Dr. Mindy Pelz: “A woman must think about her diet around her unique biology. »

Illustration © Brittany Rojo

The World of Nutrition: In your book, you present the “Five Fundamentals” of women’s nutrition. And you say blood sugar is more important than calories. For what ?

Dr. Mindy Pelz: This is a fundamental question! For decades, we’ve been told that counting calories is enough. But this approach completely ignores what’s actually happening in our bodies. The truth for a woman is that your blood sugar matters more than your calories.

When we eat, our female body does not perform a simple mathematical calculation. It reacts chemically to food, and it is our blood sugar that orchestrates this response. If you eat foods that cause your blood sugar to spike, your body secretes insulin to bring that sugar back into the cells. But if this situation repeats itself constantly, you develop insulin resistance. And this is where everything gets complicated: you store fat more easily, your hormones become disrupted, and you enter a cycle that is difficult to break.

The main thing is to understand this principle: favor carbohydrates from nature, not those made by man. This is the second of my Five Fundamentals.

You talk about the “24 key nutrients” needed for hormone production. Why is it essential for a woman to diversify her diet rather than always eating the same foods?

The three female sex hormones, estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone, all require 24 essential nutrients to be made properly by your body. I call them the “24 Keys” because they literally open the door to your hormonal health. These nutrients are divided into four categories: vitamins, minerals, fatty acids and amino acids.

The problem is that most of us eat the same 50 to 100 foods in rotation. We get stuck in an eating routine that can create nutritional deficiencies without us even knowing it. And if any of these 24 key nutrients are missing, it can have a massive impact on your hormone production. It’s like trying to make bread without yeast — you technically still have dough, but it will never do what it’s supposed to do.

This is why I cannot stress enough the importance of dietary diversification. Whether you’re going through puberty, childbearing age, or going through menopause, you need adequate amounts of these 24 nutrients. In my book, I explain how to intelligently vary your diet to ensure your body gets all the building blocks it needs to optimally make your hormones.

Read: Hormones and weight: what diet to get back in shape? (subscribers)

You say that “we don’t eat for our taste buds, but for our microbes”. How does our microbiome really influence our desires, especially the famous nighttime cravings?

It’s one of the most fascinating and frankly disturbing discoveries of modern science: it’s not your taste buds that decide what you want to eat — it’s your gut bacteria. Your microbiome is a self-regulated system that literally shapes your food preferences through your eating habits.

Let me give you a real-life example: There is a specific strain of bacteria that makes people crave chocolate. Yes, you read that right! If you have this bacteria in abundance in your gut, it will literally make you drool over chocolate. It’s amazing when you think about it — these tiny organisms in your belly have the power to hijack your food choices.

But here’s where it gets really crucial for hormonal health: Recent studies show that bad dietary fats, like grapeseed, corn, and sunflower oils, alter your microbiome, leading to an overproduction of bad bacteria. And these bad bacteria disrupt the hormones that regulate hunger.

The good news? We have control over the foods that affect our microbiome. So to overcome food cravings and cravings, instead of eliminating certain foods, I suggest adding foods rich in fiber, prebiotics, polyphenols, and probiotics to create a healthier gut microbiome. It’s a system that regulates itself once you give it the right tools.

You present proteins as “the hero” and fiber as “the best supporting role”. Why is this association so important for hormonal balance?

I love this metaphor from the film! Think about any great movie you’ve seen. There’s always a main hero who drives the action, but that person needs an exceptional supporting role for the story to really work. Well, protein is your hero macronutrient, and fiber is the indispensable supporting role that should always accompany it.

Why is protein so crucial? Because they provide the essential amino acids your body needs to make your hormones. Remember the 24 key nutrients we talked about. Amino acids are one of them. Without adequate protein, your body simply can’t build the hormones you need. It’s like trying to build a house without bricks.

But here’s the secret that many people don’t understand: you need to build your plate around protein, then add fiber for support. If you do this with every meal, you are now in sync with your hormones. Fiber plays an absolutely crucial role: it slows the absorption of glucose, it feeds your good gut bacteria, and it helps you feel fuller for longer.

You need to build your plate around protein, then add fiber for support

By following the recommendations in my book, my readers will make every meal a story where protein is the hero and fiber is the supporting actress. Keep this image in mind, and you will never go wrong.

You place a lot of emphasis on hormonal detoxification. How can a woman help her body eliminate what you call “toxic estrogen”?

Hormones follow a cycle in three chapters. Chapter one is the synthesis of the hormone. Chapter two is its breakdown once your cells have used it. And chapter three — the one that almost everyone forgets about — is its detoxification to get it out of your body.

If the body cannot properly break down and detoxify your hormones, it will store them. And where does he store them? In the fat. This is called estrogen dominance, with accumulation of abdominal fat. This is also where we see some hormonal cancers developing.

Now add to that the fact that women are exposed to toxic estrogens from outside, chemicals in food, beauty products, our environment.

The liver and kidneys are the heroes of detoxification. They are the ones that eliminate these toxic estrogens. In my book, I give an exhaustive list of foods that help detoxify estrogens, such as cruciferous vegetables. I explain to women how to complete these three chapters of the hormonal cycle in a single meal. And remember: Toxic estrogens that aren’t detoxified can lead to hormonal cancers like breast and ovarian cancer. This is why I consider it absolutely essential for long-term health.

To go further: The great book of women’s nutrition