Women’s Health and Nutrition

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Hey, it's JJ Virgin. And welcome to the JJ Virgin Lifestyle show where I talk nutrition, exercise, mindset and lifestyle with some of the coolest people in the world and give you tips that you can put into fast action to uplevel your health so that you can go out there and live that big life you're meant to live. Now, today's show is all about women's health and specifically foods that you can eat for different conditions. We're going to tackle that question that I get asked all the time, do women and men need to eat differently? I mean, come on, we all know men are not hairy women. So there's got to be some different stuff. And so we're going to talk about that. Which foods you're going to want to eat, which foods you're going to want to avoid for different conditions, especially as you're moving into menopause or you're struggling with something like fibroids or bleeding or any of that. And I have got the perfect guest to tackle this subject. I have got Bridget Danner. And Bridget Danner runs an online women's health community you're going to hear more about on the show, which is an amazing resource for you to check out. She's practiced Chinese medicine for nearly 12 years now, and she's performed over 12,000 treatments. She's a certified functional diagnostic nutrition practitioner and she's worked extensively in the fertility field. But what happened was she actually had her own health crisis when she had a baby and with her after, after she had the baby postpartum. And so that led her into a new direction. She then started getting some life coaching. She started working in holistic nutrition, started going to functional medicine. So all of that helped her recover from her postpartum depression and Epstein Barr virus and adrenal dysregulation. So everything that she learned going through that is all part of now, what she shares out there in her work as a women's health expert. So you're gonna love this interview. Lots of jewels in here for you. So I am excited to bring Bridget Danner onto the show. So let's do It. Bridget Danner, welcome to the show. I'm so glad to have you here today.

Hi, jj. So nice to be here and excited to get to speak to your community a little bit.

Well, and an important topic to go into, and you know, I get asked all the time, okay, well, you know, should women be eating differently than men? Because as we know, men are not just hairy women. So what's the real answer to that question, Bridget?

Yeah, you know, I would say that, for example, if you're eating the same diet as your partner, but you're not feeling well, you know, your cycles are all over the place place, or you're having a rough transition into menopause, you're having fibroids and heavy bleeding, then maybe you need to eat differently than your partner. You need to add in some foods, think about tweaking things that would support your hormone health because, yeah, you are a different creature and you have different needs, especially as you go through transitions in your reproductive life.

Yes. So it's good for anyone listening right now, if you haven't gotten there yet, you'll want to really take note because you'll want to be armed when you go into it. For those of us who've passed through. Now, let's talk fibroids. First of all, what the heck are they? And then let's dive into the foods that could help and the foods that you should definitely stay away from if you've got this.

Yeah. So fibroids are benign growths that can be small or can get really large and cause heavy bleeding. And it's a very high percentage of women who will have them by the time they're menopausal.

I hear these stories that, like, someone had one taken out the size of a grapefruit, and you're like, wow, you know, how'd you didn't know that was in there, But. Right. I mean, and of course, we're all thinking, well, gosh, you're so lucky. You just lost, like a whole grapefruit.

Size thing in your, like, 5 pounds body weight.

Wow.

Yeah. You know, sometimes they're small and they don't really cause a problem, but sometimes they can cause a lot of blood loss or, you know, be kind of leaning on your other organs and causing problems. So some of the super big ones, like a grapefruit, may need to be handled surgically, but actually some of the more medium sized, smaller ones can be addressed with nutrition and things like castor oil packs and that sort of thing. So, yeah, since you're a nutrition expert, I thought we could talk a little bit about the nutrition aspect. So one aspect of fibroids is estrogen dominance. Estrogen is what grows things when we hit puberty. It's what helps grow our breasts and our hips, and it's what grows the uterine lining in the first half of the cycle. So when we get too much of that, and that can happen with toxins in the environment or excess body weight or in perimenopause, because sometimes we're not ovulating, so we're not having the progesterone in the second part of the cycle to even out the estrogen. So the estrogen kind of runs wild, and that can contribute to the masses. So we kind of want to balance out that estrogen with progesterone, eliminate things like synthetic hormones in our foods and control our body weight, which you're already talking about with your community quite a bit, because that fat tissue can produce more estrogen.

Yes. And one of the things people might not even think about is some of these plastics have xenoestrogen. So there's a lot of estrogenic material out there. Let's talk, too, about the role of fiber. Like, how would fiber play in here?

