Our eightieth show!

Ep. 80, Stefani Ruper

In this episode Stacy and Sarah are joined by Stefani Ruper of Paleo for Women, author of PCOS Unlocked and her soon to be released Sexy By Nature. Stacy, Sarah and Stefani chat about hormone management, discuss her new book, and answer listeners questions.

The Paleo View (TPV), Episode 80, Stefani Ruper

0:00 - Introduction

0:47 - News & Views

Welcome back Stefani Ruper!

Sarah had her first book signing recently and is on cloud nine from all of the excitement - a great huge thank you to all who were able to attend

Stacy and Sarah will be at two book signings together very soon - details here

Check out Stefani's previous appearances on The Paleo View here, here and here

Stefani is releasing another book in March called Sexy By Nature - in this book women's specific health needs are addressed, and how to fully love and take care of yourself is a major theme

You can also find her at Paleo for Women

She was originally known in the community for debunking the myth that everyone could benefit from intermittent fasting and a low-carb lifestyles

16:25 - Science with Sarah & Stefani, Sex Hormone Imbalances

What are the signs that a woman should look for to determine if her estrogen or progesterone are out of balance?

Stefani notes that you should also look at a couple of other factors to identify possible imbalances

The biggest red flag to look for is reproductive health, do you menstruate? Are your periods regular? Heavy? Light?

Having a low libido is a sign

Not sleeping through the night or falling asleep poorly is often a sign of low estrogen

High anxiety is often a sign of high progesterone

Being depressed is often related to hormone imbalance, and also has to do with the health of your hormone receptors

If you have trouble gaining or losing weight that is a warning sign

Acne is a huge sign

Sarah discussed how hormone imbalances impact autoimmune conditions

Does the estrogen and progesterone in birth control influence hormone dominance later after a women has stopped taking the pill?

Yes - Stefani discusses the why behind this and how long it can take to gain balance again

If a woman is suspecting that they have an imbalance how can they test for it?

Blood work - but you need to base it on your cycle, so loop your doctor in on that aspect

You will want to test estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, DHEAS, cortisol, prolactin, vitamin D

What are the most important things to do to regulate sex hormones?

First, be sure to check out Sexy By Nature

Think about what your body wants and naturally craves and do your best to meet those needs

You will want to cut the gut irritants and work on healing that

You will also need to work on your stress levels and get those under control

Eat from a paleo template, get enough fat, get enough vitamin D, DHA, EPA, and chill out

Learn about your body, educate yourself on what the problem is so that you can develop strategies to heal it

For Stacy, she personally worked on learning to find the joy in everything, which helped her balance out her stress factors

Stacy, Sarah and Stefani chatted further about stress management

48:25 - Questions & Answers

Corey - can the autoimmune protocol help with endometriosis?

Often when women are experiencing troubles with a paleo diet, Stefani wonders if a women is over-eating protein

The research that Sarah has done shows that endometriosis has a very strong link to autoimmune and a nutrient dense diet, high-quality sleep, stress management, getting natural sunlight, and moderate exercise will all help

Stefani feels that something fishy may be going on with her estrogen and she may want to focus on liver health

Magnesium and omega 3 fats go a long way with reducing cramps

One of the best things you can eat for liver health is liver

(1:01:21) Jennifer - can a paleo diet help with cycle regulation and fertility?

Yes, avoiding gut irritating foods will help your gut, reduce inflammation, and heal your liver

Stefani feels that Jennifer is experiencing post birth control issues

Moving beyond an 80/20 diet template will absolutely help - do not cut carbohydrates

Getting a full hormone panel done would be very helpful so that you can pinpoint the problem more specifically

It wouldn't hurt to get the opinion of an MD

(1:09:45) Nina - how do I manage bleeding in between periods?

Try to not do paleo too hard, stay on your weight-loss regimen, but don't force it so that your body reads it as a stressor

Don't cut fat or carbohydrates too much

Get some tests done so you can fully explore what the problems may be

Stefani's final thoughts to listeners - give yourself all that love and nourishment, have patience and pick up a copy of Sexy By Nature, there will be lots of giveaways on her site as well

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Subscribe to Stacy's, Sarah's and Stefani's newsletters

Thank you again to Stefani for coming on the show!

1:20:03 - Outro