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Women’s hormonal health can be a tricky thing to deal with. One moment you might be perfectly happy, calm, balanced… only to feel like crying, eating cake or snapping the next day.

Now, hormonal fluctuation is not necessarily a bad thing. Hormones fluctuate throughout your cycle and through your body at various times of day. However, they should be balanced which in turn makes us feel more balanced.

There’s more hormones than just female sex hormones. We also have hormones that regulate sleep, stress, blood sugar and moods. The crazy thing is that all these hormones work together and affect one another. That is why if you’ve been overly stressed and your body is producing an overabundance of cortisol, it can contribute to blood sugar imbalances, sleep issues, anxiety and PMS.

After months of being chronically stressed, this is where my body left me…

Now I have been working on naturally healing my hormones to help bring balance to my body. The past couple months my body was blaring at me that my hormones were off balance. I was getting crazy PMS followed by painful cramping and misery. I would get hot flashes, mood swings, intense cravings, nausea, fatigue, chills, bloating, become irritable, feel super anxious… you get the picture.

Finally, I knew it was time to listen to what my body was telling me and work on balancing my hormones naturally. I knew that if I listened to my body and worked on healing I would be repaid with feeling some more balance in my life.

 In only one month, I have already felt a difference. Hardly any PMS, no crazy hot flashes, almost no cramping, better moods and feeling more balanced.

You don’t need to continue to believe the lies that feeling miserable just because you’re a woman is normal and that you just have to deal with it. Perhaps your body is just asking for a little extra help to be more balanced.

I am excited to continue this journey and see how much more I can heal my body and balance my hormones! Here are some natural tips to balance hormones that worked for me!

Note: I’m not a doctor and these are simply natural remedies that worked for me. Consult your doctor if you are experiencing major hormonal imbalances.

1. Maca

This is a Peruvian plant that grows in the Andes mountains and has been used in herbal remedies by ancient cultures. The benefits of this powerful root still applies to us today. Maca can help give you natural energy which can assist you in avoiding caffeine to prevent further offset of your hormones. This is because the root contains polysaccharides which help gain energy from the food we eat.

 Growing in harsh conditions, this root is an adaptogen and can assist our bodies in adapting to stress. Maca helps to lower the cortisol levels in our bodies. This is beneficial when balancing hormones as excess cortisol can throw many of our hormone levels off-balance including sex hormones, blood sugar and wearing out our adrenals.

Lastly, maca powder has been shown to help balance estrogen in the body. The root contains 1-3-C which can metabolize excess estrogen in your body and balance out other sex hormones such as progesterone and testosterone.

Other benefits sited are improving mood, increasing fertility in men, and increased libido.

This is the brand of Maca I purchase for myself, if you were interested in getting some. Recommended dosage is usually one teaspoon per day.

Sources:

https://organika.com/2018/08/15/maca-the-hormone-superfood/

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/322511.php

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/benefits-of-maca-root#section13

2. Omega-3

Studies have shown that women who consume more omega-3s have milder menstrual pain (see here and here). There have also been some studies that indicate Omega-3s can support healthy progesterone production.  Not to mention, consuming good levels of omega-3s can help reduce inflammation.  Omega-3s can be found in fish (especially salmon, tuna, halibut, and anchovies), flax seeds, leafy greens and nuts (especially walnuts). You can also take supplements with omega-3s to get all you need in addition to dietary omega-3s.

I personally have started putting ground flax seed in my smoothies or consuming flax seed in my seed cycling bites to help me get a good daily dose of omega-3s. I also try to eat fish at least twice a week, and usually one of those is fresh wild caught salmon. In addition, you can supplement with a good quality omega-3 supplement, I really like Nordic Naturals.

3. Probiotics

As I mentioned, the hormones in the body are interconnected. Gut health plays a large roll in helping your body produce the right amount of hormones. That is why a holistic approach to hormone health includes taking care of your gut health.

One of the easiest ways to do this is to take a high quality probiotic. Look for one that has plenty of CFUs and that has lots of different probiotic strains. I like taking Garden of Life Women’s Probiotics which have 50 billion CFU and 16 different probiotic strains.

If you can’t swallow large pills (like me), simply open up the capsule and dump into a bit of juice or water. You can also improve your gut health through consuming collagen, raw saurkraut or other fermented foods, such as kombucha or kefir.

4. Seed Cycling

Seed cycling was something I was very skeptical of! Yeah sure, I’ll eat certain types of seeds at particular times that line up with my cycle and it will reduce PMS symptoms. Sounded a bit crunchy, even for me…

But I can tell you I really think this helped bring more balance to my body and I only did it for one month!

Here’s a quick summary of the ideas behind seed cycling:

Follicular Phase (Day 1-14 of your cycle).

Take daily:

• 1 Tb. flax seeds
• 1 Tb. pumpkin seeds

During this phase of your cycle, your body is producing more estrogen to prepare for ovulation. The flaxseeds contain lignans which help the body flush out excess estrogen. This is important as too much estrogen is usually the reason for bad PMS. The zinc in the pumpkin seeds also helps prepare the body for progesterone production that occurs after ovulation.

Luteal Phase (Day 14-28, or ovulation to the start of your period).

