3 Tips To Help Balance Hormones
Balancing hormones is complicated. But you have to start somewhere and there are three things you can do to help which can give you a good idea as to how much work you have to do.
For the longest time, I felt my body was outa whack like old age had suddenly crept up on me. Physically, it all started with a little ache here and a little pain there, and before you know it simple things like doing chores around the house or bagging groceries at the store became a very limiting endeavour due to muscle soreness/pain, fatigue, brain fog … and don’t even get me started on food cravings! “What was happening to my body?” was a question I would constantly ask myself.
Long story short, I could either do nothing and go downhill from there or play detective and get to the root cause of my mysterious maladies. Fast forward in time, and I am now feeling like a well-oiled machine … it took a bit of time, patience, and lots of effort and determination, but I am where I am today and it's a happy place. So here are the top three tips that brought me back to the land of the living:
Tip #1
Lower Stress
When we are stressed, the adrenals work overtime to protect us from what they consider physical stress (even though we are not really in danger). This is our fight-or-flight response. It causes the adrenals to produce higher levels of adrenaline and cortisol.
Because we can only produce adrenaline for a few seconds, our fight or flight response is dependent on excess cortisol, and this is where the havoc begins. Excess cortisol has been linked to depression, blood sugar problems, reproductive issues, anxiety, and weight gain around the middle.
The key is to support the health of the adrenals with foods rich in B vitamins, vitamin C, and potassium. Practicing meditation or deep breathing helps lower cortisol.
Tip # 2
Excess hormones like cortisol, estrogen, and testosterone all need to be detoxed out of the body.
This is a key process that the liver performs to make sure we do not suffer from the excess of these hormones. Supporting the health of the liver, therefore, is critical. A milk thistle supplement helps the liver function more optimally. Cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli and kale, apples, grapefruit, garlic, onions, Jerusalem artichokes, lemons, limes, and berries are just a few foods that help support the liver.
We also need good gut health to help make sure the toxins leave the body so supporting gut health is also important. This is easier said than done but it starts with adding probiotics and fermented foods such as kefir, yogurt, kimchi, or sauerkraut. Prebiotic foods such as garlic, onion, potatoes, wheat, broccoli, berries, and apples, just to name a few, feed our good bacteria and help keep our gut healthy.
Tip #3
Balance Blood Sugar
Bad eating habits and stress can cause our blood sugar to swing up and down throughout the day. When our blood sugar drops, we can experience anger, fatigue, weakness, and depression. Normally, we then receive a signal to do something such as a sugar craving or a desire for a coffee or a beer. If we respond to the craving and consume something, this will bring our blood sugar back up. Caffeine, sugar, and alcohol all cause blood sugar to swing up high. This causes a high insulin release. And too much insulin can affect other hormones.
If we do not respond to the craving, then our adrenals send a signal to tell the liver to release stored glucose and bring up blood sugar. Again, it tends to be a lot of glucose since adrenaline is a powerful hormone. Blood sugar swings high and again, large amounts of insulin are released.
To keep blood sugar stable, eat small meals throughout the day with fiber and/or protein. Blood sugar-stabilizing foods such as Jerusalem artichokes, cinnamon, and legumes can be very helpful. Lowering stress also helps keep blood sugar stable.
These are just three simple steps. Give them a try and see the difference they can make.