Yeah. So fiber, you know, our gut is a big part of detox. I think we're always talking about the liver, but after things come out, the liver, so to speak, are broken down in the liver, they need to be eliminated through our gut. So having fiber, for one thing, makes a healthy microbiome. I read or heard from the Human Microbiome Project that we should really have, like, 20 different sources of fruit and vegetable fiber every week. So a variety of foods, because all those different types of fiber feed, the different parts of the microbiome make for a variety of bacteria. And that healthy gut is what helps us eliminate. Helps us break down estrogen so they don't get back into circulation. So fibers are really important, and they don't have to come from, you know, breakfast cereal and bread. They can come from, you know, a sweet potato and greens and apple and raspberries and all those yummy things.

Perfect. Now, I'd love to hear, because maybe there's some out there that people aren't aware of those signs and symptoms of perimenopause. And I will. I'll share as I started going into it, because I wasn't aware that this was a sign until it hit me. And it was the only one that I had, which is kind of crazy. And the only sign besides irregular periods that I had when I was going into perimenopause was that I could not recover when I worked out like I used to be able to. Crazy. Yeah, it was crazy. And I was like, oh my gosh. I just, my inflammation went up and called one of my girlfriends. It's nice when all your friends or some gynecologist, I was like, what the heck's going on? She goes, oh, perimenopause. So what are some of the signs and symptoms of perimenopause that people should be looking out for?

Well, first of all, kudos to you. That was like the only sign you had. That's amazing. But yeah, for that one. A gland that really comes into play when we're in perimenopause is our adrenal glands. Right. They need to produce more sex hormone for us as our ovaries are sort of fading in use. So for you, it could have been that, you know, exercise is a bit stressful on the body and your body, your adrenals are also trying to manage, you know, the sex hormone change. So might have just. That might have been why. For you. But yeah, lots of signs and symptoms. Anxiety, kind of low grade, excuse me, depression, insomnia, brain fog. Some things you wouldn't necessarily associate. Or if you're noticing more like vaginal dryness or changes in your sex drive, let's see what else changes in your breasts. Whether it could be like kind of they're growing or they feel like they're sagging all of a sudden. So lots of little signs. I think it's important to know, you know, that process actually begins at 35 for many people or most people, because that's when the fertility is declining, that's when the ovaries are declining. And, and some people, like for you, you didn't experience much, but other people may experience it way sooner, either based on their genetics or, you know, their environment.

Yeah. Or stress. I really hit it hard once. That was under a big source of stress that kind of laid me out. Now one of the things I always coach people on is getting your adrenals in tip top shape before you start heading into this. I mean, ideally someone, a woman at the age of 30, 35 is just like creating the most fabulous adrenal health ever before they go through this. One can wish anyway. But what about food? Like what foods as you're getting, starting to head into this, what are some foods that you really would want to make sure that you're eating and also some that you just want to get out of your diet?

Well, getting lots of good fats, which I know you're a fan of, jj, so, you know, I'm reading a lot about sources of micronutrients and nuts and seeds are just so packed with micronutrients that we need for our hormones. And then the fats that we need as well also, you know, high quality fatty fish, grass fed or wild game, those are good sources of fat. So it can be tempting as, you know, our metabolism is changing to, you know, think that, you know, we have to just eat salad all the time. But we actually do need those rich, nourishing foods. So I think that's a great place to start. And we talked earlier about different kinds of fiber and, you know, things like garlic and onion will help support your liver and things like berries can help support against oxidative stress. So kind of take some pressure off your body. So those are a few to get started with. We can also talk about some things to avoid if you like.

Yeah, heck yeah. Let's definitely talk avoid it. And I'm just, I am thrilled to see you get on the fence fat bandwagon because it is so critical here. And I think that there still is this old idea that if you're starting to, you know, during perimenopause, weight can get a little bit wonky as everything goes awry and people tend to go, oh my gosh, I better cut fat. And it's like, no, no, no, no, no, don't do that, don't do that. Really focus on high quality fats. They're going to help you tremendously. So let's look at. Obviously bad fats would be one thing to avoid, but what are some of the other things that just would be problematic?

