Unique hammond

Wellness with Unique Hammond: Gut Health, Hormones & Sustainable Healing

Unique Hammond is a holistic nutrition practitioner, integrative health coach, and a mother of two grown daughters who has personally triumphed over Crohn's disease and endo. Drawing from her own remarkable journey of healing through food and lifestyle, she has helped countless individuals worldwide create wellness, lose weight, clear up acne, hormones, and heal gut imbalances.

Unique is the author of "Your Tastebuds Are A**holes: How I Trained Mine and Healed Crohn's." Her second book, "The Bean Protocol," featuring protocols and recipes, is set to be released in late 2026.

Learn more:

 

Q: If you could give one piece of wellness advice to women looking to improve their health, what would it be? 

A: Master foundational Nutrition. In a wellness culture obsessed with bio-hacking and expensive "add-ons," we have lost sight of foundational nutrition. Also, test don't guess and if need be, treat your gut. It is connected to so many long term health issues. 

Q: What’s your go-to meal or snack when you need something healthy and quick? 

A: When I’m busy, I don’t just look for 'low calorie'—I look for blood sugar stability and gentle toxin binding. Every snack is an opportunity to keep my Crohn’s in remission and my hormones balanced. If I'm between meals, a handful of salted nuts or a spoonful of nut butter provides the healthy fats and protein that keep my gallbladder contracting and my bile moving. It’s a simple way to signal to my body that it’s safe and fueled without triggering a massive insulin spike. I also love hummus with raw veggies. Hummus is essentially a 'bean concentrate.' It’s a delicious, quick way to hit that soluble fiber 'third' while the vegetables provide the crunch and the micronutrients. It’s fast, but it’s doing deep work for my liver while I eat it.

Q: What's your favorite Juna product and how do you incorporate it into your everyday routine? 

A: I LOVE the Detox drops. LOVE. I add them to my HUSK water daily. 

detox drops daily with husk

 

Q: A morning (or nightly) ritual you swear by?

A: I have a deep love for walking into the sunrise; it has been a non-negotiable pillar of my self-care ritual for over 15 years.

Just before the pandemic, I added TM (Transcendental Meditation) to my foundation, and it has shifted everything. The first meeting of the morning and the last meeting of the evening are always with myself. It is in that quiet, consistent space that I find the clarity to show up for everyone else.

The Bean Protocol highlights the gut microbiome as foundational to everything from digestion to mood. When a woman consistently hits her fiber, protein, and starch in equal parts, what shifts happen in the gut that ripple out into energy, mental clarity, and overall vitality?"

When we balance fiber (specifically soluble fiber from beans), lean protein, and complex starch in equal parts, we aren't just "eating healthy"—we are performing a biochemical cleanup and a hormonal recalibration.

Blood Sugar Stabilization By eating these three components in equal parts, you are creating a "slow-burn" fuel source.

The "Bile Sweep" and Hormonal Clarity–The cornerstone of the protocol is the use of soluble fiber to bind to bile.

  • - The Shift: Bile is the transport vehicle for toxins, excess hormones (like estrogen), and waste. Without enough fiber, the body recycles 95% of that "dirty" bile.

  • - The Vitality Ripple: When a woman hits her fiber targets, she finally clears that recirculating waste. This leads to hormonal equilibrium, which manifests as the lifting of "brain fog" and a significant reduction in PMS or menopausal symptoms.

 

Blood Sugar Stabilization By eating these three components in equal parts, you are creating a "slow-burn" fuel source.

  • - The Shift: The protein and fiber slow the breakdown of starch into glucose. This prevents the insulin spikes and subsequent crashes that plague most modern diets.

  • - The Vitality Ripple: Instead of the 3:00 PM energy slump, she experiences sustained physical energy. Mental clarity improves because the brain is receiving a steady, reliable stream of glucose rather than a rollercoaster of sugar highs and lows.

Microbiome Diversity and the Gut-Brain Axis The gut is where 90% of our serotonin is produced.

Microbiome Diversity and the Gut-Brain Axis The gut is where 90% of our serotonin is produced.

  • - The Shift: Legumes are the preferred fuel for beneficial gut bacteria. Feeding these microbes consistently creates a robust ecosystem that strengthens the intestinal barrier.

