This video, by Dr. Deb Ford, talks about menopause and how to manage its symptoms naturally. She explains that menopause isn't a medical condition but a natural change, and addresses common issues like weight gain, poor sleep, and mood swings. Dr. Ford introduces her "Heavenly Steps" framework, which includes hibernate, exercise smart, avoiding aggravation, viewing life positively, eating properly, and avoiding toxins, to restore hormonal balance.
Key Takeaways
1
Menopause is a natural change, not a medical condition, but can be challenging if not properly addressed.
2
Hormones are messengers of balance, and midlife often brings a "hormone shuffle" with declining estrogen and progesterone, and increased cortisol.
3
Balanced estrogen is crucial, supported by eating cruciferous vegetables, flax seeds, and avoiding plastics and other endocrine disruptors.
4
Progesterone, the calming hormone, is drained by stress, so prioritize sleep and stress management through wind-down rituals and deep breathing.
5
Chronic cortisol elevation (stress hormone) can lead to belly fat, high blood sugar, and exhaustion, and can be managed with gentle exercise and nourishing whole foods.
6
Thyroid function, which controls metabolism, can be impacted by imbalanced estrogen and cortisol, and supported by proper sleep, stress management, and mineral-rich foods.
7
Insulin, the fat-storing hormone, becomes less sensitive as estrogen declines, making a low-carb, plant-rich, anti-inflammatory diet (like green keto) beneficial.
8
The "Heavenly Blueprint" for hormonal balance includes prioritizing restorative sleep, smart exercise, stress management, positive mindset, proper nutrition, and avoiding toxins.
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Sleep is sacred for hormone reset, aiming for 7-9 hours in a cool, dark room, avoiding screens and caffeine before bed.
10
Food is medicine, so build your plate with ample protein, fiber, healthy fats, and greens, while avoiding refined carbs, added sugars, and seed oils.
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Good morning and welcome back. This is
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Dr. Deb Ford with today's nutrition.
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Each week we talk about taking charge of
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our health for life and longevity. After
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a wonderful turnout at the menopause
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movie sponsored by Nelly at the Vanwork
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County Library, women were able to ask a
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panel of local professionals that
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included Shane Gerber and Dr. Sha Temple
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and myself. and I realized that we
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really just need to touch on the basics.
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This also is National Menopause Month.
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Who knew? So, it's a topic that's going
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to be perfect for you if you're a woman
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in your 40s, 50s, 60s, and you feel like
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your body has suddenly changed the
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rules. Your weight won't budge, the
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sleep is off, your patience is thin, and
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your get up and go, as they say, got up
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and went. This is a show for you. or if
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that is the woman in your life. Cuz
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chances are it's not a lack of willpower
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or emotional imbalance. It's just a
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natural change. I don't look at it like
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a medical condition, but it sure can be
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miserable if you're not ready. So, if
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your hormones are waving a red flag,
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crying out for balance and attention,
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you need help getting through this
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transition. This is what I call hormone
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hell. It's that in between space when
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your body is trying its best to adapt,
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but modern life and stress and the
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toxins in our food, toxins in the
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environment make it a losing battle
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unless we intervene. So today, we're
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going to talk about how to restore
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hormonal harmony naturally, the way your
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body was designed to work. And I'm going
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to show you how it ties directly into
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the heavenly steps I teach in my
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programs. Hibernate, exercise smart,
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avoiding aggravation, viewing life
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positive, eating properly, and avoiding
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those noxious toxins.
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So, grab your organic cup of coffee,
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your tea, or your green smoothie, and
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let's dive in to this season of change
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with hope and confidence because you can
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feel like yourself again or even better.
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So, we want to understand this hormone
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health. We got to start with the big
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truth. Your hormones are not your
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enemies. They are messengers of balance.
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They tell your body when to wake up,
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when to rest, when to burn fat, when to
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store energy, when to feel calm, when to
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feel loving. It is an automatic response
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governed by the autonomic nervous
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system. You don't have to think about
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it. It's something that happens in the
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background, like breathing. Midlife can
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bring up what I call the hormone
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shuffle. Estrogen begins to decline.
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Progesterone may drop even faster.
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Cortisol can ramp up under stress and
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thyroid and insulin start playing that
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nasty tugof-war with your metabolism.
