Abounding Life | Functional Medicine, Gut Health, Hormone Balance & Faith-Based Nutrition

If you've been feeling foggy, anxious, and mentally drained by 2 PM… your brain might not be the issue. Your gut might be running the show!

In this episode, I'm breaking down the gut-brain axis (the two-way communication highway between your digestive system and your brain) and why it's often the missing piece for women experiencing fatigue, brain fog, anxiety, and low motivation. I'm walking you through the five nutrients I prioritize with my clients to regulate this connection, the specific foods you can start adding this week, and the signs that indicate your gut-brain axis is dysregulated before we even run labs.

You'll Learn:

• The 6 signs your gut-brain axis is dysregulated (check 3 and it's time to take action)
• Why anxiety after meals is a major red flag most women overlook
• The magnesium combination that calms the "wired but tired" cycle
• How L-tyrosine supports the dopamine and motivation response
• Why I prioritize EPA over DHA for mood based on research
• The timing behind L-glutamine (best practices)
• My "secret weapon" nutrient for women in high-stress seasons 
• Exactly how much of each gut-brain food to eat per day (pick one per category)
• Why circulation and detoxification matter for your brain and not just "brain foods"
• The honorable mention nutrients I couldn't leave off this list

Resources Mentioned:

• Brain Health Meal Plan ($9): Get it here!
• Best bone broth: Fond (nikkiyeltonrd for discount)
• Best bone broth protein (I suggest unflavored): Equip (nikkiyeltonrd for discount)
• My go-to Hydrolyzed Collagen Peptides: Perfect Collagen
• Bone broth hot chocolate: Try the recipe

Top Gut-Brain Foods (pick one from each daily):

• Omega-3s: wild-caught salmon, sardines, mackerel
• Magnesium: pumpkin seeds, dark leafy greens, dark chocolate (70%+)
• Microbial diversity: sauerkraut, kimchi, kefir
• Tyrosine + B vitamins + choline: pasture-raised eggs, turkey, grass-fed beef, liver
• Gut lining: bone broth (1 cup/day)
• Circulation + detox: beets, dark leafy greens
• Serotonin: banana, gluten-free oats, dark chocolate

🎙️ Thanks for tuning in to today's episode. I'm so grateful to be part of your health journey!

🤝 🚀 Ready to show up fully in your life with energy and vitality for your people and your purpose? Work with me: Private 1-1 and Group Coaching

☎️ Or Text Me 'Coach' to (844) 819-5214 & I'll send you all the details!

⏺️ Have a win from the podcast, a message to share, or a question you want to ask? Submit a recording here! You just might hear it on the next episode! 

💬 Let's Connect:

• Watch These Episodes On YouTube
• Schedule a Root Cause Assessment
• Join My Weekly VIP Newsletter
• Follow on Instagram @nikkiyeltonrd
• Email Me: [email protected]
• Visit The Website & 700+ Blog Posts
• Topic Suggestion & Feedback Form

About:

🌿 Nikki is a board-certified functional medicine practitioner and registered dietitian specializing in gut health, hormone balance, and root-cause fatigue. She helps purpose-driven women 35+ heal leaky gut, restore metabo...

🎉 GET YOUR ENERGY BACK [INSTANT FREE ACCESS]! How I help women over 30 reduce gut issues and fatigue by 50-100% in less than 6 months...without guesswork or elimination diets: http://nikkiyeltonrd.com/training-class

Still eating clean but more bloated than ever? You're not doing anything wrong — your body is telling you something deeper is going on. In this video, I'm sharing the 3 root causes I clinically assess when women come to me bloated on a "healthy" diet — and none of them have to do with eating the wrong foods!

You’ll learn:

• Why healthy food can backfire when digestive capacity is low
• How bile flow, liver function, and drainage pathways connect to bloating
• Why elimination and drainage must be addressed before any gut protocol
• The 5-phase framework I use with my clients to restore digestion for good

If you've been told to cut more foods, take more probiotics, or "just drink more water," this is the conversation your gut has been waiting for.

🎙️ Thanks for tuning in to today's episode. I'm so grateful to be part of your health journey!

🤝 🚀 Ready to show up fully in your life with energy and vitality for your people and your purpose? Work with me: Private 1-1 and Group Coaching

☎️ Or Text Me 'Coach' to (844) 819-5214 & I'll send you all the details!

⏺️ Have a win from the podcast, a message to share, or a question you want to ask? Submit a recording here! You just might hear it on the next episode! 

