like, Okay, we kind of have to just like, get in and work at all of them at the same time, right? It’s not like, Oh, I’m going to address your hormones, or we’re going to address your stress, or we’re going to address your gut. It’s like one big picture. So I think the foundation is really not singling out any system. And looking at your whole body your whole life holistically. And recognizing that what you do to support your gut is supporting your hormones, which is going to hopefully support your stress and vice versa.
Absolutely. I like how you described it like this Menage a trois, like it’s so true. And pooping problems do become period problems. And some of that actually is related also to estrogen metabolism as well. So do you want to talk a little bit about that?
Sure. I’d love to. I mean, because this is, I think one of the most common things that I see in my practice, and a lot of times, you know, again, everything turns into something else. And so sometimes we have to go like a few layers upstream to really find the source of what’s going on. But basically, and like a really simple way to explain it is you produce estrogen every day. Okay, so like that’s happening. You’re producing your daily dose of estrogen, plus blood Playa in a modern lifestyle, okay, every alcoholic drink you drink could be anywhere from five to 15% increase in estrogen in your body on a given per drink. So like let’s say you go out for happy hour, that’s three drinks that’s like 15 to 35% more estrogens floating around in your body. Maybe you drink out of a plastic water bottle at the conference you were at, there’s like a little bit of estrogen coming in there someone sitting next to you with some perfume, right, we have all of these other sources of Xeno estrogens, meaning fake estrogens that your body sees and processes is like you look like an estrogen. But I saw a process you like one even though I’m not exactly sure what you are. So we end up with a lot of estrogen. But then we’re constipated. And the way that our body is supposed to processes estrogen, right, it’s supposed to metabolize it, send it to the liver, the liver is supposed to basically neutralize it, send it back through the bile to the stool to be excreted. But if you don’t have a bowel movement within that time period of when it’s supposed to like leave your body, you essentially reabsorb it, and it goes through this process all over again.
So then we end up in a situation where so many modern modern women have yesterday’s estrogen, today’s estrogen, the Xeno estrogens, you know, the estrogens that they’re creating more in their body. And then we’re just like in this negative in this feedback loop that again, is really, really challenging to get out of. And this will typically is where like the pooping problems become the period problems, because when we have too much estrogen by default, what usually happens is then we don’t have enough progesterone.
Estrogen and progesterone are two sides of the same coin, or, yeah, opposite sides of the same point. And so what’s why we say balance your hormones as opposed to like fix or heal or whatever it is because it is a balancing act. And so a lot of symptoms, you know, that we’ll see have too much estrogen can be as severe as endometriosis, you know, really severe migraines, things like that. On a lower level, it can be like really painful periods, lots of acne, trouble losing weight, different things like that.
Yeah, so it can just be the super vicious cycle. So to kind of wrap up and just give some actionable wins, like you said, like quick wins at the beginning, where if someone’s experiencing period problems because of pooping problems, where does one start? Or what are some things that they can slowly start to implement in their daily life to help not only improve their gut health, but also as a result improve their hormones? Totally.
Yeah, let’s talk ultimately, briefly touch on what you can do to specifically support that estrogen metabolism because that can kind of help break us out of that negative vicious cycle. So a couple things you can do food wise for that is you can one eat more fermented foods, okay, those probiotics are really supportive of that strobe alone, like we talked about, which really helps your body metabolize those estrogen.
So that’s like an easy thing a forkful a day. You can also eat raw carrots, there’s the fiber and raw carrots and helps your body metabolize excess estrogens. And also cruciferous veggies or veggies that are high in substance called dim, you can also take them as a supplement. But I do think that food first is an awesome way to go. So just like a, you know, cup cooked of cruciferous veggies that could be bok choy, that could be cabbage, that could be cauliflower or broccoli, I mean, that whole family is really great. And by doing that, you can just start to help your body produce that estrogen load. Another thing that you could start doing as a lifestyle side is like castor oil packs, Epsom salt baths, things that are going to help your liver, clear some of that excess estrogen out and just like create more space for your liver to do its job.
