Overview
Regular exercise and a diet rich in protein and fibre are essential for maintaining a healthy hormonal balance. Hormones are critical for regulating various aspects of our well-being, including our mental state, physical health, and emotional stability.
One of the critical functions of hormones is controlling our appetite, weight, and mood. They act as chemical messengers, ensuring our body produces the right amount of each hormone required for different bodily processes.
However, certain factors, such as a sedentary lifestyle and unhealthy eating habits prevalent in various diets, can disrupt our hormonal environment. Additionally, as we age, the levels of certain hormones naturally decline, with some individuals experiencing a more significant decrease than others.
Adopting a nutritious diet and other healthy lifestyle practices to counteract these effects can significantly improve our hormonal health.
Hormonal imbalance
Hormones are essential to our overall health, influencing various aspects of our well-being. An imbalance in hormones can cause problems, so it's necessary to understand how to restore balance.
Traditional treatments for hormonal imbalances often involve synthetic hormone replacements, birth control pills, insulin injections, and thyroid medications. However, these treatments have their drawbacks:
- They create a dependency on prescription drugs for life to manage symptoms.
- They only mask the symptoms without addressing the root cause, allowing the disorder to progress and affect other body areas.
- They may lead to serious side effects like stroke, osteoporosis, anxiety, reproductive issues, and even cancer.
But here's the good news: it is possible to balance hormones naturally. Let's explore how to achieve this naturally.
Natural diet and lifestyle tips to balance your hormones
Consume healthy fats
Food plays an essential role in nourishing our bodies and providing vital nutrients. The choices we make in terms of what we eat can significantly impact our hormones as well.
By having a well-balanced diet that includes a variety of plants, healthy fats, protein, fibre, and vitamins, we can ensure that our bodies receive the energy they need and effectively metabolise hormones. It's important to note that certain foods are particularly beneficial for supporting hormone health.
The key is to include these hormone-friendly foods in our daily diet whenever possible or prioritise them over less nutritious options when given the chance. Not only do these foods promote hormone balance, but they also offer a range of other health benefits, making them a brilliant addition to any diet.
Adding high-quality natural fats to your diet can have several benefits. One of them is that medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs) are unique fats that are easily used by your body for energy instead of being stored as fat. They also help prevent insulin resistance, which is a good thing.
In addition to MCTs, healthy fats like omega-3s are also beneficial. They can increase insulin sensitivity by reducing inflammation and pro-inflammatory markers. Omega-3s may even help prevent an increase in cortisol levels during times of stress
Healthy fats can be found in food such as:
- Pure MCT oil
- Avocados
- Almonds
- Hazelnuts
- Peanuts
- Olive Oil
- Coconut oils
- Macadamia nuts
- Fatty fish
So, including them in your diet can be a great way to improve your overall health.
Relieve stress
Manage stress by practising various stress management techniques. Stress would hurt your hormones in multiple ways.
One of the hormones affected by stress is cortisol, also known as the stress hormone. It plays a role in helping your body deal with long-term stress.
When you experience stress, your body responds by triggering a series of events that produce cortisol. Once the stressor is gone, this response usually stops.
However, chronic stress disrupts the feedback mechanisms that regulate your hormonal systems and bring them back to normal.
As a result, cortisol levels remain high, which might increase your appetite and make you crave sugary and fatty foods. This, in turn, may lead to excessive calories and potentially result in obesity.
Moreover, elevated cortisol levels can also stimulate gluconeogenesis. This process can contribute to insulin resistance.
Fortunately, research suggests that stress reduction techniques like meditation, yoga, and relaxing music can help lower cortisol levels.
Sleep routine
If you don't sleep enough each night, it can take a toll on your body. Messing with your sleep schedule or not getting enough rest can reduce your hormone balance, which could be better.
Here's why: your hormones like to follow a schedule! Cortisol, the primary hormone related to stress, is regulated around midnight. So, if you're staying up late all the time, your body never gets a chance to relax and recover from the stress response.
Not getting enough sleep, using corticosteroids for a long time, and dealing with chronic stress are some of the leading causes of why cortisol levels can get too high. When cortisol levels are too high, it can lead to all sorts of problems like increased stress, weakened immune system, trouble focusing at work, and even anxiety, weight gain, and depression.
It's best to aim for bedtime around 10 p.m. and stick to a consistent sleep schedule as much as possible to keep your hormones in check.
