Foods to Balance Your Hormones

lentilsHormones are chemical messengers that travel throughout the body coordinating complex processes like growth, metabolism, and fertility. They can influence the function of the immune system, and even alter behavior.

If you don’t eat foods with the necessary nutrients, your body cannot produce or maintain hormonal balance. In other words, what you eat is either helping hormonal production or causing unpredictable imbalances.

Your body needs a balance of all three macronutrients, carbohydrates, protein, and especially fat. Although we are often told to reduce intake of fats, healthy fats are actually vital for the production of hormones and hormonal balance.

Healthy fat is the raw material that we need to produce and maintain proper hormone function. Hormones are produced using certain fatty acids and cholesterol, so if we’re missing these nutrients, hormone problems arise simply because the body doesn’t have the nutrients it needs to make them. Our body needs certain fats for rebuilding cells and stabilizing hormones. This is especially important for the female reproductive system.

Proteins, healthy fats, antioxidants, healing herbs, and spices, should all be part of meals and a diet which balances hormones.  To make nutritious, healthy meals, you can select from the following categories:

Proteins

  • Beans
  • Seeds
  • Quinoa
  • Lentils
  • Soaked or sprouted nuts
  • Wild caught fish
  • Organic pasture – raised/grass-fed chicken and pastured – raised eggs, turkey, beef, bison, elk

Healthy Fats Which Balance Hormones

  • Coconut oil (it contains lauric acid, which is good for the skin, improves metabolism, battles viruses and bacteria and boosts hormone production.)
  • Avocados are rich in fiber, folic acid, potassium, magnesium, healthy fat and vitamin E, B-vitamins
  • Raw butter (contains vitamins like A, D, E, and K2 which are fat – soluble and are vital for hormone production in addition to fatty acids of the medium-chain, which reinforce the immune system, battle viruses, and bad bacteria and improve metabolism)
  • Egg yolks (They have a high nutrient content, including Vitamins A, B2, B6, B9, D, E, iron, calcium, potassium, phosphorous and chlorine, which boost hormone balance, healthy skin, and support a healthy reproductive system)
  • Nuts and seeds (including soaked seeds and nuts, raw cultured dairy products, olives, olive oil, flaxseed oil, hemp seed oil, fermented cod liver oil, hemp seed oil)

Antioxidant Rich Vegetables

  • Dark green veggies: kale, broccoli, spinach, collard greens, asparagus, cabbage, cucumbers, cilantro, etc.
  • Brightly colored veggies: green, red, yellow, and orange bell peppers, red cabbage, red/white onions, tomatoes, and carrots.
  • Starchy veggies: sweet potatoes, spaghetti squash, yucca, beets, artichokes, butternut squash, and turnips.

Healing Herbs & Spices

  • Cinnamon
  • Turmeric
  • Cumin
  • Garlic
  • Ginger
  • Cayenne

If your body has the nutrients it needs to be in hormonal balance, you will experience glowing skin, stable moods, fertility, and consistent energy. Our bodies have an incredible ability to heal and be in balance, when given the nutrients they need to flourish.