And then on the gut side. I mean, I think there’s a lot a lot there. And it depends, you know, a little bit on like, what any given person’s specific, you know, gut issues might be, but I think that, you know, navigating and work and or working with a practitioner or like figuring out what is your specific gut dysfunction if it really is like the pooping problems turning into period problems. And it might be as simple as you’re not eating enough vegetables and you’re not drinking enough water, and you’re sedentary. And so like you’re constipated, right? Like it couldn’t be as simple as that incredibly magnesium deficient 80% plus of the population is that’s really important for the way our bowel movements, regulate, you know, there’s a lot there. So it could be as simple as like, drink more water, eat word and soluble fiber and like, chew better, right, slow down your eating and Chip better. But you know, if it is something deeper, I think that like, you know, working to heal leaky gut, right, reduce inflammation, which then again, is that Menasha tois. So really like navigating and identifying what is specifically troubling you when it comes to your gut and then once you heal that it’s just going to be so much easier for the whole system to
function better. You’re right like, it could be as simple as just implementing some of these dietary and and lifestyle shifts, but for others, like your gut issue could be something really deep that you do need to explore. And it could be different for everyone. Like the reason that Mary is constipated could be completely different than the reason that Sue is constipated. So identifying your specific, unique root causes I think is really, really important. Okay, so last question, because the podcast is called the love your gut podcast. What is your favorite way to love your gut?
Good question. Think my favorite way to love my gut is going to the farmers market. And I love that. Yeah, there’s something and you know what it is like, why specifically, it’s going to the farmers market. Because when I go to the farmers market, and I know my farmer, and I know who’s growing my food, and I can ask them about the variety and what they’re using for fertilizer, I am that nerd, I promise, you know, it’s like, I then feel really comfortable, not washing that produce, and getting all of that good soil base. Do you know microbial, like I love being able to just like connect more deeply with that. And being able to eat that food. Knowing that not only is like the fiber, good for me, and the nutrients are there. But also like I’m actually eating from the earth. And I know how good that is for my gut. So find your local farmers and talk to them.
That is definitely part of our Saturday morning ritual. So I’m with you. It is so fun. And just a great way to to add new things that you wouldn’t think of, you know, whatever your farmer is growing that week is a great thing to try. So it’s a fun way to add variety as well.
I really think that for anyone who is looking to get more connected with their food, I mean, like there’s nothing better than going to the farmers market. So I love to hear that you and your family do that. And I really encourage anyone listening. Like it’s so worth it, go go. And it will totally change your relationship with your food and your life.
Literally. So before we hop off, tell everyone where they can find you and connect with you. And you guys go and connect with Stephanie on her page. And thank you so much for joining me.
We have this has been so so fun. So yeah, come hang out on Instagram. My handle is Stephanie Adler wellness, Stephanie is with an F. So that’s an important one to know. Yeah, that’s like the main place I hang out these days starting to do some stuff on tick tock. So if that’s your thing, please come help me get better at it. And yeah, that’s pretty much it.
Well, thank you so much, again for joining me. And I’m so excited for everyone to just learn so much of this conversation and talk to you soon.
Likewise, thanks so much, Heather. It was so fun being here with you and your community. You’re welcome.
Bye. Bye.
I’m giving your gut a thumbs up because you just finished another episode of the love your gut podcast. Thanks so much for listening in to this episode. I hope it was helpful. I know you feel like you’ve tried absolutely everything to get to the root cause of your gut symptoms. And if you ask me, I think it’s about time we find a long term solution. My gut Together program is a life changing program that will help you finally understand what’s going on in your gut and the steps you need to take to find relief. Visit Dr. Heather finley.co backslash gut together for more information so that you can start transforming your gut today. And as always, remember to love your gut so it will love you back
