What and when to eat to maintain hormonal balance

A lot is said about hormonal balance. And no wonder, because its imbalance is fraught with irritation, anxiety, anxiety, nervousness, headaches, sleep problems, decreased sexual activity, inability to control your emotions, overweight, in the end!  To return the hormonal balance to normal, as a rule, drug treatment is used. Or maybe easier… look at your plate? Right in the morning – advises estet-portal.com.

Is it possible to restore hormonal balance with food?

The human body produces about 70 important hormones that can signal inflammation, hunger, satiety, energy reserves and many other things that are vital for homo sapiens. It's like a telephone network, thanks to which there is a quick connection with different, sometimes distant parts of the body.

One of the causes of hormonal imbalance may be an improper diet.

Unfortunately, there is an opinion that hormonal imbalance – almost the norm for a person. Like, ok. 70% of women experience premenstrual syndrome (thus, which has become the byword of the PMS, to which they are accustomed to explain everything, up to a bad mood), and men after 30 intensely lose their testosterone – 1.5% per year. However, with this "hormonal injustice" it is possible and necessary to fight, and, according to experts, including with the help of a well-chosen diet. After all, one of the causes of hormonal imbalance can be flaws in nutrition:

• lack of foods containing important nutrients that help regulate hormonal balance;
• passion for alcohol;
• passion for sweets;
• use of dairy products made from the milk of cows that have been injected with drugs that stimulate milk production.

And if we realize how strong the hormonal responses caused by a particular food, then we will stop perceiving food only as a source of calories, but will begin to look at it as a system for controlling hormone levels. In the end, what we eat will become a real cure for hormonal imbalance.

What foods affect hormonal balance

To begin with, let's define the substances necessary to stabilize the hormonal balance and what products they contain.

• Vitamin E is a powerful antioxidant that reduces hot flashes and vaginal dryness. Found in sunflower, soybean, butter, sunflower seeds, almonds, cereals and legumes, nuts (walnuts, peanuts), Brussels sprouts, broccoli, green leafy vegetables, sea buckthorn, mountain ash, rose hips.
• Magnesium helps fight irritability, anxiety, mood swings, insomnia, perimenopausal symptoms and menstrual cramps. Source: almonds, cashews, halibut, spinach, pumpkin seeds, lentils, avocados, figs, raw cocoa beans, quinoa.
• Phytoestrogens will save the day during menopause. Their source: pine nuts, flax seeds, rose hips, St. John's wort, mint, lemon balm, sage.
• Animal protein regulates the production of progesterone. With low progesterone, you should pay attention to meat, fish, eggs.
• Vitamin C, folic acid, carotene, fiber accelerate the elimination of estrogen from the body. Vegetables from the cruciferous family are rich in all of the listed substances: Chinese, white cabbage, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, broccoli, radish, kohlrabi, mustard, swede, turnip, watercress.
• B vitamins are able to optimize metabolism. They are also needed to obtain glucose from carbohydrates, for the good functioning of the nervous system.  These vitamins are found in nuts, tomatoes, bell peppers, liver, buckwheat porridge, dried fruits, apricots, dates, raw egg yolk, cauliflower and white cabbage, broccoli, leafy vegetables, meat of domestic chickens, beef, lamb, pork, caviar, cheese.
• Bifidobacteria. Probiotic bacteria living,  mainly in the large intestine, they prevent the growth of bacteria and yeast in it, which contribute to an increase in estrogen. A large amount of estrogen is fraught with hormonal disorders. Bifidobacteria are rich in fermented foods: miso (Japanese soy paste), pickled vegetables – especially cabbage.
• Boron maintains normal male and female sex hormones. Boron source: grapes, pears, carrots, apples, beets, swedes, prunes, legumes, honey, nuts.
• Calcium is simply necessary for women during menopause. Source: cottage cheese, cheese (including soy), yogurt, sour cream, kefir, almonds, asparagus, beans, broccoli, dark green leafy vegetables (spinach, cabbage), figs, salmon, seeds (especially sesame).
• Dietary insoluble fiber helps to remove excess estrogens from the body. Source of fiber: cereals, cereal sprouts, fresh vegetables (beets, carrots, tomatoes), fruits (especially apples), seaweed, wholemeal bread. If the level of estrogen is low, then you should be careful with the listed products. Then the diet should be enriched with legumes.
• Flavonoids and vitamin C help cleanse the liver of excess estrogen, alleviate the climatore syndrome. Contained in blueberries, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, white cabbage, citrus fruits, kiwi, kohlrabi, mango, papaya, peas, pineapple.
• Omega-3 unsaturated fatty acids help to cope with depression, menstrual pain, regulate hormone production, stimulate metabolism, prevent the formation of hormone-dependent tumors. Source of Omega-3: fish (anchovies, herring, mackerel, sardines), fish oil, algae, flaxseeds.
• Lignans – natural hormones capable of doing the same "work" as estrogens. Lignans relieve hot flashes, relieve vaginal dryness, regulate the hormonal balance of the body, inactivate excess estrogen, remove xenoestrogen. Source of lignans: flax seeds, wheat, rice, barley, oats, sweet potatoes.

Breakfast with oatmeal: pure English murder… hormonal balance

But to keep this impressive list of hormone-regulating foods from becoming the proverbial microscope for hammering in nails, it's also important to know what time of day it's best to eat them. After all, as it turned out, the wrong choice of products for breakfast can ruin the whole mass, that is, cause a hormonal storm in the body. Proof of that – research scientists from Tel Aviv University. They followed a group of young, slim women who were unable to conceive due to a hormonal imbalance. In this situation, reducing insulin levels as a result of weight loss could help, but since the women did not have extra pounds, this option had to be discarded. Then the pundits decided to find out if it was possible, with the help of the reception time, volume and quality of food to control the level of insulin in patients. 60 women ate for 3 months based on the calculation of 1800 kcal per day. Only in the first group of subjects, the lion's share of these calories came from breakfast – OK. 980 (for lunch – 640, for dinner -190), and in the second – for dinner (190/640/980). Before the start of the experiment, the levels of progesterone, insulin, glucose, globulin, and steroid hormones were measured in all women. At the end of the study, it turned out that women whose breakfasts were plentiful had ovulated at least once. Of those who were content with a breakfast of 190 kcal, only one in five ovulated. In the women from the first group, the level of insulin in the morning decreased by 53%, testosterone – twice. So a hearty breakfast and a modest dinner can reduce insulin resistance,

The wrong selection of breakfast foods can cause a hormonal storm in the body.

What happens if you have oatmeal, cereal with milk and fruits for breakfast – foods, in principle, healthy, but high in carbohydrates? First – the level of sugar in the blood rises. Insulin gets down to business, begins to lower sugar, as a result, after 3 hours it is already below the norm, which means that we want to eat again. Second – the hormone of the adrenal glands (and they are most active in the morning) cortisone blocks insulin receptors, due to which glucose does not enter the cells, as is necessary to provide them with energy, but into adipose tissue. Third – a high-carbohydrate breakfast stimulates the production of serotonin, so that in the midst of a working day, oatmeal lovers can become sleepy. A high-protein breakfast, which includes meat, seafood, fish, and eggs, will help to avoid such problems with hormones. Ideally, breakfast should consist of fat, fiber and protein. Vegetarians can be advised cheeses, miso pasta, bean dishes. As you can see, in order to achieve hormonal balance, have good health and well-being, it is important not only to count calories, but also to eat the right food at the right time.