How To Choose The Best Hormone Balance Diet Plan: 5 Best Diet Choices

As a woman, it’s critical to get appropriate medical support if you’re experiencing any form of hormonal imbalance. When it comes to balancing your hormones, some natural methods may help. Exercise, for example, has beneficial effects on hormones. Therapeutic activities such as yoga can help to reduce stress hormones, while resistance training such as Pilates and weight training can support optimal hormonal balancing. Alongside movement, diet can play a key role in hormone balancing.

How does the Hormone balance diet plan work? Let’s jump in.

Relationship Between Diet And Hormone Balance

Hormonal changes affect us all as we move through the different stages of life, and the impact these changes have varies significantly between individuals. Weight gain, lethargy, mood swings, insomnia, high blood pressure, cholesterol & acne are among some of the symptoms we may experience.

A well-balanced diet and other healthy lifestyle habits can help you reclaim your health, regulating and balancing your hormones. When it comes to hormones, diet matters since the nutrients you get from food are the raw materials used to make hormones and fuel your body.

Fertility and menopause, sex hormone-related malignancies, thyroid balancing, type 2 diabetes, and metabolism regulation can all be influenced by our diet. A well-balanced diet has a significant impact on our hormonal systems, but finding common ground on how and what to consume is challenging, as no two bodies are the same. However, below are some recommendations you might like to try and see if they work for you & your body.

Warning Signs Of Hormonal Imbalance

Hormones are chemical messengers produced by your body. They pass via the bloodstream and influence various physiological activities, including metabolism, reproductivity and mood. Hormone levels change regularly throughout life, most notably during puberty and during a woman\’s menstrual cycle, pregnancy, and menopause. In addition, lifestyle behaviours and some medical issues might also have an impact. 

Hair And Skin Issues

Hormone fluctuations can impact hair, skin and nails because androgen hormones activate oil glands and hair follicles in the skin. Additionally, changes to thyroid hormone levels may lead to changes in hair texture. Acne or breakouts, dry skin, and skin conditions such as psoriasis, eczema, and rosacea could indicate hormonal imbalance.

Weight Gain

Thyroid and insulin abnormalities, an excess of the stress hormone cortisol, and dysregulation of hunger hormones leptin and ghrelin; which impact hunger and fullness cues, can all contribute to weight gain.

Having Difficulty Sleeping, Focusing And Digesting Food

These signs and symptoms could indicate that your cortisol (the stress hormone) levels are elevated. You may notice digestive discomfort, difficulty sleeping, or muscle weakness after a particularly stressful period. Prolonger elevated stress levels can have an impact your mood, energy levels & ability to focus.

Heavy Or Painful Periods

Another indicator of hormonal imbalance may be excessively heavy periods. If heavy periods are accompanied by additional symptoms such as abdominal pain, frequent urination, lower back pain and constipation, you may want to see your doctor just to rule out fibroids.

Fertility Issues

Hormonal imbalance is one of the primary reasons for female infertility, and a woman\’s fertility declines typically after the age of 35 as her hormone levels change. Low levels of luteinising hormone (LH), which encourages the ovaries to release an egg and begin generating progesterone, can also cause reproductive issues. In addition, fertility can be affected by early menopause and other hormone-related conditions such as PCOS.

What Is The Hormone Diet?

The hormone diet is a dietary plan based on a book written by Dr Natasha Turner, a naturopathic physician. The diet is designed to help women manage hormonal changes that can lead to weight gain and other health problems. The book discusses how hormonal swings can cause stubborn mid-section weight, weight gain, sugar cravings, sluggishness, stress, a low libido, amongst other health symptoms.

The six-week diet plan claims to harmonise your hormones and address imbalances that produce negative consequences with a specialised diet. The regime also contains workout instructions, gentle detox procedures, and supplement recommendations. The diet not only recommends what to eat, but also when and how to eat to support hormonal balance.

The First Phase

A two-week “detoxification” period is included in this diet phase. Gluten-containing cereals, cow’s milk dairy products, oils, alcohol, caffeine, peanuts, processed sugar, artificial sweeteners, red meat, and citrus fruits are all avoided. Instead, you can take natural, organic gluten-free grains and starches, vegetables and fruits, beans, nuts and seeds, organic chicken, fish, organic soy, organic eggs, plant milk, sheep or goat dairy, and some unheated oils.

