5 Ways you Can Support your Hormones Right Now

Whether you know you have a hormonal imbalance, think you might, or just want to support your hormones for a better, healthier life, you’re in the right place!

Vibrant energy, steady metabolism, stable moods, good digestion – these are just a few things that balanced hormones will get you. Sounds amazing right?

On the other hand, when hormones are not supported or out of whack, there are countless undesirable symptoms that can pop up – low energy, weight gain, and chronic stress to name a few. Nothing good!

So, what are some actions you can take right now to support your hormones? There are many, but let’s start with these 5 regarding nutrition and supplementation. If you would like personalized and dedicated support with balancing your hormones, you can book a free intro call with me.

1.     Avoid Ultra-processed Foods.

We hear this time and time again, but what is a “processed food” really? A lot of healthy foods are lightly processed, such as nut butters, bakery bread, and canned fish. In this case, we are concerned about foods that have been processed to the point where they are not really even food anymore, often called frankenfoods. These are your Doritos, sweetened breakfast cereals, Airheads…Basically anything you would find at a gas station.

A helpful question to ask yourself when deciding if a food is ultra-processed is - Does it come from nature or do the ingredients come from nature? There are exceptions of course so feel free to use your common sense.

Ways to avoid and swap out ultra-processed foods:

-       Make your own version of a frankenfood you love using quality ingredients – granola bars, gummies, even potato chips!

-       Find brands that offer similar products with better ingredients. Check out brands like Siete and Primal Kitchen.

-       Don’t keep frankenfoods in the house. These foods are designed to make us binge on them. Why set yourself up for this? Go out and buy them when you really want them and look for packages with smaller quantities (personal vs. family size chip bag).

All this said, there are times to eat nutritious foods and times to feed the soul. Will you feel deprived if you skip the popcorn or candy at the movies? By all means get it and enjoy without guilt. Restriction often leads to emotional and disordered eating.

2.     Get Lots of Healthy Fats.

Thankfully the anti-cholesterol hysteria is dying down because our bodies need some cholesterol and saturated fat to function. Our cell membranes are made primarily of cholesterol. 60-70% of the brain is made of fat. Many hormones are derived from cholesterol, such as progesterone, testosterone, and estradiol (a type of estrogen).

There is still much debate about the pros and cons of saturated fat so feel free to focus on plant sources of fat if you are concerned about this or a vegetarian.

Healthy plant sources of fat:

·      Avocado – enjoy avocado toast, cook with avocado oil, mmmm guacamole

·      Coconut oil – Bake with it, cook with it…I make a mad coconut oil popcorn!

·      Coconut cream – Have you ever made a sauce with coconut cream as the base? Amazing.

·      Olive oil – Use at low heats or better yet don’t cook at all to avoid oxidization (oxidized oils create free radicals, which age our cells)

·      Nuts – Walnuts, Brazil nuts, and pistachios are especially good

·      Seeds – Pumpkin, sesame, hemp, flax, and more

·      MCT oil – Add to smoothies, coffee, dressings, really anything!

Healthy animal sources of fat:

·      Meat*

·      Poultry*

·      Wild Fatty Fish – Tuna, salmon, sardines, herring, mackerel mussels

·      Full-fat Dairy*

·      Egg yolks*

*Organic, pasture-raised

3.     Lower Alcohol Intake

This is often an unpopular recommendation, but important nonetheless. Drinking alcohol depletes nutrients necessary for hormone function, such as B vitamins, selenium, and zinc. On top of that, after drinking alcohol, the liver diverts attention to alcohol detox, which takes away energy from important hormone detoxification. This is why heavy drinkers often show estrogen dominance, even in men! Lower alcohol intake is also associated with diverse and beneficial gut bacteria, which is a huge indicator of overall health.

While many studies on light drinking are contradictory, I always advise against binge drinking and keeping at 2 drinks per day or less for regular drinkers.

Tips for drinking less or not at all:

·      Check out alcohol alternatives like Kin Euphorics, Seed Lip, Non-alcoholic IPAs, or try some fun mocktails. Bartenders are usually up for making something creative if you ask.

·      Try drinking less or not at all in a situation where you would normally binge drink. A lot of heavy drinking simply comes from habit. What happens when you have 1 or 2 drinks instead of 4 or 5? You may be surprised at how it wasn’t so important after all.

·      Think about all of the benefits you will receive from cutting down or ditching alcohol altogether – better skin, higher cognitive function, no hangxiety (it’s a real thing folks), and so much more.

4.     Take an Herbal Supplement

Herbs are often not given enough credit or acknowledged for the powerful affects they can have on the body. Herbal medicine is no joke! I consider herbs to be a natural prescription and do not incorporate them lightly. You should always check with your doctor before taking an herbal supplement. Herbs like Chaste Berry, St. John’s Wort, Dong Quai Root, and Wild Yam Root can do wonders for PMS, Perimenopause, and Menopause symptoms. I personally use an herbal tincture by Vitanica for PMS symptoms and have had excellent results.

If you have more questions about herbal remedies or would like a custom supplement plan, you can book a free intro call with me.

5.     Avoid Factory-Farmed Animal Products

Factory-farmed animals are raised in confinement in order to produce large quantities of animal proteins quickly and cheaply. Apart from animal welfare issues, factory-farmed meat has poor nutrition, antibiotic resistant bacteria, and inflammatory residues. This comes primarily from their living environments and what they are fed (mainly highly processed corn and soy). A whopping 99% of meat in the U.S. is still factory farmed, yikes!

Finding quality meat is even more important than buying organic produce. The toxins in factory-farmed meat are more harmful than pesticides on conventional produce. If you are working on a limited budget, always start with animal products then move to produce.

So how do you find quality meat?

There are many confusing marketing terms when it comes to animal products – sustainably-raised, hormone-free, cage-free. Don’t be fooled by these. Look for organic, pasture-raised only or organic, grass-fed for meat.

The absolute best way to get high-quality meat is find a local farm. I go to the farmer’s market right before it closes and they tend to have deals. You can also go through online sources like Grass Roots Coop or Good Eggs.

Organic, pasture-raised eggs are now sold at major grocery stores, yay! Organic, pasture-raised dairy is even sold at Costco! The more demand, the more accessible these items will be.

Meat at most restaurants will likely be factory farmed unless they say otherwise. This is simply because they cannot afford to source meat sustainably and stay in business. If I am ordering meat at a restaurant, I just accept that it is likely factory farmed. 100% perfection is not the goal. Just do your best!

These 5 ways are a great place to start to support your hormones and overall health! If you would like personalized and dedicated support with balancing your hormones, you can book a free intro call with me.