Eating for Hormonal Balance
Hormones are chemical messengers produced in your body that influence many vital processes.
They are also found in nature and can be produced synthetically.
Some examples are the sex hormones: oestrogen, progesterone and testosterone. Also, insulin (for balancing blood sugar), and cortisol (for managing stress), and the thyroid hormones (T4 and T3) for regulating your metabolism.
This article will focus on how you can enable better hormone balance through food and lifestyle choices.
Balance your blood sugars
Protein, fat and fibre in every meal.
Eat regularly. Especially if you tend towards hypoglycaemia.
Healthy protein rich snacks rather than sugary ones.
Eat complex carbohydrates such as whole grain pasta or brown bread or oats rather than refined carbs.
Try to go for savoury breakfasts such as eggs, greens and avocado rather than sweet ones.
This can also help to regulate your weight. Too much insulin as a result of imbalanced blood sugar can lead to fat storage and this increases the production of oestrogens as well as causing the release of inflammatory cytokines.
Insulin resistance, which can develop from too much release of insulin over time from carb rich or sugary foods can also lead to conditions such as PCOS in women. This may be characterised by a high level of androgens (male sex hormones) leading to unwanted facial hair and acne, irregular menstrual cycles, weight gain and ovarian cysts.
Read more about balancing your blood sugar here.
Support your liver:
Eat plenty of cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cabbage, kale, cauliflower, brussel sprouts) as they contain substances (glucosinates, sulforophanes and indole- 3-carbinole) that are really important for detoxifying hormones- especially oestrogens.
* Broccoli sprouts are particularly good.
Reduce your alcohol intake. No more than 1 unit a day if that. Alcohol can contribute to night sweats, sleep and mood disturbances, and gut inflammation.
Herbs and roots that are good for the liver are turmeric, ginger, milk thistle and dandelion root.
Sulphur containing vegetables such as onions and garlic also support the liver.
Try this liver detox salad
Remove foods that you are reactive to as they will be causing inflammation and will be adversely impacting the liver. Common culprits are gluten, cow’s dairy, corn and soy.
Support your gut
Read all about the 5 R approach to gut healing here
Support your microbiome by eating a variety of foods (fruits, vegetables and legumes) including prebiotics such as are found in garlic, onion, leeks, oats, apples, linseeds and many more foods.
Ensure regular daily bowel movements
2 tbs flaxseed ground into your porridge or sprinkled on food, fibre rich vegetables, probiotics and magnesium citrate (200 mg) before bed can help with this, aim for 2 L of water or herbal teas daily, + exercise!
Eat enough healthy fats
Fat is a major source of energy and helps you absorb certain vitamins (A, D, E and K) and minerals. We need fat to build cell membranes and protective myelin sheaths. Fat is essential for muscle movement, blood clotting, and the immune system.
Healthy fats help you feel fuller longer, balance blood sugar, and help to regulate hormones.
Especially as you move towards the menopause it is good to develop metabolic flexibility because your cells can become less sensitive to insulin. This is where through the reduction of carbs and the increase in protein and fats your body becomes more efficient at using these for fuel. Intermittent fasting also helps your body become more efficient and producing energy.
Examples of good fats are :
Seeds
Nuts (make sure they aren’t rancid)
Fatty, cold water fish (sardines, mackerel, anchovies, salmon, herring- really important for omega 3s which your body cannot make)
Fatty grassfed, pastured meat
Olives and their oil
Avocados and their oil
Eggs (cholesterol is very important for hormone production)
Organic butter
* Cook with oils that have high smoking points such as butter, ghee, avocado oil, coconut oil, lard, olive oil (only if not overheating).
Avoid eating a lot of fats if you have floating or greasy stools regularly or have fat malabsorption or gall bladder issues.