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You add in lack of sleep, alcohol,
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burden of daily responsibilities and
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suddenly everything feels off. So, let's
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break it down simply. Starting with
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estrogen, the queen of feminine energy.
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Women,
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we love our estrogen. It gives us our
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curves, the strong bones, our glowing
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skin, our hair, sharp brains, and the
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colorful joy of life. But in pmenopause
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and menopause, that steady rhythm
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becomes a little erratic. Maybe up one
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week, down the next. Sometimes you feel
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amazing. A lot of times you may be
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feeling like you got hit by a truck and
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you just want to crawl away. When the
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estrogen dips too low, too fast, or is
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erratic, you got hot flashes, brain fog,
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dryness in the nether regions, and
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irritability can follow. Here's the
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kicker. When estrogen dominance occurs,
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that means you've got too much estrogen
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and not enough of the relative
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progesterone.
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You're going to see weight gain around
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the hips and thighs and waistline and
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breast tenderness and heavy periods and
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mood swings. So, the goal just isn't
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more estrogen, it's balanced estrogen.
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So, here's where the eating properly
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step comes in with the heavenly thing.
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Cruciferous vegetables every day. Every
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woman needs cruciferous vegetables every
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day. They're like broccoli, kale,
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cauliflower, cabbage, Brussels sprouts.
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They help the body detoxify excess
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estrogen. And then flax seeds. They
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contain lignens that will bind and
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remove estrogen from the gut. And very
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important in this day and age, avoiding
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plastics, parabens, pesticides. They
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will help you lower what we call the
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xenoestrogen load. Those fake estrogens
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that confuse your receptors. That's why
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they're actually called endocrine
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disruptors in the research. Your liver
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and gut are your hormone recycling
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centers, keeping the fuel clean. So, we
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got to like clean everything up. Second
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hormone we're going to talk about,
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progesterone.
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It is the calming counterbalance to
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estrogen. It's the peaceful hormone. It
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soothes your brain. It helps you sleep.
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It reduces anxiety. It balances
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estrogen. But stress and midlife both
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drain progesterone.
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Cortisol literally steals its building
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blocks. So if you're under stress, your
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hormones will never balance. That stress
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response only cares that you survive the
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next few minutes. Nothing is spared for
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the reproductive hormones. Heck, it
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doesn't know if you're going to survive
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for the next minute. So to heck with
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that, it could be a life-threatening
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emergency. It doesn't know that it's
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your cell phone demanding your attention
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or your overscheduled calendar. It is
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just survival. That's why you may be
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lying awake at night. Your mind is
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racing. Your heart may even be
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fluttering, wondering why you're anxious
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when nothing's wrong. Low progesterone
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often shows up first as poor sleep and
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irritability.
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So, you support this hormone by
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activating the hibernating and the
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avoiding aggravation steps. Maybe at
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bedtime, prioritize a windown ritual,
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dimming the lights, stretching, maybe a
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little gratitude journaling, maybe
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magnesium glycinate or my heavenly sleep
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before bed. Definitely avoid caffeine
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afternoon. And also limit screen time
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before bed, at least an hour before bed.
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And definitely turn down the brightness
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on your computers or your screens.
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Manage your stress through prayer and
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deep breathing and daily movement.
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Remember this is important. You cannot
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outs supplement a stressed out nervous
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system. Peaceful living is hormone
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therapy. Now we're going to talk
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cortisol. That double-edged sword.
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When we go back and talk about cortisol,
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that stress hormone, it's good. It wakes
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you up in the morning, gets you going,
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and then it drops off at night so you
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can rest.
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In modern life, it is constantly
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triggered. Deadlines, news, kids,
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traffic, scrolling social media, keeps
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your adrenals humming on high alert.
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Chronic cortisol elevation is going to
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raise blood sugar. It's going to drive
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belly fat, and it's going to suppress
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progesterone. Eventually, your body's
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going to say, "I'm done." And it can
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crash into what we call adrenal fatigue,
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leaving you exhausted and foggy and
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unmotivated. The joy of life is gone.
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You could care less, can't deal with
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anymore. So, that's where exercising
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smart, avoiding aggravations comes in.
