Best Hormone Balancing Superfoods You Should Eat
Hormones are secreted by the endocrine glands of our body and play an important role in our health, stamina, immunity, behaviour, and appearance.
All the hormones are connected, and to put it simply, they are chemical messengers that affect us deeply.
This also means that a small change in hormones can affect our bodies largely. That is why it is important to keep an eye on your hormonal health.
Earlier, the medical scenario didn't play as much emphasis on maintaining one's hormonal balance, but these days the talk of it is everywhere.
Many influencers and brands are promising regimes and products that will help you balance out your hormones. But the truth is, bringing balance to your hormones is not something entirely easy. It is quite complex.
There is literally no guarantee that the regime that suits one person will also suit you. But there are superfoods that you can consume to ensure healthy hormones and metabolism.
Here are some of those hormone balancing superfoods:
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Flaxseed
Consuming flax seeds has many benefits. It helps with stress management. The stress response happens because of cortisol which imbalances other hormones such as estrogen and progesterone.
Taking flax seeds stops the body from going into stress mode by limiting the secretion of cortisol.
Other than that, flaxseed also helps in managing premenstrual symptoms in women, such as tender breasts, headaches, and cramps.
It also balances out estrogen levels and improves progesterone levels. By lengthening the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle, flaxseed consumption also helps in ovulation.
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Cruciferous Vegetables
Broccoli, bok choy, Brussel sprouts, and cauliflower all belong to a class of vegetables called cruciferous vegetables. They are rich in a compound called Indole-3-Carbinol (13c) which many studies have found to be a natural estrogen reducing agent.
High levels of Estrogen are shown to be carcinogenic by converting into estradiol and estrone.
A compound called sulforaphane that is found in these cruciferous vegetables detoxifies the carcinogenic components and stops the DNA damage that is caused by high levels of estrogen.
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Avocado
Eating avocado toast for breakfast has rapidly become very popular and for justifiably good reasons.
Avocado contains healthy fats and polyunsaturated fats, and multiple studies have shown that consuming polyunsaturated fats increases progesterone levels, thereby decreasing anovulation.
This essentially means that avocado consumption will not only increase your ovulation but also better the chances of fertility and an optimally balanced hormonal health.
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Camu-Camu
Stress is a factor in the lives of almost all modern human beings. The adrenal glands in the body try to alleviate this stress mode as best as they can, but sometimes it runs low on Vitamin C.
That is when you start to feel dizzy, light-headed, get mood swings and insomnia, and develop dark circles. In such cases, most people turn to vitamin-c supplements. However, it can be found in natural food as well.
One such food, or rather a fruit, is Camu-Camu. It is a Peruvian berry cultivated from the Amazon rainforest. The berries are de-seeded, milled at low temperatures, and then converted into a fine powder for consumption.
One teaspoon of Camu-Camu powder contains 220% of Vitamin C RDA. People suffering from adrenal exhaustion should definitely try this. It not only does the deed of balancing out hormones but also detoxifies your body. The powder can be added to smoothies and salads.
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Brazil Nuts
Many cases of hypothyroidism turn out to be an auto-immune disease called Hashimoto's disease. Resultantly, in such cases, the auto-immune system needs more attention than the thyroid glands.
Doctors test for Thyroid peroxidase antibodies (TPO ab) if they suspect Hashimoto's disease. Selenium is a compound that can bring down TPOab levels by a lot. Brazil Nuts is a superfood that contains high concentrations of Selenium.
Many doctors recommend it for treating both hypothyroidism as well as Hashimoto's disease. Three of these nuts every day will supply your body with the optimal 200 mg dosage of selenium.
Brazil nuts are also made into supplements, so if you have an issue with consuming nuts, you can go for the supplements.
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Salmon
Salmon has high concentrations of Omega 3 fatty acids, which is a fatty acid or polyunsaturated fat. Overall, omega 3 boosts progesterone production because it can boost the Luteinizing Hormone.
Apart from this, omega 3 is good for brain health and also stops the progression of many heart diseases. It is a very widely consumed superfood because of this reason.
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Eggs
Eggs are very important for preserving both male and female hormonal balance.
There was a misconception that regular consumption of eggs led to high cholesterol levels, but thanks to recent developments in theories, that myth has been debunked.
Eggs are a source of very important proteins that help in the transportation and breakdown of hormones. This protein also regulates blood sugar levels by slowing down the release of sugar.
Normal blood sugar levels also help to regulate hormonal health.
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Fibrous Fruits
Fibre is an important component for proper bowel movements and metabolism. Although metabolism is not directly linked to your hormonal health, it still exerts some influence on it.
The reason is that the human body functions optimally only when all of its parts also are functioning optimally. Thus, a proper bowel system is to an extent therapeutic for the hormones in your body.
Fruits such as Kiwi contain fibre that can make the passing of digested food easier. Pears are a natural laxative that helps to make your metabolism better.
Conclusion
These are some of the superfoods that are efficient in balancing out the hormone levels in your body. Others include Virgin cold-pressed oils such as coconut oils, lean protein, almonds, pumpkin seeds, maca root, etc.
All of these are natural superfoods that can also be made into powders and capsules. You will find many pharmaceutical companies selling supplements of these very superfoods.
While in some cases, getting supplements is a good choice, nothing can beat the efficiency of natural unblemished foods.
Hopefully, your hormonal imbalance will be gone after you try these out; if not, then you should definitely get a professional medical opinion on the matter.