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Top 10 Tips for Balancing Hormones Naturally

Keeping your hormones balanced is key to leading a healthy life, both mentally and physically. Read on to learn how to balance hormones naturally.

Having imbalanced hormones is a common issue for people and can cause a ton of mental and physical health problems. Many people opt to get medication to help balance hormones, such as different types of birth control.

However, if you want to balance your hormones naturally without any side effects, there are tons of tips you can start to utilize in your life.

In this blog, we’ll discuss some helpful ways you can balance hormones naturally, so you can get back to feeling great without the fear of causing harm to your body.

What Causes Hormone Imbalance?

Hormone imbalance is common and will occur to everyone at some point in their lives. But what actually causes your hormones to be out of whack?

Here are some of the most common reasons your hormones may be imbalanced.

Age and Menopause

Every woman knows that in your forties (usually) you will begin to go through menopause. This means that your body will be going through changes and will no longer be able to reproduce, causing your hormone levels to plummet.

Some people go through menopause earlier, which is caused by premature aging due to an unhealthy lifestyle. The more unhealthy you are, the more severe your hormone imbalance will be when going through menopause.

Poor Diet

The food you eat on a regular basis will have a profound effect on your hormone levels. Eating unhealthy foods that are difficult to digest will force your body to work harder to break down those foods.

This stress on your body can cause your hormones to start to decrease or fluctuate, causing an imbalance.

Excessive Stress

Stress causes an increase in the production of cortisol which depletes the hormone progesterone, causing an imbalance.

How to Balance Hormones Naturally

Hormone imbalance will happen at some point in your life, no matter how healthy of a lifestyle you live.

Luckily, there are several ways you can help get your hormones balanced again naturally. Here are ten tips on how you can improve your hormone balance.

1. Exercise Regularly

Exercising has a ton of known health benefits, and can even help keep your hormones balanced by regulating the production of insulin.

The hormone insulin can be dangerous in larger amounts, leading to diabetes are heart disease. Exercising on a regular basis will reduce the amount of insulin your body produces, leading to more balanced hormones.

Exercise is also important for maintaining the human growth hormone (HGH). Make sure you know all the HGH facts so you can keep these hormones properly balanced.

2. Eat Plenty of Protein

Protein affects the release of the hormones in your body that control appetite. Eating enough protein will decrease the release of the hormone ghrelin, which is responsible for communicating hunger and appetite.

Reducing ghrelin production will decrease your appetite and cause you to eat less at each meal.

3. Avoid Sugar and Refined Carbs

Sugar and refined carbs can lead to a big increase in the hormone insulin, which can lead to some dangerous health issues.

Try to avoid or eliminate sugar and refined carbs to keep your insulin levels regulated and your hormones in balance.

4. Effectively Manage Stress

As we mentioned above, stress is a huge factor in hormone production and is a big reason why so many people suffer from hormone imbalance.

Stress increases the production of the hormones cortisol and adrenaline. Cortisol helps your body deal with stress. If you are constantly stressed, your body will be producing cortisol in extremely high amounts.

When your body is producing excess cortisol, your hormones will be imbalanced and you may gain weight and increase calorie intake.

Manage stress by exercising, meditation, taking long walks, and getting enough sleep each night.

5. Drink Green Tea

If you are looking for a natural supplement to help you balance your hormones, look no further than green tea.

Studies show that drinking green tea can regulate insulin and keep your hormones balanced, preventing future health problems such as heart disease.

6. Get More Sleep

If you aren’t getting at least 7 hours of sleep each night, your lack of rest may be contributing to your hormone imbalance.

Hormones work on a schedule, and if your body is not used to a normal sleep schedule, it can really mess up how your hormones are produced and regulated.

Sleep will help keep your stress hormones, such as cortisol, balanced which is important to your overall health.

7. Take Omega-3s Every Day

Omega-3s are important to balancing your hormones because they reduce the production of the stress hormones cortisol and adrenaline. Omega-3s also regulate insulin intake, preventing diabetes and other diseases.

