Six Simple Ways to Balance Your Hormones | WBT February 27, 2022

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WBT… About six simple ways to balance your hormones naturally.

Something that I love about nutrition and health is that it often takes just a few simple swaps and changes to make the most impact. 

Take your hormone health for example- yes, you can do all the fancy blood tests and protocols and spend all your money on expensive supplements and herbs and tinctures, but for most of us, that’s kind of unnecessary.

In reality, 80% of balancing your hormones comes from doing the things and making some tweaks that are super easy and often free. And this goes for boosting your fertility too! (Although that can be a bit more complicated, I'm just saying that this is a good place to start.)

Here are my 6 favorite (and super simple) tips to balance your hormones:

Get 30 minutes of sunshine daily

Vitamin D is one of the most important nutrients for your hormone health and *spoiler alert* you’re most likely deficient- the vast majority of us are. Sure you can (and should) supplement with Vitamin D3 drops, and incorporate the few foods that contain a decent amount of it (like eggs, for example) but the sun is the BEST source around. So here’s your excuse to get outside for a little midday tanning sesh, whether it’s January or June. Just 30 minutes of sun-on-skin exposure at least 3x per week is enough for your body to produce all the vitamin D3 it needs!

Limit your sugar intake and be strategic about food combining for blood sugar balance

Sugar is the ultimate hormone terrorist. It not only reduces your body’s ability to absorb nutrients, but it leads to lazy mitochondria, insulin resistance, and cortisol imbalance. High-sugar diets even impact fertility- one study found that drinking a single sugary beverage per day can decrease fertility by 20%. Yikes.
So do yourself a favor and limit your sugar intake. Switch to stevia or monk fruit sweetened treats if you need your daily sweet treat! (I know I do!) There are some really good keto treats out there. Also, if you know you’re going to be having a higher carb/sugar snack (like a nice fruit salad, for example), pair it with a handful of nuts or a dollop of greek yogurt to keep your blood sugar in balance. 

Find a form of exercise you enjoy and do it often!

Exercise is another amazing free way to balance your hormones. It offers a double-whammy by promoting healthy, gentle weight loss and muscle gain (which make your hormones happy and you more fertile!) AND by being a great way to reduce stress and rebalance cortisol levels. The key is to find something you actually enjoy doing, so it doesn’t just add stress to your daily routine. So whether that’s walking, yoga, swimming, barre, hip hop dance party workouts, boxing, lifting weights, or anything in between- do it and do it often!

Consume adequate amounts of good-quality protein

Guess what (most) hormones are made of? Protein. So eating enough of it is essential for keeping your hormone system balanced and happy. Especially if you’re trying to conceive or will be in the future! Some of the best sources of protein for healthy hormones are eggs, wild salmon, grass-fed beef, raw almonds, bone broth, and organ meats (if you can stomach them!) So make sure you have at least one serving of protein at every meal and snack.

Focus on healthy fats (and be aware of your carbohydrate intake)

High fat foods like eggs, wild salmon, nuts, seeds, avocados, olives, and coconut contain some of the most beneficial nutrients for balancing hormones and boosting fertility. So make sure you’re eating enough of them. In fact, swapping out some of the higher carb foods in your diet for healthy fats is a major win for your hormone system. Keeping your carbohydrate intake below 40% (at most), focusing on complex carbs, and pairing higher sugar/carb foods with higher fat foods will help not only to balance your hormones but also your mental health and energy levels! 

Eat all the antioxidant-rich foods!

Antioxidants are essential for optimal mitochondrial function and mitochondria function is essential for fertility! Some of my favourite antioxidant-rich foods include matcha tea, blueberries, blackberries, goji berries, grapefruit, tomatoes, onions, garlic, avocados, and raw dark chocolate. Eat a variety of antioxidant-rich foods everyday- your hormonal system will thank you!

See? I told you balancing your hormones can be simple!