Include phytoestrogenic foods
These are plants that can help balance the hormones because of their adaptogenic role to of either increasing or decreasing estrogen levels depending on the need. These include linseeds, chickpeas, lentils, beans and whole bean soy products such as tofu and tempeh (preferably organic). Try this tempeh stir fry. The evidence is mixed on the benefits of soy, so it is best eaten in moderation and ideally the fermented types rather than over processed ones.
Increase your B vitamins
Especially B6, B9 and B12 which are fundamental for a process called methylation that is necessary for the processing of oestrogen. B6 is also important for production of progesterone as well as production of mood enhancing neurotransmitters serotonin and dopamine. They are also key for supporting your nervous system.
B9 (folate)- Found in your green leafy veg. Folate-rich foods include dark, leafy green vegetables beans and legumes, especially mung beans, adzuki beans, chickpeas, and lentils, as well as liver, asparagus and avocado.
B6- Can be found in nuts, whole grains, seeds and legumes.
B12- primarily found in animal products so best to supplement if you are vegetarian or vegan.
Increase your intake of magnesium
Magnesium has been found to be key for the methylation processes of detoxification in the liver which break oestrogen down into metabolites for excreion.
It is also important for energy production, mood (pre-menstrually a supplement can be very beneficial) the nervous system and hundreds of different enzymatic reactions in the body.
Magnesium rich foods include: cashews, green leafy vegetables, especially chard and whole grains like brown rice.
Magnesium citrate is good to take if you tend towards constipation and magnesium gylcinate is also well absorbed by the body.
Epsom salt baths are also a great way of absorbing magnesium through the skin.
Take a daily probiotic
For help with detoxification and elimination of hormones and to support gut health. The estrobolome is the collection of bacteria in the gut that specifically deals with the metabolism and modulation of the body’s estrogens. Different people tolerate probiotics differently so best to try a few or have some kinesiology to determine what is right for you.
Eat organic
To reduce consumption of chemicals that disrupt your gut and its microbiome as well as your endocrine or hormonal system.
This is especially true for animal products. Try to go for grass fed or organic to reduce intake of antibiotics and other disrupting chemicals.
Eat more fibre
For regular bowel movements and to feed the good bacteria that help with detoxification of estrogens. Leafy greens, oats, sweet potato, fruit and veg, linseeds and other seeds are all good options.
Consider taking supplements
Like DIM or I-3-Carbinole, B vitamins and calcium d glucarate to support the liver and it’s detoxification of hormones.
Magnesium and B6 or borage oil pre-menstrually - helps support progesterone production.
Probiotics for gut health
Change your lifestyle
To exclude beauty and care products and household cleaning products that contain toxic hormone disrupters such as phthalates, parabens, and SLS. Check out the EWG for clear guidelines on what products are safe to use.
Reduce alcohol intake
Filter your water
A high quality filter will filter out hormones and xenoestrogens as well as chloride and fluoride which affect thyroid health.
Sweat
Cardiovascular exercise or saunas to help clear out toxins from the body.
Sleep
Sleep is when most of the processes of detoxification take place so make sure that you are getting a good night’s sleep.
Practise good sleep hygiene- no screens in the bedroom and limit your exposure to blue light especially in the hour leading up to bedtime. Sleep in a well ventilated darkened room and expose yourself to plenty of light in the morning. Avoid alcohol before bed and stop drinking caffeine in the early afternoon. Try some magnesium + taurate before bed.
References:
https://avivaromm.com/pcos-natural-prescription/
https://hormonesbalance.com/recipes/how-to-grow-broccoli-sprouts/
https://lpi.oregonstate.edu/mic/dietary-factors/phytochemicals/indole-3-carbinol#anti-estrogenic-activities
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5017946/
Dean, C. The Magnesium Miracle. 2017. Tantor Media Inc:
https://www.ewg.org
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vyS5OpMDiAo
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3767933/
https://hormonesbalance.com/articles/5-ways-vitamin-b6-benefits-hormones/
The Functional Nutrition Cookbook, 2013. Nicolle & Bailey. Singing Dragon: London.
