The Top 10 Superfoods to Balance Hormones & Conquer Thyroid Issues

December 12, 2019 Dr Daryl Gioffre 1 comment

Both men and women of all ages walk around with a delicate balance going on inside them without even realizing it until something goes wrong. Our hormones affect us in ways we don’t notice, all day, every day.

Hormones affect our mood, weight, mental clarity, fertility, libido, appetite, anxiety levels, ability to sleep, hair, skin, and digestion.

Whether you’ve experienced unwanted side effects from hormonal imbalances, or just struggle with the effects of aging on your hormones, you’re not going to want to miss this information on the foods that can bring your hormones back into balance – as well as those that exacerbate problems.

If you have any issues with hormonal imbalance including:

Irregular periods
Infertility
Chronic fatigue/adrenal fatigue
Endometriosis
PCOS
Low testosterone

…Or you suffer from thyroid issues like:

Overactive thyroid
Underactive thyroid
Hashimoto’s thyroiditis
Grave’s Disease
Weight Gain
Cold hands and/or feet
Hair and skin concerns (brittle or thinning hair)

…It is possible to reverse the hormonal imbalance behind all of these issues by getting to the root of the problem. And by doing so naturally, you can avoid the prescription drugs that cause harmful side effects without addressing what’s really going on.

Now, it might seem like that long list of hormone problems is full of differences – different symptoms, different glands, even different systems within the body. And some of them seem like opposites, for example overactive and underactive thyroid.

But the truth is, all of those seemingly different issues are linked together. They’re all signs and symptoms of the same root cause, and that’s what we’re going to address today.

How do you know if you have a hormonal imbalance?

Regardless of what imbalance you have, you likely have a combination of the following:

Difficulty sleeping
Constant fatigue
Irregular or painful periods
Unexplained weight gain or loss, or weight that just won’t go away
A slow metabolism
Acne or other skin issues
Unwanted hair or loss of hair
Infertility or problems of the reproductive system
Anxiety or depression
Low libido
Brain fog

Unfortunately, when you go to the doctor for these symptoms, they usually either shrug their shoulders and say it’s just a normal part of the aging process and there is nothing they can do, or they prescribe a pill to pop.

Well I have news for you… It may be common but it’s NOT normal! The only thing that is normal is to be healthy, energetic, full of vitality, and drug-free.

The problem with those pills is that they just mask the symptoms. If you were to go off the pills, the underlying problem would still be there. In fact, it may even get worse because while you numbed the symptoms, the raging inferno grows stronger without you even knowing it.

What can be done about hormonal imbalance?

The good news is that a lot can be done, and it doesn’t require pills to get your hormones back on track. (With that said, do not go off medication without talking to your doctor first about your treatment plan.)

By removing the foods and chemicals that disrupt normal hormone function, and eating more of the foods and supplements that improve hormone function, you can help your endocrine system heal and return to balance.

Before we get to the foods that will improve hormone and endocrine function naturally, let’s first talk about what is exacerbating hormonal imbalance.

Endocrine or hormone disruptors enter our body in a variety of ways including the food we eat, air we breathe, and products we use. Once there, they mimic our natural hormones and in doing so, throw off the body’s attempts to naturally regulating blood sugar levels, reproductive hormones, or thyroid hormones.

Avoid hormone disruptors in food, beauty products, and home care products. You can’t avoid everything. After all, the average home contains between 500 and 1,000 chemicals – and that’s before you even step outside!

Top hormone disruptors include:

Air fresheners
BPA plastics
Parabens in personal care products
Phthalates in personal care products
Triclosan in personal care products
Commercial cleaning products
Teflon
Soy
Sugar
Artificial sweeteners
Meat and dairy products (contain dioxins)
Seafood containing high levels of mercury
Produce containing pesticides – choose organic
Caffeinated beverages
Alcoholic beverages
Unfiltered water (contains perchlorate, atrazine, arsenic, and heavy metals) – always filter your water

Once you’ve minimized those top offenders in your life, your home, and your diet, the best thing you can do is eat plenty of the nourishing foods that heal your endocrine system.

The Top Hormone Balancing Foods

Avocados

A clean plant-based keto diet, rich with healthy fats like avocado, is ideal for anyone suffering from hormone or endocrine imbalance – or anyone wanting to keep their hormones healthy.

2. Coconut oil

Healthy fats are key for the body’s ability to produce hormones properly, including saturated fats like coconut oil. Start with 1 tbsp. in the morning, and add a pinch of Himalayan pink salt. Once you get used to this, you can add a second tbsp. later in the day, and then on to a third.

Increase slowly, because too much at once can cause symptoms similar to diarrhea such as a stomach cramp, watery stools or nausea. Detox is good, and coconut oil is a miracle food, but not to the extent of having to run to the bathroom so many times that may affect your work or sleep. So again, add slowly like I mentioned above, and you will be fine 😊.

3. Wild-caught salmon

Foods high in omega-3 fatty acids like wild salmon keep inflammation levels in check, which alleviates symptoms of hormonal imbalance like brain fog. Research has also linked fatty, low-mercury fish to reducing levels of stress hormones cortisol and adrenaline.

4. Leafy greens

Kale, spinach, collards, and other dark, leafy green vegetables enhance the liver’s ability to metabolize stress hormones and estrogen, making these foods important for everyone, but especially anyone with hormonal issues related to fertility and estrogen levels.

5. Cruciferous vegetables

Brassica family veggies like broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, and cabbage contain compounds that regulate estrogen levels.

6. Nuts

Tree nuts (remember, peanuts are legumes, not nuts) like almonds, walnuts,and barukas nuts improve levels of androgen, cholesterol, and insulin, especially in people suffering from PCOS and other hormonal imbalances.

7. Quinoa

Rich in magnesium, phosphorus, and plant-based protein, this super seed (not a grain) keeps the hormone androgen – important for sex hormones testosterone and estrogen – in balance.

8. Cilantro and parsley

These excellent herbs keep the liver functioning optimally, and that’s important for hormone and thyroid function because the liver regulates the removal of excess hormones from the body.

9. Chickpeas and other beans

A diet rich in fiber from foods like beans and greens – rather than gluten and potatoes – has been clinically shown to regular certain hormones, especially those related to appetite and weight control. Be sure to soak and sprout your beans before eating to remove the lectins and antinutrients, or buy a sprouted canned bean, by Eden Organic Foods (our household favorite).

10. Flax, and chia seeds

As good sources of omega-3 fats, plant-based protein, and fiber, chia, and flax seeds combine many of the benefits described in the foods above in tiny miracle foods!

Plenty of good, healing fats are one key to balanced hormones.

Because it’s hard to get enough omega-3 fatty acids from the foods you eat, supplementing is necessary for everyone, but especially anyone with a hormonal imbalance.

Our Alkamind Daily Omega-3 is the best quality supplement on the planet. It’s the ONLY one with the ideal 2:1 ratio of EPA to DHA in a highly concentrated form. So you can take less and get more benefit from it. Plus it’s heavy metal free and guaranteed for potency and freshness, so no fishy taste.