When it comes to health, hormones, and gut bacteria have a much
bigger effect than many people realize. In fact, these two factors can
destroy health even if everything else (diet, supplements, etc.) is
optimized. Conversely, fixing hormones and gut bacteria can do a lot to
boost health, even if not all the other factors are optimal. In fact,
there are even
studies about using certain hormone reactions to heal brain trauma.
If you doubt the very real power of hormones to affect everything
from mood, to weight, to bowel health – ask the nearest pregnant woman
if she’s noticed any difference in these areas since being pregnant. Or
ask the nearest 13 year old girl… carefully…
If you have symptoms like fatigue, skin issues, weight gain, weight
around the middle, trouble sleeping, always sleeping, PMS,
endometriosis, infertility, PCOS or other issues, chances are you have
hormone imbalance!
What are Hormones?
“Hormones are your body’s chemical messengers. They travel in your
bloodstream to tissues or organs. They work slowly, over time, and
affect many different processes, including
- Growth and development
- Metabolism – how your body gets energy from the foods you eat
- Sexual function
- Reproduction
- Mood
Endocrine glands, which are special groups of cells, make hormones.
The major endocrine glands are the pituitary, pineal, thymus, thyroid,
adrenal glands and pancreas. In addition, men produce hormones in their
testes and women produce them in their ovaries” (
source).
Hormones are produced using good fats and cholesterol, so lack of
these important dietary factors can cause hormone problems simply
because the body doesn’t have the building blocks to make them. Toxins
containing chemicals that mimic these building blocks or that mimic the
hormones themselves are also problematic because the body can attempt to
create hormones using the wrong building blocks… mutant estrogen
anyone?
The endocrine system is a complex system that we will probably never
completely understand, but there are some basic things you can do to
boost your body’s ability to create and balance hormones:
1. Avoid High Omega-6 Polyunsaturated Fats
I’ve
talked about this before, but the body is simply not meant to consume these man-made fats found in vegetable oils. From that article:
“The human body is about 97% saturated and monounsaturated fat,
with only 3 % Polyunsaturated fats. Half of that three percent is
Omega-3 fats, and that balance needs to be there. Vegetable oils contain
very high levels of polyunsaturated fats, and these oils have replaced
many of the saturated fats in our diets since the 1950s.
The body needs fats for rebuilding cells and hormone production,
but it has to use the building blocks we give it. When we give it a high
concentration of polyunsaturated fats instead of the ratios it needs,
it has no choice but to incorporate these fats into our cells during
cell repair and creation.
The problem is that polyunsaturated fats are highly unstable and
oxidize easily in the body (if they haven’t already oxidized during
processing or by light exposure while sitting on the grocery store
shelf). These oxidized fats cause inflammation and mutation in cells.
In arterial cells, these mutations cause inflammation that can
clog arteries. When these fats are incorporated into skin cells, their
mutation causes skin cancer. (This is why people often get the most
dangerous forms of skin cancer in places where they are never exposed to
the sun, but that is a topic for another day!)
When these oils are incorporated into cells in reproductive
tissue, some evidence suggests that this can spur problems like
endometriosis and PCOS. In short, the body is made up of saturated and
monounsaturated fats, and it needs these for optimal health.”
Bottom line: Don’t eat fats like Vegetable oil, peanut oil, canola
oil, soybean oil, margarine, shortening, or other chemically altered
fats. Choose fats like
coconut oil,
real butter, olive oil (don’t heat!) and animal fats (tallow, lard)
from healthy sources instead and eat lots of high Omega-3 fish.
2. Limit the Caffeine
I love coffee, a lot, but the truth is that too much caffeine can
wreak havoc on the endocrine system, especially if there are other
hormone stressors involved too like pregnancy, presence of toxins,
beneficial fat imbalance or stress.
Cut down the coffee if you can, or replace with beneficial herbal
teas (a list of my favorite recipes coming soon!). If you can’t or won’t
cut the coffee, use it as a way to sneak in your beneficial fats by
adding 1 tablespoon coconut oil to each cup and blending in the blender
to emulsify. It is like a latte but with healthy fats!
Here is the recipe I use and the only way I drink coffee.