You can either get Omega-3 supplements from the store or eat fatty fish, which are full of Omega-3, on a regular basis.

8. Limit Caffeine Intake

Caffeine can cause an increase in stress levels, leading to higher production of cortisol and adrenaline.

If you are having hormone imbalance problems and are drinking coffee all throughout the day, try to reduce the amount you’re drinking.

If you need to drink caffeine, consider replacing coffee with healthier herbal teas that can give you benefits to help combat the effect caffeine is having on your hormones.

9. Take the Right Supplements

There are tons of supplements available to you, but only some of them are going to really help balance your hormones.

Some of the best supplements to use for hormone imbalance include Maca, Magnesium, and Vitamin D.

10. Eat Healthy Fats

We’ve discussed foods that need to be avoided such as sugar and refined carbs, but there are foods you can add to your diet that will be a big help in balancing out your hormones.

Find foods that are high in healthy, saturated fats. One of the best ways to get these healthy fats is from coconut oil, which is loaded with medium-chain fatty acids that are easily digestible.

These fatty acids digest quickly, speeding up your metabolism and giving you healthy, clean energy. Healthy fats will help regulate insulin and provide the building blocks for healthy hormone production.

For More Information

Having a hormone imbalance is no fun, and can cause you some serious health issues if not taken care of. Luckily, there are plenty of ways to balance hormones naturally, including improving your diet, exercising, and managing stress.

So start making some changes to your lifestyle and get your hormones balanced so you can feel healthy again.

If you want to know more about how you can improve your health, check out our health and fitness blog page for more information.

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Hack Your Health With a Hormone Balancing Diet

Man and woman living vegetarian and healthy by eating fruits and vegetables

Having balanced hormones can help improve your overall health, sleep, and make weight loss easier. Check out this hormone balancing diet for a healthier life.

Always tired or moody? Is your lack of focus getting out of hand? Can’t lose the extra pounds no matter how hard you try? You’re not alone.

Many women report symptoms of a hormonal imbalance. But there’s good news! A hormone balancing diet can get you back on track.

To learn about the symptoms, causes, and what to eat to feel better, keep reading.

Symptoms of a Hormonal Imbalance

Your body’s hormonal system is complex. It needs to operate in harmony for best performance. Having an imbalance can cause these kinds of symptoms:

  • Depression
  • Mood Swings
  • Anxiety
  • Fatigue
  • Lack of Mental Clarity
  • Trouble Focusing
  • Weight Gain
  • Hot Flashes
  • Hair Loss
  • Acne
  • Infertility

Do any of those look familiar to you? We all experience at least one of them throughout our lifetime. It’s the ones that stick around for long periods of time that become a concern.

Taking medications for these symptoms only masks the root cause. Medications often trigger other complications that wouldn’t exist without them. It’s best to fix your body naturally.

If you think you may need an extra helping hand, find out more about hormonal replacement therapies to do alongside a hormone balancing diet.

The body is incredibly self-sustaining when given the right nutrition. Not only will the proper diet help out, but you can also avoid inflammation. Inflammation is the primary cause of disease nowadays, so it’s a win-win situation.

A Hormone Balancing Diet: Targeted Nutrition

Let’s look at the primary hormones responsible for the symptoms above. We’ll also discuss foods that help balance them out.

Insulin

Out of whack insulin levels cause diabetes, Alzheimer’s, and metabolic syndrome, to start. Symptoms of an imbalance in this hormone are weight gain, as well as fatigue and brain fog. If left alone, it can lead to serious health complications and even death.

Diet Changes:

Cutting out sugar and starches is the main thing you’ll want to do to gain control in this area. You need to keep your blood sugar levels stable to avoid insulin spikes.

Also, watch for sneakily hidden sugars in your food. Check labels for things like maltodextrin and all forms of corn syrup.

Thyroid Hormones

The thyroid gland makes tyrosine-based hormones that are responsible for your metabolism. It needs iodine to do so. To help the thyroid out, make sure you are getting enough iodine and tyrosine.

Diet Changes:

Tyrosine is an amino acid found in protein. So, you’ll need to eat dairy foods, meats, and eggs. And for iodine, use pink salt in your meals or eat sea vegetables like kelp several times a week.

