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Top 5 Foods for Hormone Balance

Top 5 Foods for Hormone Balance

One of my favourite parts of working with patients is teaching them about what foods help to support their hormone balance goals, and how to incorporate these into their daily routines. In this day and age, it’s easy to forget that every single cell in our bodies is created from the foods that we eat. All of our hormones and neurotransmitters that influence how we feel every day are built from the proteins, fats, vitamins and minerals that we nourish ourselves with. If there is ONE thing that I can leave patients with when the see me, it is the power of “food as medicine”.


In this article, I will teach you the top 5 hormone balancing foods that I recommend to all of my patients who are suffering from bothersome hormone symptoms.


The most frequent hormone imbalance I see is “elevated estrogen and low progesterone”. This is sometimes called “estrogen dominance”.


Symptoms of estrogen dominance can include:


  • Breast tenderness at ovulation or during the PMS time
  • Fibrocystic breasts (i.e. cyclic breast tenderness or breast swelling, sometimes diagnosed by ultrasound)
  • PMS – especially feeling irritable, tearful, or having bothersome mood swings
  • PMS-related headaches or migraines
  • PMS-related acne or breakouts
  • Heavy and/or irregular periods
  • Weight gain around the hips and bum
  • Water retention or feeling puffy
  • Anxiety, nervousness
  • Depression
  • Decreased libido
  • Difficulty falling asleep or insomnia
  • Short menstrual cycle (approximately less than every 25 days)
  • Spotting before the period


Sound familiar?


Estrogen dominance is most commonly known to occur in adolescence, when the brain and ovaries are figuring out how to regularly coordinate ovulation. During the teen years soon after menarche (the onset of the first period), it’s quite common to “skip” ovulation, which results in higher estrogen and relatively low progesterone. This is a recipe for – you guessed it – estrogen dominance. Remember those heavy periods, cramps, acne, and crazy mood swings as a teen? That was estrogen dominance.


This hormonal pattern can occur later in life as well. Certain hormone imbalances such as Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS), endometriosis, or endometrial hyperplasia are often related to this “high estrogen, low progesterone” hormone pattern. Additionally, the perimenopausal period can also be a time of fluctuating estrogen and low progesterone, which can contribute to estrogen dominance symptoms.


So, before I delve into my top food recommendations for hormone balancing, I’m going to take you through a very abbreviated crash course in hormone metabolism. This will help to explain the foods I talk about later.


If you’d rather skip ahead to the foods – go right ahead, scroll on down!


Hormone balance and metabolism: the (very) short story


Estrogen and progesterone are primarily produced in the ovaries. Some estrogen is produced from fat cells around the body, and some estrogen and progesterone are produced in the adrenal glands (little glands that sit on top of your kidneys).


Estrogen


“Estrogen” actually has a few different forms. The most common and most potent estrogen is called estradiol. This is the one I am referring to when I discuss “estrogen dominance”. Estradiol is responsible for all the estrogen-related features of your body: your breasts, shape of your hips, and your menstrual cycle, to name a few. It also has healthy and protective benefits for your bones, brain, metabolism, hair, skin, and many other parts of your body. Your other, lesser-known estrogens are called estriol and estrone.


Progesterone


You need sufficient estrogen (and coordinated messaging between your brain and your ovaries) in order to ovulate. You need ovulation to occur in order to produce progesterone. If you don’t ovulate = low progesterone occurs (for that one month, at least).


Hormone Circulation


Estrogen circulates in your body in one of two ways. It’s either “free” on its own, which makes it potent and available to bind to various tissues in the body and do it’s job, or it’s “bound” to a protein called Sex Hormone Binding Globulin (SHBG). SHBG is like a little carrier. When it’s bound to SHBG, estrogen can’t be used. This can be a GOOD thing (more on this later).


Estrogen Metabolism and Excretion


Estrogen gets metabolized, broken down and “conjugated” (tagged) in the liver, then send to the intestines to be eliminated. This estrogen gets excreted in the feces. This is a good thing, because our bodies are producing more estrogen every month. However, there are certain intestinal bacteria that can work against this process. These bacteria produce an enzyme called ß-glucuronidase, which “un-tags” the estrogen. If this happens, that estrogen can be reabsorbed from the feces back into the blood stream. This can be a contributing factor to “estrogen dominance”.


