11 Ways to Naturally Balance your Hormones
Hormones have profound effects on your mental, physical and emotional health. Nowadays hormonal imbalances have become increasingly common due to today’s fast paced modern lifestyle this can be due to our diet, lifestyle or underlying conditions which can affect our hormones and glands. In addition, certain hormones decline with age, and some people experience a more dramatic decrease than others.
There’s no single test available to diagnose a hormonal imbalance but there are various diagnostic tools available for this:
Blood test
Most hormones such as thyroid, estrogen, testosterone, and cortisol levels can be detected in the blood.
Pelvic exam
If you’re female, your doctor may perform a pap smear to feel for any unusual lumps, cysts, or tumors. If you’re male, your doctor may check your scrotum for any lumps or abnormalities.
Ultrasound
An ultrasound is used to get images of the uterus, ovaries, testicles, thyroid, or pituitary gland by using sound waves to look inside your body.
Additional tests
Sometimes more advanced tests are required. These can include:
Thyroid scan
Sperm count
Biopsy MRI
X-ray
Can you test your hormone levels at home?
If you’re experiencing symptoms of menopause, you may be tempted to try a home testing kit. Home testing kits measure follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) in your urine. FSH levels increase when you enter menopause, but levels also rise and fall during a normal menstrual cycle. A home testing kit can give you an indication of whether menopause has started, but it can’t tell you conclusively.
Here are 11 natural ways to balance your hormones:
Eat fatty fish often
Fatty fish has shown to be the best source of long-chain omega-3 fatty acids, these help lower cortisol and epinephrine, increase insulin sensitivity and decrease insulin levels in obese and insulin-resistant individuals. For optimal health, include two or more servings per week of fatty fish like salmon, sardines, herring and mackerel.
Engage in regular exercise
Physical activity plays a large role in hormonal health. Insulin is a hormone that allows cells to take up sugar and amino acids from the bloodstream which are used for energy and maintaining muscle. Many types of physical activity have been found to increase insulin sensitivity and reduce insulin levels, including aerobic exercise, strength training and endurance exercise contributing to reducing the risk of disease and protecting muscle mass during the ageing process.
Avoid Sugar and refined Carbs
Diets high in sugar and refined carbs have been shown to drive insulin resistance and therefore linked to a number of health problems. Avoiding these foods and reducing overall carb intake may decrease insulin levels and increase insulin sensitivity. Studies have also consistently shown that fructose (including natural forms like honey and maple syrup) can increase insulin levels and promote insulin resistance, especially in overweight and obese people with prediabetes or diabetes.
Avoid under-eating and over-eating
Eating too much or too little may result in hormonal shifts that lead to weight problems. Overeating can increase in insulin levels and reduced insulin sensitivity. Consuming too many or too few calories can lead to hormonal imbalances. Aim to eat at least 1,200 calories per day for optimal health.
Consume healthy fats
Including healthy natural fats such as avocados, extra virgin olive oil, dark chocolate, cheese, eggs, nuts, fatty fish and chia seeds in your diet and avoiding unhealthy trans fats can help reduce insulin resistance and stimulate the production of hormones that help control appetite.
Drink green tea
Green tea has been linked to increased insulin sensitivity and lower insulin levels for people who are overweight, obese or have diabetes. This can lead to weight loss due to its fat burning properties as well as a whole lot of benefits such as brain health, prevention of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease
Learn to manage stress
Stress can change your entire body and quality of life. Two major hormones affected by stress are cortisol (the stress hormone) and adrenaline (fight or flight hormone), which is also called epinephrine. The hormones care usually triggered by a busy, overwhelming lifestyles and can lead to excessive calorie intake and obesity, including increased belly fat. Engaging in stress-reduction behaviours like meditation, yoga, massage and listening to soothing music can help normalize your levels of the stress hormone cortisol.
Get consistent high-quality sleep
However much of a balanced and healthy lifestyle you have if you don’t get restorative sleep your health will suffer. Inadequate or poor-quality sleep has been shown to decrease fullness hormones, increase hunger and stress hormones, reduce growth hormone and increase insulin resistance. Your brain needs uninterrupted sleep that allows it to go through all five stages of each sleep cycle. This is especially important for the release of growth hormone, which occurs mainly at night during deep sleep. To maintain optimal hormonal balance, aim for at least seven hours of high-quality sleep per night.
Eat adequate protein
Consume high protein foods such as veges and pulses like edamame, lentils, split peas for plant-based diets, as-well as chicken breast, greek yoghurt, cottage cheese and eggs whites. A high protein diet triggers the production of hormones that suppress appetite and help you feel full. Aim for a minimum of 20–30 grams of protein per meal.
Avoid sugar and refined carbs
Diets high in sugar and refined carbs have been shown to drive insulin resistance. Avoiding these foods and reducing overall carb intake may decrease insulin levels and increase insulin sensitivity. By contrast, following a low- or moderate-carb diet based on whole foods may reduce insulin levels in overweight and obese people with prediabetes and other insulin-resistant conditions like polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).
Consume a high-fiber diet
Fiber especially soluble fiber has been shown to be an important component of a healthy diet aswell as a reduction in appetite .High fiber intake has been linked to improvements in insulin sensitivity and the hormones that control hunger, fullness and food intake.
References
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23529993 (Fatty fish benefits)
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25926513 (High protein diet)
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC552336/ (High sugar and refined carb diet)
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20547978 (Over-eating and under-eating)
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17570262 (Healthy fats)
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23803878 (Green tea benefits)
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16162447 (Stress hormones)
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15583226 (Importance of restorative sleep)
https://academic.oup.com/jcem/article-abstract/29/1/20/2715789
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16469977 (Adequate protein diet)
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1323303/ (High sugar and refined carb diet)
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24715424 (High fiber diet)