# Ep 170: These Nervous System Regulators Can Change Your Relationship With Food with Sherry Shaban | Diet Culture | Nervous System | Fight or Flight | Women’s Health | Hormone Imbalance | Hunger & Hormones Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/she-talks-health-thyroid-health-tips-functional-medicine-hashimoto-s-hypothyroidism-gut-health-hormones-holistic-healing-2981396/ep-170-these-nervous-system-regulators-can-change-your-relationship-with-food-with-sherry-shaban-diet-culture-nervous-system-fight-or-flight-women-s-health-hormone-imbalance-hunger-hormones Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/she-talks-health-thyroid-health-tips-functional-medicine-hashimoto-s-hypothyroidism-gut-health-hormones-holistic-healing-2981396/ep-170-these-nervous-system-regulators-can-change-your-relationship-with-food-with-sherry-shaban-diet-culture-nervous-system-fight-or-flight-women-s-health-hormone-imbalance-hunger-hormones.md Podcast: [SHE Talks Health | Thyroid Health Tips, Functional Medicine, Hashimoto's, Hypothyroidism, Gut Health, Hormones, Holistic Healing](https://stenobird.com/podcast/she-talks-health-thyroid-health-tips-functional-medicine-hashimoto-s-hypothyroidism-gut-health-hormones-holistic-healing-2981396) Published: 2026-04-23T11:00:00+00:00 Episode link: https://shetalkshealth.com/podcast/ Audio file: https://episodes.captivate.fm/episode/141dcc15-9e87-4f6b-9f57-90ea227853ac.mp3 Processing state: not_requested JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/she-talks-health-thyroid-health-tips-functional-medicine-hashimoto-s-hypothyroidism-gut-health-hormones-holistic-healing-2981396/episodes/ep-170-these-nervous-system-regulators-can-change-your-relationship-with-food-with-sherry-shaban-diet-culture-nervous-system-fight-or-flight-women-s-health-hormone-imbalance-hunger-hormones Duration seconds: 2642 ## Resource Are you dealing with thyroid symptoms like fatigue, weight gain, constipation, and depression, and still feeling out of control around food? How does nervous system regulation affect cravings, cortisol, insulin, sleep, and hormones, especially if you’re in fight or flight mode around dieting and exercising? This week on the She Talks Health podcast, I sat down with Sherry Shaban from Make Peace With Food to talk to you about why having “all the knowledge” around diet and exercise still doesn’t create sustainable results if your nervous system is stuck in protection mode. Sherry shared how her obsession with finding the “right” way to eat led her through every diet fad imaginable — low-fat, calorie-counting, Atkins, paleo, macros counting, keto, and even veganism — until the constant rule changes resulted in stress, secrecy, and binge eating issues. We talked about the nervous system as the “software” running the body, and how our thoughts can control so much of how we feel and react to things that happen to us. Sherry also called out how the phrase “nervous system regulation” has become overused in our industry, so regulation can become another form of perfectionism or avoidance if we’re trying to erase uncomfortable emotions instead of learning to sit with them. Sherry also broke down how chronic stress keeps cortisol elevated beyond its normal rhythm, and why that can drive cravings for refined carbs and salty/sugary foods. The real rollercoaster often comes from insulin spikes and drops, creating more cravings, and this cascade can disrupt sleep and dysregulate hunger and fullness hormones. We close things out talking about why the most disciplined, “go-getter” women often struggle the most. Perfectionism, people-pleasing, and overachievement as trauma responses, an… ## Actions - request_transcript: `POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/she-talks-health-thyroid-health-tips-functional-medicine-hashimoto-s-hypothyroidism-gut-health-hormones-holistic-healing-2981396/episodes/ep-170-these-nervous-system-regulators-can-change-your-relationship-with-food-with-sherry-shaban-diet-culture-nervous-system-fight-or-flight-women-s-health-hormone-imbalance-hunger-hormones/transcription-requests` — Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode. - read_markdown: `GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/she-talks-health-thyroid-health-tips-functional-medicine-hashimoto-s-hypothyroidism-gut-health-hormones-holistic-healing-2981396/ep-170-these-nervous-system-regulators-can-change-your-relationship-with-food-with-sherry-shaban-diet-culture-nervous-system-fight-or-flight-women-s-health-hormone-imbalance-hunger-hormones.md` — Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource. A page view does not enqueue transcription. Agents should invoke `request_transcript` explicitly when they need this episode processed. ## Transcript Full transcripts are not published on public pages unless there is a clear rights basis.