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.

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