How to correct women’s hormonal imbalance with diet and supplements
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Hormonal imbalance is becoming more common every day for many reasons. Not to mention, It can be tricky to know when our hormonal balance is disrupted. Usually, the signs are not obvious without a medical test
Hormones are present in all humans irrespective of age, gender, or race. Though there are differences depending on some factors such as gender, race, etc.
For example, men and women have different compositions of the ideal balance of hormones in their body but they are both prone to hormonal imbalance in the course of their lives.
What is Hormonal Imbalance?
So what are hormones exactly? Hormones are chemical substances secreted in the bloodstream that act as regulators or messengers that affect the activity or behavior of different parts of the body.
There are different types of hormones that regulate human activity and behavior such as metabolism, reproduction, energy, muscles, appetite, blood pressure, sleep, growth and development, etc.
Hormonal imbalance occurs when levels of a certain hormone are significantly increased or decreased in proportion to other hormones in the body.
Signs of hormonal imbalance
- Mood swings
- Weight gain is often unexplained
- Acne
- Fatigue
- Sudden weight loss
- Pain or stiffness in the joints
- Muscle weakness and aches
- Depression
- Insomnia
- Hair loss
- Heavy/irregular periods for women
- Digestion issues, etc.
By simple evaluations, these symptoms tend to be attributed to other illnesses and not hormonal imbalance as they seem minor and unrelated in the grand scheme of things.
However, when you are suddenly experiencing 2 or more of these symptoms continuously, without any obvious reason, it is time to check your hormones.
Causes of hormonal imbalance
In the world we live in today, it is quite easy to have our hormones thrown off by
- Stress
- Poor diet
- Caffeine
- Anorexia
- Over-exercising
- Injury or trauma
- Hormone therapy
- Air pollutants
- Medication
- Aging
- Dangerous chemicals in cleaning materials, beauty products, personal care products, etc.
How do we balance our hormones? The good news is that most of the time, hormonal imbalance is relatively easy to correct by improving your diet and sometimes lifestyle changes.
Today, we will be discussing the foods, herbs, and supplements that help the body regain its balance. Let us begin:
Related:
25 habits that keep women healthy
How to boost fertility naturally with diet, herbs, and lifestyle adjustments
How to cure vaginal yeast infection in less than a week
Foods for hormonal balance
Pumpkin seeds
Pumpkin seeds can be very helpful in restoring your hormonal balance because they contain some important nutrients that are necessary for maintaining a good hormonal balance.
Some of these nutrients include zinc, copper, magnesium, thiamine, healthy fats, etc. These are helpful in maintaining a healthy body including reproductive health
You might it interested in the trendy practice of seed cycling for restoring hormonal balance. Feel free to check it out on Nourished By Nutrition. Some say it worked for them
How to use:
- For balancing your hormones, Half a cup daily at least
- Eat the roasted seeds or add to your salad or smoothies
- Eat them for 7-14 days depending on the severity of your symptoms
Banana
Bananas though not often mentioned are very effective as someone close to me has a positive experience with them in gaining back their hormonal balance.
They are known for being rich in potassium and vitamin k among other vitamins and minerals. Perhaps its only negative is that it contains high sugar which makes it not ideal for diabetes patients and the like.
To use bananas for hormone balance, you need to eat more than an occasional banana as a snack.
Take tat-least 2-4 bananas across the day daily and repeat that for about 2 weeks. You might be surprised by the results!
Pineapple
Pineapples are known for their bright colour and sweet, sharp taste. They help in the general health and balance of hormones. Hotzehwc wrote about pineapples for hormones because they increase the production of hormones including testosterone.
They also regulate melatonin and serotonin (the happy hormones) levels in the brain.
How to use:
- Regularly include pineapples especially in smoothies, juices, and other raw forms
Vegetables
Green leafy vegetables are rich in antioxidants that combat free radical damage (damage from air pollutants, deodorants, environmental chemicals, etc.), promote healthy cells function, and balanced hormones.
Free radical damage wrecks our thyroid and pituitary hormones amongst others. These are one of the places in the body that secret our hormones.
Green vegetables are known for their rich vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients, and fibers that aid cell function, hormone production and balance, liver health and keep the body healthy in many ways. The recommended vegetables include:
- Cucumber
- Cabbage
- Water cress
- Kale
- Spinach
- Lettuce
Feel free to add other vegetables especially the ones for soups such as baobab leaves, jute leaves, waterleaf, potato leaves, etc.
These veggies need to be cooked before eating so you need to remember not to over-cook them else they will lose all the goodies that aid your hormonal balance.
Garlic
Garlic helps with hormonal imbalance by reducing the inflammation that is likely to occur as a result of the imbalance in the body. Hence, preventing the hormones from overcompensating for changes in the body.
The liver is the most important organ in the body when it comes to hormones as it filters blood which contains all our hormones that are secreted by the endocrine gland.
There is a great need to keep it clean to enable it in filtering and regulate hormones in the body.
A mineral called selenium in garlic is responsible for aiding in the function and cleaning of the liver so that it can properly filter the blood and remove hormones that are not needed or exhausted.
How to use:
- It is best to take it raw in foods, salads, or as capsules.
- Chop about 2-3 pcs (not the entire bulbs) of medium-sized garlic (not the large ones) according to how much you can swallow or eat at once.
- Allow it to sit for about 10 minutes before swallowing to allow the enzymes and minerals to be activated. Else you might not get the best out of it.
- It is best swallowed like a capsule and not eaten with meals or immediately after meals. Just wait for about an hour after meals before taking the garlic.
