Have your homones been hijacked?
Love your hormones!
Cacao Yes, chocolate is good for you! Cacao is amazing for your hormones! Full of magnesium, which reduces cramping and PMS symptoms, and full of antioxidants, which are great for reducing inflammation and supporting healthy egg development (which is important for our overall health and fertility, whether you’re trying to get pregnant or not). So, if you’re a chocolate lover, go for organic, dark chocolate – as dark as you can stand it, or use raw, organic Cacao and make your own hot chocolate....bliss! Matcha & Green Tea Green tea is packed full of antioxidants, which reduces inflammation in the body, and helps healthy egg development. Some studies even suggest that green tea’s abundance of catechins may reduce the build-up of pain-causing prostaglandins, making it the perfect drink to help with cramps. Green tea also increases fertile cervical mucus, which keeps things healthy in your vagina and increases overall fertility. It’s an all round female health tonic and the perfect hormone balancing tea! Avocado When it comes to fertility and your female hormones, fats are good.....healthy fats that is! Fats and proteins are the building blocks of your hormones, so for a healthy cycle fats are essential. Which makes avocados a great food for balancing women’s hormones, as they're packed with healthy fats! They also contain up to 20 essential vitamins and minerals, including vitamins C, E, K & B-6. So keep up that smashed avocado on toast with a poached egg, and you’ll be starting the day with the perfect hormone balancing superfood. Eggs Speaking of eggs, they're another great way to get the healthy fats we need, aswell as a great source of protein – another important hormone building block. I always have a stash of boiled eggs in the fridge for an easy hormone-boosting snack! Fermented Foods One of the most common hormonal imbalances in women is estrogen dominance. This happens when the ratio of estrogen to progesterone (your two main menstrual cycle hormones) gets out of whack. Did you also know that if you don't eat enough fibre and you're not regular (yes, your know what I mean!) your body can reabsorb too much estrogen, which throws the estrogen-progesterone ratio out. It’s not the only cause of hormonal imbalance, but a healthy gut certainly plays a major role in healthy hormones. Since fermented foods are a great source of natural probiotics, they’re a great way to keep your digestive system happy. Yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut, tempeh, kimchi, miso, kombucha, and pickles – anything that’s fermented is rich in gut-friendly bacteria, but beware of the sugar ladened yoghurts etc! Seaweed Seafood is the obvious choice when it comes to foods rich in Omega 3’s (which are GOLD for your hormones). But why not skip down the food chain and go straight to the source? The seaweed in miso soup and those delicious seaweed salads you get at sushi restaurants (also known as wakame) is a great source of Omega 3s and iodine – both of which are key to a balanced metabolism and endocrine system (i.e. the great conductor of your female hormones). A balanced metabolism and a happy endocrine system will also help prevent hormonal weight gain. Or help you lose any hormonal weight that you can’t seem to get rid of. Leafy Greens Us ladies need to keep on top of our iron levels. We can easily become deficient, which then creates a whole load of health problems. Spinach, kale, swiss chard, collard greens are all high in iron, plus a bunch of other vitamins like A, C & K. Because these greens contain non-heme iron (the type of iron found in plants) it’s important to pair your greens with a rich source of vitamin C to help with absorption, such as capsicums or a squeeze of lemon. But beyond these iron benefits, all those vitamins and antioxidants make leafy greens a great all-round superfood for balancing hormones as well. Kiwifruit This little green gem packs a lot of punch. Just one kiwifruit contains 100% of your RDI of vitamin C (depending on the size, of course!). Vitamin C helps promote progesterone – a hormone essential for reducing PMS symptoms and for increasing fertility, as well as increasing iron absorption too. If you’re not a fan of kiwifruit, other great sources of vitamin C include guava, strawberries, broccoli, and of course, oranges. Pumpkin Seeds
These little seeds are another great source of magnesium (which most people are deficient in). And remember what we said about magnesium? It reduces cramping and PMS symptoms. Pumpkin seeds are also a great source of zinc which keeps your estrogen and progesterone levels balanced and promotes a healthy immune system, and since they’re so easy to carry around, they make a great hormone-friendly snack. I do like my healthy snacks so I don't buy unhealthy foods!
Water
Yep, I know this isn’t technically a food, but water is super important for your body and a healthy hormones. Did you know that when your what you think are hunger pangs, this can actually be a sign that you’re dehydrated, and you need to drink MORE water. The more hydrated you are, the less water retention you’ll have, and you’re also less likely to suffer from headaches, cramping, acne and fatigue.
It may just be the best hormone balancing superfood of them all.