Take daily:

• 1 Tb. sesame seeds
• 1 Tb. sunflower seeds

During this phase both estrogen and progesterone are on the rise. The important thing is that estrogen does not overbalance progesterone. The sesame seeds contain lignans to flush out extra estrogen. The sunflower seeds have selenium which is beneficial for your liver, a key piece in detoxing excess hormones from your body. The Omega-6s in these two seeds also support healthy progesterone production.

If you decide to give this a try, be sure to purchase raw, unsalted, organic seeds and to grind them right before you consume them. It takes at least a month to see any benefits and you should probably stick with it for at least three to see if it works for you.

If you’re interested in trying it, check out this post for more info.

5. Eat Leafy Greens and Healthy Fats

Adding leafy greens help reduce inflammation and cortisol levels in your body. They are also full of essential vitamins and minerals such as folate (helps produce happy hormones dopamine and serotonin), and magnesium (helps reduce stress). Not only that, leafy greens help produce beneficial digestive enzymes and balance blood sugar. Try including some organic greens in your diet, such as kale, collard greens, turnip greens, arugula and chard.

Healthy fats are the building blocks for your body’s healthy hormone production. Be sure to consume healthy fats such as coconut oil, avocado oil, extra virgin olive oil, nuts, avocados, and grass-fed butter.

6. Raspberry Leaf Tea

This tea is made out of the leaf of the raspberry plant and is not to be confused with raspberry flavored tea. Raspberry leaf tea is full of vitamins and minerals including magnesium, potassium, iron and B vitamins. This tea is used to help balance hormones and strengthen the walls of the uterus. It helps eases the symptoms of PMS through hormone regulation and being full of B vitamins which help reduce PMS, especially mood changes and irritability.

7. Reduce Stress

When the body is stressed, the natural response is to produce cortisol to help you combat that stressful situation. It is the body’s flight or fight mechanism and is there to help you get through dangerous situations.

When your body is constantly in a state of stress it produces an excess amount of cortisol which can bring with it a host of other problems such as anxiety, blood sugar imbalances and hormone imbalances. Unfortunately, when you are stressed your body feels the need to produce lots of cortisol and switches from producing progesterone to making cortisol instead. This leaves you with high levels of estrogen and unbalanced low levels of progesterone which brings pms and other unpleasant symptoms.

While you are working on balancing your hormones, work on reducing stress. Take some time to de-stress every day. Some ideas are to journal, try yoga, do meditations or devotions, go for a walk outside, take a nice warm bath, or spend some time doing something fun with family or friends.

Try to work on how you respond to challenges that usually make you feel stressed. Is it worth it to stress out and impact your health? Take some time to write down why you feel worried and then write down why you don’t need to worry about that thing. Breathe, do something relaxing and try not to stress.

8. Essential Oils

Essential oils can be a great added boost to balance your hormones naturally. Clary sage is a great essential oil to use as it helps balance out estrogen production in the body. Studies also show this oil can reduce pms and alleviate pain from menstrual cramps. Thyme is another great oil for hormone balance as it increases progesterone production in the body. Lavender and Chamomile can also help you feel more balanced as they reduce stress and cortisol levels in the body. Ylang Ylang is a great oil to add, not only because it smells great but it is also balancing and relieves stress.

You can read more about hormone balancing essential oils from Dr. Axe here.

9. Avoid Toxins and Chemicals

As part of a healthy lifestyle to balance hormones, you need to watch what you are putting on your body as well. Synthetic estrogens are often found in common beauty products which can further contribute to hormonal imbalance. One of the biggest causes of pms is usually excess estrogen compared to progesterone in the body.

Many of the chemicals found in beauty products can contribute to infertility and hormonal imbalances. This is why I have ditched many conventional products full of phlalates, parabens, chemical filled fragrance, and others. Read my post on the Top 10 Ingredients to Avoid in Beauty Products for a complete list of the chemicals you should be avoiding.

Plastic is another dangerous hormone disruptor that you want to avoid. BPA and other harmful chemicals found in plastic release chemicals that mimic estrogen in the body. In a study done of 450 plastic products from various grocery stores, 70 percent were found to leach estrogen mimicking chemicals. This was without any kind of exposure such as dishwashers, microwaving, and sun exposure – all of which cause toxic chemicals to leak out of plastic.

10. Eat More Organic

Another way that hormone disrupting chemicals can sneak into the body is through what we eat. Non-organic dairy, pesticide covered fruits and vegetables, and conventionally raised meat products are some of the worst offenders.

Choose organic fresh fruits and veggies when possible. When purchasing meat choose grass-fed beef and organic chicken without antibiotics. Opt for organic, grass fed dairy products or choose nondairy alternatives like coconut milk or almond milk.

Avoid genetically modified soy products as well as these can cause estrogen spikes. Products sprayed with the harmful pesticide glyphosate can be endocrine disruptors as well. Oats, wheat, barley and corn are some products that you should make sure to choose organic. You can read more about the dangers of glyphosate here.

By the way if you are looking for a budget friendly and convenient way to get organic produce check out Misfits! I love getting a box of fresh organic produce every week at my door! Use code: COOKWME-AQ2FEA for 25 percent off your first box!

As you can see, naturally healing hormones definitely requires a holistic approach! I know it’s a lot, but as you heal your mind by reducing stress, give your body the right nutrition and fuel that it needs and take toxic chemicals out of your life, your body will begin to feel more balanced.

Let me know if you’ve tried any of these things to help balance your hormones!

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