September 22, 2025 • 21 mins
If your skin feels unpredictable in perimenopause and menopause — breakouts one week, dryness the next, redness that won’t calm down — your gut might be the missing link. In this episode of the pod, I’m breaking down the fascinating gut–skin axis and showing you why your digestion has everything to do with your complexion.
We’ll explore why gut health often becomes more sensitive in perimenopause and menopause, the biggest food and lifestyle triggers that could be sabotaging your skin, and simple swaps you can start making today. Plus, I’ll share my go-to “Skin Smoothie” recipe — a delicious, anti-inflammatory way to feed both your gut and your skin.
What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
- Why perimenopause can make your gut (and skin) more reactive
- The top gut-skin triggers I see in clinic — sugar, alcohol, processed foods, and low fibre
- How poor digestion and leaky gut contribute to breakouts, redness, and dullness
- 4 skin-loving food groups that support a calm, radiant complexion
- My simple Skin Smoothie recipe for daily gut + skin nourishment
- How inside-out strategies can reduce your reliance on expensive creams or cosmetic fixes
Here's the recipe for my Skin Loving Smoothie:
•1 cup coconut water
•1 handful spinach or kale
•½ cup berries
•1 tbsp chia seeds
•1 tbsp flax or hemp seeds
•Scoop of unflavoured, non-WPI protein powder
Are you a woman feeling stressed, flat and experiencing the challenges of perimenopause?
It’s time to reclaim your youthful energy, radiance and self-assurance (and your ideal weight).
I’m here to help with my proven method.
Here's how I can support you -
1. Hit your health and wellbeing goals this year, balance your hormones and lose weight with your own personalised protocol, based on your body's biochemistry. Sounds awesome right!! Book a free 30 minute Peri Weight Loss Assessment with me so we can discuss your health and wellbeing goals and also see how I might be able to support you. Book your call here.
2. Follow me on Instagram and Facebook - @the.perimenopause.path
3. Join the waitlist for my innovative NEW 8 week group program, In Your Skin™️, for women in perimenopause and post-menopause who want effective solutions to manage skin changes at this time of life.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hi, I'm Susie Garden and this is the Ageless and
Awesome podcast.
I'm an age-defying naturopathand clinical nutritionist and
I'm here to bust myths aroundwomen's health and aging so that
you can be ageless and awesomein your 40s, 50s and beyond.
The Ageless and Awesome podcastis dedicated to helping women
(00:24):
through perimenopause andmenopause with great health, a
positive mindset and outrageousconfidence.
Hit, subscribe or follow nowand let's get started.
Hello, gorgeous one, andwelcome to this week's episode
of the Ageless and Awesomepodcast.
This week I'm doing episode two,I guess, of my skin series.
(00:48):
So in last week's episode weexplored why perimenopause and
menopause changes your skin, thehormones, the stress, all of
the things, and today we'regoing to talk about something
that doesn't get nearly enoughattention and that is the link
between your skin health andyour gut health, because the
(01:14):
truth is and maybe you'veexperienced this if your gut
isn't happy, your skin will tellyou through breakouts, redness,
dryness, even flare-ups likerosacea and eczema and many
others, which I'm going to talkabout today.
Some of the research I did inpreparing for this episode
(01:34):
really surprised me in terms ofhow much research there is
actually now on the impact ofthe gut and the gut-skin axis
which we're going to get into,because once you understand the
gut-skin axis, you're going tosee your skin and the impact of
your gut health on your skin ina whole new light.
(01:57):
So let's get started.
So your gut and your skin areactually constantly started.
So your gut and your skin areactually constantly
communicating.
It's crazy, right, constantlycommunicating.
If you think of your gut as thesoil and your skin as a plant,
(02:22):
if the soil is depleted ofnutrients, full of weeds, the
plant will struggle to thrive.
And it's a similar sort ofsituation with your gut health.
Thinking of that as the soil.
If that is depleted ofnutrients and you've got a bit
of overgrowth, for example, ofnot so good bacteria they're the
weeds then your skin is reallygoing to see it.
And in peri and menopause yourgut can become more sensitive
(02:44):
and many of my clients that cometo see me are having issues
such as bloating, constipation,pain, diarrhea, maybe their
gallbladder is playing up a bit,maybe other things in related
to digestion.
So if that's happening to you,and even if you don't have
symptoms, often you can havestuff going on in the gut.
That's why it's so important toactually be proactive about it.
