You are what you eat – Hormone balancing foods

Your body is fuelled by the nutrients you feed it. These nutrients allow your body to grow and maintain itself. One way that this happens in the human body is via the production of hormones that act as “chemical messengers” which travel through the body controlling complex processes such as fertility, metabolism and growth.

Two of these hormones play a particularly important role in women’s bodies, controlling fertility, but are also responsible for controlling our mood, digestion, energy, libido, metabolism, and even how our skin looks.

Like all hormones these two are affected by what you eat. So, a well-balanced diet, consisting of the right nutrients can help lead to balanced hormones and better regulation of the above bodily functions.

So, here’s a low down of the four important food groups which can help you balance your hormones, get an awesome reproductive system and beautiful glowing skin!

Clean Protein

• Sprouted or Soaked Beans and Nuts
• Seeds such as Pumpkin, Sunflower, Linseed, Chia
• Quinoa (what isn’t it good for?!)
• Lentils
• Meat such as Chicken or Beef
• Fish
• Eggs (preferably free range)

Healthy Fats

Hormones are produced by your body using certain fatty acids and cholesterol, so if you are missing these healthy fats then your body is not going to be able to make the required hormones.

There has been a long-standing belief that fats are bad. Just look along a supermarket aisle and you will see the masses of fat-free products claiming to be healthier. Over eating fat is bad for you, much like over eating any nutrient, but fat is an essential nutrient that your body requires. This is especially true for the female reproductive system.

• Coconut Oil – of course Coconut oil was going to make it into this list at some point! It seems that every day a new use/benefit of coconut oil is discovered. But let’s not forget that it is a fat, but an incredibly healthy one. It is easy to digest, kills bad bacteria and provides a quick source of energy. Coconut Oil also contains Lauric acid which helps heal skin and is beneficial to hormone production.

• Avocados – these wonderful fruits are packed full of the healthy fats your body needs and are a rich source of fibre, potassium, magnesium, Vitamins E, B and Folic Acid. Oh and did we forget to mention they taste AMAZING!

• Raw Butter/Ghee – This is one you may not have expected on the list, as we have been told countless times that butter is bad for you. However, there is heaps of research now to show that butter contains large amounts of short and medium chain fatty acids which are hugely beneficial to hormone production, balance, and the body in general.

• Eggs – Another food stuff that you may have heard is bad for you. But eggs contain huge quantities of Vitamins A, D, E, B2, B6, B9, iron, calcium, phosphorous, potassium and choline. All of these are beneficial to reproductive health, hormone balance and healthy skin.

Vegetables

Of course, vegetables were going to be on the list! Everybody knows that they are good for you. There are several anti-oxidant rich vegetables that are especially important for hormonal balance. These can be grouped like so:

• Dark Green – Broccoli, asparagus, cabbage, kale, cucumber, coriander, etc (you get the idea!)
• Bright Colours – Capsicum (red, yellow, green), tomatoes, red cabbage, carrots, etc.
• Starchy – Often overlooked, and under rated vegetables such as potatoes, squash, beetroot, etc

Spices and Herbs

Spices and herbs have been used for centuries for their healing and medicinal properties, and some of them are particularly effective for balancing hormones. Here’s a few recommended ones.

• Turmeric
• Cinnamon
• Cumin
• Garlic
• Ginger
• Chilli

Even when you get the right balance of the above nutrients, some women can still have imbalanced hormones due to numerous factors such as stress, medications (contraceptive pill), post pregnancy and due to stages of the menstrual cycle.

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