She Doesn’t Want to Eat Carbs—Lily from SC
Hi Lily!
I hope you’re okay with me shortening your question a bit for the simplicity of the title. I know Lily isn’t the only one out there who has felt bloating, puffiness, and stomach pain after eating some rolls at dinner.
Let’s start with the basics of carbs before we dive into the digestion. It’s too complicated to say that carbs are “good” or “bad” because there’s always more context needed. Most of us health warriors are seeking to become healthier and we’re told by the media to cut our carbs. However, carbs are important for glucose which is needed for the Hypothalamus Pituitary Axis (HPO) to function. In other words, carbs are necessary for ovulation. All carbs break down into glucose. That glucose has a lot of roles when it comes to the function of our body. Here are a few:
Glucose is a needed substance for the creation of ATP for the functions of the ovary metabolically and physiologically.
Glucose is involved in the development and maturation of follicles, ovulation, and the formation/maintenance of the corpus luteum (that’s the empty follicle that released the egg which NOW starts to produce progesterone).
Glucose helps with oxidative stress management.
Glucose creates neurotransmitters in the brain and also acts as the primary fuel for the brain.
So dig it. You don’t have the carbs, you don’t have what you need to have that hormonal balance. When you don’t have carbs, your body goes through nutritional stress to turn protein and fat into glucose in order to run all the important functions of the body. This then activates an energy sensor present in the ovary which changes the ovarian function in turn. It’s a nasty domino effect!
Lily, I know that the carbs are making you uncomfortable. You are definitely not alone. Most women feel like they aren’t able to tolerate carbs after cutting them out for a while which is actually kind of true. Without estrogen, our insulin sensitivity is lessened. Hence, the main reason many of us started cutting carbs (to keep us from being insulin resistant) has actually turned us…insulin resistant.
You need to give your digestive system time to heal. Take it slow with carbs. Carbs come from more than bread. Consider squashes, potatoes, carrots, beans, rice, lentils, nuts, seeds, oatmeal, honey, juice…you’ve got lots of options (and more!) other than bread and cake.
The key is to take it one meal at a time and to pair them with other macros. You can be flexible with how you increase and include your carbs, but it remains true that your body needs them to function. As you increase your carbs and your body begins to feel safe enough to restore hormonal function, estrogen and progesterone will begin to flow, and that progesterone will help the gastrointestinal tract motility and emptying (which then decreases the inflammation present there). Stay patient and take it easy; like everything with health, it doesn’t immediately solve itself overnight.
