If you have experienced symptoms of hormonal imbalance, such as chronic pain, trouble sleeping, appetite changes, and weight gain, you might wonder what treatment options are available. Did you know that if your hormones are not balanced, eating food for hormone balance can help? Here are the best hormone balancing foods if you have a hormonal imbalance.
Before looking at medial intervention, you can start with daily, healthy habits. This includes switching up your diet. Eating for hormone balance is easier than you think. Let’s discuss.
Are There Foods That Help With Hormone Balancing And Acne?
The symptoms of hormone imbalance are not always easy to spot, because they can be similar to other conditions.
Symptoms include abnormal periods, fatigue, weight gain or loss, mood swings and irritability.
How Do I Know If My Hormones Aren’t Balanced?
The best way to determine if your hormones are out of balance is to consult with a doctor. The doctor will run a series of blood tests to determine your levels and whether you have any hormonal imbalances.
If you notice any changes in your body, which can include hair loss, weight gain, mood swings or unwanted hair growth, speak to your doctor.
Some people have hormone imbalances so severe that they have to undergo hormonal treatments to fix them.
What You Need To Know About Hormones And Acne
High stress can affect your body in various ways, including your hormones. The human body is a wonderful machine that does many wonderful things. It keeps us alive, gives us energy, and allows us to think and have feelings.
It also affects our moods, and sometimes even makes us feel sad or angry. We rely on hormones to help us function properly.
There are many types of hormones created by the body, but there are several main ones that every person needs. These hormones help regulate our bodies’ functions, and they affect how we feel all the time.
Glands create hormones in the body, and they travel through our blood, which makes them valuable. Many glands produce hormones, such as the pituitary gland, or the thyroid gland.
The pituitary gland is located at the base of the brain, and produces hormones called gonadotropins. These gonadotropins are important because they regulate the function of other glands in the body, such as the thyroid and adrenal glands.
The pituitary gland also secretes hormones called erythropoietin and thrombopoietin. These hormones are also important because they help regulate the function of our red blood cells.
Red blood cells carry oxygen throughout our body to organs, tissues, and cells. When this happens, these cells become paramount. They also help transport glucose around the body by helping move it through the body.
How Does Food Regulate And Balance Your Hormones?
There are so many delicious foods that help balance hormones. The balance of hormones in your body is an important system to maintain.
Eating the right foods can help you achieve this balance, while avoiding other foods that may upset it.
Some common sources of hormonal acne are high-glycemic foods that can cause blood sugar spikes, which in turn raise insulin levels and trigger the release of hormones like cortisol, which can lead to acne.
The best hormone balance super foods are also the most nutritionally dense foods for a healthy diet, and include leafy greens like spinach or kale, nuts and seeds like Brazil nuts and flax seed, healthy fats including avocado and fatty fish.
Best Foods That Help With Hormonal Acne
Here is a quick visual of the best foods that help with hormonal acne. Be sure to save on Pinterest.
Top 8 Hormone Balancing Foods
Below is a list of foods that are notable for balancing hormones naturally through your diet. You can accelerate hormone balance with the right way of eating.
As you can see, there are many foods that help balance hormones. These foods will not only help with weight loss, but also have a positive effect on your skin health.
Consider testing out some of these hormone balancing foods.
Apple Cider Vinegar
You likely heard of people talking about apple cider vinegar recently and discussing the many health benefits of it.
Apple cider vinegar has many health benefits for you, even aside from helping with your hormonal imbalance. It can lower your cholesterol, help with your blood sugar levels, and even aid in your weight loss efforts.
Apple cider vinegar is also impressive for your digestion and fatty liver. Since apple cider vinegar is fermented. It is impressive for your gut bacteria, which can help balance those hormones. Add a little ACV to your water each morning, and you’re good to go.
Leafy Greens
Why are leafy greens beneficial food for hormonal balance?
You have heard it many times before, and you’re going to hear it again – you need to eat your vegetables!
Specifically, those leafy greens like kale, collard greens, lettuce, spinach, and many others. Leafy greens are known as super foods, since they often have significant amounts of vitamins, minerals, fiber, and so many more nutrients.
They can help cleanse your liver, which is an amazing way to start balancing your hormone levels.
Spinach
Spinach leaves contain alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), which helps regulate cholesterol and improve heart health. It is also high in dietary fiber, which will help lower LDL-cholesterol levels.
Even if you aren’t a big fan of these types of greens, there are ways to add them to your diet without much effort.
You can make a mixed green salad with your favorite lettuce, then add some kale or spinach to it.
You can make an egg scramble with spinach or add a handful of greens to a smoothie. It’s even an excellent way to get the kids to eat their greens!
Healthy Fats Help Balance Hormones Naturally
Healthier fats in your diet can also help balance those hormone levels and help cleanse your liver.
Think about fats like avocado, olive oil, coconut oil, and MCT oil, nuts and seeds, and grass-fed butter. These are the food sources of fats, in addition to fatty fish like salmon and mackerel. Eating for hormone balance is easy with these delicious healthy fats.
Flax Seeds, Sunflower Seeds, And Brazil Nuts
Nuts and seeds are wonderful foods to help balance out your hormones. The high fiber content in nuts and seeds will help lower bad cholesterol levels. They are also high in antioxidants, which will help reduce inflammation in the body.
Consider adding flax or sunflower seeds to your diet. I love adding ground flax seed to my smoothies.
