Hormones play a great role in impacting your stress levels, digestion, sleep, metabolism, skin, hair, and brain function. A well-balanced hormonal profile in an individual can go a long way in improving a person’s health in the long run, but people seldom look at the food to balance their hormones; they go looking for the right medicine or other supplements to balance their hormones. But essentially diet forms the crux of a good lifestyle, and if you have that in order, the rest of it falls in place.
But we are often clueless as to what to add and what to avoid. There is just too much information out there. So, here is how to make this all easier. Food is literally information we provide to our bodies, eat right to feel right and impact the hormones that place such an important part in making a healthier you. The first step is to eliminate the foods that are said to disrupt your hormones. Processed foods have to go, alcohol, caffeine, and saturated animal fats.
When your hormones are balanced, you feel more focused and feel more energetic as well. So, en route to a healthier and happier you, here are some of the foods that you should add,
More dark leafy greens
Dark leafy greens are your best bet to reduce inflammation and that also helps lower your cortisol levels and it also reduces your wear and tear. Greens can also boost your iron levels in the body. It also improves the natural antioxidant levels. There are a lot of greens you can add such as kale, spinach, collard greens, bokchoy, arugula, and more.
Add omega-3 rich foods
Foods rich in omega-3 have several benefits and some of these include salmon, chia seeds, flax seeds, and olive oil. Adding more omega-3s to your diet can help balance your cholesterol levels, improve your mood, and also reduce your inflammation. Not only that but it also protects your cellular membranes.
Turmeric latte for the win
Turmeric is one of the best foods out there that can reduce inflammation and balance your hormones. You can either add turmeric to your cooked foods, or you can try a turmeric latte. The key ingredient in the golden milk or turmeric latte drink is turmeric of course and cinnamon and ginger, all these have exceptional qualities in boosting the antioxidant content of your drink. The key component in turmeric that fights cell damage and reduces oxidative damage is curcumin and helps lower your risk of infections and diseases. Anti-inflammatory agents can help bring about a balance in your hormonal levels.
Creamy and tasty avocado
Avocados are another type of food that can help balance beta-sitosterol, which can decrease cortisol, the stress hormone. They also reduce cholesterol levels. It helps that avocados are healthy and tasty as well and they are the best foods that balance hormones and contain high amounts of magnesium and potassium. This versatile food can be had atop your sandwich and made into guacamole. The plant sterols in it have heart-healthy benefits and other major health benefits. It also helps block estrogen absorption in the body and improve progesterone in women and testosterone in men
Coconut, sunflower seeds, and pumpkin seeds
Foods such as coconut, sunflower, and pumpkin have major benefits as it contains MCTs or medium-chain triglycerides, which can improve blood sugar regulation and also metabolism, it also helps keep you full for longer hours and you do not end up snacking on unhealthy foods.
The queen of foods, quinoa
The food of the Incas is another powerful food that has an adequate amount of vitamins, minerals, fiber, and protein, which also helps bring about proper balance in your blood sugar levels and hence can keep a check on insulin spikes and androgen levels. It also contains potent anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory components that have the potential of cutting down the risk of diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.
Our approach to handling any kind of imbalance is always food first. Food has the power to heal and we underestimate the power of foods in every which way. So, it is time to take a good look at what we are eating, and also did you know it is not all about including a list of foods in your diet, but also chewing each and every morsel mindfully this helps assimilate the nutrients better.