Well, I think the inflammatory foods that, you know, common allergens or irritants like you teach about in your virgin diet are important ones. So hopefully listeners are already avoiding some of those, like gluten and dairy and corn and that kind of thing. Anything that gives you, you know, a little upset tummy or makes your skin break out or puts you in a food coma, we just don't need that extra stress on our body and this time in life that can really help keep symptoms down. And then as much as we love it, you know, alcohol, coffee, sugar, those things, I mean, I'm 41, JJ, and like these, those things really hit me a lot harder now. And it's just like we're delicate in this time. If we want to feel good, we can't be throwing junk on the fire.

There's just no margin for error. Is there anymore? I was out, like a bunch of us were at this black tie affair and we were up till three in the morning. Somehow the party ended up back in my room and I'm finally looking at them going, guys, I can't, like, I can't do this. You know, I don't care where you go, but leave. Leave the room. Like, I have to go to, like, it's been a couple days and I'm going, gosh, I'm still so tired from that. So you just don't. We don't have that margin for error anymore. And you know, you do notice when you eat something wrong or drink too much, like, ugh.

Just.

Just doesn't work.

Yeah, exactly. Yeah. Do you want to talk a little. Can we talk a little bit about kind of lifestyle and self care you gave?

Yes, yes, yes. Totally game for that.

Yeah. So another interesting thing at this time in our lives, like now that we're having children later, often is like, you know, traditionally if we had had kids at 16 or 18, you know, in a primitive society, they would be like out, you know, by now. But now sometimes we have kids that are still little and maybe we have parents that are aging and we have. We're at the top of our career and it's really demanding. So another way to nourish yourself outside of the right foods is to do things to preserve your time to yourself. I know you're a fan of having a house cleaner, jj. You know, get help, ask for help, and spend that hour that your house cleaner is there. Like in a sauna.

Yeah.

Not cleaning. By the way, your housekeeper comes and you do not clean the house before the house housekeeper comes. Right. Let's be super clear about this. But I'm so glad you brought this up, Bridget, because for so many people, I see them put themselves last and, you know, it's crazy. Here we are. I do not believe we were not meant to be the CEO of our family and the CEO of our company and do all this stuff and be superwoman. That's why I tell my family, go, I am not superwoman. Like, if I'm going to do these things, then I'm not going to go to the grocery store and I'm not cleaning the house. I can't do all of it. So pick the things that you don't want to do and don't do them. Have someone else do them because someone else likes to do them. So you're actually doing a good thing there, right?

Yeah. You're giving someone a Living and, you know, somebody who enjoys it and don't feel bad to spend that time, you know, doing something frivolous like read a book, like, you know, just do something that really relaxes. You don't feel like you have to, oh, someone's cleaning my house. I have to, you know, spend another hour at work or something.

Yes, I better work. No, I have a sunlight and sauna and I go get in there and I love it. I try to, whenever I'm home, I try to do it three times a week. So I'm completely down with that. And I think self care is a really important thing that we do not stress again. So I love that you brought it up. Now tell me about the Women's Wellness Collaborative. I just love the name, number one, love the name. But I know you have this online community. What exactly is it?

Yeah, well, thanks. And yeah, I'm excited about it too. I'll tell you a little backstory that I was already a healthcare provider and acupuncturist when I got hit pretty hard with a hard pregnancy and a hard postpartum period. And I really came out wanting to help women and I kind of bounced around, you know, am I helping career women that worked on fertility for a few years? You know, just the process of kind of finding myself. And I realized that I really enjoy collaborating. And I really also don't like to specify too much. It's not in my personality. So, you know, when women's health is changing all the time and we kind of need to be aware of what's coming up or, you know, what's. What could be new in our body. So it's, it's a resource that spans, you know, all of women's reproductive years and even, you know, our transition years to menopause. And we, you know, have a weekly guest podcast, we host summits, we have blogs and guest blogs. So lots of ways to learn and different styles and bringing in fun experts.

Super good. And can they find that then? If they go to. And I'm going to spell this out because your name is probably a little tough for people to get right because there's a couple different spellings for Bridget. So YourBridgetDanner.com is B R I D G I T D A N N E r dot com. So B R I D G I T D A N N E R.com bridgetdanner.com can they find your Women's Wellness Collaborative through that site?

Yeah, it forwards to there. And yeah, you could probably search either of those terms and yeah, we'd love for people to check it out and come be a part of our community.