(03:07):
But thanks to hormonal changesas well, and stress and shifts
in digestion that will oftenshow up on our skin.
And when you think about it,the skin is our largest organ
and guess what?
It's microbe levels, so theskin microbiome are second only
to the gut, which I was actuallyreally surprised to read.
(03:31):
That, I mean, it makes sense.
Your skin has the contact withthe environment, and I should
remember back to my operatingtheater days, because we always
were.
That's what made me into agermphobe, because we learned a
lot about how much bacteria,fungi, other things are sitting
(03:53):
on the skin at all times andeven though you can't see it,
and some of it is beneficial,some of it is not.
So let's talk a little bit moreabout that.
If we're looking at the gutitself, if you have poor
digestion so, as I mentionedbefore, regular bloating,
constipation, diarrhea, foodintolerances, stress, poor sleep
(04:14):
fewer nutrients are going to beabsorbed generally, but also
fewer nutrients absorbed forskin repair specifically.
So that's one aspect.
If you have a gut bacteriaimbalance and many of us do many
of us have had issues withinfections, for example, that
have required antibiotics andyou absolutely need them if you
(04:36):
need them, but if you've hadlots of antibiotics over your
lifetime.
So this is a lifetime thing andI always ask my clients, you
know, think back to childhood.
Did you have lots of bouts ofear infections?
Did you have grommets?
Did you have bouts oftonsillitis?
Undoubtedly, if you're in perior menopause now, you would have
been in that era whereantibiotics were prescribed for
(04:57):
all of those things very, veryregularly.
So you may have still an impactfrom that 20, 30, 40 years
later of that gut bacteria beingimpacted by antibiotics.
And also, if you've had aserious illness, if you've had
lots of stress in your life, ifyou have had undiagnosed celiac
(05:18):
disease, for example, latediagnosis of celiac disease
you've probably got a gutbacteria imbalance.
There are so many reasons thatpeople have gut bacteria
imbalances, but if you do,you're probably prone to more
breakouts.
You probably get irritation inyour skin, redness, maybe you
experience dullness in the skin,and research shows that the gut
(05:41):
bacteria imbalance can beimplicated in a myriad of skin
issues, from psoriasis, contactdermatitis, skin cancer, eczema
and also dandruff, acne and more.
This doesn't just impact you inperi and menopause either.
This can be at any time of yourlife.
(06:03):
So there are very specificbacterias that the researchers
have noted that are moreprevalent on the skin of people
that have a lot of these medicalor sorry skin conditions.
So that's how they're makingthose links.
And the thing is with researchyou don't just kind of show it
or prove it once.
(06:23):
It has to be done over and overagain for it to be taken
seriously and go more fromtheory to fact.
So this is really interestingand research-backed stuff which
I love learning about.
And as well as poor digestionand gut bacteria imbalance, some
(06:44):
people may have leaky gut.
So leaky gut is when you havethe medical term for that is
increased intestinalpermeability.
So if you think about when weeat something, we digest it down
into little molecules of likevitamin D and vitamin C and iron
et cetera, and then thosemolecules go through your
(07:07):
intestinal wall because it ispermeable, they go through the
intestinal wall and go into yourbloodstream and where they need
to go to do the job that theydo.
When you have increasedintestinal permeability or leaky
gut and that can be caused bystress, it can be caused by
intense exercise, it can becaused by food intolerances,
(07:31):
certain medications likenon-steroidal
anti-inflammatories,inflammatory antibiotics et
cetera then the permeability ofthe intestine increases and so
bigger clumps of molecules canget through.
And there's also a theory thatperhaps some of the microbiome
might get through into yourbloodstream and that activates
your immune system becauseobviously those things are not
(07:53):
meant to be there in yourbloodstream, and so the immune
system activates.
So you get this systemicinflammation driven by the gut
and this immune systemactivation that will absolutely
impact your skin.
So leaky gut is something thatwe can test.
We do a urine test for that.
If you think you might haveleaky gut, it's a good idea to
(08:14):
speak to a healthcareprofessional that might be able
to assess you further and ifthey believe testing is
warranted, that's absolutelysomething that a nutritionist, a
naturopath, gp et cetera canorder.
And it is not covered undersort of Medicare if you're in
Australia, but it's not thatexpensive actually to do that
(08:37):
test if you're in Australia, butit's not that expensive
actually to do that test.
So you know, if you think about, if you've noticed, if you have
a weekend of like partying wine, pizza, sugar, et cetera your
skin might look dull, might bered, you might wake up with some
skin breaking out.