Cinnamon
Cinnamon while not acting directly on hormonal balance, it helps in maintaining good sugar balance in the body.
High blood sugar can disrupt hormonal balance and is also a sign of hormonal imbalance.
This is why can it can be helpful in your process of regaining a healthy hormonal balance.
How to use:
- Simply use it in your tea, cooking, and baking.
- You can also just take a teaspoon of the powder twice a day but not for too long. 3-4 days is enough
Good fats
- Fatty fish (sardine, mackerel)
Sardines and mackerel fish have healthy omega-3 fatty acids but remember they need to be eaten fresh not canned.
Fresh or canned tuna is not counted as oily fish either.
Omega-3 fatty acids are very effective in managing the stress hormone cortisol in the body.
Many hormones are derived from healthy fat compounds so remember to make coconut oil, olive oil, and avocado oil your companions during this balancing period.
Without healthy fats (omega-3), the body finds it hard to produce adequate and quality hormones in the body.
If not available, the body depends on lower-quality fats to use for hormone production which as you can guess can cause health issues such as inflammation.
- Avocado
Avocado is also another good source of healthy fats. It contains about 28.8% fats and also other fats like mono-saturated fats.
They are also packed with good vitamins that are vital for maintaining hormone health including vitamin A, Folic acid, and soluble fiber
In the past few years, avocado has become a favorite among vegetables hence it is easy to find good recipes for it.
Other healthy fat sources you can try include peanuts, coconut, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, nut butter pumpkin seeds, soybeans, etc.
- Eggs
Egg yolks especially have many vitamins and minerals including vitamin A, B6, B2, D, E, iron, calcium, potassium, etc.
All these wonderful compounds are needed for healthy hormone levels and a healthy body. Choline and iodine in egg yolks are particularly important for thyroid hormones.
Herbs for hormonal imbalance
These two supplements for hormonal balance are from plants. One is a seed powder and the other is an oil.
I got the recommendation from a naturopath during a consultation session who has advised women on hormonal balance, fertility, and other women issues for more than 2 years, and most of the time, her remedies work.
She said these two are among the most effective natural hormonal balancing she knows and they are usually the first that she recommends to her patients. I did my research and there is much evidence to back them up. So here we go:
Fenugreek
Fenugreek is an old but great medicine that has been around for hundreds of years. For hormonal balance, there are numerous studies that show their effectiveness for both men’s and women’s hormones.
It contains a plant compound called phytoestrogen which has an oestrogenic effect on our hormones. It also helps both men and women in their reproductive health and general well-being.
How to use:
- Take Fenugreek seed capsules twice a day
- If you can only find the seeds (which are sold in supermarkets and spice shops), Grind them in a blender or grinder.
- Take a teaspoon twice a day preferably after meals.
- You will need to continue usung it for 2-3 months because it balances the hormones gradually
If you were to ask me the two foods I will choose to balance my hormones from this list, though it will be a hard choice, I will pick the banana and the fenugreek because I have seen them help people balance their hormones time and time again.
Where to get it:
I will recommend that you use the Fushi organic fenugreek capsules that is very affordable at $8 only for 60 capsules.
You can get it on Nature’s Health Box Website here.
Fushi and Viridian are some of my favorite health brands because of their ethical and sustainable business practices, good pricing, and good product quality.
Evening Primrose oil
This very precious oil is widely used by women around the world to improve women-related health issues such as menopause, premenstrual syndrome (PMS), etc.
Most commonly found in America, it has been used for centuries in the past by red Indians in present-day America.
Primrose oil plays a significant role in balancing women hormone but am not sure about male hormones. I will update you when I have done more research.
How to use:
- Take as directed on the product pack
- Continue using it for 2-3 months consequetively
Where to get it:
Spectrum evening primrose oil is a good choice for hormonal balance. It is organic, cold-pressed, and unrefined which is possibly the best quality you can get anywhere.
It comes in two types either the 1300mg, 90 capsules at $30, or the 500mg, 100 capsules at $19 depending on your preference and budget. Both are available on the Vita Springs website
Either one will do the job and do remember to eat well and include exercises in your daily routine.
Conclusion
Considering that our hormones usually don’t go whack overnight, it can take days or even weeks with the right diet and lifestyle before the person feels the improvement.
I believe this list is applicable and easy to get around the world. They are also safe, delicious, and easy to prepare.
I strongly suggest that you find really nice recipes on the web that will allow you to enjoy these foods in their most natural form (Raw) or when cooking them, without overheating (Remember that guys)
Most of the mentioned foods are usually encouraged to be included in our daily diet for a healthy mind and body.
Those that are most prone to hormonal imbalance are those with poor diets and lifestyles which can come with numerous other health problems.
We are really what we eat and should exercise some self-restraint by staying away from manufactured and processed “foods” as much as possible. They do more harm than good.
Last but not least, avoid coffee, some vegetables (tomatoes, white potatoes, peppers, cauliflower, broccoli), sugar, alcohol, bad carbohydrates while you are trying to balance these hormones.
Even after that, eat them in a controlled manner. Don’t forget to speak to a doctor if your symptoms persist even after these dietary improvements. There might be an underlying problem.
Let me know if the mentioned above list helped you in feeling better. Please let us know in the comments below if there are other foods or supplements that have helped you before in balancing your hormones so that we can also learn from you too.
I hope you have learned something here with me today and subscribe for more content on managing your health using the most natural options. Save this pin for future reference.
Thank you for your time and bye for now!
