We were lucky enough to take 5 with Clinical Nutritionist Katherine Hay, and pick her brain on all things hormone health, gut health, and managing those pesky PMS symptoms that so many of us struggle with. Katherine is the founder of Kaptured Nutrition, a holistic health clinic specialising in gut health and female health. Katherine’s always sharing little nuggets of wisdom over on her Instagram, so be sure to give her a follow!
What products/vitamins would you recommend for women to improve hormone health?
Magnesium is a girls best friend! It’s great for women particularly experiencing PCOS, PMS, postmenopausal symptoms and mood disorders. Many studies have indicated women experiencing PMS have underlying low levels of magnesium, therefore supplementation has been found useful as a preventative and therapeutic approach to PMS. Magnesium helps soothes the nervous system and aids with sleep, helping to regulate your HPA axis (stress response) and improve the function of thyroid and insulin hormones.
Omega-3 fatty acids provides us the building blocks for making hormones that regulate inflammation, blood clotting and relaxation & contraction of artery walls – making it great for cardiovascular health! Omega-3 has also shown to help treat PMS and PCOS symptoms through reducing serum concentrations of testosterone and help regulate irregular menstrual cycles.
Low zinc is also a common feature in irregular periods and is great for PCOS and period pain. It promotes healthy progesterone and ovulation through nourishment of the ovarian follicles. Zinc is such an important mineral as it’s essential for the transport, synthesis and action of all hormones including our thyroid hormones.
Iodine is an important mineral particularly for oestrogen dominance. As well as helping to ease PMS symptoms – adequate iodine levels are essential for thyroid hormone production. Ovaries need a lot of iodine to stabilise oestrogen receptors and maintain healthy ovulation. It is also needed for metabolism and detoxification of oestrogen, helping cells become less sensitive to oestrogen. Like anything, excessive iodine intake can be problematic. It’s crucial to monitor iodine intake and dosage to prevent thyroid dysfunction and thyroid gland inflammation.
Which foods are best for improving gut health? What simple steps can women add or remove from their daily routine to improve gut health?
Optimising gut health is really about finding what best works for your unique microbiome. Fermented foods such as sauerkraut and kimchi may be nourishing and beneficial for some, though triggering and symptomatic for others. I definitely recommend working with a trusted healthcare professional that specialises in this area if you are experiencing adverse reactions and intolerances to certain foods because this is certainly not a ‘one sizes fits all’ approach!
As a general rule for gut health, removing dairy and gluten can be a good place to start. Inflammation from A1 beta-casein in normal cow’s dairy can cause metabolic suppression, lymphatic congestion, weight gain and autoimmune disease. Studies have demonstrated it can promote intestinal inflammation, which may exacerbate gastrointestinal symptoms in some people. Maintaining a gluten free diet can improve adverse gut symptoms, improve absorption of certain nutrients and keep intestinal inflammation at bay while working on the underlying cause.
For optimising gut health we want to be focusing on a colourful and diverse range of fruits and vegetables. A study of 10,000 participants conducted by The American Gut Project, found people consuming more than 30 different plant types per week had greater gut microbiome diversity, higher fibre intake and lowered risk for chronic disease. It’s true what they say – eat the rainbow!
We have found your content around blood pathology super interesting! Can you please explain what blood pathology is and why it is important for women’s health?
Blood pathology is a functional testing method I use in clinic, which analyses my patient’s blood sample. This helps me gain a deeper understanding into the root cause of my patient’s complaint by gathering crucial information on their current health status. This then leads to tailored and individualised nutritional prescriptions and treatment plans targeted to their specific complaint.
It’s so important for women to have blood check-ups especially for those experiencing any abnormal or unexpected symptoms. It’s always best to test – instead of guess! Common blood tests we cover in clinic include: full blood count, iron studies, vitamin B-12, vitamin D, folate, zinc, thyroid panel, liver function and kidney function to name a few! It’s best to address potential issues quickly and early on so deficiencies do not progress into chronic conditions or disease.
We look at out for subclinical levels in our patients results, meaning blood results that are not quite severe enough to have prominent symptoms. As a holistic practitioner, subclinical results must be addressed as my aim is to optimise my patient’s health outcomes the best I can.
Are there any foods or supplements that women can take leading up or during their period to relieve symptoms of PMS?
Iodine is particularly great for helping women with excess oestrogen featuring symptoms of ovulation pain, breast tenderness, PMS and ovarian cysts. We can gain iodine from our diet through seaweed, seafood, mushrooms and leafy greens. Magnesium is also amazing for soothing the nervous system and giving relief for patients with period pain and irritability. Food sources for magnesium include nuts, seeds and leafy greens.
Cruciferous vegetables are a wonderful food group that help the body to metabolise and detoxify hormones from our liver. Those with oestrogen dominance may particularly benefit from this! Vegetables such as cabbage, kale, broccoli and cauliflower promotes liver function through clearing out ‘used’ hormones and prevent them from being recycled back into our system. This helps to clear out excess oestrogen and reduce PMS symptoms.
There are so many diverse underlying causes for PMS. Therefore, in terms of supplements, it’s really best to seek professional health to find the root cause of your symptoms and prescribe accordingly.
It’s important to note here – your hormones themselves are not to be blamed for PMS. Oestrogen and progesterone are amazing mood and metabolism enhancers. However, too much of anything can be over stimulating for us, causing these classic PMS symptoms of breast tenderness, irritability, acne, bloating etc.
Like many of us women, you lead a busy life and lead many roles. What are some rituals that you incorporate into your life to prioritise yourself and practice self-care?
Practising self care has become more important than ever since becoming a Mum. I’ve been prioritising slow walks, yoga classes, meditation and getting outdoors with my family more. When you’re a busy Mum, it’s always hard to prioritise yourself. I find it helps starting off small, whether it’s a quick 15 minute walk around the block on my own or a 30 minutes sauna session – implementing small steps like this makes all the difference! Self care should never feel forced, and I think there can be a lot of pressure surrounding this. Find what you love doing and do what feels good for you.
All advice given in this article is for educational purposes only and should not be implemented without consultation with your GP.