  • - The Vitality Ripple: A healthy gut lining reduces systemic inflammation. As inflammation drops, mental clarity rises. Furthermore, a balanced microbiome optimizes the production of neurotransmitters, leading to a more stable, resilient mood.

 

Q: You emphasize soluble fiber as a natural detoxifier and hormone balancer. For a woman trying to eat equal parts fiber, protein, and starch daily, how does getting that fiber 'third' from beans specifically support hormonal health in ways that other fiber sources might not?

A: The "Sponge" vs. The "Broom"

While all fiber is beneficial, beans are the undisputed champions of soluble fiber. This distinction is critical for hormonal health for three specific reasons:

The Conjugated Hormone Trap–The liver’s job is to "package" used hormones (like excess estrogen) and send them into the intestinal tract via bile for disposal.

 

  • - The Bean Difference: Soluble fiber creates a gel-like substance that physically binds to this "dirty" bile.

  • - The Result: Other fibers might just push waste along, but beans ensure that the hormones are actually locked away and excreted. Without this specific binding, the body reabsorbs those hormones, leading to "estrogen dominance," which causes symptoms like mood swings, heavy cycles, and skin flare-ups.

 

Beans contain oligosaccharides and resistant starch that act as specialized prebiotics.

  • - The Bean Difference: Unlike the quick-fermenting sugars in fruit or the roughage in leafy greens, the fiber in beans ferments slowly throughout the entire length of the large intestine.

  • - The Result: This slow fermentation produces Short-Chain Fatty Acids (SCFAs) like butyrate. SCFAs are signaling molecules that tell the brain to lower cortisol (the stress hormone). When cortisol is low, the body can finally prioritize producing progesterone and thyroid hormones.

Beans contain oligosaccharides and resistant starch that act as specialized prebiotics.

 

The Gallbladder-Liver Loop- The Protocol focuses on the enterohepatic circulation.

  • - The Bean Difference: Because beans are so dense in soluble fiber, they force the liver to produce fresh bile from scratch using cholesterol.

  • - The Result: This "fresh start" for the liver unburdens the entire endocrine system. A woman eating "equal parts" ensures she has the starch for energy and the protein for tissue repair, but the bean portion is what ensures the hormonal exhaust pipe is wide open and functioning.

 

Q: Any health concerns that you are currently trying to support? 

A: I’m currently walking the walk. After picking up E.coli, I’ve had to use a 'sniper approach' to protect my history with Crohn's. By pairing the Bean Protocol’s™ detoxification power with targeted Allium and pomegranate husk, I am successfully relocating the pathogen without the collateral damage of traditional antibiotics or harsh herbals. It’s a testament to the idea that gentleness is often more effective than aggressive when it comes to long-term gut resilience.

 

Q: What’s a wellness trend or practice you’ve tried recently that you love?

A: You know, in the wellness world, there is always a 'shiny new object.' But when you’ve lived through the reality of Crohn’s and Endometriosis, you don't look for trends—you look for stability.

I have been 'tried and true' to The Bean Protocol™ for 13 years. People often ask me why I don't experiment more, and my answer is simple: It has kept me in systemic remission for over a decade. When you find the biochemical key that unlocks your body’s ability to heal itself, 'trends' lose their luster. Can a three-day juice cleanse or a new supplement really top the feeling of living pain-free and flare-free for 13 years? For me, the answer is a definitive no.

Wellness With Unique Hammond

Q: When was the last time you felt inspired?

A: I am inspired every single morning. I make it a point to see the sunrise, and honestly, it takes my breath away every time—as if I’m seeing those colors for the first time in my life. Beyond the horizon, I am constantly fueled by the incredible grit of my clients. They come to me often at their lowest point, and watching them commit to an active health practice—to showing up for themselves one meal at a time—is nothing short of amazing. Seeing someone regain their vitality and move back into the 'light' of health inspires me on a level that is truly hard to put into words

 

Book: Bold Beans

 

Q: What are you reading/listening to right now?  Book/Podcast/Playlist/App? 

Book: Bold Beans

Podcast: Zoe Science and Nutrition

APP: INSIGHT TIMER

PLAYLIST: Beans, Bitches. Music for batch cooking.

 

< Previous Post Next Post >