Brazil nuts are also high in selenium, which is needed to support healthy production of your thyroid hormones. The selenium in Brazil nuts also helps improve your mood. One Brazil nut a day is considered safe to support proper thyroid functions.
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However, too many Brazil nuts can have an adverse reaction to your health. Too much selenium can lead to toxicity in the body. This can lead to organ failure or heart attacks.
Limit your intake of selenium containing foods to 400 mcg of selenium per day. Studies have shown that one to three Brazil nuts a day is a safe amount.
Avocado
Avocado is a fantastic food to incorporate into your diet if you are eating for hormone balance. This is because avocados are an excellent food for hormonal acne. It contains healthy fats, monounsaturated fatty acids. In addition, they are high in potassium, which is a superb electrolyte.
Electrolytes help you recover after a workout and can reduce muscle cramps. So, it can help balance the hormone levels in your body.
Avocados are also high in potassium, which is important for electrolyte maintenance because it can reduce muscle cramps and improve recovery after a workout.
Consume Fatty Fish
The consumption of fatty fish is a terrific way to balance your hormone levels. Omega-3s are a type of fatty acid essential for regulating hormones, and oily fish is one of the best sources available.
My personal favorite fatty fish is salmon. Salmon is rich in vitamin B12, which helps your body produce red blood cells. This assists with iron absorption and storage.
Trout is another fantastic fish I love. It is high in zinc, which helps regulate moods and fight depression.
Mackerel is rich in selenium, which helps with fertility regulation and supports thyroid health. So, test out any of these fish in your diet as a natural path to hormone balance.
Coconut Oil
Incorporating coconut oil is another natural way to balance hormones. Coconut oil is one of the best sources for healthy fats.
The saturated fat in coconut oil can help balance hormones and regulate insulin levels to prevent acne breakouts, according to recent studies.
Coconut oil also contains lauric acid, which is a good source of medium chain triglycerides. Cook veggies in coconut oil or blend some into your coffee.
Healthy Carbohydrates
Root Vegetables
Root vegetables such as carrots, beets, and parsnips are not only rich in carotenoids and flavonoids, which make them an excellent source of vitamin A and C, but also packed with dietary fiber that helps regulate blood sugar levels, which can have a positive effect on the body’s hormone balance.
The liver needs an excellent source of fiber. When you eat too much refined sugar, your liver gets full and stops working efficiently. This fatty buildup can lead to liver disease.
Fiber helps the liver break down excess sugar quickly and start working efficiently again. Fiber can help balance hormones too.
Why Are Root Vegetables Good For Hormonal Imbalance?
Root vegetables are an excellent source of fiber, and they’re also loaded with nutrients that can help lower estrogen levels in the body.
Too much refined sugar and too little fat automatically raise cortisol levels, which is an undesirable effect.
Does Sugar Suppress Testosterone?
Did you know that sugar also suppresses testosterone?
The body produces cortisol when it’s under stress or when it doesn’t get enough sleep or rest.
Many people don’t know that when they eat too much sugar, their body produces an extra amount of cortisol because it’s not getting enough rest.
So, too much sugar coupled with too little fiber lowers testosterone levels and spikes your cortisol levels.
A recipe for a hormone disaster.
The body doesn’t have enough energy from carbohydrates to produce sex hormones.
Sweet Potatoes
Sweet potatoes are a wonderful root vegetable that contains excellent sources of vitamins and minerals, including beta carotene and vitamin A, which helps balance hormones. They are also rich in fiber and can help manage blood sugar levels.
So, if you are looking for natural hormone balance, this vegetable is one to surely include into your diet.
Try leaving the peel on to maximize the nutritional benefits that sweet potatoes provide for the body, especially if you are eating for hormone balance.
Carrots
My number one food that is good for hormonal acne is carrots.
Yes, carrots balance out your hormones.
Carrots also contain high amounts of beta-carotene, which is an antioxidant powerhouse. This root vegetable can help balance hormones naturally by stabilizing blood sugar through its high fiber content.
Raw carrots have been shown to help prevent the absorption of excess estrogen circulating throughout the body. Try adding a handful of raw carrots to your diet every day.
Reduce Sugar And Refined Carbohydrates
People who go on specific diets that lower their carbohydrate intake, like Paleo and Keto, often find their hormones are suddenly balanced and have lower inflammation.
Why? Because they are lowering the refined carbs and added sugars in their diet. These can cause a lot of inflammation, throw your hormone levels off, and add to obesity.
You can still have naturally-occurring sugar, like in fruits and other natural foods, but be careful about foods that add sugar, like pasta sauce, bacon, and deli meats.
Discuss Your Favorite Hormone Balancing Superfoods!
Eating for hormone balance can be simple. I would love to hear if you have struggled with balancing your hormones, and if you discovered any new hormone-balancing foods to add to your diet. Share your experiences in the comments below.
You can also connect with me @EatYourNutrition on Instagram. I love seeing your photos. #EatYourNutrition #LauraVillanueva
Additional Resources
Also, for further reading and guidance on how to treat the root causes of hormone imbalances, consider exploring the following resources:
– Book: “The Hormone Cure” by Dr. Sara Gottfried
– Article: “Stress and Hormones”
– Join the 3-Week Paleo Nutrition Challenge – Expert advice on naturopathic approaches to stress reduction and hormonal balance. Let’s get rid of anxiety and balance those hormones with healthy eating.
– Support – Join my Reset & Renew Nutrition Program. Register here.
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