Our body has countless hormones traveling through us at any given moment. These chemical messengers deliver messages to our organs, telling them what they need to do to keep our bodies functioning in tip-top shape. Hormones play a major role in everything from our mood to our metabolism, but they can become imbalanced!
However, you’re not at the mercy of your hormones — and you don’t necessarily need to resort to hormone supplements just yet. Instead, it’s time to take a closer look at your eating habits. But before we dive into what to eat, let’s first review some common hormonal problems.
Types of Hormones
Some hormones you need to know about include:
Cortisol: Produced by your adrenal glands, this glucocorticoid hormone is released during times of stress. Cortisol helps your body regulate blood sugar, fight infections, and access fast energy in stressful situations.
Dehydroepiandrosterone: Dehydroepiandrosterone (a.k.a. DHEA) is a precursor to estrogen and testosterone. It’s produced by the liver and adrenal glands, and its levels peak during early adulthood before declining with age.
Estrogen: We’ve probably all heard of estrogen, but if you need a quick refresher, it’s a category of sex hormone that promotes breast tissue development, protects bone health, impacts skin health, controls the menstrual cycle, and helps develop female secondary sex characteristics. It comes in three primary forms: estrone, estradiol, and estriol.
Ghrelin: Your stomach is primarily responsible for producing and releasing ghrelin, or the hunger hormone, though the small intestine, pancreas, and brain also release some ghrelin. This hormone’s main role is to regulate your appetite. So, when your stomach is empty, it will secrete ghrelin, which then travels through your bloodstream and affects the hypothalamus to let your brain know you’re hungry. When you’re full, your ghrelin levels will decrease.
Leptin: Leptin plays the opposite role of ghrelin. Instead of signaling when you’re hungry, leptin tells your brain when to stop eating. Known as the fullness hormone, leptin is released by adipose tissue and helps your body maintain its normal weight.
Insulin: Without insulin, our bodies wouldn’t be able to turn food into energy. This vital hormone transforms glucose into energy before distributing it throughout the body. A lack of insulin can cause glucose to build up in the bloodstream instead of going to the cells, leading to diabetes.
Melatonin: There’s a reason many people who have difficulty falling asleep or are suffering from jetlag turn to melatonin. It’s known as the “sleep hormone” because it can help with circadian rhythms and sleep. Our brains naturally produce melatonin in response to darkness, signaling it’s time to sleep. However, melatonin production declines as we get older.
Progesterone: Progesterone plays a major role in pregnancy. In the first ten weeks of pregnancy, the ovarium corpus luteum secretes progesterone, and the placenta secretes the hormone later in the pregnancy. Progesterone is also involved in menstruation, as it thickens the uterine lining to prepare for a fertilized egg to implant. If no eggs are fertilized during the cycle, progesterone levels will decrease and the uterus will shed the lining.
Testosterone: Testosterone is a steroid hormone that encourages male secondary sex characteristics to develop. However, it isn’t just found in men! Testosterone supports muscle, bone development, and sex drive for everyone.
Thyroid Hormone: The thyroid hormone is primarily responsible for controlling your body’s metabolism but can also affect your weight and body temperature. Your hormone releases two main hormones: thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3). While T4 doesn’t impact your cells, T3 does — and organs like your liver or kidneys can transform T4 into T3, allowing it to affect your cells and metabolism.
Three Common Hormonal Imbalances For Women
Women, in particular, often struggle with hormone imbalances, which can majorly affect their lives. Common hormone issues women experience include:
1. High Cortisol
High cortisol levels can be caused by everything from stress to adrenal gland tumors to pituitary gland problems to medications.
Symptoms include weight gain, muscle weakness, high blood pressure, headaches, acne, cravings for salty and sugary foods, mood swings, low libido, memory difficulties, and more.
To lower your cortisol levels, try to prioritize your sleep, exercise regularly, reduce your caffeine intake, and even try fish oil supplements. Do anything you can to relax, whether that’s doing breathing exercises or going for a walk. However, as with most things, your diet can make a massive difference!
Try to avoid foods with high amounts of added sugar, as this can raise your cortisol levels. Instead, turn to a whole-foods diet as much as possible. Try eating dark chocolate, whole grains, legumes, lentils, whole fruits and vegetables, fatty fish, bananas, garlic, nuts, and seeds to keep your cortisol levels in check. It may also be worth drinking green tea, as it contains L-theanine, which is linked to lower stress levels. Also, don’t forget to stay hydrated! You should already drink water throughout the day, but it’s crucial if you have high cortisol levels.
2. High Estrogen
Estrogen dominance, or having too much estrogen, is a fairly common problem amongst women — and it can have significant consequences on you and your body.
Symptoms include migraines, fatigue, weight gain, and gallbladder issues, but it can also cause you to experience heavier periods, mood swings, uterine fibroids, PMS, irritability, breast tenderness, and feelings of bloatedness.
Luckily, if you have high estrogen levels, you’re not alone — and you’re not stuck with it forever. Simple lifestyle changes can help lower estrogen levels. Exercise more. Meditate. Sleep better. Cut back on alcohol — and don’t forget about your nutrition!
Avoid processed foods, sugar, and refined carbohydrates, which can increase estrogen levels and symptoms. Instead, try to eat foods that promote lower estrogen levels and improved estrogen breakdown, such as:
Cruciferous vegetables: If you have high estrogen levels, vegetables in the cruciferous family are your go-tos! While your mind may immediately jump to broccoli and cauliflower when you hear the word “cruciferous,” don’t worry if broccoli and cauliflower aren’t your speed. Bok choy, kale, brussel sprouts, arugula, and cabbage are also cruciferous vegetables.
More fiber: Fiber bonds to excess hormones, so if you don’t have enough fiber, your body won’t be able to remove estrogen from your body. Instead, your body will reabsorb the excess estrogen, leading to estrogen dominance. Need some tips on increasing your fiber intake? Try eating psyllium, chia seeds, or fresh ground flax seeds!
Organic fruits, vegetables, meat, and dairy: Going organic is good for your body for so many reasons. Organic fruits and vegetables have fewer pesticides, more beneficial nutrients, and are better for the environment than their conventional counterparts. Likewise, organic meat and dairy offer more nutrients and less toxins while also benefiting the environment.
Probiotic-rich foods: Your gut microbiome needs to be in tip-top shape to efficiently clear estrogen in your bowel movements. The good news is that eating probiotic-rich foods like sauerkraut, kombucha, kefir, kimchi, and natural yogurt can help!
3. Low Thyroid
Located in the front of your neck, your thyroid is small but mighty. It’s responsible for creating T4 and T3 hormones to control your metabolism. However, your thyroid may not produce enough thyroid hormone.
Symptoms include headaches, brain fog, fatigue, weight gain, depression, and anxiety, but that’s not all. Low thyroid hormone can also cause forgetfulness, constipation, swelling, dry skin, thinning hair, and irregular, painful, or lengthy periods.
If your thyroid hormone levels are too low, you’ll want to increase your intake of thyroid-supportive nutrients. Eat selenium (Brazil nuts, liver, meat, seafood, spinach), vitamin D (eggs, oily fish, sunshine, supplements), zinc (meat, buckwheat, oysters, flax seeds, pumpkin seeds), and iodine (prunes, iodized salt, seaweed, oysters, corn).
Whether you have low thyroid hormone, high cortisol levels, or too much estrogen, nutrition can be one of the best medicines. Knowing what to eat for optimal hormone health isn’t easy, but don’t worry! I’ve got your back! Reach out to me today at happyhelen@gmail.com to start tackling your hormone problems.