October 17, 2025 • 14 mins
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I'm Bridget Walton, a Women's Hormone Coach helping ambitious women ages 25-40 naturally restore hormone balance, fix irregular periods, feel confident in their fertility, and resolve gut health issues without restrictive dieting.
If you struggle with missing periods, PCOS symptoms, bloating, or unpredictable cycles, this women's health podcast will teach you how to support your hormones through strategic nutrition and lifestyle changes that actually fit your busy life.
On I'm Hormonal, you'll discover natural solutions for period problems, learn how gut health impacts your hormones, and get practical hormone balance tips from a functional nutrition perspective - no more guessing what your body needs.
Bridget recaps the results that you all shared with her in a recent Instagram poll regarding what types of dietary changes you would like to avoid at all costs. She shares her thoughts on plant-based, gluten-free, omnivore, and sugar-free diets and explains how each one could catalyze or impede your hormone and gut rebalancing.
👉 DM us on Instagram @im_hormonal - we want to hear your biggest takeaway
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_00 (00:00):
Hello, and thanks for listening to I'm Hormonal.
I'm your host, Bridget Walton,and on this week's earlier
episode, we talked a little bitabout where to go next.
If you have already reallydialed in your clean eating and
you're like, dude, I'm we're ata plateau.
Where do we go from here?
In this mini episode, I thoughtit would be fun to walk through
(00:23):
with you where you all told meyou would not want to go.
You said as a last resort, ifonly as a last resort, I would
try these couple of diet types.
So I thought this would be fun.
I'll walk you through this pollthat I did on Instagram
recently, and I'll also give youmy thoughts about each of these
options.
(00:43):
So if you are somebody who wantsto fix your period, if there's
something going on with your guthealth, take this as a little
bit of food for thought.
And if you disagree with me onany of these things, I would
love to hear your perspective.
You can DM me on Instagram atI'm underscore hormonal.
If you are new to the podcast,again, my name is Bridget
Walton.
(01:04):
I'm a women's hormone coach andI work one-on-one with busy
gals, perhaps just like you, byoffering personalized coaching
using holistic nutrition andfunctional lab testing.
So whether you're listening hereor you work with me one-on-one,
my goal is the same, which is tohelp you stop guessing about
your hormone health and startseeing really, really quick
(01:26):
progress.
I've been there too.
I have been annoyed andfrustrated by what the heck is
happening with my hormones.
And that stuff is lame, and Idon't want that for you.
So if you ever have a requestfor an episode or topic that you
want to hear me speak on, Iwould love to hear your request.
I would love to talk about it.
And again, you can connect withme on Instagram at I'm
(01:48):
underscore hormonal and let meknow what is on your mind.
All right, let's talk aboutthese poll results.
And just as a recap, in case youdidn't like happen to see my
Instagram story, what I did wasI posted a story and I said,
Hey, if you tried everything, ifyou made a ton of dietary
changes to help fix your period,help to rebalance your hormones,
(02:12):
what is the absolute last thingthat you would ever want to try?
And the options that I put therewere one, going vegan, two,
going gluten-free, three,cutting out all sugar, or four,
if you are already vegan, thenreincorporating animal products
back into your diet.
So think for a second, what isthe one of those that you would
(02:35):
avoid at all costs, going vegan,gluten-free, cutting out sugar,
or reincorporating animalproducts?
And now let's dive into what yougals thought.
More than half of you, like 55%of you, um, said that going
vegan is the absolute last thingthat you would do as far as
dietary changes go.
And let me tell you, girl, Isupport you actually.
(02:58):
If you really want to rebalanceyour gut health or your hormone
health, right, they go hand inhand, including animal products
in your diet will absolutely getyou there fastest and easiest.
You may have heard this before,but certain hormones, like I
don't know, most of your sexhormones are actually made from
(03:20):
cholesterol, which is found infar greater abundance in animal
products.
