How to balance your hormones
Hormones! As women, it is a word we have been conditioned to fear or moan about. These little chemical messengers seem to be the source of all our menstrual and/or menopausal issues! Yes, they can cause a lot of physical and emotional problems, e.g. bloating, uterine cramps, irritability, crying, sore boobs, irregular bleeding or flooding, hot flushes, insomnia, night sweats……need I go on?
So, what is the good news, I hear you ask? There are lots of things we can do to help support our hormones to do what they are meant to do, without resorting to synthetic hormones to ‘fix’ the problem.
Here are my 5 top tips that you can start to do, RIGHT NOW:
- Cruciferous vegetables. These are sometimes called the brassica family, and they are wonderful for helping your body to get rid of excess hormones as well as being a rich source of nutrients such as calcium, magnesium, potassium, Vit A, Vit C, Vit E, Vit K, and Vit B9 folate. They contain a lot of fibre, which keeps your bowels moving. This means you have less toxins in your body.
What are these vegetables? Bok choy, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, spring greens, horseradish, kale, kohlrabi, mustard, radish, rocket, turnip, watercress and wasabi.
- Healthy Fats. Your liver uses these to make cholesterol, which is needed to make oestrogen, progesterone and testosterone hormones. Fat also helps us to absorb fat soluble vitamins, A/D/E and K. Fat tissue (adipose) manages blood sugar levels, produces oestrogen and blood cells.
What are sources of healthy fats? Coconut, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, pine nuts, pistachios, borage oil, evening primrose oil, omega 3 such as oily fish (salmon, mackerel) or flaxseeds, chia seeds, extra virgin olive oil, lard, duck fat, ghee, grass-fed organic meat, free range eggs, walnuts, and Brazil nuts (selenium rich!).
- Vit B12 helps us to detox excess oestrogen as well as stimulating thyroid hormone production. This is mainly in animal sources as listed above. It also helps to keep us fuller for longer, so we are not reaching for sugary snacks. What are sources of protein? Grass-fed organic meat and dairy products, chia seeds, hemp seeds, tempeh and quinoa.
- Stress and Sugar. Cortisol and Insulin are level 1 hormones. This means they are the King and Queen! They ultimately control/make all the other hormones. So, what does this mean for you? Decreasing your stress levels or managing them better is a GOOD thing for your hormones. The same applies for your blood sugar levels. Monitoring them and adapting the way you eat certain foods can really help. E.g. Don’t eat ‘naked’ carbs. So have a sliced apple wedged together with nut butter to give you healthy fats and protein and slow down the absorption of the fruit sugar.
- Glutathione. This is the chief antioxidant in your body. It protects the body against free radicals, peroxides and heavy metals. It helps to eliminate toxins from the body and protects the liver. It is also involved in tissue building and repair, making chemicals and proteins needed in the body, and in immune system function. So pretty amazing, eh?
However, it is ‘robbed’ from the body by taking paracetamol. Yes, really!
What are sources of glutathione? NAC, milk thistle, sulphur-rich foods such as garlic/onions, selenium (brazil nuts, sardines), and dark green leafy vegetables (rocket, chicory, kale).
Other resources: Fix your period’ book by Nicole Jardim
FREE Seed cycling PDF . Women are meant to cycle in line with the moon. This PDF explains how you can help regulate your cycles with just seeds!
Homeopathy can very gently but powerfully help with menstrual and menopausal issues. Do get in touch if you’d like my help with either of these issues.