That's your gut-skin connectionin action.
And there's this it'sconstantly communicating.
(09:00):
It's not just communicatingwhen something's going wrong.
There's this bi-directionalcommunication happening.
So something I know this mightsound a little bit overwhelming,
but essentially, as long asyou're looking after the gut,
you'll be looking after yourgut-skin access.
You'll be looking after yourgut-bone access.
You'll be looking after yourgut bone axis, You'll be looking
after your gut brain axis.
(09:20):
There's also a gut lung axis,so gut health, at the end of the
day, that is the ultimate thatyou need to be looking after.
So I wanted to talk about whatare some common gut skin
triggers and these are probablymy top four that I see most
often impacting skin and causingsome issues in perimenopause
(09:42):
and menopause.
One of them is sugar.
I mean again, this can happenat any age, but sugar is really
a big driver of inflammation.
It can spike insulin, itworsens breakouts.
I don't think that is going tobe a surprise to anybody, but we
know that this is a realproblem.
So if you can avoid thattrigger as much as possible,
(10:05):
your skin will feel and look somuch better.
Alcohol is another big one,because alcohol is obviously
very dehydrating, so your skinwill look dehydrated if you
drink a lot of alcohol.
It disrupts your gut bacteria.
Interestingly, I was on thephone to a friend of mine this
(10:25):
morning that I haven't spoken tofor a while and she's given up
drinking as much as she used toand she said to me the absolute
difference in her gut health wasso noticeable to her and she
wasn't someone that really tooka lot of notice of these things,
but she said, wow, thedifference in dropping alcohol
was massive in terms of guthealth.
(10:47):
The other thing with alcohol isit impacts your liver
detoxification and essentially,when you have alcohol, once the
liver, you know, detects thatother things processes stop,
like digestion.
A lot of that stops because thealcohol is a toxin, so your
body will prioritize getting ridof that.
(11:08):
So things that will impact yourhormone balance, because your
hormones are also detoxifiedthrough the liver.
So it it impacts your skin in anumber of ways, both through
the hormonal pathway and alsothe gut skin.
So, as my friend was saying tome this morning, she's found so
many great either low alcoholalternatives or just alternative
(11:31):
drinks.
I had another client last weektalking to me about alcohol
alternatives.
So there are some drinks aroundthat are basically no sugar but
they've got some herbs in them,which I think is fantastic,
like adaptogen herbs and thingslike that that could be an
option to have instead ofalcohol For me personally, I
(11:54):
just have.
If I have a drink or two, thenI'll be on soda water or
sparkling water because I enjoydrinking that and I know it's
still going to be reallyhydrating for me.
Having my number three of thebiggest gut triggers I see is
highly processed foods, so foodsthat are packaged, foods that
(12:18):
contain additives, certain oils,chemicals that inflame your
system, and this is reallyimportant to learn how to read
labels, because there areadditives in foods that you
really wouldn't expect there tobe.
I even had a client, probably acouple of years ago now we were
(12:40):
talking about spices and thingsand curry powders and she had
Keen's curry powder and I lookedat the label of that online.
I went oh, that doesn't justhave spices in it, that has
other things.
So that really shocked mebecause certainly, growing up, I
think everybody had in theirpantry some Keen's curry powder,
but yeah, it's actually gotadditives in it that probably
(13:04):
aren't ideal for everybody.
So learning to read labels, toknow that your food is actually
food and not processed food, issuper important, and that's not
just for skin health, that's forweight control, it's for
hormone balance, for loweringyour cancer risk.
We know that processed foodsare a massive issue on human
(13:27):
health, so trying to avoid themas much as possible is a
fantastic practice to startgetting into, and you can do it
step by step.
You don't have to go in andthrow everything out in your
pantry, but really just stopbuying it and start really
focusing on natural foods, wholefoods, because that is going to
serve you and your family'shealth well for decades.
(13:52):
Number four is fiber.
So having a low fiber diet isagain a skin trigger.
It means a slower detox, slowerhormone clearance, more
congestion showing up in theskin.
Really important to make sureyou're getting enough fiber
every single day, and you cangenerally get that from food.
(14:17):
You could take supplements, butI would really work on getting
good food into the body as apriority, unless you have pretty
specific sort of gut issuesthat really need addressing,
like chronic constipation.
So let's talk about some of theskin loving gut foods that I
recommend, because you know whatthe good news is just a few
(14:41):
swaps can make a real differenceto your skin is just a few
swaps can make a real differenceto your skin.
