A Natural Approach to Eliminating Painful or Irregular Cycles and Rhythms
Are you one of the many women who suffers from symptoms during their cycle or hormonal rhythms each month? Women often ignore the most common symptoms of a hormonal imbalance because they believe it is normal.
Imbalanced hormones can lead to symptoms such as:
Menstrual cramps
Fatigue
Hot flashes
Acne
Insomnia
This causes many ladies to reach for medicinal solutions such as birth control or hormone replacement therapy. While modern medicine may help somewhat, these “cures” do not really address the root cause of your hormone imbalance. (1)
What if you could address these issues with something as simple as a hormone imbalance diet plan? Simply by eating the right foods for your body, you can restore harmony among your hormones and eliminate these symptoms that cause you pain and discomfort on a regular basis.
Let’s take a closer look at the top ten hormone-balancing foods you can choose to start making changes right away.
Top 10 Foods to Balance Hormones
The foods listed below are in no particular order. You may find that some of these are easier to incorporate into your daily diet than others. Take it slow and add just a few at a time to prevent the feeling of being overwhelmed by making such a drastic diet change.
Lemon
When it comes to hormone-balancing foods, lemon is a quick and easy way to begin. Most women can enjoy a mug of steaming water with a twist of lemon first thing in the morning. It may seem like a simple thing, but lemon can have a big impact on your liver.
The liver is responsible for a number of important bodily functions, but hormone synthesis is near the top of the list. When a hormonal imbalance is present, you may suffer from other symptoms like irregular periods, hot flashes, mood swings, or heavy menstruation.
Detoxifying the liver is a crucial task if you want to be as healthy as possible. Lemon, along with the other citrus fruits, has been established as a primary way to detox the liver. Studies have shown that it can decrease hepatotoxicity in the liver, even when the diet is high in carcinogens. (2)
Pomegranate
Pomegranates are another one of the key foods that balance hormones in females. The seeds contained in these tasty fruits are rich in antioxidants. By eliminating some of the free radicals in the body that are causing cellular damage, pomegranates could help to relieve symptoms of hormonal imbalance.
They are also able to detoxify mutated hormones and balance the hormones that are already present in your body.
However, there is even more evidence to support using pomegranates as an anti-inflammatory aide. A body that has high levels of inflammation (or chronic levels of low inflammation) often have compromised immune systems. In turn, this drastically affects other parts of the body such as the glands that produce hormones.
Studies have proven that pomegranates are high in antioxidants and could be used to treat inflammatory diseases. (4)
Kale
No hormone diet food list would be complete without a mention of kale. It is one of the more popular superfoods these days due to its nutrient-dense leafy greens. However, it is an excellent source to help you balance your hormones.
Kale contains a nutrient known as indole-3-carbinol. This nutrient is known to help lower estrogen levels, reducing your risk of developing certain diseases.Those who may be prone to estrogen-related diseases like breast cancer should consider adding more kale to their daily diet. (5)
In addition to helping lower your risk of developing disease, it can also relieve some of your symptoms associated with hormonal imbalance. Kale can reduce your cramping and grant you smoother functioning in your ovaries due to its high vitamin E, folate, and magnesium content.
Avocado
Avocados are all the rage and for good reason. They should definitely be a component in your hormone balancing diet.
Those who have a hormone imbalance are likely to encounter issues with their blood sugar as well. Insulin is one of the more well-known hormones that are produced in the body and is responsible for the regulation of your blood sugar levels.
The fats in avocados are typically considered to be monounsaturated fatty acids (abbreviated as MUFAs). Research studies show that a diet high in MUFAs can help to improve insulin levels and regulate blood sugar in the body. (6)
Of course, avocados are also known to be anti-inflammatory and to contain high levels of antioxidants.This allows them to pack a powerful punch when it comes to regulating your hormone levels and combatting symptoms of hormonal imbalance.
Propolis
Propolis is an interesting ingredient that you may not have heard of previously. Yet, it is still one of the best foods for female hormone balance. It is sometimes referred to as “bee glue” because it is the ingredient bees use to construct their hives.
Perhaps more importantly for us, propolis can help restore balance to hormones within the body. Those with compromised or imbalanced hormones tend to suffer from a greater degree of inflammation in the body. This inflammation can lead to compromised immune systems, autoimmunity, and more.