In summary, our bodies are continuously producing estrogen in varying quantities depending on the time of the month; we should be ovulating every month in order to produce enough progesterone to balance estrogen; and if anything disrupts ovulation, or reduces our ability to metabolize and excrete estrogen, this can contribute to estrogen dominance symptoms.


If you can check off more than 4 symptoms from the list above, the rest of this article is especially pertinent for you!


Without further ado, here are my top 5 hormone balancing food recommendations.


1. Cruciferous Vegetables


The cruciferous vegetable family, also known as the Brassica family, is a diverse group of vegetables that includes broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, kale, bok choy, arugula, Brussels sprouts, collards, watercress and radishes.


You should focus on this super food if: You identify strongly with the list of estrogen dominance symptoms listed above.


The various vegetables in this family contain many various phytonutrients, vitamins and minerals. One compound in particular, called Indol-3-Carbinol (I3C), has a unique contribution to estrogen metabolism. Thanks in part to the action of our intestinal microflora, I3C actively promotes the breakdown of estrogen into its healthy metabolites (namely, 2-hydroxyestrone, or 2OH). This estrogen metabolite helps to reduce the effect of the more potent estrogen, called estradiol.


Basically, I3C promotes healthy estrogen metabolism and can help to lessen the physical symptoms of estrogen dominance.


Some studies have even found an inverse correlation between cruciferous vegetable intake and certain types of cancer. In other words, people with high dietary intake of cruciferous vegetables appear to have lower rates of lung, stomach, colorectal, bladder and other cancers. For women with certain genetic predispositions towards breast cancer, a diet high in cruciferous veggies may help to reduce the risk of breast cancer.


For women with symptoms of elevated estrogen, I recommend 4-6 servings of cruciferous vegetables per day. One serving is the equivalent of approximately 1 cup (the size of your fist) of vegetables. Before you raise your eyebrows at me, know that these vegetables are delicious and actually very easy to incorporate into your daily routine. Here’s how you can do it:


  • Breakfast: Green smoothie with 2 big handfuls of kale, frozen berries and banana (2 servings)
  • Lunch: Sautéed tofu and mixed vegetables on arugula greens (2 servings)
  • Dinner: Moroccan roasted chicken with 1 cup of “cauliflower rice” (1 serving)


Once you start looking out for delicious cruciferous recipes, you will notice them everywhere!


 2. Flax Seeds


Flax seeds are nutrient- and fibre-rich seeds with added hormone balancing benefits, thanks to special little compounds called “lignans” (and lignins). Lignans are also found in other fibre-rich foods such as other oil seeds, whole grains, legumes and some vegetables, but flax seeds are best known for these compounds.


You should focus on this super food if: You have symptoms of estrogen dominance, and especially if you struggle with constipation (meaning, less than one bowel movement a day).


Flax seeds support hormone balance in two main ways. Firstly, lignins bind to estrogen in the intestine, ensuring that those estrogens get excreted in the feces. This “interrupts” the reabsorption of estrogen back into the blood stream via the liver, meaning that we can reduce the body’s overall estrogen. This is ideal for women with estrogen dominant hormone conditions.


Secondly, lignans stimulate the production of Sex Hormone Binding Globulin (SHBG) in the liver. The more circulating SHBG we have in our blood, the more it binds to estrogen, rendering it less available for binding to receptors and contributing to estrogen dominant symptoms.


In one study of 18 women, participants’ menstrual cycles were observed for 3 cycles on their normal, low-fibre diet, and then for 3 cycles while supplementing with flax seed. The flax seed cycles showed no anovulatory cycles (compared to a total of 3 anovulatory cycles in the control), longer luteal phase lengths, and improved luteal phase estrogen:progesterone ratios.


My typical hormone balancing prescription is 2 Tbsp of ground flax seeds per day, although some studies suggest that whole flax seeds can work too. I recommend storing your flax seeds in the fridge to preserve the healthy oils, and grind then right before eating. If that extra step is going to slow you down too much, you can simply buy pre-ground flax seeds.


