7 Tips to Maximize Hormone Health

Hormones are often the basis for many of our woes, including weight gain. But outside of puberty, pregnancy, and menopause, many people don’t give hormones much thought or realize how they are affected by diets, exercise choices, and lifestyle.

Today, our hormones are more out of whack than ever due to stress and disruptors such as xenoestrogens in our food and environment. Fortunately, there are some simple things you can do to help keep your hormone health in order.

Here are 7 of them:

1) Maintain healthy weight. Excessive fat tissue (called adipose tissue) can act as an endocrine organ, producing more estrogen in your body. By maintaining a healthy weight, your body is not stimulated to overproduce certain hormones.

2) Eat thyroid supportive foods. Foods that are rich in iodine such as kelp, Himalayan salt, seafood, organic strawberries can help with this. Try to drink filtered water, as the fluoride in our tap water binds to iodine and prevents our body from using it effectively.

3) Eat healthy saturated fat (such as coconut oil). Cholesterol is needed for the formation of healthy cell membranes and is a precursor to steroid hormones (progesterone, estrogen, FSH, etc.). You cannot have proper hormonal balance without adequate amounts of saturated fats.

4) Avoid refined grains, sugar, and processed foods. These interfere with the hormone leptin, which helps regulate appetite and metabolism. When leptin resistance sets in, you suffer from cravings and your metabolism slows down.

5) Avoid Bispheonol-A and phthalates. Commonly found in plastics and can liners, these endocrine disruptors mimic actual hormones, replacing the benefits with a toxic phony that provides nothing of value to the body.

6) Support your adrenal glands. The adrenals regulate the “stress hormone,” cortisol. To keep them in top shape, limit your intake of alcohol and caffeine, and commit to getting to bed by 11 pm. Your body creates growth hormones while you sleep, so prioritizing bedtime is an important step in staying balanced.

7) Keep stress in check. Take time to breathe fully and relax for a few minutes each day.  This is a big one these days. You can try yoga, meditation, essential oils, fun, laughter, massage, time in nature, journaling, downtime. Whatever works for you!