As your body progresses in inflammation, your hormones can easily fall out of balance even further. Taking a propolis supplement can reduce your inflammation. It also serves as an antioxidant, protecting your body from free radicals and relieving symptoms of hormone imbalance. (7)
Because of its many beneficial properties, propolis is also extremely helpful for those who suffer from endometriosis.
Coconut Oil
If you want your body to have a healthy hormonal balance, you need to be consuming the right foods. One of the biggest categories of foods that help balance female hormones is healthy fats. Our bodies need more omega-3s and saturated fats in order to produce the hormones we need.
Many people consume too many vegetable oils that are high in the wrong type of fats, known as polyunsaturated fats. Vegetable oils including canola and soybean are high in omega-6s instead of the omega-3s that your body needs to support hormone production.
Polyunsaturated fats can contribute to higher degrees of inflammation and mutations throughout your body.
In contrast, saturated fats like those found in coconut oil can restore balance to your body. Coconut oil is a quick and easy way to add more of these healthy saturated fats into your diet.
Not only does coconut oil aid in balancing your hormones, it also reduces inflammation throughout the body. (8)
Walnuts
If coconut oil is one of the best foods to eat to balance hormones, walnuts should also be right up on the list. Just like coconut oil, walnuts are an excellent source of the omega-3 fatty acids that your body needs to create harmony among your hormones.
Many people automatically turn to seafood in order to fulfill their daily quota of omega-3 fatty acids. However, walnuts are also an excellent source of this ingredient. According to Harvard Health, they could be a great substitute for those who prefer a plant-based diet. (9)
In addition to helping balance your hormones, you may also find that they help to relieve some of your symptoms. They can reduce the frequency and intensity of leg cramps, menstrual cramps, and even labor contractions.
Pumpkin Seeds
When fall rolls around, many people begin to crave the taste of toasted pumpkin seeds. These snacks can be enjoyed all year long, and they have an amazing way of helping to restore balance among your hormones. Pumpkin seeds are natural hormone foods due to their high zinc content.
Zinc is a very important nutrient when it comes to the production of hormones related to your reproductive symptoms. It is well established that this key nutrient is essential for producing estrogen during the first half of the feminine cycle. Furthermore, it supports ovulation and even fertilization. (10)
In addition to their high zinc content, pumpkin seeds also contain necessary fiber, potassium, and B vitamins to support the rest of your body.
Beets
Beets are a brightly-colored way to introduce foods that help balance female hormones. They are extremely nutrient-dense with high levels of copper, potassium, folate, vitamin K, vitamin C, and vitamin B. However, beets are also excellent for supporting the hormone production in your body.
The liver is an essential organ in supporting hormone balance. Beets are a great way to support liver health and nudge your hormones back into balance.They are recognized for having a choleretic effect, increasing the amount of bile produced by the liver.
Both bile acids and insulin are responsible for regulating nutrient metabolism. Because beets assist with both of these hormones, they play an important role in how glucose is metabolized in the body and can help to regulate blood sugar. (11)
Furthermore, they contain antioxidant properties that can remedy some of the mutated hormones already floating around your system.
Bone Broth
If you are searching for simple foods to balance hormones, bone broth is one of the most basic elements you can add to your diet.
When your hormones are out-of-balance, it can trigger inflammation throughout the body. This is particularly prominent when you might be exposed to low levels of stress hormones such as cortisol. Perhaps one of the best things you can do to try to counteract this hormonal imbalance is to reduce inflammation in the body.
Bone broth contains an essential amino acid known as glutamine. According to recent studies, this glutamine might help to decrease inflammation in patients with inflammatory bowel diseases. (12)
Because your gut health is so closely linked to your hormonal health, bone broth is a crucial component of a balanced diet for your hormones.
It’s important to find a high-quality bone broth, as some of them are undesirable for your health. There are several good options out there, but one of my favorites that I can confidently recommend is Paleo Valley’s bone broth powder.
If you want to learn more about foods that help balance female hormones, be sure to download my full ebook on hormone-helping foods! It contains 25 superfoods that promote hormone balance, along with recipe ideas and tips to incorporate them into your diet. This book will guide you through everything you need to know about changing your diet and addressing the root cause of your hormone imbalance!
Bridgit Danner, LAc, FDNP, is trained in functional health coaching and has worked with thousands of women over her career since 2004. She is the founder of Women’s Wellness Collaborative llc and HormoneDetoxShop.com.