A hormonal imbalance occurs when the body has too much or too little of a certain hormone. Even slight imbalances can harm a person’s health and raise the risk of chronic health conditions. Possiblesymptoms of a hormonal imbalanceinclude fatigue, acne, irregular periods, and weight gain.
People with hormonal imbalances may want to consider testing their levels with their healthcare provider. They can help you create a treatment plan that works for you, which may involve lifestyle changes, dietary considerations, and medications.
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1. Consume Healthy Fats
The body needshealthy fatsto function and keep hormones balanced. Research shows that consuming healthy fats like olive oil can reduce appetite and improveinsulin resistance. Insulin resistance occurs when the cells cannot useinsulineffectively, causing blood sugar to rise and a need for more insulin. This leads to an imbalance in insulin levels and raises the risk oftype 2 diabetes.
Healthy fats help the body balance cortisol (stress hormone) levels. Too much of it can lead to inflammation over time.Healthy fat foods include:
2. Watch Sugar Intake
A sugar-rich diet increases the risk of insulin resistance and leads to highblood sugarlevels. One study shows that consuming a type of sugar calledfructoseover a long period may disrupt the balance ofgut bacteriaand lead to hormonal imbalances.
Research shows that lowering sugar intake can restore hormonal balance and reduce the risk of chronic conditions like heart disease.
3. Focus on Fiber
Fiberis an essential nutrient that improves digestion and provides a feeling of fullness. Fiber also improvesinsulin sensitivity(the body’s ability to respond to insulin) and reduces the risk of insulin resistance. Increasing your fiber intake may improve the hormone balance that affects your gut.
Foods rich in fiber include:
4. Balance Your Protein Intake
The body needsproteinto build and retain muscle and maintain a healthy weight. Without enough protein, your body may be unable to produce hormones essential for growth, energy, and reproduction. Protein also helps produce peptide hormones that regulate appetite and provide a feeling of fullness.
Eating ahigh-protein breakfastcan result in eating less throughout the day.To increase your intake of protein, consider adding the following foods to your diet:
5. Boost Your Gut Health
Gut healthrefers to the health and function of the digestive tract, which is lined with bacteria that help regulate hormone levels and insulin sensitivity.
The gut needs the right balance of beneficial and harmful bacteria to function well. To improve your gut health, consider limiting your intake of sugary and processed foods. Focus on fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains, healthy fats, and plant-based proteins.
6. Avoid Inflammatory and Processed Foods
Processed foodsare those that have been altered during the production process. Examples include store-bought cookies, crackers, chips, and fast food. Eating processed food increasesinflammationin the body, which puts stress on the body and may lead to insulin resistance.
Reduce your intake of processed and fast food. Increase the amount of nutrient-rich foods like vegetables, fruits, whole grains, lean proteins, and healthy fats in your diet.
7. Eat Fatty Fish
Fatty fish are rich in healthy fats, such asomega-3 fatty acids. These fats have been found to improve heart health, digestion, and mood. They may also benefit the brain andcentral nervous system.
Fatty fish contain healthy fats, balance hormones, and reduce insulin resistance. Examples of fatty fish include:
8. Avoid Chemicals You Don’t Recognize
When choosing foods at the grocery store, glance at their ingredients lists. If you notice a long list of chemical names that you don’t recognize, you may want to avoid it. People who eat diets rich in processed foods with chemicals may be more at risk of insulin resistance and other hormonal imbalances.
Focus on eating fresh, whole foods to improve your hormonal balance. TheMediterranean diet, which includes whole grains, seeds, fish, legumes, and vegetables, can help balance estrogen levels and reduce the risk of certain types of cancer.
9. Stay Hydrated
Dehydrationoccurs when the body loses more water than it consumes. This leads to stress and may affect hormone levels that regulate mood.People who regularly drink water daily are less likely to experience mood disorders like anxiety anddepression.
Try keeping a filled water bottle with you throughout the day. You can also set reminders on your phone to drink water.
10. Limit or Avoid Alcohol
Alcoholic drinks like beer, wine, and liquor may disrupt hormone levels. Even modest amounts ofalcoholcan significantly affect hormone health. Research found that people assigned male at birth who regularly drank alcohol had lowertestosterone levelsand reduced sperm quality.Talk with a healthcare provider about a healthy amount of alcohol and try to cut back if needed.
11. Quit Smoking
Smoking is harmful to just about every aspect of health. Tobacco smoke is known to alter hormone levels and may harm thyroid health. Smoking stresses the body and stimulates too much production of certain hormones.Talk with a healthcare provider about aplan to quit smokingand consider seeking guidance from a local or online support group.
12. Exercise Regularly
Regular physical activity benefits heart health and improves hormonal balance. People who exercise regularly have increased insulin sensitivity. By lowering insulin levels, exercise can reduce the risk of chronic conditions like heart disease, diabetes, andobesity.
Speak with a healthcare provider about an exercise plan. Consider starting with low-impact workouts likewalking,swimming, biking, and yoga.
13. Manage Stress
Chronicstressis harmful to the body and can wreak havoc on hormone health. Stress hormones like cortisol are helpful for short periods. However, if your body is under chronic stress, your cortisol levels will remain high for long periods, which disrupts the body’s ability to cope with and manage stress. High-stress levels also impact the hormones that regulate appetite.
To lower your stress level, incorporate proven stress management techniques into your routine.
14. Get Quality Sleep
Quality sleepis essential for all aspects of health. Poor sleep has been linked to several health issues, including hormonal imbalances. People who do not get enough sleep regularly have altered insulin and cortisol levels.
Poor sleep also disrupts the hormonesleptin and ghrelin, which regulate hunger and satiety (a satisfied feeling of fullness). When your body doesn’t get the sleep it needs, you may feel hungrier throughout the day. Sleep deprivation also leads to stress and an increased risk of insulin resistance.
15. Avoid Endocrine Disruptors
To reduce exposure to endocrine disruptors, cook your meals at home as often as possible. Avoid heavily processed foods that may contain harmful chemicals. Consider switching to natural cleaning products.
16. Birth Control Pills
If diet and lifestyle changes do not improve your hormonal imbalance, your healthcare provider may recommend medication.Birth control pillsusually contain the hormones progestin andestrogen. They may help people assigned female at birth who have low levels of these hormones.
Low estrogen or progestin may lead toirregular periodsand infertility. Talk with a healthcare provider about your hormone levels and ask if birth control pills could help.
17. Hormone Therapy (HT)
Hormone therapy (HT)refers to medications that contain hormones. If you have low levels of certain hormones, your healthcare provider may recommend HT to improve symptoms.
People with low levels of estrogen ortestosteronemay benefit from HT. These hormones are available as oral pills, injections, or topical medications. Like with any medical treatment, HT may cause side effects.Talk with a healthcare provider about HRT’s potential risks and benefits.
18. Insulin-Sensitizing Medications
Summary
Hormonal imbalance occurs when the body has too many or too few hormones. Even a small imbalance can lead to serious health risks. Dietary changes like reducing sugar intake and consuming more fiber may help. Other lifestyle adjustments include sleeping better, exercising daily, and reducing stress. If you require medications to balance your hormones, a healthcare provider may recommend birth control pills, hormone therapy, or insulin-sensitizing medications.
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