Now a little caveat here.
Remember this is generalinformation.
This may not be suitable foreveryone.
If you've been a long timelistener, you know I really am a
champion of personalizednutrition.
So when I have clients inclinic, I'm not recommending
(15:02):
generic solutions like what I'mabout to say.
I'm recommending personalizednutrition for the individual and
their individual concerns.
So just remember that, that youmight try some of these and
feel better, which is fantastic,but you may even get to the
next level of better if it's apersonalized prescription of
(15:24):
food.
Even get to the next level ofbetter if it's a personalized
prescription of food.
So probably my number one isomega-3 fatty acids to calm
inflammation.
Inflammation is something thatis the root cause of almost
every physical and mental healthcondition, so reducing
inflammation, inflammation inthe body is really important,
and omega-3s are things likeflax seeds, walnuts, oily fish,
(15:50):
like salmon.
This all calms inflammation,which is going to help you
beyond your skin health, but itwill definitely help your skin.
It'll help with, particularlybecause of the oil content, help
with plumping, hydration,calming redness.
I cannot speak highly enough ofomega-3s.
(16:10):
Also including fermented foods.
Again, this is a very generalrecommendation.
For many people I do notrecommend including fermented
foods, particularly for gutissues, because we want to go
way more specific with ourprobiotics.
So foods like sauerkraut, kefir, kimchi are fantastic for many
(16:32):
people and they support the gutmicrobiome Generally.
We're only going to have smallamounts of these anyway, so get
quality, but yeah, definitely,and always read your labels with
it.
Boost fiber, as I mentionedbefore, so you can use things
like oats, chia seeds, legumeslike lentils, kidney beans,
(16:54):
chickpeas, things like that.
All help to detox hormones andtoxins, help with improving
constipation, things like that.
The good prebiotics chia seedsalso includes omega-3s, so
you're getting extra bang foryour buck there.
Also, focus on polyphenols, sothings like green tea, berries,
(17:19):
brightly colored berries, oliveoil.
They will protect your collagen, which is really important.
So there are four thingsOmega-3s, fermented foods if you
don't have other gut issuesgoing on fiber and polyphenols.
I'm going to keep it supersimple.
Today, one of my favorite easyways to feed your gut and your
(17:39):
skin is with a skin smoothie.
So I'm going to give you asimple recipe.
So if you're not driving andyou do have a pen and pad handy
or you've got your computer open, you want to type this out?
Then go for it.
I'll try and remember to putthis in the show notes as well,
but here's this simple recipe.
So about 250 mils of coconutwater, handful of spinach or
(18:04):
kale works really well.
Any sort of dark leafy greenwould be fantastic.
About half a cup of frozenberries.
Tablespoon of chia seeds Ialways put the chia seeds into
the coconut water first, so whenI'm loading up my blender,
water goes in first, then thechia seeds, then my next
(18:24):
ingredient, which would be flaxseeds or hemp seeds.
If you're going to use flaxseeds, then I would definitely
grind them before you add them.
Also, I said the frozen berries.
I think yeah, and a scoop ofunflavored, non-whey protein
(18:45):
powder and make it just a reallysimple protein powder no
additives.
The only additives I have in myprotein powder is it does have
some digestive enzymes in it,which I love.
So having an unflavored proteinpowder like a pea protein,
brown rice protein sometimesthey're mixed together.
(19:09):
Again, this is notindividualized advice.
Obviously, if you have your ownfood intolerances or other
stuff going on, you want to usethings that are going to be
ideal for you.
The other thing is I'llprobably put in about one or two
tablespoons of cacao because Ilike chocolate, so it's a great
(19:31):
way to get chocolate.
So blend this up.
It's anti-inflammatory.
It's hydrating, gives your skinnutrients it can actually use.
All right.
So I think I'm going to finishoff the pod there.
This information I'm giving younow is just the tip of the
iceberg.
As I said, the more I'mresearching this as I'm building
(19:53):
my upcoming eight-week groupprogram called In your Skin, the
more I'm reading about it, themore excited I'm getting,
because I'm learning so much aswell and I cannot wait to share
it with you.
In the program, I'm dedicatinga whole week to gut health and
I'm actually thinking maybe I'lleven make it close to two weeks
, because when you calminflammation in the body and you
(20:15):
support your digestion, youwill see a benefit in your skin
very quickly, and it will alsoreally help with your hormones
as well.
So you're getting really good.
