Women’s Health - Supporting Hormonal Balance through Diet

-By Aliyah N.A.

Every month, women of reproductive age go through a cycle. This cycle does more than just confirm or deny pregnancy. A woman’s hormonal cycle affects mood, energy level, pain tolerance, digestion, and so much more. In fact, did you know that you can use your hormonal cycle to maximize weight loss efforts? 

The female hormonal or reproductive cycle has 4 phases. Menstruation, follicular phase, ovulation, and the luteal phase. Each of these phases produces hormones in varying amounts, depending on what your body needs at the time. For example, during the luteal phase or the phase after ovulation, the hormone progesterone works to help prepare your uterus to support a baby. These hormones help reduce inflammation, change vaginal secretions, and thicken the lining of your uterus. 

Often, our hormones become dysregulated and out of balance because of what we eat, environmental toxins, stress, lack of exercise, and even poor sleep. Symptoms of dysregulated hormone levels in women include:

• Weight gain

• Low mood

• Brain fog

• Low libido

• Food cravings

• Period difficulties or PMS

These are some of the many warning signs that your hormones are dysregulated and could use a reset. In more severe cases these warning signs left untreated develop into diseases like depression, obesity, hypo/hyperthyroidism, endometriosis, PCOS, etc. 

There are many ways to support hormone balance, especially through what you eat. Because most of us eat food regularly (every day, 1-2x per day!), being more intentional about what you’re eating is one of the simplest ways to correct hormonal imbalance. Here are some key nutrients to support your hormones:

Healthy Fat - Healthy sources of fat like avocado, olives, and flaxseeds are what the body uses to build hormones. Avoid unhealthy fats that trigger inflammation, disrupt hormonal balance, and decrease immune function. Unhealthy fats are trans fats (found in baked goods, fast food, etc.), animal fats, and saturated fat (certain oils like palm, peanut, canola, vegetable oil, butter, cheese, and dairy). 

Cruciferous vegetables - these vegetables help transport excess estrogen out of your body. Vegetables in the cruciferous family include cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, and Brussels sprouts. When eating foods that increase estrogen like dairy, soy, wheat, and meat with added hormones It’s important to eat these vegetables to help get rid of excess estrogen in your body.

Iron, magnesium, B vitamins - these nutrients are great for balancing hormone levels and reducing muscle cramps associated with your menstrual cycle. 

Overall, balanced levels of female reproductive hormones regulate the menstrual cycle, stabilize mood, promote sleep, and support brain, heart, and bone health. During the first half of the menstrual cycle, estrogen is dominant, preparing the body for ovulation and helping build the uterine lining. In the second-half progesterone takes over and maintains the uterine lining for a possible pregnancy. If the egg is not fertilized, progesterone levels drop and trigger menstruation.

High cortisol levels, inflammation, environmental toxins, and eating sugary and processed foods all disrupt the level of these female reproductive hormones. Disturbed levels or low levels of these hormones can result in abnormal ovulation, no ovulation, or irregular cycles with delayed or light periods, no period at all, or periods happening more frequently and more painful periods.