💬 Let's Connect:

• Watch These Episodes On YouTube
• Schedule a Root Cause Assessment
• Join My Weekly VIP Newsletter
• Follow on Instagram @nikkiyeltonrd
• Email Me: [email protected]
• Visit The Website & 700+ Blog Posts
• Topic Suggestion & Feedback Form

About:

🌿 Nikki is a board-certified functional medicine practitioner and registered dietitian specializing in gut health, hormone balance, and root-cause fatigue. She helps purpose-driven women 35+ heal leaky gut, restore metabo...

If you've ever been told to take iron to fix your fatigue, but it hasn't helped... or if you're getting a full night's sleep and still waking up exhausted… or your labs came back "normal" but you still feel foggy, breathless, and drained, this episode is for you!

In this video, I'm walking you through what blood building actually means, why it matters for your iron stores, energy, hormones, and brain, and the top 5 blood-building nutrients I rely on in my clinical practice to help women finally restore their energy at the cellular level.

You'll learn:

• Why your body may not be carrying oxygen efficiently (even with "normal" labs)
• The difference between heme and non-heme iron, and which one absorbs better
• How MTHFR gene variants affect your ability to use B12 and folate
• Why minerals like copper, zinc, and magnesium are the spark plugs for your ATP and energy
• The overlooked vitamin that could be the reason your iron supplements aren't working
• Which labs to ask for (beyond just a basic CBC)
• How to start supporting blood building through food first

Resources Mentioned:

1. MTHFR Deep Dive Article
2. Favorite Beef Liver Capsules Brand
3. Body Bio E-Lyte Balanced Electrolyte: On My Fullscript
4. FREE Custom Women's Wellness Lab Panel Checklist

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🎙️ Thanks for tuning in to today's episode. I'm so grateful to be part of your health journey!

🤝 🚀 Ready to show up fully in your life with energy and vitality for your people and your purpose? Work with me: Private 1-1 and Group Coaching

☎️ Or Text Me 'Coach' to (844) 819-5214 & I'll send you all the details!

⏺️ Have a win from the podcast, a message to share, or a question you want to ask? Submit a recording here! You just might hear it on the next episode! 

💬 Let's Connect:

• Watch These Episodes On YouTube
• Schedule a Root Cause Assessment
• Join My Weekly VIP Newsletter
• Follow on Instagram @nikkiyeltonrd
• Email Me: [email protected]
• Visit The Website & 700+ Blog Posts
• Topic Suggestion & Feedback Form

About:

🌿 Nikki is a board-certified functional medicine practitioner and registered dietitian specializing in gut health, hormone balance, and root-cause fatigue. She helps purpose-driven women 35+ heal leaky gut, restore metabo...

You’ve cut out gluten, dairy, sugar — and you’re still bloated. What gives? 👉 The answer might not be what you're eating… but when your bloating shows up.

In this episode, I’m breaking down one of the most under-discussed — yet highly diagnostic — patterns in functional nutrition: bloating timing. Whether it hits right after you eat or hours later, it’s giving us major clues about what’s really going on inside your gut.

If you’ve ever felt like you’re “doing everything right” but still look 6 months pregnant by 2pm, this is for you. I’ll help you decode the difference between low stomach acid vs. enzyme insufficiency, explain how we test for it using a marker called elastase-1, and share how we support both of these issues step-by-step!

Here’s What We Cover:

• What it means when you bloat 0-30 minutes after a meal 
• What delayed bloating (2–4 hours later) tells us 
• How to identify digestive dysfunction using the elastase-1 marker on a stool test
• How your stomach, pancreas, and liver work together to break down food
• My exact strategy for rebuilding digestive fire without guesswork or restriction
• Why cutting more foods isn’t always the answer — and what to do instead

🎉 GET YOUR ENERGY BACK [INSTANT FREE ACCESS]! How I help women over 30 reduce gut issues and fatigue by 50-100% in less than 6 months...without guesswork or elimination diets: http://nikkiyeltonrd.com/training-class

📌 Mentioned in This Episode:

• Functional GI Map stool testing with elastase, dysbiosis, and inflammation markers: GI Map Stool Analysis

🎙️ Thanks for tuning in to today's episode. I'm so grateful to be part of your health journey!

🤝 🚀 Ready to show up fully in your life with energy and vitality for your people and your purpose? Work with me: Private 1-1 and Group Coaching

☎️ Or Text Me 'Coach' to (844) 819-5214 & I'll send you all the details!

⏺️ Have a win from the podcast, a message to share, or a question you want to ask? Submit a recording here! You just might hear it on the next episode! 