The Second Phase

This Phase involves reintroducing some of those foods to your diet while monitoring how your body reacts to them. However, the diet suggests avoiding “hormone-disrupting” items long-term. High fructose corn syrup, mercury-laden fish, non-organic meats, non-organic coffee, raisins, dates, and peanuts are among them.

The Third Phase

The Third Phase focuses on overall physical and mental wellness through aerobic exercise and strength training. The second Phase\’s diet pattern continues into the third Phase.

Choosing The Best Hormone Balance Diet Plan – 5 Best Diet Choices

If you\’re considering going on a hormone balance diet plan, here are some essential guidelines you might want to follow:

Increase Your Protein Intake

Incorporate a protien at each meal. Protein is involved in the building of muscle and bone mass. It may also assist with appetite regulation by lowering the hormone ghrelin, popularly known as the “hunger hormone.”

Avoid Sugar And Refined Carbs

When it comes to a hormone balance diet plan, it’s important you reduce your sugar intake. Insulin resistance occurs when your body’s cells do not respond appropriately to the hormone insulin. This can lead to prediabetes, type 2 diabetes, and other chronic health problems. Studies show that a diet high in sugar & refined carbohydrates can contribute to insulin resistance, especially in person who are overweight or obese and have prediabetes or diabetes.

Consume Healthy Fats

People often think fat consumption leads to weight gain, but this isn’t the whole story. Healthy fats, in the right quantity, are essential to a well balanced diet. Eating healthy fats like nuts, linseed oil, coconut, flaxseeds, avocado and extra virgin olive oil (unheated) has been shown to support satiety and keep you fuller for longer. Since hormones thrive on fat, your body requires the correct amount of healthy fats for optimal hormonal functioning. So, you can include a variety of healthy fats everyday, but moderation is of course key!

Consume Omega 3 fats Frequently

Omega-3 fatty acids are highly linked to the hormone balance diet plan. These fatty acids not only aid to reduce inflammation, but they also support hormonal health. If you eat fish, you can include small oily fish like mackerel, sardines, anchovies, oysters & herring. If you aren\’t a fish eater, you can include flaxseeds, cold pressed linseed oil, chia seeds, walnuts, organic soybeans & seaweeds.

Herbal Infusion

Your liver is in charge of hormone metabolism and detoxification. You can support liver detoxification by drinking herbal tea infusions like dandelion root tea, liquorice & fresh ginger, which are caffeine-free.

Hormone Balancing Foods To Eat

Are you looking for a holistic hormone balance diet plan? Do you want to balance your hormones, manage PCOS or PMS naturally? Here are some foods you may eat and some you may avoid:

Lean protein; vegetables and most fruit; chia seeds, flaxseeds, and most nuts; olive oil and other unsaturated oils and fats, such as coconut; and organic ancient whole grains like buckwheat, brown rice, and quinoa are among the foods you may eat.

Caffeine, alcohol, fried meals, processed meat, peanuts, saturated fat, processed dairy products, artificial sweeteners, and simple carbohydrates like white bread, white rice & white pasta are best consumed in moderation or avoided altogether.

In a nutshell, you want to try as much as you can to consume these foods as they may help balance your hormone: 

• Fruits
• Vegetables, herbs and spices
• Beans
• Legumes
• Nuts and seeds
• Olive oil
• Lean protein (only organic meat)
• Organic ancient whole grains

You should avoid these things regularly if you want to keep your hormones in check. 

• Junk foods and fried foods
• Refined carbohydrates such as white bread, pasta, crackers, flour tortillas, biscuits
• Sugar-sweetened drinks like soda, tea with added sugar, sports drinks
• Processed meats like bacon, cured meats, salami, sausages
• Trans fats like heated vegetable oils, margarines & spreads

A Word From The Health Space

If you’re having problems with hormonal imbalances or are not sure of your following line of action, talk to a nutritionist. Change your health and life with our hormone balancing nutrition programme. Learn the right foods for hormone balancing with your personalised menu plan. Let me support you through the next 12 weeks as we balance your hormones and transform your health. Book a Free Discovery call today.