7 Tips for Hormonal Health

​What does it mean to eat for “hormonal health”?

Hormonal health has become kind of a buzz word and also a way for “nutritionists” to sell products/services. The truth is: you don’t need a fancy powder or expensive pill to help balance your hormones. Your body does that for you for FREE, if you nourish it properly. Here are a few key ways that we can eat and behave for better hormonal balance, according to science:
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1. Eat BALANCED meals and snacks! Combine a fiber (whole grain, F or V) with a protein and a healthy fat at every meal and snack. Eating enough fruits, veggies, whole grains, fish, lean meats, and healthy fats will ensure that you have adequate vitamins and minerals for proper hormone function.
2. Eat ENOUGH CARBOHYDRATES! This is huge. if you aren’t eating enough carbohydrates (even if you’re eating enough total kcal), your body thinks you're in “famine mode” and can slow down sex hormone production, causing disturbances in your cycle.
3. DON’T SKIP MEALS. Try to eat every 3-4 hours. when we go too long without food, our blood sugar drops and cortisol and epinephrine (stress hormones) spike. Our body can also be triggered into “famine mode” when we meal skip, causing the slowing or even halting of sex hormone production.
4. STRESS MANAGEMENT is absolutely essential. If your body is under chronic stress, biologically it registers this as an unfit time to have a child, similar to the famine mode. A woman’s cycle can definitely be disrupted or stopped due to stress. Take time out of everyday to pause, relax and breathe. MEDITATION in the morning and/or the evenings is an incredibly powerful tool and now CLINICALLY proven to help reduce stress and anxiety. @insight, @headspace, and @calm are great apps to get you started!
5. MINDFUL MOVEMENT! This helps everything. Moving your body increases feel-good endorphins, decreases cortisol (stress hormones), and helps to remove excess estrogen from the body (which can cause hormone imbalance). Even 20 minutes a day can make a huge difference in mood, digestion, and overall health. Ehe 2020 Physical Activity Guidelines suggest at least 150min of moderate-intensity activity per week. However, OVER-exercising (especially when paired with inadequate kcals) can slow down hormone production and should be carefully avoided.
6. IODINE. Are you getting enough? iodine is necessary for your thyroid to produce thyroid hormones, which are necessary for so many bodily functions. iodine is in table salt, NOT sea salt or pink himalayan salt! you only need a pinch. iodine is also in seaweed like nori and wakame, cod, shrimp, tuna, and eggs. 
7. MAGNESIUM. Magnesium is a mineral of which many of us are deficient, and plays essential roles in hormone regulation and metabolism. Brazil nuts, quinoa, pumpkin seeds, spinach, cocoa, and dried beans are all great sources. magnesium stores in the body also get dumped during a stress response - another reason why stress management is key.

There you have it; my top tips for hormonal health. Essentially, these are just tips for overall health and happiness, whether or not hormonal health is your focus. 

In health, 

Molly 
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