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Gentle exercise like walking, yoga, and
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Pilates lowers cortisol. On the other
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hand, over exercising, especially in a
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depleted state, makes it worse. If
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you're running when you're already
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depleted, your body thinks you're
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running from danger and it's going to
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keep it high. Then you might want to
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think about nourishing the adrenals with
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whole foods. Himalaya sea salt if
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appropriate, activated B vitamins and
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adaptogens like ashwagandha and
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rodeiola, holy basil and valyan if you
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need a sledgehammer to quiet things. And
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never forget joy heals. Laughing,
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singing, hugging, connecting with others
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like they do in Acharoli, Italy. These
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lower cortisol better than any pill.
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Now, we're going to talk about thyroid,
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that metabolic thermostat. If your
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metabolism is slowed, your hair is
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thinning, and you feel cold and
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sluggish, your thyroid may be under
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stress, too. Thyroid hormones control
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how efficiently every cell produces
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energy. When estrogen and cortisol are
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imbalanced,
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thyroid conversion from T4 to active T3
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slows down. Adding nutrients, if
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deficient, like selenium, most of us
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are, zinc, iodine, and suddenly if
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you're deficient, your metabolic engine
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is going to go idling. And if stress is
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starting an intense fire in the system,
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your thyroid may just slow down to put a
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damper on that stress.
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Body is pretty wise. And if you know you
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want to go deeper, I love the functional
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testing with the function health or the
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Dutch complete panels. They reveal
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subtle shifts way before any of the
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standard labs will flag them. So
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supporting your thyroid by living
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heavenly is going to sleep well, manage
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your stress, move smart, eat properly
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with mineral richch foods like sea
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vegetables and Brazil nuts and grass-fed
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meat and plenty of colorful produce
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and avoiding toxins. chlorine, fluoride,
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phalates, parabens, BPA, they all
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compete with iodine receptors.
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Now, insulin, oh, this is my wheelhouse.
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That is the fattorring hormone. It is
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the silent weight regulator. High
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insulin going to keep your body in fat
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storage mode even if you're eating quote
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healthy. It's triggered by the three
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S's, sugar, starch, and stress. All too
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common in modern medical living. As
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estrogen declines, insulin sensitivity
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often drops dramatically. That's why you
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may find that the same foods that worked
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in your 30s suddenly add inches in your
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50s. H can come on like a sledgehammer.
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And that's why I love my green keto
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approach. low carb, dairyfree,
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plant-rich, anti-inflammatory.
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It's going to stabilize the insulin and
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leptin and reduce cravings and keeping
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your energy steady all day long. Pair
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that with movement after meals, short
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fasting windows, you'll reset your
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metabolic switch naturally. So, putting
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it all together, the heavenly blueprint.
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Let's bring it all home with the
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framework that I wrote about in my book,
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Get Out of Hormone Hell: The Six
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Heavenly Steps to Lose Weight, Feel
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Great, and Reverse Aging. A simple
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holistic way to bring balance back to
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the hormones.
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H, hibernate. That is your restorative
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sleep. Your body resets hormones while
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you sleep. It resets everything while
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you sleep. And you've got to have the
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deep sleep. Melatonin is not just a
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sleep hormone. It's a master antioxidant
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that repairs mitochondria and balances
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cortisol. You got to make sleep sacred.
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You got to aim for 7 to n hours in a
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cool, dark room, like a cave. No screens
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before bed, no caffeine after lunch, and
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try to fall asleep before 1000 p.m. That
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will align your circadian rhythm. And
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that's also your beauty sleep, like they
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always said. So, if you wake between 2
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and 4 a.m., often that is your liver or
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blood sugar imbalances. So, you may need
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for a short period of time to have a
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little protein snack before bedtime or a
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little magnesium supplement to stabilize
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that blood sugar. Now, we're going to
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exercise smart. We're going to forget
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the no pain, no gain. At midlife, we
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need to train, not drain. Focus on
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strength training twice a week. That's
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going to build that muscle, balance the
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insulin, and boost your metabolism. If
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you don't use it, you're going to lose
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it, guaranteed. You might want to add
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walking and stretching and joybased
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movements like dance and pickle ball and
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gardening. It all counts. Remember,
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exercise is not punishment for what you
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ate. It's a celebration of what your
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body can do. Make it a fun prescription
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for aging healthfully.
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Next thing, avoiding. A is for avoiding
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aggravation. Basically, that's stress
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management. Stress is the fastest way to
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imbalance your hormones and get old
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fast. So, take control of your inputs.
