Nourishment for Hormone Balancing
Hormonal imbalances are best addressed early and can often be resolved through food, environment, and lifestyle shifts. A nourishing and balanced diet can offering healing & restoration and set the stage for lifelong hormonal harmony.
Symptoms of hormone imbalance can include:
- PMS Symptoms: cramps, bloating, anxiety, depression, cravings, mood swings
- Hormonal Acne
- PCOS
- Uterine Fibroids
- Endometriosis
Nourishment
Eat a Whole foods diet: consuming a whole food, plant-based diet is key to balancing hormones.
Try: various vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, eggs, and lean organic meats.
Add in Plenty of antioxidant-rich foods: antioxidants are important when it comes to hormone balance because they help the body to remove excess hormones and chemicals via the liver’s detoxification pathway.
Try: berries, cherries, nuts and seeds, dark leafy greens, colorful veggies
Include protein + fat at every meal: protein and fat help to keep blood sugar balanced. Blood sugar imbalance is closely correlated to many hormone imbalances. Fats are also the building blocks of hormones. This means that without enough fats in the diet, we are unable to produce the hormones we need.
Try: adding lean protein such as chicken or beans to starchy meals along with some healthy fat such as coconut oil, olive oil, nuts, and seeds, or avocado.
Include plenty of fiber– fiber helps the body to clear excess hormones from the body.
Try: consuming plenty of leafy greens, broccoli, fruits, apples, and raspberries. If not having a bowel movement daily, try adding 1 tbsp of ground flax seed or chia seed to a splash of water, let it sit for 15 minutes & drink. This will help to bulk the stool & relieve constipation.
Add in fermented foods– fermented foods are high in probiotics which are important for digestion, mental health, and the elimination of toxins and excess hormones.
Try: kefir, kimchi, tempeh, miso, and sauerkraut.
Increase Anti-inflammatory Foods – anti-inflammatory foods help to reduce inflammation in the body and regulate hormones by reducing stress on the body.
Try: lots of fresh vegetables and fruit - especially leafy greens + add Ginger and turmeric to meals, soups & smoothies.
Increase your Water intake– drinking water helps to reduce inflammation, rid the body of toxins and detoxify excess hormones such as estrogen. Constipation often occurs from dehydration.
Try: drinking ½ your bodyweight in water daily.
Avoid
Excess sugar– high sugar foods and drinks upset blood sugar balance and insulin. Blood sugar dysregulation is strongly related to PCOS.
Try: choosing naturally sweet foods such as fresh fruits and pairing them with protein and fat to ensure blood sugar is balanced.
Alcohol and Caffeine – high levels of alcohol consumption can contribute to hormone imbalances, especially high estrogen. Caffeine can increase stress hormones such as cortisol in the body, taxing the adrenal glands (which are the master glands in the endocrine system) and causing imbalances in the other hormones as well.
Try: avoiding alcohol while balancing hormones or keeping drinks to a few times per week at max.
Processed foods – processed foods are high in sugar, unhealthy fats, chemicals, and additives but low in nutrients. These processed foods also often lead to inflammation and imbalance in the body.
Try: skipping the processed food aisles at the grocery store and sticking to the perimeters where you can find fresh fruits, vegetables, and proteins. Shop at local markets where you can find the freshest and healthiest vegetables and fruits.
Non-organic dairy or conventionally raised meat– conventional dairy and meat can be a high source of estrogen and antibiotics. Unfortunately, most animal products contain hormones which have been given to the animal to plump them up.
Try: organic dairy, if you must consume dairy, and always opt for organic meat and poultry.
Non-organic soy – is a GMO product and high in phytoestrogens (plant compounds that mimic estrogen in the body).
Try: opting out of soy or enjoying an organic fermented soy product such as tempeh or miso.
Avoid Xenoestrogens- Xenoestrogens are man-made chemicals that mimic estrogen but are about 1000x stronger than regular estrogen! They can be found in plastics, beauty products, household cleaners, pesticides etc.
Try: opt for natural products whenever possible & avoid heating foods or drinks in plastic.