Here are some easy ways to incorporate flax into your daily routine:


  • Add 1-2 Tbsp ground flax to your smoothie
  • Sprinkle flax seeds on top of your grains or salads
  • Try out the “Life Changing Loaf of Bread” recipe from My New Roots (one of my favourites)
  • Omit eggs from your baking recipes and instead use a “flax egg” (1 Tbsp ground flax in 4 Tbsp warm water)


3. Fibre


Dietary fibre is known for promoting healthy cholesterol levels, supporting cardiovascular health, and reducing the risk of colon cancer; and, it also plays an important role in hormone health. Insoluble dietary fibres such as lignin (discussed above and found in flax seeds, but also in the bran layer of grains, beans and seeds) help bind to estrogen in the intestine and shuttle them out of the body through the feces. This helps to reduce or prevent those “estrogen dominant” symptoms.


You should focus on this super food if: You have symptoms of estrogen dominance, and especially if you struggle with constipation (meaning, less than one bowel movement a day), or you’ve been told you have high cholesterol.


One study compared the estrogen excretion of women on a vegetarian diet, versus women on an omnivorous diet. The vegetarian diet was associated with better estrogen excretion (measured in the stool), likely due to the higher fibre content of their diet.


Additionally, fibre plays an important role in “feeding” our healthy gut bacteria. The more we can feed and promote the healthy bacteria, the less “reabsorption” of estrogen back into the blood stream that occurs.


Dietary fibre also increases SHBG, which then binds to estrogen in the bloodstream and helps to reduce estrogen-dominant symptoms, as I mentioned earlier.

Excellent sources of dietary fibre include whole grains, beans, legumes, flax seeds and other seeds, fruits and vegetables.


So, how much fibre should you be getting each day? Teens and women should be getting 25g fibre per day, at minimum. I generally recommend closer to 35g per day.


Here are some examples of ways to increase your fibre intake:


  • Add 2 Tbsp of ground flax seeds to your smoothie or on top of grains
  • Opt for whole grains over white refined baked goods
  • Add a handful of nuts and seeds to your salads
  • Aim for 8 cups of vegetables per day
  • Add 1 Tbsp psyllium husk to your oatmeal in the morning
  • Incorporate more beans and legumes into your dietary routine
  • Add higher-fibre fruits like apples, pears, apricots
  • Have a green smoothie every day


4. Calcium-Rich Foods


Did you know that calcium is a critical mineral for healthy hormones and neurotransmitters, like serotonin (the “happy” neurotransmitter)? During the PMS “time of the month” estrogen and progesterone decline, and serotonin takes a nose-dive, too. This is in part why women may feel depressed or irritable in the days leading up to their periods.


You should focus on this nutrient if: you struggle with PMS (particularly symptoms of food cravings, water retention, hormonal migraines, or PMS related depression or irritability), if you’re in your teens or in your 20’s, or if you are perimenopausal or menopausal. Basically, all women should focus on calcium containing foods!


A number of clinical trials have suggested a positive relationship between calcium supplementation and improved mood symptoms in PMS. Notably, most women do not obtain their Recommended Daily Intake of calcium per day. Only 68% of teen girls obtain the recommended 1200mg per day of calcium. Focusing on this nutrient is particularly important for teen girls and women in their 20’s, because this is the time when we build the foundation for bone health for the rest of the lifespan.


So, what are the best food sources of calcium? I’ve listed them, below. Certain plants are good sources of calcium, depending on the amount of calcium-blocking oxalates they contain. Oxalates reduce calcium “bioavailability” (i.e. how well we can absorb calcium).


Calcium-rich foods to incorporate into your diet:


  • Organic dairy products, especially full-fat Greek yoghurt. Yoghurt will have the added benefit of the Lactobacillus acidophilus bacteria, which benefit our intestinal microflora and its estrogen metabolism-supporting properties.
  • Dark leafy green vegetables
  • Organic tofu and other organic soy products
  • Sesame seeds
  • Almonds
  • Sardines with the bones
  • Chinese mustard greens and cabbage


5. Healthy Fats


Little known fact: estrogen, progesterone and testosterone are known as “sex steroid hormones” and all of them are built upon a backbone of cholesterol. We absolutely need to have adequate intake of healthy fats in order to make our hormones. When I am analyzing my patients’ diets, this is always the first place I start. If women aren’t getting enough of these basic hormone-building blocks, they often will show symptoms of hormone imbalance. In this case, low intake of necessary nutrients for hormone building can result in symptoms of LOW estrogen AND low progesterone.