And so that's just one of like85,000 reasons I can think of,
but making sure that you areprioritizing high-quality animal
products that, you know, arenutrient dense, because if
you're getting the organic, youknow, pasture-raised eggs, they
(03:41):
will be more nutrient dense thanthe factory farm eggs, right?
So let me be clear in sayingthat when you opt for the
quality animal products, theywill really do a great job of
serving you on this path torebalancing your hormones and
getting your period back ontrack.
So for the 55% of you that saidyou do not want to go vegan, um,
(04:06):
I think that, yeah, I thinkthat's probably a good call if
you want to rebalance yourhormones.
Last thought here, I was veganfor a couple years, probably, I
don't know, was that four yearsago now?
And I did it for about twoyears.
I was not a good vegan.
I was eating way more processed,you know, plant-based foods than
(04:28):
I should have been.
I was not doing as good of a jobof prioritizing whole, um, you
know, whole foods.
And so I would say it's an easytrap to fall into if you are
plant-based.
Like you really have to, youreally have to focus on making
sure that you're getting all ofthe nutrients that you need.
You might, you probably do needto supplement um with some
(04:51):
vitamins.
And so, okay, yeah, that's whatI've got on that.
The next option, uh, secondleast popular for that you all
said was going gluten-free.
About 30% of you were like, Hellno, I will only go gluten-free
as a last resort.
My thoughts on this are that Ithink statistically, about one
(05:15):
in 10 women like legit cannothave gluten, like have a gluten
intolerance.
If that's you, you shouldprobably be really careful to
avoid gluten.
That will best serve you.
Now, for the rest of us, thereare about six in ten who have
some type of gluten sensitivity.
So, not an allergy necessarily,not celiac's disease, but gluten
(05:39):
itself is inflammatory, right?
It's um these days, at least inthese United States of America,
um, genetically modified all thetime, like processed.
I know that I hear from a lot offriends or a lot of clients that
they go on a trip to Italy andthey're able to eat gluten and
feel really good.
(06:00):
And I that's great.
But for those of you who arehere in the US, it's just
different.
And that's not the dream, that'sthe reality.
If you find that glutenirritates you, it will
absolutely best serve you toremove it.
I hope that's not the case.
But if you are thinking, okay,well, Bridget, isn't sourdough a
(06:22):
better option, even though it,you know, has gluten in it?
And I would say yes, it is abetter option, still could be a
little bit inflammatory.
My last thought on this one isthat, you know, it's worth
noting sensitivities or I guessreactions to ingredients or
foods that you are sensitive tocan show up up to about 72 hours
(06:44):
after you consume thatingredient or that food.
So if you are somebody who istrying to figure out if you are
sensitive to gluten, maybe youare one of those 30% who really
does not want to go gluten-freeand you're doing a little
investigative work, just knowthat sometimes you can eat
something with gluten and you'llfeel good for a little bit.
(07:05):
And it makes it a lot harder tofigure out what is off, what's
going wrong.
This is one place where doingsome testing, like a food
sensitivity test, can behelpful, can reveal if you have
a sensitivity to wheat, or onthe GI map, which is a stool
panel, uh gut panel that I usewith clients, there's a marker.
(07:25):
It's the anti-gliadin marker,which will reveal if you have a
sensitivity to gluten.
So, you know, sometimes it'shard when you actually see
whether or not you're sensitiveto it.
If you were hoping not to be, ifyou're one of this 30%.
But if you are really seriousabout getting your gut health
(07:45):
back on track and getting yourhormones back on track and
feeling really good, then it canbe invaluable information to
you.
Okay, moving on, about 10% ofyou said that, okay, no, as a
last resort, I would cut out allsugar.
And um, you know, I feel you onthis too.
I will be reporting back soon.
(08:06):
I'm sure I'll do an episode, atleast one episode on it, because
I am getting ready to start acandida diet, which means no
sugar for me until at least thespringtime.
Um, candida is a type of yeast.