3. Avoid Toxins
Toxins found in pesticides, plastics, household chemicals, and even
mattresses can contain hormone disrupting chemicals that mimic hormones
in the body and keep the body from producing real hormones. Things like
hormonal birth control can (obviously) do the same thing.
If you have hormone imbalance or are struggling to get pregnant,
avoiding these toxins is very important! Cook in glass or non-coated
metal pans (no non-stick or teflon!) and avoid heating or storing foods
in plastic. Find organic produce and meat whenever possible and don’t
use chemical pesticides or cleaners. There are recipes for natural
cleaners
on this page.
4. SLEEP
Can’t emphasize this one enough (tried with the all-caps-yelling
though)! If you aren’t getting enough sleep, your hormone will not be
balanced. Period.
Use
these tips to help improve your sleep
and just do it! This can singlehandedly improve hormones and is even
linked to longer life, less chance of disease and optimizing weight.
5. Supplement Wisely
In a perfect world, we would be rising and sleeping with the sun,
getting Vitamin D from the sun and Magnesium from the ocean while
relaxing and exercising in great balance each day in a stress-free
world. Since I doubt that describes any of us currently, supplements can
fill in the gaps. I’ve talked about the
basic supplements that I take before, but there are some specific ones that are helpful for hormone support.
- Maca-
A tuber in the radish family that has a history of boosting hormone
production and libido. Many women notice less PMS, increased fertility,
and improved skin while men notice increased sperm production, libido,
and better sleep. Maca is also high in minerals and essential fatty
acids, making it great for hormones. It is available in powder form (least expensive option) or in capsules.
- Magnesium-
Magnesium supports hundreds of reactions in the body and often
contributes to better sleep (which is great for hormones!). There are
several effective forms of Magnesium: In powder form with a product like Natural Calm so that you can vary your dose and work up slowly, ionic liquid form can be added to food and drinks and dose can be worked up slowly,or transdermal form by using Magnesium oil applied to skin. This is often the most effective option for those with damaged digestive tract or severe deficiency.
- Vitamin D- A pre-hormone is supportive of hormone function. Best obtained from the sun if possible, or from a D3 supplement or Fermented Cod Liver Oil.
- Fermented Cod Liver Oil-
Provides many of the necessary building blocks for hormone production
including Vitamins A, D, and K. It also is a great source of Omega-3s
and beneficial fats.
- Gelatin
is a great source of calcium, magnesium and phosphate. It supports
hormone production and digestive health and helps sooth inflammation,
especially in joints. We use Great Lakes Kosher as
I was able to verify with the company that it is sourced from
grass-fed, humanely raised cows, and as such is higher in nutrients.
6. Exercise Lightly
If you have hormone imbalance, intense extended exercise can actually
make the problem worse in the short term. Sleep is actually more
important, at least during the balancing phase, so focus on relaxing
exercises like walking or swimming and avoid the extended running,
cardio, and exercise videos, for now….
7. Lift Heavy Weights
While extended cardio can be bad, short bursts of heavy lifting
(kettlebells, deadlifts, squats, lunges) can be beneficial since they
trigger a cascade of beneficial hormone reactions. Aim for a few sets
(5-7) at a weight that really challenges you, but make sure to get help
with form and training if you haven’t done these before as bad form can
be harmful!
8. Eat Some Coconut Oil
Coconut Oil
is amazing for hormone health. It provides the necessary building
blocks for hormone production, can assist weight loss, reduce
inflammation, and even has antimicrobial and antibacterial properties.
If you really need hormone help, aim to consume 1/4 cup of added coconut oil a day. My favorite way is to
blend into coffee or tea.
This is the highest quality one I’ve found.
9. Fix Your Leptin
Leptin is a master hormone,
and if it is out of balance or if you are resistant to it, no other
hormones will balance well. Fixing leptin will also help boost
fertility, make weight loss easier, improve sleep, and lower
inflammation.
The other great thing about natural cleaning recipes is that it is
safe for kids to start helping with cleaning jobs at an earlier age.
I’ve found that 2-4 years is a great age to get them to really start
doing regular chores as they naturally want to help at this age!