💬 Let's Connect:

• Watch These Episodes On YouTube
• Schedule a Root Cause Assessment
• Join My Weekly VIP Newsletter
• Follow on Instagram @nikkiyeltonrd
• Email Me: [email protected]
• Visit The Website & 700+ Blog Posts
• Topic Suggestion & Feedback Form

About:

🌿 Nikki is a board-certified functional medicine practitioner and registered dietitian specializing in gut health, hormone balance, and root-cause fatigue. She helps purpose-driven women 35+ heal leaky gut, restore metabo...

In this video, I'm sharing my full story — from childhood pain and 18 years of misdiagnosis, to nearly losing my life behind the wheel, to finally discovering the root causes that had been stealing my energy my entire life.

If you've ever felt dismissed by a doctor, exhausted from trying everything, or like there HAS to be a deeper answer — this video is for you.

I share how I reversed three autoimmune conditions, restored my gut health, and reclaimed the energy and vitality I never thought I'd have — and why I now dedicate my life to helping other women do the same.

In this episode:

- Why I left my teaching career to become a functional medicine dietitian

- The turning point that almost cost me my life

- What comprehensive functional labs revealed that standard labs missed

- How rebuilding my health at a cellular level changed everything

- Why healing in the right order matters more than the protocol itself

🎉 GET YOUR ENERGY BACK [INSTANT FREE ACCESS]! How I help women over 30 reduce gut issues and fatigue by 50-100% in less than 6 months...without guesswork or elimination diets: http://nikkiyeltonrd.com/training-class

🔔 SUBSCRIBE for weekly functional medicine insights, gut health strategies, and root-cause education for women 30+

🎙️ Thanks for tuning in to today's episode. I'm so grateful to be part of your health journey!

🤝 🚀 Ready to show up fully in your life with energy and vitality for your people and your purpose? Work with me: Private 1-1 and Group Coaching

☎️ Or Text Me 'Coach' to (844) 819-5214 & I'll send you all the details!

⏺️ Have a win from the podcast, a message to share, or a question you want to ask? Submit a recording here! You just might hear it on the next episode! 

💬 Let's Connect:

• Watch These Episodes On YouTube
• Schedule a Root Cause Assessment
• Join My Weekly VIP Newsletter
• Follow on Instagram @nikkiyeltonrd
• Email Me: [email protected]
• Visit The Website & 700+ Blog Posts
• Topic Suggestion & Feedback Form

About:

🌿 Nikki is a board-certified functional medicine practitioner and registered dietitian specializing in gut health, hormone balance, and root-cause fatigue. She helps purpose-driven women 35+ heal leaky gut, restore metabo...

Welcome to the beginning of something really special!

I'm Nikki, a board-certified functional medicine practitioner and registered dietitian nutritionist. Since 2014, I've had the privilege of helping thousands of women restore their gut health, energy, and vitality — and now I'm bringing those conversations here, to you.

In this very first episode — our trailer — I'm sharing:

• Why I started this podcast  (hint: it wasn't about a marketing plan)
• Who this show is really for — the woman who's doing everything "right" and still not feeling well
• A little about my story — including 18 years of living with chronic symptoms and how I finally found my breakthrough
• What you can expect from The Abounding Life Show going forward — gut health, hormones, energy, metabolism, labs, food as medicine, and how to build sustainable rhythms in a busy, full life
• My promise to you — evidence-based, clear, and relatable content that helps things to finally click

This podcast exists to remind you there's a vibrant, abounding life in store for you! I'm so glad you're here!

🎙️ Thanks for tuning in to today's episode. I'm so grateful to be part of your health journey!

🤝 🚀 Ready to show up fully in your life with energy and vitality for your people and your purpose? Work with me: Private 1-1 and Group Coaching

☎️ Or Text Me 'Coach' to (844) 819-5214 & I'll send you all the details!

⏺️ Have a win from the podcast, a message to share, or a question you want to ask? Submit a recording here! You just might hear it on the next episode! 

💬 Let's Connect:

• Watch These Episodes On YouTube
• Schedule a Root Cause Assessment
• Join My Weekly VIP Newsletter
• Follow on Instagram @nikkiyeltonrd
• Email Me: [email protected]
• Visit The Website & 700+ Blog Posts
• Topic Suggestion & Feedback Form

About:

🌿 Nikki is a board-certified functional medicine practitioner and registered dietitian specializing in gut health, hormone balance, and root-cause fatigue. She helps purpose-driven women 35+ heal leaky gut, restore metabo...