As I say, bang for your buck.
I actually don't like usingthat phrase, but it is what it
is.
So in In your Skin, we'll begoing through recipes, easy
(20:38):
swaps and strategies to fit thisinto your busy life.
So if you're not already on thewait list, now is the time.
I'm hopefully going to have alink to pop in the show notes If
I don't just message me onInstagram at
theperimenopausepath, or emailhello at suzygardencom and ask
(20:59):
to be popped on the wait list,so you'll be first to hear when
the doors open and get thefoundational pricing.
It'll never be as easy toaccess this program as the
initial round that I do.
Thanks so much for joining meon the Ageless and Awesome
podcast.
If you liked this episode,please make sure you click the
(21:20):
little plus button if you're onApple Podcasts, or the follow
button if you're on Spotify, sothat you get each new episode
delivered to you every singleweek.
If you feel like writing me afive-star review, you would
absolutely make my day.
If you found this episoderesonated with you, head over to
my Instagram and DM me attheperimenopausepath.
(21:42):
I would love to connect withyou.
Hi, I'm Susie Garden and this is the Ageless and
Awesome podcast.
I'm an age-defying naturopathand clinical nutritionist and
I'm here to bust myths aroundwomen's health and aging so that
you can be ageless and awesomein your 40s, 50s and beyond.
The Ageless and Awesome podcastis dedicated to helping women
(00:24):
through perimenopause andmenopause with great health, a
positive mindset and outrageousconfidence.
Hit, subscribe or follow nowand let's get started.
Hello, gorgeous one, andwelcome to this week's episode
of the Ageless and Awesomepodcast.
This week I'm doing episode two,I guess, of my skin series.
(00:48):
So in last week's episode weexplored why perimenopause and
menopause changes your skin, thehormones, the stress, all of
the things, and today we'regoing to talk about something
that doesn't get nearly enoughattention and that is the link
between your skin health andyour gut health, because the
(01:14):
truth is and maybe you'veexperienced this if your gut
isn't happy, your skin will tellyou through breakouts, redness,
dryness, even flare-ups likerosacea and eczema and many
others, which I'm going to talkabout today.
Some of the research I did inpreparing for this episode
(01:34):
really surprised me in terms ofhow much research there is
actually now on the impact ofthe gut and the gut-skin axis
which we're going to get into,because once you understand the
gut-skin axis, you're going tosee your skin and the impact of
your gut health on your skin ina whole new light.
(01:57):
So let's get started.
So your gut and your skin areactually constantly started.
So your gut and your skin areactually constantly
communicating.
It's crazy, right, constantlycommunicating.
If you think of your gut as thesoil and your skin as a plant,
(02:22):
if the soil is depleted ofnutrients, full of weeds, the
plant will struggle to thrive.
And it's a similar sort ofsituation with your gut health.
Thinking of that as the soil.
If that is depleted ofnutrients and you've got a bit
of overgrowth, for example, ofnot so good bacteria they're the
weeds then your skin is reallygoing to see it.
And in peri and menopause yourgut can become more sensitive
(02:44):
and many of my clients that cometo see me are having issues
such as bloating, constipation,pain, diarrhea, maybe their
gallbladder is playing up a bit,maybe other things in related
to digestion.
So if that's happening to you,and even if you don't have
symptoms, often you can havestuff going on in the gut.
That's why it's so important toactually be proactive about it.
(03:07):
But thanks to hormonal changesas well, and stress and shifts
in digestion that will oftenshow up on our skin.
And when you think about it,the skin is our largest organ
and guess what?
It's microbe levels, so theskin microbiome are second only
to the gut, which I was actuallyreally surprised to read.
(03:31):
That, I mean, it makes sense.
Your skin has the contact withthe environment, and I should
remember back to my operatingtheater days, because we always
were.
That's what made me into agermphobe, because we learned a
lot about how much bacteria,fungi, other things are sitting
(03:53):
on the skin at all times andeven though you can't see it,
and some of it is beneficial,some of it is not.
So let's talk a little bit moreabout that.
If we're looking at the gutitself, if you have poor
digestion so, as I mentionedbefore, regular bloating,
constipation, diarrhea, foodintolerances, stress, poor sleep
(04:14):
fewer nutrients are going to beabsorbed generally, but also
fewer nutrients absorbed forskin repair specifically.
So that's one aspect.
