Hi  Welcome to your weekly wellness tip. Ever wake up with a flat tummy and by mid afternoon your having to unbutton your jeans?!  Or maybe foods you've always eaten like broccoli, sourdough or your morning cereal are now leaving you feeling bloated and uncomfortable by tea time? You may start cutting things out like carbs, gluten, dairy. But it's rarely a sudden food intolerance or allergy, it's likely to be a hormone clearance issue. An ecosystem of bacteria live in your gut called the estrobolome. It's responsible for processing and clearing out used up oestrogen. And in midlife women, two biological shifts happen: Slowed digestion - dropping progesterone slows down your gut motility so food sits for longer, creating gas and sluggishness. Recycled oestrogen - when the estrobolome is out of synch, old oestrogen isn't excreted, it gets reabsorbed, triggering water retention  and bloating.  So cutting out food groups just reduces gut diversity and makes gut digestion even slower! Here's three things you can try this week to see if this helps your bloating: 1. Swap raw for cooked - steam or roast your veggies so your tummy doesn't have to work as hard. 2. Chew 20 times per bit - I know I know, but digestion starts in the mouth and slowing down eating and being mindful as you're doing it, can really support a sluggish gut. 3. Add flaxseed or chia seeds - add a tablespoon of either of these daily. Flaxseeds are exceptionally rich in lignans, which bind to excess oestrogen to sweep it out the gut. When your gut is more comfortable, you may find your entire nervous system calms down. Have a good weekend when it comes.  Antonia x