Create Hormonal Health With Food

Hormonal changes are a normal part of every woman's life, but if you also have other problems that are affecting your health, your hormones can be thrown so far out of balance that you begin to suffer from a wide range of distressing symptoms. These include: PMS, mood swings or depression; stubborn weight gain; dry, problem, or prematurely aging skin; night sweats and hot flushes; headaches and migraines; low libido; leaky bladder; painful, irregular periods; unexplained fatigue; bloating ..... and so on.

In men, hormonal problems also increase the risk of prostate cancer; in women, of breast cancer.

One thing you can do to improve your hormonal health is improve your diet. A healthy-hormone diet is one that helps keep your blood sugar and insulin levels under control, nourishes your hormones, strengthens your general immunity, and helps prevent inflammation. Eating the right foods, and avoiding the wrong foods can have a dramatic effect on the health of your hormones.

Some Basic Dietary Do's and Don'ts for Hormonal Health

Do eat more of these

• Lots of fresh vegetables and fruits every day, most of them raw or lightly stir fried


• Whole grains (such as brown rice, wholemeal bread etc.), which are high in fibre as well as essential nutrients, and slow down the flow of insulin


• Foods high in essential fatty acids (such as quality olive oil, nuts, fish - especially sardines, rainbow, trout salmon, mackerel - flaxseed, and dark green leafy vegetables), all of which help control the production of inflammatory hormones


• High calcium foods (such as raw almonds, dark green leafy vegetables, cultured yogurt or organic milk)


• Foods high in phytoestrogens, including tofu and soy nut butter


• Beans, pulses and lentils, and raw nuts, which provide essential fatty acids, quality protein and fibre, which helps to bind estrogen so that high levels do not circulate in the blood.

Avoid or reduce these

• Fried foods of all kinds (a light sauté is fine)


• Dairy foods (choose organic and preferably, take most of your dairy as cultured yogurt or fermented cheeses)


• Red meat (eat a little only 3 times a week, or avoid altogether)


• Refined grains (white rice, packaged cereals, white flour pasta and breads etc.) as these trigger rapid production of the hormone insulin, which is followed by the release of cortisone (another hormone) as the blood sugar quickly drops


• Sugar, particularly refined sugars, which upset the blood sugar balance, 'confuse' proper hormonal activity and encourage the growth of harmful bacteria

If your hormones are already out of kilter, it will probably take more than diet alone to restore the correct balance, but these dietary steps are invaluable in bringing your hormones back to health, and also to help prevent hormonal problems in the first place.