If you have a gut bacteriaimbalance and many of us do many
of us have had issues withinfections, for example, that
have required antibiotics andyou absolutely need them if you
(04:36):
need them, but if you've hadlots of antibiotics over your
lifetime.
So this is a lifetime thing andI always ask my clients, you
know, think back to childhood.
Did you have lots of bouts ofear infections?
Did you have grommets?
Did you have bouts oftonsillitis?
Undoubtedly, if you're in perior menopause now, you would have
been in that era whereantibiotics were prescribed for
(04:57):
all of those things very, veryregularly.
So you may have still an impactfrom that 20, 30, 40 years
later of that gut bacteria beingimpacted by antibiotics.
And also, if you've had aserious illness, if you've had
lots of stress in your life, ifyou have had undiagnosed celiac
(05:18):
disease, for example, latediagnosis of celiac disease
you've probably got a gutbacteria imbalance.
There are so many reasons thatpeople have gut bacteria
imbalances, but if you do,you're probably prone to more
breakouts.
You probably get irritation inyour skin, redness, maybe you
experience dullness in the skin,and research shows that the gut
(05:41):
bacteria imbalance can beimplicated in a myriad of skin
issues, from psoriasis, contactdermatitis, skin cancer, eczema
and also dandruff, acne and more.
This doesn't just impact you inperi and menopause either.
This can be at any time of yourlife.
(06:03):
So there are very specificbacterias that the researchers
have noted that are moreprevalent on the skin of people
that have a lot of these medicalor sorry skin conditions.
So that's how they're makingthose links.
And the thing is with researchyou don't just kind of show it
or prove it once.
(06:23):
It has to be done over and overagain for it to be taken
seriously and go more fromtheory to fact.
So this is really interestingand research-backed stuff which
I love learning about.
And as well as poor digestionand gut bacteria imbalance, some
(06:44):
people may have leaky gut.
So leaky gut is when you havethe medical term for that is
increased intestinalpermeability.
So if you think about when weeat something, we digest it down
into little molecules of likevitamin D and vitamin C and iron
et cetera, and then thosemolecules go through your
(07:07):
intestinal wall because it ispermeable, they go through the
intestinal wall and go into yourbloodstream and where they need
to go to do the job that theydo.
When you have increasedintestinal permeability or leaky
gut and that can be caused bystress, it can be caused by
intense exercise, it can becaused by food intolerances,
(07:31):
certain medications likenon-steroidal
anti-inflammatories,inflammatory antibiotics et
cetera then the permeability ofthe intestine increases and so
bigger clumps of molecules canget through.
And there's also a theory thatperhaps some of the microbiome
might get through into yourbloodstream and that activates
your immune system becauseobviously those things are not
(07:53):
meant to be there in yourbloodstream, and so the immune
system activates.
So you get this systemicinflammation driven by the gut
and this immune systemactivation that will absolutely
impact your skin.
So leaky gut is something thatwe can test.
We do a urine test for that.
If you think you might haveleaky gut, it's a good idea to
(08:14):
speak to a healthcareprofessional that might be able
to assess you further and ifthey believe testing is
warranted, that's absolutelysomething that a nutritionist, a
naturopath, gp et cetera canorder.
And it is not covered undersort of Medicare if you're in
Australia, but it's not thatexpensive actually to do that
(08:37):
test if you're in Australia, butit's not that expensive
actually to do that test.
So you know, if you think about, if you've noticed, if you have
a weekend of like partying wine, pizza, sugar, et cetera your
skin might look dull, might bered, you might wake up with some
skin breaking out.
That's your gut-skin connectionin action.
And there's this it'sconstantly communicating.
(09:00):
It's not just communicatingwhen something's going wrong.
There's this bi-directionalcommunication happening.
So something I know this mightsound a little bit overwhelming,
but essentially, as long asyou're looking after the gut,
you'll be looking after yourgut-skin access.
You'll be looking after yourgut-bone access.
You'll be looking after yourgut bone axis, You'll be looking
after your gut brain axis.
(09:20):
There's also a gut lung axis,so gut health, at the end of the
day, that is the ultimate thatyou need to be looking after.
So I wanted to talk about whatare some common gut skin
triggers and these are probablymy top four that I see most
often impacting skin and causingsome issues in perimenopause
(09:42):
and menopause.
One of them is sugar.
I mean again, this can happenat any age, but sugar is really
a big driver of inflammation.
It can spike insulin, itworsens breakouts.
I don't think that is going tobe a surprise to anybody, but we
know that this is a realproblem.
