Here are 9 dietary tips that can help towards balancing the hormonal orchestra that is at play inside of you. Science reveals definitive evidence that the health of your gut effects the health of many body systems including the endocrine system. These tips can help boost mental clarity, focus, and happiness while reducing the prevalence of PMS, weight fluctuations, hair loss, acne, anxiety, depression, stress, fatigue and hot flushes.
1. Wake up your tummy first thing in the morning – Start your day with apple cider vinegar shots and lemon water. They both have the ability to activate your salivary glands, which sends signals to your gut to rise and shine.
2. Warm up your tummy – Consume more herbal teas (ginger, green, peppermint) and turmeric lattes. They not only have anti-inflammatory properties that warm the throat and tummy but they are incredibly capable at waking up and nurturing the mind.
3. Feed your pet bugs – Fermented foods that contain probiotics naturally such as kefir, yoghurt, sauerkraut, kimchi and kombucha are all foods that our microbiome love to eat and draw energy from.
4. Fuel up with quality protein – Quality protein includes grass-fed chicken, wild-caught salmon, mackerel, tuna and legumes. Protein is the building block of our hormones, bones, cartilage, nails, skin and muscles to name a few. Good quality protein will also keep blood sugar levels stable throughout the day, avoid 3pm slumps and deter sugar cravings.
5. Healthy fats – Healthy fats can be found in eggs, avocado, tahini, walnuts, Brazil nuts, chia seeds, olive oil. Fatty acids are involved with various biological processes. They make up our cell membrane structures, cell functioning and literally make up the steroid hormones such as oestrogen and testosterone.
6. Avoid inflammatory foods – These include white bread, cakes, processed meats, sugar, gluten, chips, trans-fats found in fried foods. Inflammation caused by processed unhealthy foods can lead to a number of diseases such as arthritis, asthma, atherosclerosis, blindness, certain types of cancer, diabetes and reproductive issues.
7. Love your liver – Consume more cabbage, St. Mary’s Thistle, Schisandra and rosemary. These foods ppen up, support and protect the major channel of elimination. Consider getting professional support to aid you in a detox program specifically for you and your requirements. If the liver isn’t working up to speed it wont be breaking down and clearing excess hormones that should otherwise be flushed from your system.
8. Support digestion – There can be a number of ways to support the proper break down and assimilation of foods we consume. Digestive enzyme supplements like amylase, hydrochloric acid (Hcl), pepsin and lipase can all support the digestion of starch, proteins and fats.
9. Protect your thyroid – The thyroid gland sits in our neck and creates many different hormones. Iodine is a trace-mineral that is crucial for a well-functioning thyroid gland. Foods like kelp, sea vegetables, fish, yoghurt, eggs, cheese and strawberries are natural sources of this element.
When embarking on a hormone balancing journey it is important to remember that everyone has their very own complex chemical and biochemical kaleidoscope of factors going on inside, so there is no one-size-fits-all protocol.
Book in today to see how one of our student naturopaths or nutritionists can help guide you on your hormone balancing journey!