Women’s Hormone Balance Through Whole Foods and Lifestyle {Health & Wellness}

Hormones are key messengers which influence many processes in the body. Find balance in women’s hormones with whole foods and lifestyle!

Hormones are messengers that influence processes all over the body. Many factors influence women’s hormone balance. 

From sex hormones, like estrogen and testosterone, to adrenal stress hormones like cortisol, to hormones which influence our blood sugar and fat storage like insulin, each person has a specific hormonal milieu within her body which influences mood, digestion, weight, energy and overall health! 

There are so many unique hormones as well as a variety of foods and nutrients which influence them. Today’s post will focus on a few of my favorite foods and lifestyle strategies for achieving women’s hormone balance.

Women’s Hormone Balance

The major gonadal sex steroid hormones in females include estrogen, progesterone and androgens.

Luteninzing hormone, follicle-stimulating hormone and gonadtrophin-releasing hormones are other hormones which influence female sexual characteristics and functions such as the menstrual cycle.

These hormones interact with many other hormone and neuroendocrine systems in the body in a complicated symphony. 

When female hormones get out of whack, a variety of symptoms can occur including: 

• menstrual irregularities
• PMS
• infertility
• polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS)
• weight fluctuations
• cramps
• fluid imbalances
• poor libido
• hair loss or abnormal hair growth
• headaches
• bloating
• tender breasts
• uterine fibroids
• hot flashes
• acne
• mood swings
• memory issues
• behavior changes 

and more.

Natural Hormonal Balance with Whole Foods and Lifestyle

Many aspects of your lifestyle can influence the balance of your hormones. For example, many environmental chemicals can impact hormones like insulin and estrogen and thereby influence weight, fertility and energy.  Hormonal balance is also sensitive to chronic stress, inadequate or too much exercise, excessive alcohol intake and smoking. 

The foods you eat are also important for hormonal balance. Diets high in refined carbohydrates, artificial chemicals, allergens and other inflammatory components can throw off the delicate balance of female hormones.

Fortunately, diet and lifestyle can also help balance your sex hormones. Adding-in anti-inflammatory, hormone-supporting whole foods while cutting out inflammatory, irritating and chemical foods can reset hormone levels and help relieve imbalances.  

NOTE: Hormones and endocrine balance are complex issues to consider in a comprehensive evaluation. Every body is unique so be sure to check with your health care professional before making any dietary or lifestyle changes. Please be sure to check with your doctor before adding any new foods or herbs to your routine. This information is for not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease and should not be considered medical advice. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.

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Embrace Healthy Fats

Cholesterol and fatty acids are key building blocks of many hormones. Eating a variety of whole foods which provide healthy fatty acids is necessary to keep hormones in balance and inflammation at bay.

Replace refined seed and vegetable oils like canola, corn, cottonseed, soybean and peanut oil with satisfying, organic fats such as organic unrefined coconut oil, avocados, organic coconut butter, organic ghee, olives and wild fish.

Cultivate a Healthy Microbiome

Emerging science shows that your gut bacteria play so many important roles in regulating our health.

Certain bacterial genes, known as the estrobolome, produce essential enzymes which help metabolize and keep estrogens balanced.

Therefore, a healthy gut is essential for hormonal balance and modulation of the risk of many diseases including some cancers.

Given the importance of your gut  bacteria, a diverse, whole-foods-based diet is crucial to keeping your microbiome healthy and your hormones in balance. Studies show that the gut rapidly responds to changes in diet, so you can begin to influence your microbiome, and therefore your hormones, with your next meal! 

Incorporate prebiotic foods like inulin and Jerusalem artichokes which provide food for the gut bacteria and support a healthy microbiome. To rebalance and keep gut bacteria diverse, enjoy probiotic-rich foods like kimchi, kefir and raw, unpasteurized sauerkraut.

Cruciferous vegetables, including broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage and kale, and other leafy greens are also helpful in regulating beneficial gut bacteria, supplying  fiber to keep the gut healthy and supporting healthy detoxification of hormones. 

Remove Inflammatory Irritants

Sugar, caffeine, alcohol, processed foods and pesticides can contribute to hormonal imbalances. For example, excess processed sugars and refined carbohydrates can trigger elevated insulin levels and lead to insulin resistance and metabolic dysfunction over time. Insulin resistance and the compensatory hyperinsulinemia provoke increased androgen synthesis at the expense of decreased estrogen production, creating hormonal havoc. 

Inflammatory and allergenic foods, such as gluten and dairy, can also create hormonal imbalances. Many conventional dairy products come from animals raised with hormones and antibiotics. As such, milk often contains many different hormones, which influence estrogen, testosterone and insulin levels in the human body when consumed.

Further, xenobiotics and other environmental chemicals like pesticides in our food are powerful endocrine disruptors which lead to hormonal imbalances.

Take Time for a Reset

These are all key components of bringing the body back into balance and finding greater vitality. Sometimes your body becomes burdened down with the stressors, toxins and illnesses and needs a chance to reset. It is important to listen to the body’s messages that it is becoming out of balance, such as hormonal issues so that you can begin to correct and rebalance y oursystem before further disease develops.

Since inflammation plays such an important role in so many chronic issues including hormonal balance and metabolism, I offer an affordable, to-the-point program to help you find balance, heal chronic illness, get to a healthy weight and revitalize! The Simple | Pure | Whole Laser Reset Cleanse will jump-start the transformation of your lifestyle, diet and body to leave you feeling better than you have in years!

I would love to have you join us to start off the New Year right. You can save $100 with the special early bird COUPON CODE {START2017} when you commit to yourself now and join the online Reset Cleanse starting January 2nd!

Have you experienced hormonal issues?

What lifestyle and diet strategies help you remain balanced?

If you enjoyed these healthy tips, I welcome you to join my free Insider’s Community for special offers, members-only opportunities, wellness news, recipes and more! 

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Medical Disclaimer: Information provided in this email and related resources is for informational purposes only. The information is NOT intended as a substitute for the advice provided by your physician or other healthcare professional. Every body is unique so be sure to check with your health care professional before making any dietary or lifestyle changes taking any medication or nutritional supplement or using any treatment for a health issue. Do not use this information provided for diagnosing or treating a health problem or disease. If you suspect you have a medical problem please contact your healthcare provider promptly and do not disregard professional medical advice based on anything in this email. This correspondence and related resources are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent disease and do not create a doctor-patient relationship between you and Jennifer Weinberg.

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