10 Natural Ways to Balance Your Hormones
Hormones are special chemical messengers in the body that are created in the endocrine glands. They play a major role in controlling your appetite, weight and mood. Normally, the endocrine glands produce the precise amount of each hormone needed for various processes in your body.
Unfortunately, today’s busy lifestyle can cause hormonal imbalance. Other causes can be aging, puberty, menstruation, and pregnancy.
Luckily, there are some natural ways that can help you improve your hormonal health.
Here are the 10 best natural ways to balance your hormones.
1. Eat more protein
Consuming protein is essential for your optimal health. Research has shown that including a minimum of 20–30 grams of protein per meal can release hormones that control your appetite and food intake. Eating protein decreases levels of the “hunger hormone” ghrelin and stimulates the production of hormones such as PYY and GLP-1 that help you feel full.
2. Exercise regularly
Regular physical activity can strongly influence hormonal health. Exercising helps in reducing the insulin levels and increasing the insulin sensitivity. The insulin is a hormone that has positive and negative effects on your body. It takes up the sugar and amino acids from the bloodstream and converts them into energy which is good for maintaining your muscles. On the other hand, the high insulin levels have been linked to inflammation, heart disease, diabetes and cancer.
3. Avoid eating sugar and refined carbs
Eating too much sugar and refined carbs can lead to a great number of health problems. You should start minimizing these foods in order to optimize hormone function and prevent obesity, diabetes and other diseases.
4. Manage stress
Stress can cause chaos on your hormones. The two major hormones affected by stress are cortisol and adrenaline,also called epinephrine. Chronic stress elevates the cortisol levels, which can lead to excessive calorie intake and obesity, including increased belly fat. Elevated adrenaline levels can cause high blood pressure, rapid heart rate and anxiety.
5. Drink green tea
Green tea is one of the healthiest drink, it contains caffeine that boost your metabolism and antioxidant known as epigallocatechingallate (EGCG), which has several health benefits. Consuming green tea increases insulin sensitivity and lower insulin levels and prevent obesity and diabetes.
6. Eat fatty fish
Fatty fish is rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which have remarkable anti-inflammatory properties. Eating fatty fish improves your hormonal health, by reducing the levels of the stress hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline.
7. Eat more eggs
Eggs contain lots of nutrients that are beneficial to your health. Research has shown that they positively affect hormones that regulate food intake, including lowering levels of insulin and ghrelin, and increasing PYY.
8. Consume high-fiber diet
The soluble fiber is a significant component of a healthy diet and hormonal balance. Studies have found that it increases insulin sensitivity and stimulates the production of hormones that make you feel full longer. That’s why it is important to eat fiber-rich foods on a daily basis.
9. Avoid consuming sugary beverages
Consuming sugary liquids appear to be the worst by far. The large amounts of sugar-sweetened beverages may contribute to insulin resistance, especially in overweight and obese adults and children. To improve your hormonal balance, it’s essential to avoid sugar-sweetened beverages.
10. Get more quality sleep
Good quality sleep is essential for your health. No matter how much you exercise and eat healthy foods, if you lack of sleep, your hormones will suffer. The lack of sleep has been linked to imbalances of many hormones, including insulin, cortisol, leptin, ghrelin and growth hormone. To maintain optimal hormonal balance, you should sleep at least seven hours per night.