As females, many of us know the frustration and discomfort that comes with hormone imbalances. From mood swings to irregular periods, our hormone health can significantly impact our quality of life. But did you know that know that there are hormone balancing superfoods that may help you balance your hormones naturally?
In this article, I’ll unlock your hormone balancing power with 7 superfoods that support balanced hormones naturally. Say hello to the power of natural, nutrient-rich foods that not only support balancing hormones but overall nourishment. By incorporating these superfoods into your diet, you can begin your journey to balance your hormones and, hopefully, feel like yourself again.
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What Are Female Hormones?
For both males and females, hormones are chemicals that are part of the endocrine system and produced by the endocrine glands. These messengers regulate body functions like sleep, growth, and appetite.
Sex hormones play a key role in sexual development and reproduction. The adrenal glands and the gonads are the main glands involved in the production of these hormones. These include estrogen, testosterone, progesterone, and DHEA. Hormones are produced in the ovaries in females and in the testes in males.
The main sex hormones for females are estrogen and progesterone. Though testosterone is mostly considered a male hormone, there are lower amounts of female testosterone levels.
Female sex hormones play an essential role in your overall health and affect hormone health. Causes for hormonal imbalance in females can include menopause, pregnancy, breastfeeding, hormone medications, and PCOS.
Some symptoms of hormone imbalance include:
It’s important to note that hormone imbalance symptoms are wide-ranging. Having one or many of these symptoms doesn’t automatically mean that you have imbalanced hormones. They could reflect other persistent conditions. If you are dealing with any changes to your body, it’s best to speak with a health professional or your doctor.
What Are The Most Effective Hormone Balancing Superfoods?
Our foods have a huge impact on more than just satisfying our hunger. A well-balanced diet provides us with energy, and the nutrients we need for growth, helps us stay strong and healthy, and helps prevent diet-related diseases.
Regarding our hormonal health, there are around 200 different hormones in the body. Superfoods can affect the production of hormones and how they are synthesized in your body. Eating a diet full of nutrients, unprocessed whole foods, from a wide array of food groups can help maintain balanced hormone levels. Here is a look at 7 of the best superfoods for hormone balance.
Leafy Greens
Since moving to LA, my love of greens has evolved into an appreciation for leafy greens like kale, spinach, arugula, and bok choy. Leafy greens are a powerhouse of nutrition and can provide numerous health benefits; this includes the ability to promote hormone balance naturally.
Nutritional Benefits of Leafy Greens
Leafy greens are a rich source of vitamins, minerals, and fiber that are essential for a healthy diet. They’re low in calories and high in nutrients, making them a great addition to any meal.
Some of the key nutrients found in leafy greens include:
How Can Leafy Greens Help With Hormone Balance?
The high nutrient content of leafy greens can help with hormonal imbalance due to their containing phytoestrogens, which are plant compounds that mimic the effects of estrogen in the body. These compounds can help regulate hormonal activity and reduce the symptoms of hormonal imbalances.
It doesn’t hurt that leafy greens are rich in antioxidants that can help protect the body against inflammation. Something you are going to see a lot in this article is foods that are anti-inflammatory, which is a common underlying factor affecting hormone health. By reducing inflammation, leafy greens can help reduce pain and swelling and also help minimize menstrual cramps.
Cruciferous Vegetables
Another powerhouse group of green foods, cruciferous vegetables, are rich in essential nutrients. This group of vegetables has quite a few species that crossover from leafy greens. They include broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, kale, bok choy, arugula, Brussels sprouts, collards, watercress, and radishes.
Their unique nutrients offer an abundance of the vitamins and minerals your body needs in addition to promoting liver function, which makes them an important group of foods to support hormone balance in females.
Nutritional Benefits Of Cruciferous Vegetables
These low-calorie tasty vegetables pack a nutritional punch and are rich in fiber, another nutrient essential for overall health. Vegetables like broccoli can help in reducing blood sugar. They’re also a great source of antioxidants, which can help protect the body against damage from free radicals.
Some key nutrients found in these vegetables include:
How Can Cruciferous Vegetables Help Balance Hormones?
In addition to being versatile and nutritional, they are anti-inflammatory and contain compounds called glucosinolates that are responsible for their unique taste and smell. These compounds are converted into bioactive compounds in the body, such as indole-3-carbinol (I3C) and sulforaphane, which have been shown to have hormone-balancing effects. Specifically, these compounds can help regulate estrogen metabolism and reduce the risk of estrogen-related cancers.
Flaxseeds
Flaxseeds have been around since the beginning of civilization. These small but mighty seeds are amazing at improving digestion, reducing blood pressure, improving cholesterol levels, and supporting weight management. Some studies have indicated that they may reduce the risk or spread of certain cancers. In addition to the amazing health benefits, they can have a big impact on female hormone balance.
The Nutritional Benefits Of Flaxseeds
Flaxseeds are a great source of fiber, protein, and healthy fats. One of the world’s oldest crops, their high fiber content considers them one of the valuable prebiotic foods. Their high thiamine content plays a major role in elevating energy metabolism. It’s also a rich source of copper, which benefits brain development and immune health.
These micronutrient-rich seeds also include:
How Can Flaxseeds Help Balance Hormones?
Flaxseeds contain lignans which are plant compounds that have estrogen-like properties. This is important because these compounds can help regulate estrogen levels in the body and reduce the risk of estrogen-related cancers. Additionally, the alpha-linolenic acid, a type of omega-3 fatty acid, can help reduce inflammation in the body.
Wild Salmon
In my home, Wild salmon is our fish of choice. You know something is delicious when a 10-year-old is requesting it. This nutritious fish might be a bit pricey, but so worth it when you discover all of the wonderful health benefits.
This fatty fish is packed with nutrients that are important for overall health and promote hormone balance.