So if you can avoid thattrigger as much as possible,
(10:05):
your skin will feel and look somuch better.
Alcohol is another big one,because alcohol is obviously
very dehydrating, so your skinwill look dehydrated if you
drink a lot of alcohol.
It disrupts your gut bacteria.
Interestingly, I was on thephone to a friend of mine this
(10:25):
morning that I haven't spoken tofor a while and she's given up
drinking as much as she used toand she said to me the absolute
difference in her gut health wasso noticeable to her and she
wasn't someone that really tooka lot of notice of these things,
but she said, wow, thedifference in dropping alcohol
was massive in terms of guthealth.
(10:47):
The other thing with alcohol isit impacts your liver
detoxification and essentially,when you have alcohol, once the
liver, you know, detects thatother things processes stop,
like digestion.
A lot of that stops because thealcohol is a toxin, so your
body will prioritize getting ridof that.
(11:08):
So things that will impact yourhormone balance, because your
hormones are also detoxifiedthrough the liver.
So it it impacts your skin in anumber of ways, both through
the hormonal pathway and alsothe gut skin.
So, as my friend was saying tome this morning, she's found so
many great either low alcoholalternatives or just alternative
(11:31):
drinks.
I had another client last weektalking to me about alcohol
alternatives.
So there are some drinks aroundthat are basically no sugar but
they've got some herbs in them,which I think is fantastic,
like adaptogen herbs and thingslike that that could be an
option to have instead ofalcohol For me personally, I
(11:54):
just have.
If I have a drink or two, thenI'll be on soda water or
sparkling water because I enjoydrinking that and I know it's
still going to be reallyhydrating for me.
Having my number three of thebiggest gut triggers I see is
highly processed foods, so foodsthat are packaged, foods that
(12:18):
contain additives, certain oils,chemicals that inflame your
system, and this is reallyimportant to learn how to read
labels, because there areadditives in foods that you
really wouldn't expect there tobe.
I even had a client, probably acouple of years ago now we were
(12:40):
talking about spices and thingsand curry powders and she had
Keen's curry powder and I lookedat the label of that online.
I went oh, that doesn't justhave spices in it, that has
other things.
So that really shocked mebecause certainly, growing up, I
think everybody had in theirpantry some Keen's curry powder,
but yeah, it's actually gotadditives in it that probably
(13:04):
aren't ideal for everybody.
So learning to read labels, toknow that your food is actually
food and not processed food, issuper important, and that's not
just for skin health, that's forweight control, it's for
hormone balance, for loweringyour cancer risk.
We know that processed foodsare a massive issue on human
(13:27):
health, so trying to avoid themas much as possible is a
fantastic practice to startgetting into, and you can do it
step by step.
You don't have to go in andthrow everything out in your
pantry, but really just stopbuying it and start really
focusing on natural foods, wholefoods, because that is going to
serve you and your family'shealth well for decades.
(13:52):
Number four is fiber.
So having a low fiber diet isagain a skin trigger.
It means a slower detox, slowerhormone clearance, more
congestion showing up in theskin.
Really important to make sureyou're getting enough fiber
every single day, and you cangenerally get that from food.
(14:17):
You could take supplements, butI would really work on getting
good food into the body as apriority, unless you have pretty
specific sort of gut issuesthat really need addressing,
like chronic constipation.
So let's talk about some of theskin loving gut foods that I
recommend, because you know whatthe good news is just a few
(14:41):
swaps can make a real differenceto your skin is just a few
swaps can make a real differenceto your skin.
Now a little caveat here.
Remember this is generalinformation.
This may not be suitable foreveryone.
If you've been a long timelistener, you know I really am a
champion of personalizednutrition.
So when I have clients inclinic, I'm not recommending
(15:02):
generic solutions like what I'mabout to say.
I'm recommending personalizednutrition for the individual and
their individual concerns.
So just remember that, that youmight try some of these and
feel better, which is fantastic,but you may even get to the
next level of better if it's apersonalized prescription of
(15:24):
food.
Even get to the next level ofbetter if it's a personalized
prescription of food.
So probably my number one isomega-3 fatty acids to calm
inflammation.
Inflammation is something thatis the root cause of almost
every physical and mental healthcondition, so reducing
inflammation, inflammation inthe body is really important,
and omega-3s are things likeflax seeds, walnuts, oily fish,
(15:50):
like salmon.
This all calms inflammation,which is going to help you
beyond your skin health, but itwill definitely help your skin.
