Bile. Many women think YUCK, and don’t like the word, BUT keep reading… why does every woman needs to pay attention to bile in Perimenopause? It makes an impact on how we get rid of (or don’t) unhealthy hormones, xenoestrogens, heavy metals and toxins and it keeps digestion, fat burning and thyroid function humming
When BILE is abundant and moving well in Perimenopause, it…
- Breaks down fats into usable particles.
- Enhances thyroid function because it triggers the release of enzymes that convert T4 to T3 (the usable one in your body).
- Is critical for digestion and absorption of fats and fat-soluble Vitamins A, D, E, and K’s.
- Latches onto toxins, heavy metals and used hormones.
- Has shown to make a 53% increase in metabolism in women when bile health improves.
Happy Bile in Perimenopause
Ideally, bile is thin and easily moveable.
Bile is made in the liver and is stored in the gallbladder to be squeezed out when you eat. Your gall bladder stores and concentrates bile during the fasting state (like when you are sleeping and between meals). Bile is concentrated five-fold in the gall bladder by absorption of water and small electrolytes.
Healthy Gall bladder function keeps thyroid and metabolism revving. When it’s not functioning well, the bile in the gall bladder can become thick and viscous and evetually gall stones can form. Gall stones are comprised of cholesterol and recirculated toxins and hormones.
Low quality, thick or not enough bile = queezyness, burping, metallic taste in mouth after fatty meal, clay colored stools, and constipation (bile is a lubricant for the intestinal track).
No gallbladder? Keep reading for more about taking Digestive Bitters, bile salts, eat bitter herbs and greens.
In humans, roughly 500 mg of cholesterol are converted to bile acids and eliminated in bile through the intestines every day. BUT…This also requires FIBER!
Why fiber?
Fiber is the transport out of the body once the bile captures the toxins, hormones and heavy metals. Bile needs to attach to FIBER in order to go out with the poop. If there is not enough fiber, the bile and toxins get 😮reabsorbed in the small intestines. 😮 = estrogen dom and toxic load increase. ☠️
25 grams of fiber is one way you don’t get recirculating bile toxins. 35 grams would be great, but go slow in adding fiber.
Fiber makes us free!
– Ann Louise Glittman
Estrogen dominance in perimenopause
A big contributor to estrogen dominance in perimenopause are xenoestrogens from preservatives, plastics, products, paints, AND they all detoxify through the bile. Read more about how to get xenoestrogens out of your environment here.
Xenoestrogens = estrogen mimics in the environment. They are 1000x more toxic to the natural estrogen receptor sites. They incorporate into the receptor sites, but have no beneficial aspects of native estrogen. They are a massive contributor to the Estrogen Dominance prevalence today.
When you don’t break down estrogen in the bile, the body signals to produce extra cholesterol which can become gallstones. Then it can become a vicious cycle.
Solutions to thin bile and improve digestion in Perimenopause
A little bitter at every meal. Bitters ramp down bloating, increase digestion and metabolism when you get them into the diet daily.
To keep bile nice and thin so it doesn’t clog up with extra estrogen that it’s not breaking down, do it with bitters … Lemon water (warm) before a meal, coffee, grapefruit are easy standouts for food bitters.
Grapefruit is one of the best to break down estrogen. Contraindications to an Rx with Grapefruit? Do it with lemon, lime zests and peels.
…And/or here is the full list of greens and bitter herbs → Watercress, Arugula, Endives, Beet Greens, Broccoli Raab / Broccoli Rabe, Chard, Chicory, Cress, Collard Greens, Dandelion Greens, Kales, Escarole, Frisée, Mizuna, Mustard Greens, Nettles, Radicchio, Rapini Rocket / Rucola, Spinach, Turnip Greens.
There are also Digestive Bitters. They are old fashioned and they are awesome because you can keep a bottle in your purse! No brainer way to take bitters. One of my favorite companies is Urban Moonshine (I receive no compensation from the company, I just use and like their products).
Nutrition expert, Ann Louise Glittman, recommends that if you are taking an estrogen supplement, take lipotropic nutrients – 500mg each 3x a day methionine, choline, inositol (fastest way to get rid of a fatty liver) as they will help your body/liver to break down toxic hormones into non-toxic metabolites such as estriol and more easily flush it out of your body.
I cannot mention estrogen dominance without talking about Progesterone!!
When you don’t have enough natural progesterone to counter estrogen (like a see saw) = Inability to lose weight, anxiety, depression, queezyness after a meal, irritability, inability to sleep.
Look for next weeks blog on Progesterone Love.