Hormone Balancing Foods for Womens

Hormones are chemicals secreted by endocrine glands into the bloodstream directing organs and tissues what to do. Hormone balance, especially in women, is extremely important because it helps you to function effectively both physically as well as emotionally.

Hormonal imbalance as the name suggests occurs when there is an imbalance in the hormones, that is, there is too much or too little hormone left in the bloodstream that even the slightest change in the body can have severe effects on your body.

Signs and Symptoms of Hormone Imbalance:

Given below are symptoms specific to women:

1. Irregular periods, including heavy or missed periods.
2. Excess amount of hair on the face, chin, and other parts of the body
3. Acne on face, chest, and upper back
4. Thinning hair or hair loss
5. Weight gain or trouble losing weight
6. Darkening of skin along the neck creases, groin, and underneath breasts too
7. Skin tags
8. Dryness of vagina
9. Pain during intercourse
10. Sweating at night

Some common symptoms generally include fatigue, puffy face, hair fall or hair thinning, sensitivity to coolness and heat, frequent need to urinate, weakening of muscles and constipation or loose motion.

THAT’S HELL IRRITATING, RIGHT?

Well, don’t worry we have curated a list of the things what you can do to balance your hormones. JUST BREATH!

How to balance the hormones?

Before knowing the ways to balance hormones, lets first see why is it so important to balance the hormones.

As mentioned earlier, hormones work to direct every organ and tissue what to do, how to do, and for how long. Since every part of your body starting from brain to skin, heart, kidneys, as well as muscles have a specific job and to complete their job, they need instructions from time to time provided by the hormones.

Therefore, the secretion of hormones in a balanced way becomes important. Balance in hormone leads to:

1. Better growth and development
2. Increased metabolism
3. Improved sexual function
4. Increased chances of reproduction
5. Decreased mood imbalances

Now that you know the importance of balancing hormones, let us look at the ways of how you balance your ways naturally.

Eat a sufficient amount of protein consuming enough amounts of protein every day is very essential to balance the hormones as the amino acids present in proteins help in maintaining muscle, bone, and skin health.

1. Exercise Regularly

One of the most important factors contributing to balancing hormonal imbalance.

Regular exercise helps in maintaining the insulin levels in the body allowing cells to take up sugar along with amino acids from the bloodstream. This helps in maintaining muscle strength and energy levels in the body.

2. Get Enough Sleep

No matter how much nutrients you take or how much exercise you do, these things won’t help until you get sufficient sleep.

Not only quantity but the quality of sleep also matters a lot. An uninterrupted sleep of at least 7 hours every day is important for the body to restore its health. Disturbed or less sleep leads to decreased secretion of many hormones including growth hormone, insulin, cortisol, ghrelin, leptin, etc.

3. Lower Inflammation

Inflammation can be seen in the form of puffy as well as the rounded face. It is caused due to the disruption in insulin secretion as a result of hormonal imbalance. Consider eating fatty fish to lower inflammation. If you don’t eat fish, drink fatty fish oil regularly.

4. Manage Your Stress Levels

Stress is known to cause havoc in your hormone levels. Production of cortisol “the stress hormone” is important as it helps in managing the stress levels in your body.

You can de-stress yourself by engaging in practices like meditation, yoga, deep breathing, dancing, or taking your dog to walk. Anything that gives you happiness will act as your de-stressor. It all depends on you.

5. Avoid Sugary Beverages

Sugars are unhealthy but liquid sugars are the worst. Consuming large amounts of sugar leads to a reduction in insulin resistance as well as higher insulin levels triggering an imbalance in the hormones.

Here is the list of best foods that you can take to balance your hormones along with the worst foods that you should avoid.

WHAT YOU SHOULD TAKE

1. Flax Seeds
2. Broccoli
3. Lentils
4. Sweet potatoes
5. Pomegranate
6. Nuts mainly almonds
7. Turmeric
8. Avacado
9. Quinoa
10. Leafy green vegetables

WHAT TO AVOID

1. Red Meat
2. Coffee (caffeine)
3. All types of Sugar
4. Alcohol
5. Processed and Refined Foods

Time to get rid of hormonal imbalance takes time. Some people may see results in a week while for some it may take three to six months. You need to have the patience to see the expected results!

ACNE: A BIG CONCERN

Are you struggling with Hormonal Acne?

Hormonal acne is most common in women, irrespective of their age.

During puberty, hormonal acne mostly appears in the T-zone including the forehead, nose, and chin. Hormonal acne in adults mostly appears on the lower part of the face like the bottom of the cheeks and around the jawline.

Hormonal acne may also take the form of blackheads, whiteheads, as well as small pimples that come to the head or cysts may also be formed underneath the skin. They don’t appear on the head and are often tender to touch.

Hormonal acne may be caused by triggers of hormones from:

1. Menstruation
2. Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS)
3. Menopause
4. The rise in the androgen levels

These hormonal fluctuations cause acne due To Inflammation of skin, Sebum (oil) production in the pores of the skin, Clogging of skin cells in the hair follicles and production of acne-causing bacteria.

 Below given are some tips on how to treat hormonal acne naturally:

1. Tea Tree Oil

This essential oil helps in decreasing inflammation. A few drops of tea tree oil mixed with a carrier oil like coconut oil, olive oil, or jojoba oil can work wonders for your skin. It is also available as cleaners and toners.

2. Green Tea

Drink a few cups of green tea per day along with your regular practice of skincare regimen will help in reducing inflammation. Some lotions contain a certain amount of green tea extract. These can be helpful too.

• Make a habit of washing your face twice a day. Preferably in the morning and then before sleeping.
• Stop applying large amounts of acne products because it may irritate due to drying out the skin.
• Put sunscreen on your face every day even if there’s no sun.

If natural remedies do not work, immediately consult a dermatologist.

Progesterone is one of the hormones released by the ovary helping in regulating the menstrual cycle. It also helps in building as well as maintaining the thick blood layer on the uterus line helping the uterus prepare for pregnancy.

Also, if you have a watery period flow this is what you should know and should not ignore.

Low progesterone levels may lead to trouble in getting or staying pregnant. This may result in miscarriage or even fetal death.

Foods like beans, broccoli, sprouts, cauliflower, pumpkin, spinach and whole grains

may help in increasing the production of progesterone in your body naturally.

Reduction in progesterone may lead to a dominance of estrogen hormone in the body. To bring both of these to an equal level, you can also consider eating foods that would help in lowering estrogen levels in the body. These foods are:

1. Bananas
2. Cabbage
3. Shellfish
4. Walnuts

Your hormones affect each aspect of your body and health. You might need them in very low amounts but they are very essential for the body to function optimally.

Hormonal imbalances can increase the risk of obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and many other health problems too.

As a result, taking nutritious foods, exercising regularly, and changing your lifestyle can go a long way in improving your hormonal health.