It'll help with, particularlybecause of the oil content, help
with plumping, hydration,calming redness.
I cannot speak highly enough ofomega-3s.
(16:10):
Also including fermented foods.
Again, this is a very generalrecommendation.
For many people I do notrecommend including fermented
foods, particularly for gutissues, because we want to go
way more specific with ourprobiotics.
So foods like sauerkraut, kefir, kimchi are fantastic for many
(16:32):
people and they support the gutmicrobiome Generally.
We're only going to have smallamounts of these anyway, so get
quality, but yeah, definitely,and always read your labels with
it.
Boost fiber, as I mentionedbefore, so you can use things
like oats, chia seeds, legumeslike lentils, kidney beans,
(16:54):
chickpeas, things like that.
All help to detox hormones andtoxins, help with improving
constipation, things like that.
The good prebiotics chia seedsalso includes omega-3s, so
you're getting extra bang foryour buck there.
Also, focus on polyphenols, sothings like green tea, berries,
(17:19):
brightly colored berries, oliveoil.
They will protect your collagen, which is really important.
So there are four thingsOmega-3s, fermented foods if you
don't have other gut issuesgoing on fiber and polyphenols.
I'm going to keep it supersimple.
Today, one of my favorite easyways to feed your gut and your
(17:39):
skin is with a skin smoothie.
So I'm going to give you asimple recipe.
So if you're not driving andyou do have a pen and pad handy
or you've got your computer open, you want to type this out?
Then go for it.
I'll try and remember to putthis in the show notes as well,
but here's this simple recipe.
So about 250 mils of coconutwater, handful of spinach or
(18:04):
kale works really well.
Any sort of dark leafy greenwould be fantastic.
About half a cup of frozenberries.
Tablespoon of chia seeds Ialways put the chia seeds into
the coconut water first, so whenI'm loading up my blender,
water goes in first, then thechia seeds, then my next
(18:24):
ingredient, which would be flaxseeds or hemp seeds.
If you're going to use flaxseeds, then I would definitely
grind them before you add them.
Also, I said the frozen berries.
I think yeah, and a scoop ofunflavored, non-whey protein
(18:45):
powder and make it just a reallysimple protein powder no
additives.
The only additives I have in myprotein powder is it does have
some digestive enzymes in it,which I love.
So having an unflavored proteinpowder like a pea protein,
brown rice protein sometimesthey're mixed together.
(19:09):
Again, this is notindividualized advice.
Obviously, if you have your ownfood intolerances or other
stuff going on, you want to usethings that are going to be
ideal for you.
The other thing is I'llprobably put in about one or two
tablespoons of cacao because Ilike chocolate, so it's a great
(19:31):
way to get chocolate.
So blend this up.
It's anti-inflammatory.
It's hydrating, gives your skinnutrients it can actually use.
All right.
So I think I'm going to finishoff the pod there.
This information I'm giving younow is just the tip of the
iceberg.
As I said, the more I'mresearching this as I'm building
(19:53):
my upcoming eight-week groupprogram called In your Skin, the
more I'm reading about it, themore excited I'm getting,
because I'm learning so much aswell and I cannot wait to share
it with you.
In the program, I'm dedicatinga whole week to gut health and
I'm actually thinking maybe I'lleven make it close to two weeks
, because when you calminflammation in the body and you
(20:15):
support your digestion, youwill see a benefit in your skin
very quickly, and it will alsoreally help with your hormones
as well.
So you're getting really good.
As I say, bang for your buck.
I actually don't like usingthat phrase, but it is what it
is.
So in In your Skin, we'll begoing through recipes, easy
(20:38):
swaps and strategies to fit thisinto your busy life.
So if you're not already on thewait list, now is the time.
I'm hopefully going to have alink to pop in the show notes If
I don't just message me onInstagram at
theperimenopausepath, or emailhello at suzygardencom and ask
(20:59):
to be popped on the wait list,so you'll be first to hear when
the doors open and get thefoundational pricing.
It'll never be as easy toaccess this program as the
initial round that I do.
Thanks so much for joining meon the Ageless and Awesome
podcast.
If you liked this episode,please make sure you click the
(21:20):
little plus button if you're onApple Podcasts, or the follow
button if you're on Spotify, sothat you get each new episode
delivered to you every singleweek.
If you feel like writing me afive-star review, you would
absolutely make my day.
If you found this episoderesonated with you, head over to
my Instagram and DM me attheperimenopausepath.
(21:42):
I would love to connect withyou.
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