Awesome. Because I know there's more. There's like more I wanted to get to here, especially about pcos and more foods to eat, more foods to lose and more about self care. But you can find it all there. So I'm going to send everyone to the Women's Wellness Collaborative and BridgetDanner.com and I want to thank you so much, Bridget, for joining me today and for everyone listening again, go check this out because we all need those resources and we as women, again, we need to be in a community where we support each other in taking care of ourselves first. We want to do that. All right. So after the break, I'm going to be answering a listener's question, so be sure to stay with me.

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Welcome back. This is the time where I answer a listener's question. I love this time. And today's question comes from Rick.

Yes, hi. I recently I've been on your diet for about a year, lost 50 pounds plus pounds and my weight's down about 173. Good. But my cholesterol just got my cholesterol back and my good cholesterol, my HDL went up. My triglyceride went up by twofold. My triglycerides went down by roughly 50%. So both good there. But my LDL went up to 172, which is over the threshold of what, like 130. So I'm not sure what to do. They want to put me on a stat and I'm worried about that. So I don't really want to go on a stat and so appreciate any help you can give me. Thank you.

All right. There is so much to this question that I want to unpack because it really shows an issue where we are not looking at this correctly. And it's not that you, Rick, aren't looking at correctly, it's just that you are going to a doctor a Traditional doctor who's not looking at all of the information that needs to be looked at in order to understand what's really going on. Because your triglycerides have gone down by 50%. I really love to see triglycerides. At least the range says that there's a problem at 150 or higher. You know, I like to see people always under 100, but ideally they're under 75. And really, 50 is awesome. So I don't know where 50% down is, but I know it's going the right direction, so that's fantastic. And let's get them under 100 and again, shoot for 50 or 75 at the most. And one of the things that really controls that, of course, is lowering your sugar impact, especially fructose. Now, you said your HDL went up by twofold and your LDL went up to 172. I don't know what your LDL was before, and I don't know where your HDL was before. One of the things that they do look at is low HDLs with elevated triglycerides is a sign of insulin resistance. But there's really more to it than that, because what we now know is that you can't just look at HDLs and LDLs in a vacuum.

We used to call HDLs the good.

Guys and LDLs the bad guy. But we actually know that it's different than that, that there are good and bad HDLs and good and bad LDLs. Just to complicate things, we used to just look at total cholesterol, and then they said, no, you've got to look at ldl. LDL versus hdl. Well, now we know you actually need to look at the particle size and number within each of those markers, because if you have small, dense ldl, it's very damaging. This is what pits the endothelial lining and creates that problem where you start to build up plaque scar tissue that can break free and cause a heart attack and that cause that narrowing of the arteries. But big, fluffy LDLs don't do that. HDLs, you want the big, fluffy HDLs as well. So the challenge is if your LDLS went up, but they went up because they were all big and fluffy, that's awesome. If they went up and they were all small and dense, that's problematic. One of the challenges with statin drugs is the LDLs, they lower that. They tend to lower are the small or, I'm sorry, all the big, fluffy LDLs. You don't want to lower your big, fluffy LDL particles, they're not going to hurt you. You want to lower your small dense ones. So what you need to do now is go back to your doctor or go to a functional medicine doctor and ask them to do a particle size and number test for your cholesterol. It's called a fractionated cholesterol test. The different labs that do it, there's a Boston or a Berkeley heart lab, there is NMR Liposciences does them. But you want to look at the size and number as well because again, you want to see how much of those LDL small dense and how much is big and fluffy. And remember, when you're looking at your overall risk for heart attack and heart disease, you need to look not just at your cholesterol levels, but you also are going to want to look at homocysteine. You also want to look at highly sensitive C reactive protein, a measure of overall inflammation. You want to look at lp, that's a very atherogenic lipoprotein. You want to look at serum ferritin because higher iron levels can put you at risk. So there's not just one thing that you're going to point out and say, here's the problem, There's a lot of different things you want to be measuring. And I want to congratulate you again because seeing your triglycerides go down by 50% and your HDL is going up is awesome. So I am betting that it's going in a positive way. But we don't have all of the information we need to really make that judgment call. Alright, if you'd like to submit a question, just go to jjvirgin.com ask and you can leave a voicemail for me. I can't wait to hear from you. And by the way, one more way, I'd love to hear from you. I would hugely appreciate it if you could jump on Stitcher or I'd tunes and leave a review for me. It helps a bunch and be sure to subscribe and share the show with your friends. This is JJ Virgin signing off and reminding you that you are worthy Dare to live a life that matters.

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