Digestive troubles in your 40s?
[Tl;dr: Here's why you may be struggling to digest food/alcohol more than you used to… and what to do about it.]
If you’ve noticed that you just can’t scarf down an ice cream or nachos like you used to without suffering some ouchy consequences… 🍦🍕🍟
Or that a second glass of wine makes you wake up feeling like a can of smashed bananas… 🍷
You’re spot on.
We used to be able get away with eating what may now seem like an incredible amount of unhealthy food/drink in our twenties, but it catches up with us in our 40s, and will be kicking our butts by the time we reach menopause.
Why? 🤷🏼♀️
Our hormones are changing, and estrogen + progesterone have BIG impacts on what is going on for us digestively.
Here’s what I mean:
Changes in estrogen and progesterone cause changes in our microbiome, the vast collection of bacteria, yeast and fungi in our intestines that help us digest and absorb food.
The amount of vital stomach acid and digestive enzymes we produce drops naturally with age as well. PLUS, stress also really impacts how much of these vital digestive helpers we produce!
This means that the way that actually break down our food also changes, so what works for us nutritionally changes as well.
For example, you might find you now don’t digest steak for 4 hours, and suddenly you’re trying to go to bed on what feels like a totally full stomach (argh!).
Or, something gives you indigestion that you used to be able to chow down, no problem.Wine, oh the wine…we don’t metabolize alcohol as well because our hormones have changed and this changes how our livers function, and the digestive enzymes our livers make that breakdown alcohol are both slower and reduced in number.
We’re also at increased risk for “leaky gut” (yep, it’s a thing) because estrogen is very protective for the lining of our digestive system. It strengthens the “tight junctions” (or little barriers) between our intestinal cells that keep food from passing into our bloodstream and causing inflammation.
As estrogen falls through perimenopause, these little intestinal barriers weaken and we can get tiny holes in our gut lining if we consistently eat unhealthy foods that inflame our guts.
This means we can’t get away with eating the spicy chicken wings (my fave!) like we could before without feeling the consequences because we’re actually doing a little damage in there in each time. (Don’t worry, the tissue naturally heals itself, but to do so, we need eat a healthy diet low in inflammatory foods that gives the tissue a break and time to repair itself.)
So, what does all this mean for you through perimenopause and beyond?
Well, obviously we gotta be real here - we're gonna eat ALL the things sometimes (and I think it’s important not to be too restrictive).
So how can make your "digestive endeavors" smoother?
TIP #1: If you have an alcohol-forward occasion coming up, you can support your liver / detox mechanisms in a few ways:
Pregame: hydrate with water + electrolytes (like quality salt). B vitamins in the morning/afternoon. (Don’t take at night - might keep you awake.)
During: Make sure every other glass is water. HUGE!
Postgame: Drink another glass of water with electrolytes when you're done / before bed. Certain supplements can also help, like NAC or glutathione for liver support, and/or DAO for histamine. (Talk to your provider before starting any of these.)
TIP #2: Before a meal…
Supplement with digestive enzymes to support your body to digest and absorb your food. This can be especially helpful if you have a heavy / protein-rich / fatty meal OR if you’re stressed out. (Product suggestion here - make an account under my dispensary to order).
If you have low stomach acid, a little apple cider vinegar just before you eat can help - just 1 tbsp diluted in a little water. (Note: If you have naturally higher stomach acid, this may give you a bit of heartburn. NBD, just experiment to see what works for you.)
TIP#3: If you’re struggling and you forgot to pregame…
Please do NOT resort to things like antacids and acid blockers unless absolutely essential (your Dr told you you need them) - here’s why.
You can soothe an upset tummy naturally:
if you have too little stomach acid, apple cider vinegar can help. In general, we tend to have insufficient stomach acid, so cider vinegar is usually where I suggest people start. Go slow with it - 1 tsbp, maybe 2 in a little water.
if you have too much acid, a little baking soda can help.
Ginger or peppermint tea can be really helpful for some people too. It takes a little experimentation to know what works for you - everyone is different.
…Please work with a functional medicine provider or naturopath if you regularly experience symptoms after eating, like bloating, gas, reflux, constipation, diarrhea, etc. There may be something bigger going on.
Ok, I hope this has been insightful and useful for you!
I also hope you don’t take all of this as ‘doom and gloom’ - this is simply to help you make more informed decisions about how you approach food and drink now that things are changing inside of you. 🙌
I’ve found this helps my clients when they’re waffling about food choices (as we all), or if we’re feeling peer pressure to eat something we know doesn’t agree with us. Now you know why..and you can tell your peers whassup, and they might be like, “Oh dang, ok...Maybe I don’t want that either!” Everyone wins. Knowledge is power. 💪
❤️
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