Six Tips for Hormone Balance
/
Levels of hormones naturally change & fluctuate through our life stages, most notably puberty, during our menstrual cycle, pregnancy, perimenopause & menopause. But they can also come out of balance for other reasons – stress, certain health conditions or can be the reason women fail to get pregnant or suffer from PMS. As with everything else in our bodies, hormones are multifaceted but there are things you can do to help hormones operate more efficiently.
Here are my top 6 hormone balancing tips:
Eat protein with every meal and snack. Protein breaks down into amnio acids which are your body’s building blocks & are used to make certain hormones.
Consume good fats such as extra virgin olive oil, nuts, seeds & avocados. Fat is vital to make cholesterol, which is the precursor to our sex hormones. Not having enough in your diet can adversely affect hormone production.
Keep your blood sugar balanced. When insulin becomes desensitised it can cause havoc with other hormones & is implicated in conditions such as PCOS. The best way to do this is to eat protein with every meal, avoid sugary snacks & leave 3/4 hours between meals.
Eat enough Fibre. Eating a rainbow of fruit & vegetables is not only vital for gut health but also impacts hormones. Fibre helps your body to excrete excess oestrogen, which if not done, means it gets reabsorbed back into your bloodstream & can contribute to oestrogen dominance with symptoms such as heavy periods, low mood, fatigue, insomnia & weight gain.
Get enough sleep. Adequate sleep regulates our stress hormone cortisol. Cortisol impacts other hormones & your body will always prioritise cortisol production over other hormones, such as sex hormones. This can lead to problems getting pregnant & also impacts the thyroid.
Move your body. Exercise & movement helps to manage insulin which impacts how other hormones work. A combination of different styles of exercise is best & exercising for your cycle can be beneficial, with higher intensity work before you ovulate and more gentle movement post ovulation.
