You’ve done it, I’ve done it –  we’ve all succumbed to a midnight snacky snack that’s turned into a chaotic binge session in front of the telly. We know for sure when it comes to that time of the month, cravings go into overdrive thanks to our menstrual hormones. But did you know that our hormones are also susceptible to a poor diet causing your unexplained binge sessions? It’s the bloat and sleepy sluggish feeling after a binge session that leads me to ask – why do we binge eat and can we reverse the effects?

To help us understand a little more, we spoke to Clinical Nutritionist and the creator of The Hormone Re-Set Program, Pip Reed to find out more about hormone harmony, poor diets and whether we can reverse the effects of binge eating.

WHY WE BINGE EAT

One of the main reasons why we binge eat is an imbalance in our hormones. Pip Reed explains, “We are made up of a magnitude of hormones that govern everything in our bodies from our body temperature and metabolism through to our menstrual cycles and fertility. Every hormone plays an important role in helping us maintain homeostasis and therefore feel healthy and well. However it is a delicate balance of these hormones that keeps us feeling this way, and this balance can be disrupted by many internal and external factors which can lead to an ‘imbalance’ in many people.”

Internal factors that lead us to an imbalance “Such as poor diets high in refined sugar and carbs and vegetable oils such as canola and soybean, and lacking in Omega 3s such as those found in King Regal Salmon, excess alcohol, food intolerances causing inflammation, both excess or not enough exercise, sluggish liver detoxification, high histamine levels, genetic predisposition and The Oral Contraceptive Pill, to name a few!”

BINGE EATING ALSO CONTRIBUTES TO HORMONAL IMBALANCE

“Regular binge eating can disrupt our gut’s delicate ecosystem, overloading it with nutrients and/or EDCs and causing stagnant removal of waste including excess hormones. It may cause changes to occur to your metabolism, especially if there is a cycle of fasting and bingeing, or yoyo dieting, which can impact your thyroid hormones and throw your body out of balance, including weight gain and loss, oestrogen excess and progesterone deficiency. Of course, what you eat during the binge will also impact the balance, as often a binge may be high in refined sugars and carbohydrates which are lacking in nutrients.”

AFTER THE BINGE

Often we regret a binge session immediately afterwards. If the bloating and sluggish feeling serves as a constant reminder to you, Pip suggests “Some gut and liver support before bed which will help your body to metabolise the excess food and eliminate waste the next day.”

Reverse the effects of a binge with:

• A good probiotic
• Milk Thistle supplement for liver support
•  A small amount of fibre such as a tsp of ground flaxseed in a few tsp of Greek Yoghurt
• A few glasses of still water to help facilitate the removal and rehydrate you (“Especially if a lot of sugar and sodium was involved in the binge!”)

Pip recommends “The next day I would recommend starting with another few glasses of tepid water, organic green tea for a metabolism boost and another probiotic.

“Bloating is a very common indication of a hormone imbalance, it just depends on whether it is a symptom or a cause and should be investigated by a professional to rule out food intolerances, leaky gut and pathogens.”

CURB THE CRAVINGS

“A well-rounded diet that covers all bases on a regular basis – combining lean protein, fibre, small amounts of carbs and healthy fats, you’ll keep your metabolism in check, your gut happy, your liver functioning and therefore reduce the need to binge.”

Eating every 3-4 hours can also assist with reducing the urge, as can drinking a few glasses of still water before each meal. Include these into your diet:

• Nuts & Seeds
• Olive and Avocado Oil
• Lean proteins (Fish, Chicken, Eggs, Organic Tofu)
• Unrefined carbs (Brown rice, Quinoa, Root Vegetables like Sweet Potato)
• Metabolism-boosting foods (Dark chocolate, Chilli, Green tea and Pepper)

REACHING HORMONE HARMONY

“Our hormones naturally change as we age and we will experience new signs and symptoms as part of the ageing process. If your hormones are in harmony these changes may be relatively seamless, whereas if there is disharmony these changes may come with discomfort. But the best part is that the right health practitioner and advice can assist with bringing you back into balance!”