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Reduce toxic people. Reduce
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perfectionism and multitasking.
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Practice gratitude daily. It shifts you
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out of that fight or flight into the
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rest and repair guaranteed. And I'm
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right here with you. I'm working on all
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of this myself. It is a journey. Don't
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feel like you have to be perfect. I love
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this reminder from Philippians 4:6. Do
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not be anxious about anything, but in
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every situation by prayer and petition
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with thanksgiving,
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present your request to God. It's a
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biochemical truth, too. Research proves
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that gratitude literally lowers
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cortisol. I love it. Okay, now your
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mindset. Your thoughts shape your
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chemistry. When you speak words, your
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body listens.
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Women who live with purpose, with joy,
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and hope have measurably better hormone
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profiles, lower cortisol, higher DHEA,
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and better insulin sensitivity. So make
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joy your strategy. Write affirmations.
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Surround yourself with uplifting people.
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And don't ever think of midlife as
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decline. It's your body transitioning to
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a wiser rhythm. We do have to get wiser.
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Okay. Next thing. Eat properly.
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Food is your first and best medicine.
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Every bite either calms inflammation or
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fuels it. So build your plate around
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ample protein. Latest research we're
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aiming for about 30 gram of protein in
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each meal. Plenty of fiber, healthy
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fats, salmon, eggs, lots of greens,
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olive oil, and nuts. Oh, you got a meal.
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Avoiding the seed oils, the refined
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carbs, and added sugar. I truly want to
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emphasize that if I were the devil, I
16:32
would get people addicted to sugar. It
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will steal your life. It will steal
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decades from you for so many reasons.
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Fatty liver, it spikes insulin,
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sabotages estrogen. I could go on and on
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and I have, but today we're talking
16:48
about the heavenly things. I also want
16:50
you to know this also includes honey and
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juices. Even though we consider them
16:55
healthy, they are going to spike your
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insulin. You might want to consider the
17:00
heavenly cleanse, a gentle,
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nutrient-dense way to help the liver and
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the gut. Do that daily hormone
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housekeeping.
17:09
And for avoiding toxins, hormone health
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is not just about what you eat, it's
17:14
about what you absorb, what you breathe.
17:16
We must avoid the endocrine disrupting
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chemicals. swapped a glass, natural
17:21
cleaning products, toxin-free skin care,
17:24
and support detox pathways. If you've
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done all the right things and still feel
17:29
a little off, it's time to test, not
17:32
guess.
17:34
Pick up the Dutch Complete in my office.
17:37
Going to give you a complete full view
17:39
of the sex hormones, cortisol profiles,
17:42
metabolites, neurotransmitters,
17:45
oxidative stress. Oh, it's just the
17:47
best. function health going to have over
17:50
a 100 biomarkers from thyroid to
17:52
inflammation to insulin resistance and
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fasting insulin. GI map going to uncover
17:58
gut imbalances or food sensitivities.
18:02
Let's pause here and remember your body
18:03
is not broken. It is designed to adapt
18:06
and heal and find balance when you give
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it what it needs. Midlife shift isn't
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punishment. It's an invitation to
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listen, slow down, and care for your
18:17
temple. Live heavenly, hibernate
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properly, move, eat, live in alignment
18:23
with how your body was created. Peace
18:26
replaces panic. Harmony replaces havoc.
18:30
So, if you're feeling off, scale won't
18:33
budge. Sleep is restless. Patience thin.
18:36
Know this. You are not crazy. It's just
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your body's way of saying, "Help me
18:41
rebalance.
18:43
So, you want details about my programs,
18:46
email me directly at debfor.com
18:49
and let's talk together. We'll bring
18:51
balance, energy, and peace. Until next
18:55
time, this is Dr. Dr. Deb Ford reminding
18:58
you to live heavenly, love yourself
19:01
through every season of life, and
19:03
remember that true health starts from
19:06
within. And
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Menopause
Deb Ford DCN RDN
20 views
Oct 12, 2025
19:07
This is National Menopause Month so this topic will be perfect for you --- if you’re a woman in your 40s, 50s, or 60s and you’ve felt like your body has suddenly changed the rules — the weight won’t budge, sleep is off, your patience is thin, and your get-up-and-go got up and went — this show is for you.