10 Foods to Help Balance Your Hormone Health

Hormone health. That phrase can sound a little scary, right? It can conjure up thoughts of menopause and feeling crazy. Our hormones are a lot more than menopause and in fact, many of us have hormone imbalance and we don’t even realize it. If you suffer from two or more of the following symptoms you may have a hormone imbalance:

Brain fog
Night sweats/hot flashes
Quick to anger
Hair loss (scalp & outer edges of eyebrows)
Weight loss resistance
Weight gain even though you eat well and exercise
Fatigue
Forgetting why you walked into a room
Experienced infertility or miscarriages
Have had ovarian cysts, breast cysts or endometriosis, PCOS
Heavy periods
Spider or varicose veins
Irritable or anxious
Feel emotionally fragile
Joint pain
Acne
Reduced sex drive
Leaky bladder
Muscle Weakness
Difficulty concentrating
Tingling in hands and/or feet
Family history of thyroid problems
Dark patches on back of neck, groin, and/or armpits
Fatty liver
Crave sweets and carbohydrates all the time

Hormones can be really overwhelming to figure out, especially on your own. The good news is there are lifestyle changes you can make to help balance your hormones. Since developing Hypothyroidism and then Hashimoto’s I’m on a mission to research and utilize food that helps me heal and share them so others can feel better.

Here are 10 superfoods to help balance your hormones:

1. Garlic: Anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, helps heal the gut, rich in selenium, liver detoxing. Check out this garlic soup from Wellness Mama. It’s now a staple in our home and I try to keep some in the freezer.

2. Coconut Oil: Antibacterial, antifungal, an excellent source of good fats, immune booster, sugar balancing. I use coconut oil when cooking or baking sweet foods, in coffee, by the spoonful.

3. Gelatin: Excellent protein source, immunity booster, anti-inflammatory, gut healer. Gelatin can gross people out, and I get it. I use Great Lakes Gelatin and put in in things like homemade applesauce or soups and my family doesn’t even know.

4. Brazil Nuts: Thyroid supporting, mood booster, aids in lowering cholesterol, rich in selenium, supports breast health. Until recently I wasn’t a big fan of brazil nuts, but given how supportive they are of the thyroid and adrenals, as well as supplying protection against estrogenic cancers, I now eat a couple a day.

5. Sauerkraut: Anti-inflammatory, immune boosting, a source of good bacteria, gut healing. This is not the sauerkraut that comes in a can or jar at the grocery store. You can ferment your own sauerkraut to make sure you are really getting a quality product.

6. Walnuts: Anti-inflammatory, rich in omega 3 fatty acids, antioxidant. Walnuts are another nut that people don’t always enjoy eating by themselves. Chop and add to salad, bake in bread or add to your morning oatmeal. If you eat walnuts regularly, you may want to soak them overnight, as they contain phytates and tannins that can reduce your intake of magnesium.

7. Salmon: A great source of protein, helps balance the thyroid, rich in omega 3 fatty acids, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant

8. Onion: Antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, a good source of sulfur, anticarcinogenic, helps balance sugar, rich in prebiotics, aids in liver detox, rich in selenium which helps keep the thyroid healthy.

9. Citrus Fruit: Help balance sugar, alkalizing, antioxidants, rich in vitamin C. Citrus fruits are full of natural antioxidants, helping to neutralize the effects of free radicals, especially in estrogenic cancers such as ovarian, breast, and thyroid.

10. Ghee and Butter: Antifungal, aid in hormone production, gut healing, anti-inflammatory. Ghee is clarified butter that is a great option for the dairy free crowd. I started cooking with it in January and love it. It’s a mainstay in Indian cooking, and due to a large Indian population here in Lagos, I can find it at my neighborhood market.

I hope this blog gives you some ideas for incorporating these nutrient-dense superfoods into your daily diet and let me know which are your favorite. Let’s balance your hormones and get your period back on track! Book your 15-minute call today!