Cortisol

Chronic stress or repeated use of corticosteroids cause cortisol imbalances. Symptoms include belly fat, anxiety, sleep problems, heart palpitations, and fertility problems.

High cortisol levels often lead to adrenal fatigue. Adrenal fatigue brings more unwanted symptoms like depression, hair loss, and lack of focus.

Diet Changes:

To improve cortisol and adrenal health, avoid a lot of caffeine. Caffeine puts added stress on your adrenal glands. Eat an anti-inflammatory hormone balancing diet by cutting out sugar, processed foods, and trans fats.

Include more fiber and healthy fats in your diet. Consume more coconut oil, avocado, olive oil, and green leafy vegetables. Also, eat healthy proteins like eggs and grass-fed beef.

Herbs like ashwagandha, licorice root, astragalus, and holy basil regulate cortisol. If you’re interested, it’s easy to find adrenal health formulas containing these herbs.

Sleeping eight hours a night, spending time in nature, and staying active will also help.

Leptin

Leptin’s job is to tell your brain when you’ve eaten enough food. People that overeat continually wear out this signaling process. Their body then becomes insensitive to leptin signals.

When this happens, the signals are ignored, and they don’t receive the message to stop eating. An imbalance like this contributes to obesity. In fact, insulin and leptin resistance usually happen together.

The right leptin levels help with brain function, memory, and mood. Resetting leptin sensitivity with diet is possible.

Diet Changes:

Follow the diet recommendations listed above for insulin. Also, add healthy fats. They will keep you from overeating because they are satisfying and filling.

Melatonin

Melatonin is essential for a good night’s sleep; less than ideal levels can cause insomnia. Made by the pineal gland, it helps regulate your internal clock. This neurotransmitter helps with metabolic syndrome, fat loss, depression, and panic disorders.

Shift workers and late-night coffee drinkers are prime candidates for melatonin deficiency. Irregular sleeping hours interrupt the internal clock and throw off melatonin release. This timing is essential to avoid insomnia at night and fatigue during the day.

Diet Changes:

Eating foods that contain tryptophan will increase melatonin levels indirectly. To take advantage of this, eat eggs, turkey, chicken, nuts, seafood, or dairy during your last meal of the day.

Vitamin B-6, magnesium, folic acid, and zinc are also crucial for melatonin production.

Melatonin supplements are available almost anywhere. But, be careful using these for too long. Long-term use can change your body’s natural hormone levels, sabotaging sleep.

Neurotransmitters and Hormones

Hormones are not always the sole cause of imbalances; they don’t work alone. Neurotransmitters get involved too.

They regulate several glands that are in charge of controlling hormones. In these cases, out of balance neurotransmitter levels will need correcting also.

Here are some common ones and the functions they are in charge of:

Dopamine

Dopamine gets involved in controlling the release of hormones in brain pathways. Too much of this neurotransmitter and you may experience muscle spasms. Too little and you’ll have trouble staying focused and lose motivation.

Norepinephrine

The adrenal glands use norepinephrine as a hormone. This gland is in charge of the fight or flight response and dealing with stress. Prolonged amounts of mental or physical stress overstimulate and wear it out.

Norepinephrine provides concentration, alertness, and helps in learning and retaining knowledge. A shortage will have the opposite effect.

Serotonin

To produce the hormone melatonin, your body needs serotonin. Melatonin is what makes you sleepy after the sun sets. Serotonin is essential for a positive mood and gastrointestinal functioning.

Another hormone, estrogen, inhibits the breakdown of serotonin. This effect increases concentrations of it in the brain. Women that have a hysterectomy, or go through menopause, lose this significant benefit.

What’s the Bottom Line?

To naturally correct hormonal imbalances, provide your body what it needs, and you’ll see incredible changes inside and out. Focus on a hormone balancing diet, sleep, stress reduction, and exercise. If required, include hormone replacement therapy as well.

Have you tried making any of the changes above? Share your experiences and tips in the comments section.

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