Are you concerned about what your diet might be doing to your hormones? Perhaps you’ve noticed changes to your skin, your mood, your fertility? Food is fuel, and putting the right stuff in the tank will make sure your body’s engine runs smoothly and in sync.
Let’s take a look at the foods you should be avoiding when it comes to rebalancing those hormones, and the replacement foods that you can look to as alternatives.
Sugar
One of the more obvious foods on our list is sugar. As you probably already know, sugar leads to an increase of the hormone insulin, which moves sugar from your bloodstream to your cells.
A healthy body requires a good equilibrium of sugars, proteins, and fats to source from when it comes to generating energy, but when this is comprised of only sugar, your insulin levels will reach a level where your cells develop resistance.
Whilst this happens, your body focuses more energy on insulin and processing sugar than other hormones, resulting in a hormone imbalance.
Alcohol
Even a small amount of alcohol can interfere with the parts of your brain that tell your body to create hormones. Alcohol reduces testosterone production, leading to lower energy levels in both sexes, and a reduction in fertility for men.
What’s more, it increases insulation secretion which derails your blood sugar. Fortunately, even a single month off the booze can help to rebalance your hormones and get you back on track.
Soy
As soy mimics estrogen, it obstructs normal estrogen from binding to receptors, causing a disruption to other hormones. Symptoms of high estrogen in women include irregular periods, tender breasts, weight gain, mood swings, and chronic fatigue.
Meanwhile, men may experience breast tissue growth and erectile dysfunction as a result of high estrogen levels.
It’s worth remembering that soy is one of the most genetically modified crops and therefore packed with harmful pesticides that can trigger even more hormone imbalance.
Non-organic food
Paying attention to where your food is sourced is essential, especially in an age where chemicals in the food industry are rife.
Farmed meat and fish are raised on an unnatural diet that’s focused on yield rather than quality and include unknown levels of antibiotics, hormones and mercury.
It’s still not fully understood what this combination can do to the body, and is best avoided at all costs especially if you’re struggling with fertility problems.
Rebalancing hormones: which foods are your friend?
Having gone through the foods to avoid, perhaps you’ve been left feeling you’re a little limited when it comes to eating in the interest of maintaining good hormone balance.
Don’t fret though, as there are plenty of delicious foods you can eat that will work wonders. These include:
- Avocados
- Organic fruit and veg
- High-fibre carbs
- Prebiotics and probiotics
- Wild salmon and albacore tuna
- Cruciferous veg
Author: Lucy Walker
Lucy Walker is a journalist, author and health living enthusiast who has been involved with health writing since 2014.