Maybe you've heard of it, but Ijust um am one of those lucky,
lucky folks who has a candidaovergrowth right now that I
(08:28):
found out through doing a GImap.
I'm glad to know that so I canaddress it.
But yeah, cutting out sugar canbe a big, um, a big undertaking
at first.
It can be pretty impactful onlike what's going on socially,
or if you're somebody who hostsa lot, or if you're the friend
in the group who is known foryour absolutely amazing,
(08:50):
delicious, tasty baked goods,then it doesn't seem
particularly appealing.
But rest assured, it's 2025.
There are at least a handful ofwebsites out there that can
direct you to some really tastyoptions for sweet treats or for
alternatives that will stillserve your overall health and
(09:13):
wellness and your goals whilealso giving you a little bit of
um, you know, the flavors andthe food or treat experience
that you are looking for.
So more to come from me on that.
But yeah, cutting out all sugarscan really be a big undertaking
because they everywhere.
(09:36):
Okay, fourth and final on thispoll.
Um, about 5% of you said thatyou your last option, your last
preference would be tore-incorporate animal products
into your diet.
So those of you who respond withthis answer are presumably vegan
at this point.
And I'll just say again, I feltlike this too back in the day.
(09:58):
Um, you you'll be in for more ofa challenge.
Um, it'll take a little bit morework.
It doesn't mean that it'simpossible.
Um, it can be done, but it justwill take more.
Uh, what's the word that I want?
Not scrutiny, but it'll take alittle bit more effort to just
make sure again that you'regetting in all of the nutrients
(10:19):
that you need to support thatrepair of your intestinal
lining, of you know, you haveall those building blocks that
your hormones need to becreated.
So, you know, I found that itwas helpful for me, in all
transparency.
I'm sorry to say it, to go froma plant-based diet to, you know,
being an omnivore, I guess,again.
(10:41):
Um, but obviously, if you are init for moral or ethical or
religious reasons, then pleasemake no mistake.
I'm not trying to change yourmind, and I'm wishing you all
the best.
I have one other honorablemention because this is actually
my personal last resort.
I didn't think to put this onthe poll option, but I think for
(11:03):
me, I my last resort wouldprobably be doing a carnivore
diet.
I think that yes, it can workfor some people or it can really
alleviate other um, you know,unsavory digestive experiences
or symptoms, I should say.
But ultimately, your body needsfiber, your microbiome needs
(11:26):
fiber.
Um, also sounds pretty boringand socially difficult.
So that's my fifth honorablemention because I would not want
to take on a carnivore diet.
All right, gang.
That is most of the meat andpotatoes for what I've got for
this episode today.
But I do want to do a quickrecap as we wrap up of what were
(11:48):
the main takeaways from thisweek's earlier episode, because
if you haven't listened yet, goback and check it out.
But I really talked about how,yes, transitioning your diet to
be more clean, whatever versionthat means for you, that's a
great first step.
That is very important and willbe strategic in helping you get
to the next step.
But the things that people oftenoverlook, or rather, what I
(12:11):
would love for you to focus onnext, if you feel like you've
really got your diet dialed in,is one, focus on blood sugar
stability.
If that's not on your radar yet,go back and check out episode
number 86 because that's goingto be helpful for you.
Blood sugar stability is soimportant for most of the
functions of your body.
So don't sleep on that.
(12:32):
Number two, if you're alreadyeating clean, but you're not
taking any real actions toactually fix or repair the
lining of your gut, that couldbe the missing piece that you
need.
This is something that I seeunfortunately, you know, more
often than I would like to withgals or with friends, people who
I meet, where they say, Hey, Ieliminated all of these
(12:54):
different foods, but then when Itried to reintegrate them, it
was even worse than it wasbefore.
And I say, Ah, yes, because yourgut lining itself still needs
some support.
So that when you do reintroducethose foods, you're feeling
good, you're moving ahead.
