The Secret Link Between Hormones and What You Eat

 

 

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

 

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

So whether you’ve experienced unwanted side effects from hormonal imbalances, or just struggle with the effects of aging on your hormones, this information is for you.

You don’t need to take pills for the rest of your life to regulate how you feel, if you know the root causes of your hormonal issues and what to do about them.

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
• 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
• Low libido
• Constipation or diarrhea
• 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’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. Go off the pills and the underlying problem is still there (in fact, in many times it’s worse because while you numbed the symptoms, the raging inferno was getting worse without even knowing it).

So what can be done about hormonal imbalance?

The good news is that a lot can be done, and it doesn’t require pills or even surgeries that you might think are necessary to get your hormones back on track.

The other piece of good news is that no matter what hormonal problems you might have, like PCOS, estrogen dominance or low estrogen, low testosterone, thyroid diseases, or just the hormonal changes associated with aging, treating them is the same.

The same foods and supplements are going to help your hormones heal and return to balance.

So let’s run through the top ways to balance your hormones naturally.

1. Eat hormone-friendly foods.
   

The best foods you can eat to get your hormones in alignment are alkaline and full of healthy fats:

• Avocados
• Coconut oil
• Organic, wild-caught Pacific salmon (though because of Fukashima, salmon from Spain is far better and safer)
• Kale, spinach, collards, and other dark, leafy greens
• Cruciferous vegetables – broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, and cabbage
• Red bell peppers
• Quinoa
• Sweet potatoes
• Chickpeas and other beans
• Flax seeds

2. Avoid hormone haters.

Just like there are foods that balance your hormones, there are foods that hate your hormones. The top offenders include:

• Soy
• Sugar
• Pasta, white potatoes, and any food products with gluten
• Artificial sweeteners
• Dairy products

The problem with all of these foods if that they throw off your body’s attempts at naturally regulating your blood sugar levels, reproductive hormones, or thyroid hormones, and at the same time, they clog up your digestive system, slowing down your body’s ability to sweep out excess hormones and toxins.

3. Supplement with Omega 3 fatty acids.

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. I aim for 3g of fish oil every day. Despite what you may read, fish oil is far superior to krill oil, and make sure it is from a very good, pure source.

Just as important it is to increase your daily dose of Omega 3 fats, it is just as important to decrease your Omega 6 fats (vegetable oil, hydrogenated oils, trans fats, soybean oil, safflower, sunflower, flax oil, pasta sauces, salad dressings, etc – head over to my FB page to get the full list of both good and bad).

Studies show that our pre-agricultural ancestors had a 1:1 ration of Omega 6 to Omega 3 fats. This ratio is CRUCIAL to good health and to avoid inflammation. It should be no more than 4:1 (6:3), yet the average American has a 25:1 ratio = BAD!

In fact, they did studies on murderers and patients in insane asylums, and the average Omega 6:3 ratio was 70:1! These unhealthy fats actually make your brain crazy (Alzheimer’s).

4. Get your gut in alignment.

If your hormones are out of whack, chances are your digestive tract is too. It plays a major role in cleaning out toxins and excess hormones that are responsible for most hormonal problems in our modern world.

Find out more about treating Leaky Gut Syndrome, a leading cause of hormonal imbalance, here.

Make sure you’re supplementing with a good quality probiotic, even if you have already treated Leaky Gut Syndrome, to keep your digestive system fighting off bad bacteria.

5. Get rid of toxins in your home.

The average home contains between 500 and 1,000 chemicals, many of which are unbeknownst to you because humans are unable to see, smell, or taste them. Not only that, but many more thousands of chemicals are released into the air we breathe in our communities, many of them without knowing the side effects.

All of those chemicals can have a major impact on our hormone health. In fact, some lotions and personal care products enter your bloodstream within minutes of applying them. They can disrupt your endocrine system and over-tax your liver as it tries to filter toxins.

Take these steps to remove chemicals from your home:

• Stop using air fresheners and instead, use an air purifier, especially in your bedroom.
• Switch to green cleaning products and use vinegar or baking soda whenever possible.
• Keep your house as dust free as you can.
• Replace personal care products on your bathroom shelf with organic options.
• Toss plastics containing BPA and choose glass when possible.
• Always filter the water you drink and use in your home.
• Get rid of Teflon cookware and use cast iron, stainless steel, or ceramic instead.

6. Eliminate caffeine and alcohol.

As you know, coffee and alcohol are both acidic. What’s more, they also disrupt your body’s ability to properly maintain hormone balance.

With coffee and other caffeinated beverages, they throw the endocrine system into chaos and prevent it from sending out the proper amounts of key hormones.

With alcohol, the liver becomes over-worked and can’t filter out all of the toxins and excess hormones built up in your body.

If you have any hormonal issues at all, I recommend you completely eliminate all caffeine, decaf coffee, and alcohol for several weeks and see how you feel.

7. Add the right supplements.

In addition to taking probiotics and Omega 3 supplements, I recommend you take these supplements depending on you exact hormonal needs:

• Vitamin D3 to keep your immune and autoimmune systems functioning well, prevent low testosterone levels, and prevent the effects of aging. Take a high but safe dose of 5,000 IU daily.
• Vitamin B6, which prevents estrogen dominance and B12, which will help maintain energy.
• Zinc to increase testosterone hormone production.

• Magnesium,which can regulate a woman’s cycle, decrease anxiety, lessen inflammation, and encourage better sleep. That’s why I recommend you take Alkamind Daily Minerals to get plenty of quality magnesium, balanced with the right amount of calcium to prevent deficiencies in either, as well as sodium bicarbonate and potassium.