Category: Gut Health
Hormones & Food in Omaha, NE
Weight gain, pain, and fatigue are just a few symptoms of hormonal imbalances. If you found this blog post, then you probably have a pretty good understanding of the importance of hormones and how they can affect your day-to-day life. Or maybe you are experiencing some imbalances and want to do something about it. Hormones & Food education can be found at our New Leaf Wellness clinic in Omaha, NE. What if there was a way that you could help with your imbalance symptoms while you’re doing something everyone does every single day? Eating. More specifically, your daily food choices.
How Food Choices Affect My Hormones
“Food can affect the production and secretion of hormones by direct actions on the gut, by nervous reflexes, through changes in the concentration of various metabolites in the blood, or secondary to changes in circulating gut hormone levels.” PubMed
The food you eat can impact the amount of certain hormones that are made in your body and how much those hormones are dispersed. We can manipulate some of these hormones through specific foods. But what foods should you be looking for?
The first items you want to put in your shopping cart are cruciferous vegetables. Cruciferous vegetables include broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, kale, cabbage, and bok choy. These veggies help our livers metabolize estrogen and protect us from estrogen-dominant cancers. It really does pay to eat your vegetables, kids.
Carbs or No Carbs
Another thing you’ll want to look for is high-fiber carbohydrates. A good rule of thumb is the “half/fourth rule.” Half the meal is full of nonstarchy vegetables, and a fourth of the meal is starchy vegetables like potatoes or whole grains. A high-fiber diet can help clear out some excess hormones from your body, along with regulating melatonin and cortisol. So grab some carrots, sweet potatoes, and squash to that shopping cart too.
Finally, let’s talk about fat. Fat and cholesterol are the building blocks of hormones. It is important to stock up on fats high in omega-3s. Some foods that include healthy fats are salmon, albacore tuna, walnuts, flaxseeds, olive oil, chia seeds, and avocados.
Small life changes like choosing what foods to eat can affect how your hormones interact with the rest of your body. And they’re not even gross or obscure dishes that are impossible to find. Most likely you have some of these ingredients in your kitchen already. If you need some starting ideas, try looking up some healthy recipes including any of the foods listed above. Help your taste buds and your body! For more help, go to New Leaf Wellness, Omaha, or one of the other New Leaf Wellness clinics near you.
menopause, Tictoc, BioTe
The Menopause Diet in Tulsa, OK
Menopause is one of those things women are taught to fear at a very young age. Wait until the hot flashes. However, thanks to the miracle of modern medicine, hormone therapy has arrived to ease the side effects of menopause greatly. What can you do daily to make this part of the biological process just a little bit more bearable? The answer may be the Menopause Diet in Tulsa, OK.
Helping Menopause With Food
In order to understand what happens to our bodies when we enter menopause, it’s important to understand how foods and diet shifts can affect those symptoms. As defined by WebMD, menopause is the phase in which your period ends, marking the end of your reproductive years. Symptoms of menopause include trouble sleeping, the need to pee more often, sore breasts, and many others.
There may be some foods that you can indulge in (or steer clear of) that may help ease the tension of these annoying symptoms.
Perimenopause – Symptoms and Causes
While in perimenopause, the time that precedes menopause, your estrogen levels may fluctuate. You can receive phytoestrogens, a group of chemicals that weakly act as estrogen in your body, from certain foods. Foods that contain high levels of phytoestrogens include soybeans and flaxseeds.
Another hormone that menopause manipulates is cortisol: your stress hormone. This hormone is a part of your fight-or-flight response that can contribute to visceral fat if maintained at high levels. Be mindful of drinks such as caffeine and alcohol that raise your cortisol levels. You don’t have to cut these drinks cold turkey. Just minimizing your consumption of these substances can benefit your overall health, especially during menopause.
Healthline at New Leaf Wellness, Tulsa
Healthline also recommends whole foods, such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, high-quality proteins, and dairy products. Whole foods, such as these, can aide in reducing the effects of menopausal symptoms. Ingesting healthy fats like omega-3 fatty acids from fish can also help.
