In part one of this blog we covered the epic importance of balanced hormones for optimal health. Now, we’re going to share some great tips to help you balance your hormones and achieve the true wellness you’ve been seeking.
- Add plenty of healthy fats to your diet.
Fat is the enemy of healthy bodies, right? Wrong! Eating a balance of the right kinds of natural foods that are high in short, medium and long-chain fatty acids actually helps balance your hormones. Your body needs those fats, including saturated fats and cholesterol, to create hormones, keep inflammation levels low, boost your metabolism and promote weight loss. Yes, healthy fats can promote weight loss!
So feel free to add healthy fats to your diet like coconut oil, avocados, grass-fed butter and wild-caught salmon.
- Take Adaptogen herb supplements.
A fantastic way to promote hormone balance and boost immunity is to take Adaptogen herbs. In supplement form, Adaptogen herbs such as ashwagandha, medicinal mushrooms, rhodiola and holy basil will:
- Reduce anxiety and depression
- Improve thyroid function
- Stabilize blood sugar and insulin levels
- Lower cholesterol naturally
- Reduce brain cell degeneration
- Support adrenal gland functions
These are my ALL TIME favorite Chinese Herbs, the Detox Quartet, which we use in our 30 day Cleanse Groups. They include probiotics, liver tonics, pathogen flushers, heavy metal deactivators and adaptogenic herbs, ALL in one. 🙂
- Balance your Omega-3 and Omega-6 fats
Our modern diet includes way too many refined vegetable oils and omega-6 fatty acids. Unfortunately, they cause a severe imbalance because we aren’t taking in enough omega-3 fatty foods at the same time – a balance that is vital to hormonal function.
In fact, research suggest that our current ratio of omega-3s to omega-6s is about 10:1 or even 20:1 in America today, while our hunter/gatherer ancestors had a balance of 1:1!
To promote balancing those Omega-3s and Omega-6s once again, avoid safflower, sunflower, corn, cottonseed, canola, soybean and peanut oils, while increasing intake of natural omega-3s like wild fish, flaxseed, chia seeds, walnuts and grass-fed animal products.
- Focus on strengthening your gut health and eliminating Leaky Gut Syndrome
We’ve talked about leaky gut syndrome and promoting gut health (add link), and, once again, it’s vital to hormonal balance. In fact, a 
deficiency of probiotics in your gut can inhibit production of key hormones like insulin, ghrelin and leptin, causing autoimmune reactions such as arthritis and thyroid disorders.
We’ve given you a lot of great advice about healing leaky gut syndrome and maintaining gut health, but remember to stay away from processed foods, gluten, hydrogenated oils and added sugar.
Additionally, add foods or supplements that help balance your gut health, and therefore hormones, like bone broth, kefir, fermented vegetables, and high-fiber foods like vegetables and sprouted seeds.
- Get rid of those toxins from kitchen, beauty and body care products.
The everyday cosmetics, bath and beauty products, and even kitchen items contain an alarming amount of harmful chemicals and toxins like DEA, parabens, propylene glycol and sodium lauryl sulfate.
Even the abundance of plastic bottles, aluminum cans, and packaging we use contain toxic BPAs. Switch to glass, stainless steel, and natural paper containers and packaging whenever possible; ceramic, cast iron or stainless steel plans instead of Teflon, and check the labels of the daily products you use for natural alternatives like essential oils, coconut oil, shea butter and castor oil.
- Exercise regularly – and with intensity.
Regular exercise is wonderful, but if you REALLY want to see and feel the health benefits of working out, consider high intensity and interval training (HIIT), which switches up short, intense bursts of different activities with short rest periods. The result will be a far better balance of hormones, an enhanced immune system, lower insulin levels, better moods, less likely to be depressed, higher alertness, weight loss, lower stress, and better sleep. Sounds like a no-brainer! Here's a FUN VIDEO I made which you can try as a HIIT workout.
- Get more sleep to reduce stress on your body.
Stress is the enemy of your system and nothing increases stress and messes with your system like a lack of sleep. In fact, not getting 7-8 hours of good nightly sleep – or more for some people – disturbs natural circadian rhythm, raising cortisol levels and throwing your hormones out of balance. That can result in lower immunity, increased anxiety, weight gain and depression. But proper rest will do wonders for allowing your body to recover, recharge and stay healthy – including balanced hormones.
- Take it easy on the caffeine and alcohol.
We know you love your coffee, but caffeine out of moderation really messes up your sleep patterns and body chemistry. In fact, caffeine stays in your system up to six hours, so more than cup or two in the morning can disrupt your sleep patterns by elevating cortisol levels, affecting the central nervous system, raising your heart rate, increasing nervousness and anxiety, and altering your hormonal balance. So instead of coffee past noon, try drinking a more mild and low-caffeine matcha green tea or tulsi tea, which will naturally boost alertness.
While we’re on the subject of what you’re drinking, cut down on alcohol. Anything more than two to three drinks a day can impact liver function, contribute to estrogen imbalance, and also affect pancreatic functioning, the risk of liver disease, lower testosterone and contribute to anxiety.
- Take Vitamin D3.
When we don’t get enough natural sunlight during winter months or because we work inside so much, our bodies may suffer from a lack of Vitamin D. In case you didn’t know, that shortage of Vitamin D can affect the immune system, insulin secretion from the pancreas, heart function, blood pressure, and brain development. But proper doses of Vitamin D almost function as a hormone inside the body, keeping inflammation low and fending off seasonal depression and other health issues found in dark winter climates. So get as much natural sunlight in cold winter months as possible, but also take about 2,000 IU to 5,000 IU of vitamin D daily to supplement. Most stores don't sell supplements that are of nutraceutical quality, and contain a lot of binders and fillers, so we put together an online store where you can buy a high quality D supplement HERE.
- Rethink those birth control pills.
In the world of health, we’re often cautious about the advice we give. But there is one thing that’s fairly absolute: birth control pills are bad for you. In fact, “the pill” works by raising estrogen levels to dangerous levels, causing complications like:
- Migraines
- Increased blood pressure
- Weight gain
- Back pains
- Mood changes
- Nausea
- Benign liver tumors
- Bleeding between cycles
- Increased risk of breast cancer
- Increased risk of uterine bleeding,
- Blood clotting, heart attacks and strokes
I work with many women to help them get off birth control and explore hormone balancing alternatives. If you're looking for solutions on how to make the transition yourself OR just clear up your hormone related symptoms, I can't recommend THIS KIT enough. 🙂
Contact me to discuss other birth control alternatives that are far more natural and easy on your system and please feel to join us in our Private Facebook Group UNICORN WELLNESS WARRIORS.
Also, if you've been on birth control for a long time, and/or are struggling to lose weight, or achieve health goals of any kind, you will LOVE this recipe I created, called the LOVE MY HORMONES shake that I recommend you start your day with. It's a HUGE game and life changer. Prepare for Transformation and the most amazing Tribe you've ever met.