Consider Mediterranean diet
Estrogen plays an essential role in reproductive health for both men and women and in maintaining blood sugar balance, heart and bone health, and immune and brain function.
Imbalances in estrogen levels, whether too low or too high, have been associated with various health conditions such as obesity, metabolic disorders, and different types of cancers.
However, the food we choose to eat can have an impact on our estrogen levels. Opting for a Mediterranean-style diet that includes whole grains, seeds, fish, legumes, and vegetables like broccoli and cauliflower can lower estrogen levels and reduce cancer risk.
Moreover, following this diet in the long term may also help decrease the risk of breast cancer during and after menopause, when estrogen levels tend to be low.
Researchers believe the Mediterranean diet is beneficial because it increases the intake of protective plant compounds like polyphenols and lignans.
Avoid overconsumption of sugar
Sugar has a significant impact on conditions like metabolic disease and insulin resistance. This implies that cutting out sugar from your diet could regulate hormone levels, including insulin.
While some individuals choose to avoid certain types of sugars, according to research, table sugar, high-fructose corn syrup, and honey have comparable effects. Hence, avoiding all added sugars might be more beneficial instead of focusing on specific types.
Maintaining moderate weight
Gaining weight can cause hormonal imbalances that can lead to issues with insulin sensitivity and reproductive health. Losing weight can improve insulin resistance and aid in treating heart diseases.
In addition, obesity is closely linked to lower levels of testosterone in individuals assigned male at birth, as well as a lack of ovulation in individuals assigned female at birth, which are both common causes of infertility.
However, research suggests that losing weight can reverse these effects. Eating within your calorie range can maintain a healthy hormonal balance and achieve a moderate weight.
Eating plenty of fatty fishes
Eating fish high in fats can benefit your heart, digestion, brain and nervous system. There's a study that suggests including oily fish in your diet can potentially prevent mood disorders like depression and anxiety.
And in certain situations, it helps treat these disorders. The omega-3s found in fatty fish have a remarkable impact on regulating mood, but we still need more research to grasp the connection entirely.
Practising regular exercise
Physical activity has a substantial impact on hormonal health. It improves blood flow to your muscles and increases the sensitivity of hormone receptors, which means it helps deliver nutrients and hormone signals more effectively.
One of the great benefits of exercise is its ability to lower insulin levels and improve insulin sensitivity. However, your cells may not respond well to insulin if you have insulin resistance. This condition increases the risk of diabetes, obesity, and heart disease.
Various types of physical activity, such as high-intensity interval training, strength training, and cardio, have been found to help prevent insulin resistance.
Being physically active can also boost the levels of muscle-maintaining hormones that tend to decline with age, like testosterone, IGF-1, DHEA, and growth hormone (HGH).
Even if you can't engage in intense exercise, regular walking can increase essential hormone levels, potentially improving strength and overall quality of life.
Follow a fibre diet
Eating a variety of high-fibre foods daily can have a positive impact on your health. It improves insulin sensitivity and triggers hormones that promote a feeling of fullness. While soluble fibre is known to have a more substantial effect on appetite by increasing fullness hormones, insoluble fibre may also play a part.
Additionally, your gut microbiome helps break down the soluble fibre in your colon, producing SCFAs that stimulate the release of fullness hormones. So, include plenty of fibre-rich foods for various health benefits.
Avoid overeating
Overeating regularly can cause problems with your metabolism in the long run. According to a study, even just a short period of overeating can affect the fats in your body and increase oxidative stress.
The researchers also found that there was an increase in ceramides, which are fat cells in the skin. They suggested that a significant rise in ceramides could lead to insulin resistance. They believe that more research should be done in this area to understand the effects of overeating better.
Summary
Eating healthy foods, working out regularly, and practising other habits that promote good health, like meditation and getting sufficient sleep, can significantly enhance your hormonal well-being.
FAQs
What fruits help balance hormones?
Citrus fruits
Berries - Strawberry, Raspberry and blueberry
Avocado
Pomegranate
What are the foods that help balance hormones?
- Unprocessed lean meats - Chicken, turkey, beef, and pork are all packed with protein, iron, and other essential nutrients
- Leafy green vegetables - Supports overall health
- Healthy fats - Nut butter, olive oil, and avocados are good fats
- Oily and fatty fish
- Nuts - Hazelnuts, walnuts, and pistachios are excellent for treating hormonal imbalances
