Usually, when you hear hormones, your mind drifts to reproductive health. But hormones are not just only involved in keeping your reproductive health functioning. They also can affect your overall health, appetite, stress levels, and mood.
If your hormones are off-balance, you might feel more exhausted than is normal. Additionally, you might even experience irregular bowel movements, general irritability, heightened stress, or even irregular menstrual cycles.
You might not think of turning to food to solve hormone issues. Instead, your first choice would be medication. However, diet is essential to hormonal health, if you can regulate it properly. Some foods can help you boost your hormone production. They include:
- Salmon
Salmon contains cholesterol that is needed in making hormones. It is also a good source of vitamin E and omega-3 fatty acids. In a controlled trial, supplementation of vitamin E with fish oil was shown to significantly reduce menstrual pain compared to either supplement or placebo.
In another review, there was a decreased risk for endometriosis with the consumption of omega-3 fatty acids. In addition, fish oil might help lower stress hormone production, which may help reduce side effects of elevated cortisol levels like fatigue.
In addition, healthy fats and protein found in salmon digest slowly. This means that you would feel satisfied for longer when eating a dish containing salmon. This helps in keeping your insulin and sugar balanced. As a result, you get more stable energy.
- Eggs
Eggs and hormonal imbalance have some popular myths. In reality, eggs are one of the best foods used in balancing hormones. Eggs have high effects on ghrelin and insulin hormone in the body. Specifically, ghrelin controls appetite while insulin regulates blood sugar.
Your ghrelin and insulin level are usually lower after eating eggs for breakfast than a carbohydrate-based meal. Like other proteins, eggs are a hormone-friendly meal that can keep you full longer. This is particularly advantageous if you have problems losing weight.
- Flax seeds
Generally, female hormone testing can point out menopause, fertility, and puberty issues and flax seeds rank close to the top when it comes to estrogenic foods. Flax seeds have the highest amount of phytoestrogen out of every phytoestrogen-rich food and can solve problems like the above.
They are also a good source of dietary fiber, which would help lower cholesterol and regulate your digestive tract. This is because they contain a high concentration of omega-3 fatty acids. Flax seeds are easily incorporated into other foods that you might eat. You can add them to cereal, smoothies or yogurt, or even salad as a topping.
- Grains
There is a strong correlation between people who eat cereal and higher phytoestrogens rates. In addition, it has been found that several grains used in cereal have a high rate of phytoestrogens. They include barley, rye, oats, and whole wheat.
- Soy
Soy is probably the most studied phytoestrogen-rich food for menopause. Several studies have been done due to the menopausal symptoms, and low percentage of heart disease observed among Asian women.
The theory is that since soy is eaten regularly in Asian culture, low menopausal symptoms and low heart disease may be linked to soy being rich in phytoestrogen. Nevertheless, more research is needed to prove this point. However, many ongoing studies researching foods rich in estrogen has included a finding associated with soy and its products.
- Fatty fish
According to the American Heart Association, fatty fish like sardines, wild salmon, lake trout, mackerel, and herring can help stabilize your hunger hormones. This would help you feel fuller for longer. Additionally, they are said to be a top food that can balance hormones in females.
They are rich in vitamin D, which helps improve female testosterone levels. When you get such concerns under control, you will be addressing concerns like depression, fatigue, and weight gain.
Also, fatty fish can help improve hormonal communication, which solidifies it as one of the top foods to eat for hormonal balance. The endocrine system uses hormones to communicate with your brain, which boosts your moods and gives you better cognition.
That’s A Wrap
Unless you have diagnosed your hormone condition, the chances are that your hormones are where they need to be. However, slight irregularities can cause symptoms like difficulty losing weight, sleep trouble, and low energy.
Your hormones and your body are the best when on a balanced diet similar to what can be found in Mediterranean-style eating patterns and a low-stress environment and adequate sleep.
Your focus should be on incorporating more healthy foods into your weekly rotation. Also, tweak your nighttime routine to ensure you have a better sleep.