Lastly, take care of your body, especially when it is going through a change like menopause. Building and maintaining healthy habits and getting in touch with your body can only help you. It’s a win-win situation. By changing simple habits in your day-to-day life, you may find you’re able to curb the symptoms of menopause. To help you go to New Leaf Wellness, Tulsa, or one of the other New Leaf Wellness clinics near you.
Click for more information on Hormone Therapy
menopause, Tictoc, BioTe
Weight Loss vs. Bloating
Do you really need to lose weight or could it be something else?
Watch this video to learn more about Weight Loss vs Bloating.
Why is Food the Foundation of Estrogen Reset?
Why is Food the Foundation of Estrogen Reset?
Estrogen is a critical hormone that plays a significant role in the health and well-being of women. It is responsible for regulating the menstrual cycle, maintaining bone density, supporting cardiovascular health, and much more. However, in today’s modern world, many factors can disrupt the delicate balance of estrogen in our bodies, leading to hormonal imbalances and related health issues. One powerful way to reset and rebalance estrogen levels is through nutrition, making food the foundation of our estrogen reset.
Estrogen dominance, a condition where the levels of estrogen in the body are higher than progesterone, is a common hormonal imbalance that affects many women. Factors such as stress, environmental toxins, poor diet, lack of exercise, and hormonal birth control can all contribute to estrogen dominance. The good news is that by making strategic changes to our diet, we can help reset estrogen levels and restore hormonal balance.
The role of food in our estrogen reset begins with the concept of phytoestrogens. Phytoestrogens are naturally occurring compounds found in plant-based foods that have a similar chemical structure to estrogen. When consumed, phytoestrogens can bind to estrogen receptors in our bodies and either mimic or block the effects of estrogen. This can help regulate estrogen levels, reducing the risk of estrogen dominance or deficiency.
There are several reasons why estrogen reset relies on food:
- Phytoestrogens: As mentioned earlier, phytoestrogens play a significant role in estrogen reset. Foods such as flaxseeds, sesame seeds, soybeans, lentils, and chickpeas are rich sources of phytoestrogens. Including these foods in our diet can help balance estrogen levels by either mimicking or blocking estrogen’s effects, depending on the body’s needs.
- Fiber: A high-fiber diet is beneficial for estrogen reset as it helps with estrogen elimination. Fiber binds to estrogen in the digestive tract, preventing its reabsorption and promoting its elimination through the feces. Your diet should include fiber-rich foods such as whole grains, legumes, fruits, and vegetables to optimize estrogen balance.
- Antioxidants: Antioxidants found in colorful fruits and vegetables, such as berries, leafy greens, and cruciferous vegetables, can help reduce oxidative stress and inflammation in the body. For estrogen reset, antioxidants are important, since inflammation can disrupt hormonal balance and contribute to estrogen dominance.
- Healthy Fats: Including healthy fats in our diet, such as avocados, nuts, seeds, and fatty fish, can help estrogen reset. Healthy fats provide the building blocks for hormone production and support hormonal balance. They also help with the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins, which are essential for estrogen metabolism.
- Organic and Whole Foods: Choosing organic and whole foods are crucial for estrogen reset. Many conventional foods, such as meat, dairy, and produce, can contain synthetic hormones, pesticides, and other harmful chemicals that disrupt hormonal balance. Opting for organic and whole foods reduces exposure to these harmful substances and supports a healthy estrogen reset.
- Avoidance of Processed Foods: Processed foods, such as refined grains, sugary foods, and processed meats, can negatively impact hormonal balance. They are often high in unhealthy fats, sugar, and salt, and low in essential nutrients. These foods can contribute to inflammation, insulin resistance, and other metabolic issues, which can disrupt estrogen levels. A successful estrogen reset requires reducing or avoiding processed foods. Keeping these foods out of the diet will reduce the amount of harmful toxins consumed and improve overall health.
- Gut Health: Gut health is closely linked to hormonal balance, including estrogen reset. A healthy gut microbiome supports proper digestion and absorption of nutrients, including those needed for estrogen metabolism.
Talk to your provider at New Leaf Wellness, Omaha, NE and the other New Leaf Wellness clinics about your estrogen levels and develop a plan that is right for you!
Click here to learn more about Estrogen Reset!