The third thing that I wanted toremind you of you're you're
(13:15):
eating clean, you're feelinggood, but maybe you're not
actually registering thestressors that are in your life
because no matter how wellyou're eating, if you have a
large stress load, then that'sgoing to be getting in the way
of you correcting or balancingout your hormones and balancing
out your gut health.
(13:36):
So I will leave you with that.
As always, the information thatI share with you on this podcast
is for educational purposes onlyand is not a replacement for
medical advice.
But I will look forward toseeing you on the next one.
I'm Bridget Walton, a women'shormone coach, and I'll see you
soon.
Hello, and thanks for listening to I'm Hormonal.
I'm your host, Bridget Walton,and on this week's earlier
episode, we talked a little bitabout where to go next.
If you have already reallydialed in your clean eating and
you're like, dude, I'm we're ata plateau.
Where do we go from here?
In this mini episode, I thoughtit would be fun to walk through
(00:23):
with you where you all told meyou would not want to go.
You said as a last resort, ifonly as a last resort, I would
try these couple of diet types.
So I thought this would be fun.
I'll walk you through this pollthat I did on Instagram
recently, and I'll also give youmy thoughts about each of these
options.
(00:43):
So if you are somebody who wantsto fix your period, if there's
something going on with your guthealth, take this as a little
bit of food for thought.
And if you disagree with me onany of these things, I would
love to hear your perspective.
You can DM me on Instagram atI'm underscore hormonal.
If you are new to the podcast,again, my name is Bridget
Walton.
(01:04):
I'm a women's hormone coach andI work one-on-one with busy
gals, perhaps just like you, byoffering personalized coaching
using holistic nutrition andfunctional lab testing.
So whether you're listening hereor you work with me one-on-one,
my goal is the same, which is tohelp you stop guessing about
your hormone health and startseeing really, really quick
(01:26):
progress.
I've been there too.
I have been annoyed andfrustrated by what the heck is
happening with my hormones.
And that stuff is lame, and Idon't want that for you.
So if you ever have a requestfor an episode or topic that you
want to hear me speak on, Iwould love to hear your request.
I would love to talk about it.
And again, you can connect withme on Instagram at I'm
(01:48):
underscore hormonal and let meknow what is on your mind.
All right, let's talk aboutthese poll results.
And just as a recap, in case youdidn't like happen to see my
Instagram story, what I did wasI posted a story and I said,
Hey, if you tried everything, ifyou made a ton of dietary
changes to help fix your period,help to rebalance your hormones,
(02:12):
what is the absolute last thingthat you would ever want to try?
And the options that I put therewere one, going vegan, two,
going gluten-free, three,cutting out all sugar, or four,
if you are already vegan, thenreincorporating animal products
back into your diet.
So think for a second, what isthe one of those that you would
(02:35):
avoid at all costs, going vegan,gluten-free, cutting out sugar,
or reincorporating animalproducts?
And now let's dive into what yougals thought.
More than half of you, like 55%of you, um, said that going
vegan is the absolute last thingthat you would do as far as
dietary changes go.
And let me tell you, girl, Isupport you actually.
(02:58):
If you really want to rebalanceyour gut health or your hormone
health, right, they go hand inhand, including animal products
in your diet will absolutely getyou there fastest and easiest.
You may have heard this before,but certain hormones, like I
don't know, most of your sexhormones are actually made from
(03:20):
cholesterol, which is found infar greater abundance in animal
products.
And so that's just one of like85,000 reasons I can think of,
but making sure that you areprioritizing high-quality animal
products that, you know, arenutrient dense, because if
you're getting the organic, youknow, pasture-raised eggs, they
(03:41):
will be more nutrient dense thanthe factory farm eggs, right?
So let me be clear in sayingthat when you opt for the
quality animal products, theywill really do a great job of
serving you on this path torebalancing your hormones and
getting your period back ontrack.
So for the 55% of you that saidyou do not want to go vegan, um,
(04:06):
I think that, yeah, I thinkthat's probably a good call if
you want to rebalance yourhormones.
