Balancing Hormones through diet and lifestyle hacks with Healthista
Hormonal imbalance can result in bloating, sore breasts, headaches, skin issues, sleep disturbances, weight gain and more. All these symptoms are typically associated with that well-known term, ‘hormonal’. Hormones have profound effects on your mental, physical and emotional health. These chemical messengers play a major role in controlling your appetite, weight and mood, among other things.
"Hormones have profound effects on your mental, physical and emotional health"
When we think ‘hormones’, we usually think about the sex hormones testosterone or oestrogen, but there are actually more than 50 different hormones circulating inside your body right now. For example, your thyroid hormones oversee your metabolism, energy levels, and temperature; while cortisol, plays a role in your response to physical and psychological stress. When your hormones are balanced and working in sync, you won’t notice them. It’s when they’re imbalanced that you could start seeing cascading health issues take over.
Causes of hormonal imbalance
There are a few main causes of hormonal imbalance, and they’re not uncommon. Firstly, medical conditions (diabetes, hypoglycaemia, thyroid disorders, menopause etc), as well as the medications or treatments for those conditions can all impact your hormones. Other causes of imbalance include injury, trauma, or eating disorders. There are also a number of certain lifestyle habits and environmental factors that can play a role in hormonal imbalances. Hormone balance is deeply connected to the food we eat, the exercise we get, the toxins we absorb, the weight we carry, and the stress levels we put up with.
How to balance hormones #10 Healthy fats are a diet necessity
Hormones are produced from fat and cholesterol, so consuming fat is crucial for hormone health. Fats also aid the absorption of vitamins A D E and K and nutrient deficiency can cause hormone imbalance in itself.
It’s the quality of fat that matters, great choices include:
- Olive oil
- Coconut oil, as well as coconut milk and coconut butter
- Grass-fed ghee or butter (unless sensitive to dairy)
- Animal fats from grass-fed animals
- Avocados
- Nuts & seeds and nut & seed butters
- Organic cow or goat/sheep dairy (full-fat cheese, full-fat raw milk, kefir)
- Fish oil or cod liver oil
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