Women's Hormonal and Metabolic Health | Liberiq Podcast Episode 7
This episode is for you if you feel like you are “doing everything right,” yet you still struggle with fatigue, mood swings, stubborn weight, or symptoms of hormonal imbalance, and you want to understand how nutrition, lifestyle, and smart adjustments can become your support system.
How hormones shape our metabolism
In the seventh episode of the #LiberiqPodcast, "Women's Hormonal and Metabolic Health," we talk with Sandra Krstev Barać, mag. nutr., IFMCP, about how hormones shape our metabolism through all stages of life – from our twenties, through PMS and pregnancy, to the periods of perimenopause and menopause.
We explain how to recognize when hormones are “out of balance,” what the most common symptoms of hormonal imbalance are, and how insulin resistance and chronic fatigue develop.
We also discuss the role cortisol, the thyroid, adrenal glands, and the microbiome play in women's health.
The right food for women's hormones
Sandra reveals the most common nutritional mistakes made by women with hormonal issues, how diet and micronutrients affect PMS, the menstrual cycle, and fertility, and what “real food for women's hormones” actually means.
In this episode, we also discuss the following topics in detail:
Which foods naturally support hormonal balance, and which should be limited.
Intermittent fasting for women and supporting metabolism after 40.
The connection between hormones and “stubborn” weight.
Ways to reduce inflammation in the body through diet and lifestyle.
What to do when experiencing constant hunger and mood swings.
How sleep works with diet to regulate hormones.
The role of vitamin D and what happens to hormones in the postpartum period.
About the guest
Sandra Krstev Barać
MSc in Nutrition, IFMCP
A Master of Nutrition with over 20 years of experience in nutritional counseling and educating both the public and professionals on the relationship between diet and health. She completed her studies in parallel at the Faculty of Food Technology and Biotechnology, majoring in Nutrition, and at the Faculty of Economics, majoring in Analysis and Business Planning.
During her career, she worked for 11 years at Vitaminoteka d.o.o., providing nutrition consulting services, and served as the executive editor of the nutrition portal Vitamini. She is the author of numerous professional and popular articles on food and nutrition published in various print and online media.
She is one of the pioneers in the field of functional medicine in Croatia and, in 2022, became the first certified functional medicine practitioner in this part of Europe. She earned her certification at the Institute for Functional Medicine (USA) and subsequently at the Kharrazian Institute. She continuously upgrades her professional knowledge.
She is the owner of NutriHuB Consult, where she works daily with clients suffering from a wide range of health conditions, including autoimmune diseases, thyroid disorders, digestive issues, hormonal imbalances, and dermatological conditions. She is part of the expert team at the Center for the Gut Microbiome and a co-creator of the Healthy Woman program, designed for women over 35 who want to support their health naturally and navigate (peri)menopause more easily.
For many years, she has been actively involved in popularizing the latest insights in nutrition and functional medicine, striving to present the wider community with the significant potential of nutrition and a high-quality lifestyle for health. As part of these efforts, she created the educational portal Functional Medicine, and she also regularly conducts education programs and mentorships in the field of nutrition.