You should focus on this super food if: You have any of the following symptoms of low estrogen and low progesterone.


  • Irregular periods (a cycle that is longer that 35 days, or hardly comes at all)
  • Very light/scant periods
  • No period whatsoever
  • Anovulation (i.e. not ovulating regularly)
  • Difficulty getting pregnant
  • Weight loss, or a low body fat percentage
  • Hair loss, brittle nails, thinning skin
  • Low libido, decreased sexual sensation, vaginal dryness or pain with intercourse
  • Night sweats or hot flashes
  • Depression, irritability, or mood swings


For example, I see sometimes this hormone pattern occur in women with restrictive eating patterns, low calorie diets, a poor diet with mostly processed foods, or very low fat diets. Often, these dietary patterns come in tandem with over-exercising or overtraining.  Read more about this in my article about low estrogen and progesterone.


Food sources of cholesterol to incorporate into your diet may include:

  • Free range organic eggs
  • Full-fat Greek yogurt (if you tolerate dairy)
  • Shellfish, such as clams, crab and shrimp
  • Low to moderate intake of free range, organic, antibiotic-free meat
  • Coconut oil, or full-fat coconut milk


Other sources of healthy fats include:

  • Nuts, such as walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts and pecans
  • Seeds, especially sesame, sunflower, flax, and pumpkin seeds
  • Avocados, extra virgin olive oil, whole grains, cold water fish, and soy


Unhealthy fat food sources of that are best to pass on:

  • Processed meats
  • Mass-produced baked goods
  • Fast foods
  • Fried foods


I hope this gives you some good insight into how you can incorporate some of these foods as medicine into your daily routine. If you’re looking for more ways to support your hormones using natural medicine, check out my other blog articles on PMS, endometriosis, fertility, preparing for a healthy pregnancy, or Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS).


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Dr. Kathleen Mahannah is Naturopathic Doctor licensed by the College of Naturopathic Physicians of British Columbia.  Her practice focusses in women's health and hormone balancing using natural medicine and Hormone Therapy, particularly for women in perimenopause and menopause. Dr. Mahannah completed a Degree in Physical Education and Health from University of Toronto, and Diploma of Exercise Science from Capilano College, before obtaining her Diploma of Naturopathic Medicine. She has been practicing for over 6 years in North Vancouver, BC, Canada. Learn more about Dr. Mahannah here.

Resources:

Baker, J. et al. (2017) Estrogen-gut microbiome axis: Physiological and clinical implications. Maturas, 103, 45-53.

Flores, et al. (2012) Fecal microbial determinants of fecal and systemic estrogens and estrogen metabolites: a cross-sectional study. J Transl Med, 10: 253.

Goldin, BR, et al. (1982) Estrogen excretion patterns and plasma levels in vegetarian and omnivorous women. N Engl J Med, 307(25):1542-7.

Lee, SA et al. (2008) Cruciferous vegetables, the GSTP1 IIe105Val genetic polymorphism, and breast cancer risk. Am J Clin Nutr (87) 753-60.

Phipps, WR, et al. (1993) Effect of flax seed ingestion on the menstrual cycle. J Clin Endocrinol Metab, 77(5):1215-9.

Romm, A. (2009) Chapter 9: Menstrual Wellness and Menstrual Problems. In Botanical Medicine for Women’s Health, 2nd Ed. (pp. 222). St. Louis, Missouri: Elsevier.

Weaver, C. et al. (1999) Choices for achieving adequate dietary calcium with a vegetarian diet. Am J Clin Nutr, 70:543S-8S.

Yan, F. et al (1999) Anti-estrogenic activities of indole-3-carbinol in cervical cells: implication for prevention of cervical cancer. Anticancer Res, May-June; 19(3A): 1673-80.

All content found on this website was created for informational and general educational purposes only. The content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your primary care provider or other qualified health professional with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website.

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