Last thought here, I was veganfor a couple years, probably, I
don't know, was that four yearsago now?
And I did it for about twoyears.
I was not a good vegan.
I was eating way more processed,you know, plant-based foods than
(04:28):
I should have been.
I was not doing as good of a jobof prioritizing whole, um, you
know, whole foods.
And so I would say it's an easytrap to fall into if you are
plant-based.
Like you really have to, youreally have to focus on making
sure that you're getting all ofthe nutrients that you need.
You might, you probably do needto supplement um with some
(04:51):
vitamins.
And so, okay, yeah, that's whatI've got on that.
The next option, uh, secondleast popular for that you all
said was going gluten-free.
About 30% of you were like, Hellno, I will only go gluten-free
as a last resort.
My thoughts on this are that Ithink statistically, about one
(05:15):
in 10 women like legit cannothave gluten, like have a gluten
intolerance.
If that's you, you shouldprobably be really careful to
avoid gluten.
That will best serve you.
Now, for the rest of us, thereare about six in ten who have
some type of gluten sensitivity.
So, not an allergy necessarily,not celiac's disease, but gluten
(05:39):
itself is inflammatory, right?
It's um these days, at least inthese United States of America,
um, genetically modified all thetime, like processed.
I know that I hear from a lot offriends or a lot of clients that
they go on a trip to Italy andthey're able to eat gluten and
feel really good.
(06:00):
And I that's great.
But for those of you who arehere in the US, it's just
different.
And that's not the dream, that'sthe reality.
If you find that glutenirritates you, it will
absolutely best serve you toremove it.
I hope that's not the case.
But if you are thinking, okay,well, Bridget, isn't sourdough a
(06:22):
better option, even though it,you know, has gluten in it?
And I would say yes, it is abetter option, still could be a
little bit inflammatory.
My last thought on this one isthat, you know, it's worth
noting sensitivities or I guessreactions to ingredients or
foods that you are sensitive tocan show up up to about 72 hours
(06:44):
after you consume thatingredient or that food.
So if you are somebody who istrying to figure out if you are
sensitive to gluten, maybe youare one of those 30% who really
does not want to go gluten-freeand you're doing a little
investigative work, just knowthat sometimes you can eat
something with gluten and you'llfeel good for a little bit.
(07:05):
And it makes it a lot harder tofigure out what is off, what's
going wrong.
This is one place where doingsome testing, like a food
sensitivity test, can behelpful, can reveal if you have
a sensitivity to wheat, or onthe GI map, which is a stool
panel, uh gut panel that I usewith clients, there's a marker.
(07:25):
It's the anti-gliadin marker,which will reveal if you have a
sensitivity to gluten.
So, you know, sometimes it'shard when you actually see
whether or not you're sensitiveto it.
If you were hoping not to be, ifyou're one of this 30%.
But if you are really seriousabout getting your gut health
(07:45):
back on track and getting yourhormones back on track and
feeling really good, then it canbe invaluable information to
you.
Okay, moving on, about 10% ofyou said that, okay, no, as a
last resort, I would cut out allsugar.
And um, you know, I feel you onthis too.
I will be reporting back soon.
(08:06):
I'm sure I'll do an episode, atleast one episode on it, because
I am getting ready to start acandida diet, which means no
sugar for me until at least thespringtime.
Um, candida is a type of yeast.
Maybe you've heard of it, but Ijust um am one of those lucky,
lucky folks who has a candidaovergrowth right now that I
(08:28):
found out through doing a GImap.
I'm glad to know that so I canaddress it.
But yeah, cutting out sugar canbe a big, um, a big undertaking
at first.
It can be pretty impactful onlike what's going on socially,
or if you're somebody who hostsa lot, or if you're the friend
in the group who is known foryour absolutely amazing,
(08:50):
delicious, tasty baked goods,then it doesn't seem
particularly appealing.
But rest assured, it's 2025.
