Understanding motivations and why gluten now is on top of my mind

After spending more time than usual with myself and my inner me the past 2,5 years I have realized that everything I care about, from my career in healthcare to my family life, ultimately ties back to sustainability somehow. I have not figured out how this is all connected until now really..

I used to distinguish my professional interests and motivations from my private ones. How could my motivation for driving a greener healthcare with sustainable products and processes be related to my interest in preventive health and wellbeing?

I have now finally realized that it is all connected.  Praise the lord for some “in between time" in life to figure these things out 😀!

I addition to realizing that, another insight has been approaching me lately. I probably have some kind of age crisis, which I think is insane when you are 45 but we live in such an age focused era that makes it hard (for me) to avoid thinking about the fact that I am now middle-age and years seem to pass quicker than the light😲.

So between managing age crisis, figuring out how to sort my trash optimally, shop consciously, sustainability reads & hormone roller-coasters, I study and try to understand what  I can do to influence the rest of my lifespan towards a really healthy one. Building a "healthspan" is indeed also a form of sustainability!

In my work, I know that healthcare contributes about 5% of global greenhouse gas emissions. To put it more concretely, a visit to the doctor or hospital is equivalent to driving a petrol car around 700-1000km, depending on the type of visit. So, all that said, it brings me back to one fundamental truth: the best thing we can do for ourselves, others, and the planet is to take charge and responsibility for our own health🧘.

Now, I'm certainly not a super healthy person; I'm always trying to find that sweet spot between life's pleasures and prevention. But this year, I've taken a more ambitious approach to my own health, which has uncovered some important information. For example, I have a genetic setup that makes me sensitive to gluten, or more precisely, gliadin🧬. In short, my body reacts to gluten as if it's a toxin, triggering an immune response in my gut . This leads to dysbiosis (where unwanted microbes take over) and provokes a cycle of low-grade inflammation & barrier dysfunction in the gut🦠.

Not ideal for someone like me, aiming for that sparkling vivante-life to last looong🤸.

Coming from a scientific background, I am somewhat a slave to evidence and logical explanations. So obviously, I was wondering, if I now have this genetic set-up, how come I've managed to feel relatively well all these years despite this genetic predisposition 🤔?

The answer is that the body is seriously complex. I now see it like some kind of dance between the gut and the rest of the body. A diverse, balanced gut microbiome can actually breakdown gluten peptides, and robust digestive enzyme activity also helps limit gliadin's impact on the body. But this dance is sensitive to new types of "music", like changes in diet, stress, hormones, medications, or infections. These non-welcome elements can easily tip the balance & cause “leaky gut” and immune activation.

What's particularly interesting for me these days is the connection between hormonal fluctuations and gut health. For women, shifts in estrogen and progesterone can alter gut barrier integrity and microbiota composition, influencing how we respond to triggers just like gliadin (in gluten). Conversely, chronic gut inflammation and dysbiosis can feed back and impact hormone production, transport, and metabolism. So, as I'm just a few years away from menopause, I'm thinking that I better get my “s-t”together (e.g. keep my gut in balance) to better support my body in navigating those significant upcoming changes.

Here is what I have learnt the past year: when women enter menopause, the cyclical production of estradiol and progesterone from the ovaries stops. However, a baseline ofestrogens (primarily a less potent version) and small amounts of progesterone continue to be generated, mainly by the adrenal glands. In the best-case scenario, healthy adrenal function, a balanced body composition (some body fat helps with estrogen levels), and supportive lifestyle factors can help maintain these residual hormone levels, easing the transition and protecting bone, cardiovascular, and cognitive health.

This fall, I'm planning to make some changes to my diet to see if I notice any big differences in my body and mind🤓. I promise to keep you updated!

I'm eager to start optimizing my health, but I'm also eager to first enjoy a vacation without strict ingredient lists. So, I'm taking my usual middle-way approach: first, enjoy the vacation. Then, once I'm back home, I'll start fueling my body with what (according to the experts) better fits my tank!

But for now, I am checking out for a beautiful summer break to fuel up and come back with refreshed passion and purpose for the fall!

Wishing you all a vibrante, Vivante summer🤩!

‍