Nutritional Benefits Of Wild Salmon
Wild salmon is a great source of protein and omega-3 fatty acids. It’s also low in calories and saturated fat, making it a healthy choice for those looking to support heart and brain health. Its rich source of vitamin D helps affect weight gain, especially burning belly fat.
This powerhouse of a fish also includes:
How Can Wild Salmon Help Balance Hormones?
The omega-3 fatty acids found in wild salmon have anti-inflammatory elements, which are important for hormonal balance. Additionally, omega-3 fatty acids can help regulate the production and activity of hormones, including estrogen and progesterone, which are key hormones for female reproductive health.
Stress can also be a contributing factor to hormonal imbalances and impact cortisol levels, the primary stress hormone. Wild salmon can help prevent levels of stress hormones from spiking when you’re feeling stressed.
Avocados
Who doesn’t love a delicious, creamy avocado? If don’t have an avocado somewhere in your pantry, it’s probable you may have some sort of art piece or iconography celebrating this beloved berry (yes, I said berry).
This nutrient-rich and versatile fruit is considered one of the most beneficial fats for balancing hormones naturally. Packed with fiber and anti-inflammatory compounds, avocados are a great support to help maintain hormonal balance.
Nutritional Benefits Of Avocado
Avocados are high in healthy monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, “good fats,” which help maintain healthy cholesterol levels. They have also been linked to helping with the absorption of nutrients and blood sugar management and showed an increase in elasticity and firmness in the skin.
It doesn’t stop there; this superfood is also a good source of:
How Can Avocados Help Balance Hormones?
The healthy fats found in avocados are important for hormonal balance because these fats help support the production and regulation of hormones, including estrogen and progesterone. Additionally, avocados are rich in antioxidants, which can help protect against oxidative stress and inflammation, both of which can contribute to hormonal imbalances.
Fermented Foods
Fermented foods are an excellent source of healthy bacteria for your gut. Fermentation is a natural process in which microorganisms like bacteria, yeast, and fungi convert the carbohydrates in food into organic acids and gases. This process gives fermented foods their tangy flavor and beneficial probiotic bacteria.
Fermentation also breaks down the nutrients in food, making them easier to absorb by your body. Fermented foods include sauerkraut, kimchi, kefir, miso, tempeh, and kombucha.
Nutritional Elements Of Fermented Foods
Adding fermented foods to your diet can help improve your digestive system and boost your immune system. They are a rich source of nutrients, including vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.
For example, kimchi, a popular Korean fermented dish made of cabbage, contains high levels of vitamin C and beta-carotene, while sauerkraut, a German fermented dish made of cabbage, is rich in vitamin K2.
The foods pack in a ton of nutrients; a few more include:
How Can Fermented Foods Balance Hormones?
When your gut health is not at the optimal level, your hormones become imbalanced. Gut health is so vital that, according to scientists, 95% of the body’s serotonin exists in the gut. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that regulates mood, stress, and GI activity.
Fermented foods are rich in probiotics, which can help promote a healthy gut microbiome. An unhealthy gut microbiome can trigger increased levels of serotonin which can lead to inflammation, one of the root causes of hormonal imbalance. Studies have also shown that an imbalance in gut bacteria can lead to a range of imbalanced hormonal side effects, including irregular periods, mood swings, and weight gain.
Consuming fermented foods regularly can restore a natural balance of bacteria in your gut, which can lead to a more balanced hormone system.
The types of fermented foods that have the most success balancing female hormones include kimchi, kefir, and miso.
Kimchi is a spicy Korean fermented dish that contains phytonutrients that support balanced estrogen levels. Kefir is a fermented milk drink that is high in probiotics and has been shown to improve the balance of estrogen and progesterone in women.
The isoflavones in miso, a Japanese fermented soybean paste, can help improve some menopause symptoms and balance hormones in women.
Berries
Berries are an awesome substitute for any sugar lover, amazing addition for juicing and smoothie enthusiasts, and they offer some impressive hormonal health benefits for women.
Packed with antioxidants, fiber, and vitamins, berries have been found to be some of the best and tastiest hormone balancing foods. In fact, many types of berries are considered superfoods for women, offering a range of benefits such as reducing inflammation, supporting healthy brain function, and even protecting against certain types of cancer.
Nutritional Benefits of Berries
Berries are not only delicious and refreshing, but they also pack a powerful punch of nutrients that have a wealth of benefits for women. For example, blueberries help improve insulin sensitivity. One study found they help in lowering the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Berries are low in calories but high in fiber, vitamins, and antioxidants that can help support the body’s natural hormone balance.
Here are some of the vitamins found in berries and the health benefits associated with each:
How Can Berries Balance Hormones?
Berries are known for their hormone-balancing properties. The antioxidants in berries can help reduce inflammation in the body, which can disrupt hormone production and balance.
There is a wealth of vitamin C in berries, which assists in regulating progesterone levels, especially during the PMS phase of the menstrual cycle.
Feed Your Well Being
I’ve always been a pretty healthy eater, but once I hit 40, I became way more intentional about adding hormone balancing foods to my diet. But I also removed some foods from my diet, like fatty red meats, dairy, sugar, refined carbs, and processed foods, and reduced my alcohol intake. After some time, along with exercise and lots of water, I felt much better. I didn’t have night sweats, was less bloating, and my digestion improved dramatically.
For best results, it’s important to make healthy dietary changes that become habits over time so you can reap the long-term benefits of balanced hormones. I did a lot of research, but it’s even more vital to speak to your healthcare professional about any questions you have about your hormones before making any dietary changes.
Once you know more from your doctor, with some simple meal planning and mindful eating practices, you can easily incorporate these 7 nutritious foods into your daily routine to balance your hormones and transform your hormonal health!