There are at least a handful ofwebsites out there that can
direct you to some really tastyoptions for sweet treats or for
alternatives that will stillserve your overall health and
(09:13):
wellness and your goals whilealso giving you a little bit of
um, you know, the flavors andthe food or treat experience
that you are looking for.
So more to come from me on that.
But yeah, cutting out all sugarscan really be a big undertaking
because they everywhere.
(09:36):
Okay, fourth and final on thispoll.
Um, about 5% of you said thatyou your last option, your last
preference would be tore-incorporate animal products
into your diet.
So those of you who respond withthis answer are presumably vegan
at this point.
And I'll just say again, I feltlike this too back in the day.
(09:58):
Um, you you'll be in for more ofa challenge.
Um, it'll take a little bit morework.
It doesn't mean that it'simpossible.
Um, it can be done, but it justwill take more.
Uh, what's the word that I want?
Not scrutiny, but it'll take alittle bit more effort to just
make sure again that you'regetting in all of the nutrients
(10:19):
that you need to support thatrepair of your intestinal
lining, of you know, you haveall those building blocks that
your hormones need to becreated.
So, you know, I found that itwas helpful for me, in all
transparency.
I'm sorry to say it, to go froma plant-based diet to, you know,
being an omnivore, I guess,again.
(10:41):
Um, but obviously, if you are init for moral or ethical or
religious reasons, then pleasemake no mistake.
I'm not trying to change yourmind, and I'm wishing you all
the best.
I have one other honorablemention because this is actually
my personal last resort.
I didn't think to put this onthe poll option, but I think for
(11:03):
me, I my last resort wouldprobably be doing a carnivore
diet.
I think that yes, it can workfor some people or it can really
alleviate other um, you know,unsavory digestive experiences
or symptoms, I should say.
But ultimately, your body needsfiber, your microbiome needs
(11:26):
fiber.
Um, also sounds pretty boringand socially difficult.
So that's my fifth honorablemention because I would not want
to take on a carnivore diet.
All right, gang.
That is most of the meat andpotatoes for what I've got for
this episode today.
But I do want to do a quickrecap as we wrap up of what were
(11:48):
the main takeaways from thisweek's earlier episode, because
if you haven't listened yet, goback and check it out.
But I really talked about how,yes, transitioning your diet to
be more clean, whatever versionthat means for you, that's a
great first step.
That is very important and willbe strategic in helping you get
to the next step.
But the things that people oftenoverlook, or rather, what I
(12:11):
would love for you to focus onnext, if you feel like you've
really got your diet dialed in,is one, focus on blood sugar
stability.
If that's not on your radar yet,go back and check out episode
number 86 because that's goingto be helpful for you.
Blood sugar stability is soimportant for most of the
functions of your body.
So don't sleep on that.
(12:32):
Number two, if you're alreadyeating clean, but you're not
taking any real actions toactually fix or repair the
lining of your gut, that couldbe the missing piece that you
need.
This is something that I seeunfortunately, you know, more
often than I would like to withgals or with friends, people who
I meet, where they say, Hey, Ieliminated all of these
(12:54):
different foods, but then when Itried to reintegrate them, it
was even worse than it wasbefore.
And I say, Ah, yes, because yourgut lining itself still needs
some support.
So that when you do reintroducethose foods, you're feeling
good, you're moving ahead.
The third thing that I wanted toremind you of you're you're
(13:15):
eating clean, you're feelinggood, but maybe you're not
actually registering thestressors that are in your life
because no matter how wellyou're eating, if you have a
large stress load, then that'sgoing to be getting in the way
of you correcting or balancingout your hormones and balancing
out your gut health.
(13:36):
So I will leave you with that.
As always, the information thatI share with you on this podcast
is for educational purposes onlyand is not a replacement for
medical advice.
But I will look forward toseeing you on the next one.
I'm Bridget Walton, a women'shormone coach, and I'll see you
soon.
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