Last updated on May 12th, 2020 at 07:25 am
Hormonal changes are a common thing that occurs at various stages in our life at various stages. For instance, hormonal changes are quite common during the teenage and during the pregnancy. While this is a natural phenomenon, which in most cases, stabilize once you pass the period, the fluctuations in the levels of hormones in your body may also occur at other phases of your life because of various reasons including age or other medical conditions. Whenever there is any imbalance in hormone levels, it takes a toll on us, both mentally and physically in some form or the other. However, its most common consequence which is seen in most individuals is that hormonal imbalance leads to a lot of skin related troubles like acne etc.
Basically, it happens because our skin is a reflection of our mental and physical health and any deterioration in your overall health is bound to have a negative impact on your skin. However, the good thing is that you can stabilize the imbalance of your hormones to a great extent with foods. The kind of food you are eating can have direct impact on the hormonal changes in your body and you can improve the overall quality of your skin by eating hormone balancing foods.
Hormonal imbalance is quite common and if you have experienced this first hand and wondering if there are ways to get it right then here’s the post worth checking. Today I am sharing the list some amazing hormone balancing foods that can help you balance hormones and get great, younger looking and glowing skin naturally.
In case of hormonal imbalance that has resulted to skin issues like pimples or acne, most people rush to the doctor for help. Now, this is OK as medicines can help you recover from these issues. But, one thing that you should never forget is that unless you eat right kind of hormone balancing foods, you won’t be able to fully recover from hormonal imbalances easily. Maybe you will get quick relief by eating the medicines, but if you continue eating the wrong foods, there is every chance that the hormonal imbalance may occur again. Moreover, eating wrong
foods can also worsen the condition of your skin. So, it is highly important to know what to eat and what not to. And if you are clueless about that, then read on this post as we discuss about the best hormone balancing foods that’ll help you to balance hormones and get glowing and younger looking skin naturally.
Maintaining proper diet can make a lot of difference in the quality of your skin and in balancing the hormonal levels. So let us not wait further and start with our today’s topic.
Best hormone balancing foods to eat and avoid
Hormonal imbalances can be fixed to a good extent by eating hormone balancing foods. There are a few best foods that can be includes in your day-to-day diet to balance hormones. But there are also foods that you should avoid eating. And if you are not sure about which foods to eat and avoid, then continue reading to get the answer.
You should include these healthy hormone balancing foods in your diet as well as exclude the unhealthy ones to get maximum skin benefits. In fact, not just your skin, your health in general will improve, so add these healthy and hormone balancing foods in your diet and enjoy a healthy and happy life.
Eat foods that are high in macronutrients
Macronutrients are the term given to proteins, carbohydrates and fats that provide you with the calories. All of these macronutrients are needed by your body as they help in improving your hormonal health as well as for your better reproductive, digestive and metabolic functioning. And, obviously, when all of your bodily functions are going fine, it will reflect on your skin as well and your skin will automatically glow. But, you need to balance the levels of all these macronutrients as excess of any of these will create imbalance in hormonal levels.
If you really want to maintain the hormonal balance, then you will have to include a source of all of the three macronutrients every time you have your meal. Well, let me give you an example. For dinner, you may include fish (protein) with 2 servings of veggies and quinoa (carbohydrates) along with olive oil (fat) drizzled over it. So, basically your meals should be a combination of proteins, carbohydrates and fats in balanced amounts.
Include probiotic foods in your diet
Probiotics are nothing but the good bacteria that are present inside gastrointestinal tract and are very helpful in repairing the lining of your gut. They also keep your gut balanced that in turn, helps in balancing the hormonal levels in your body. Besides, they also benefit in facilitating digestion, reducing inflammation and supporting your immune system in general that in turn, keeps you in good health.
These good bacteria are naturally found in certain foods like yogurt, bone broth, kefir, sourdough bread etc. When you add these probiotic foods in your diet, then it helps in balancing hormones and that in turn help you get that healthy and glowing skin. So, it is advisable to have one or two servings of these above-mentioned foods on a daily basis to combat hormonal imbalance through food.
Consume dietary fiber everyday
Ideally we should be consuming around 25-30 grams of dietary fiber daily to balance hormone levels. Dietary fiber is a great nutrient that is very much needed for your wellbeing and so consuming around 25-30 grams of dietary fiber daily is one of the easiest ways to balance hormones and get younger looking skin.
The first advantage of having dietary fiber is that it will take good care of your digestive health. There will be smooth elimination of excreta and no problem of indigestion. Besides that, fiber will also keep the cholesterol and the blood sugar levels in check by feeding the good bacteria inside your system.
However, please avoid consuming too high fiber rich diet as that will lead to lower levels of estrogen in your system which will become extremely problematic in case your estrogen levels are already low. Therefore, having moderate amounts of fiber that is around 25-30 grams daily with lots of water is an ideal way to stay healthy and you must keep that in mind while consuming fiber rich foods like sprouts.
Include healthy fat in your diet
Many people eat diets that contain less fat, as they fear that it can cause health concerns. But, let me tell you that having a diet devoid of healthy fat is equally bad. This is because the healthy fats are the building blocks of the hormones and they are especially beneficial in stabilizing the production of stress hormones cortisol and adrenaline. So, it is best if you eat moderate amounts of fat which is around 15 to 30 grams along with an unprocessed diet.
Healthy fat also take care of your brain, supports your reproductive system, reduces inflammation, boost your metabolic functioning, satisfy hunger as well as promote healthy weight loss to a great extent, all of which are signs of a healthy individual.
Here is a list of items that are good sources of healthy fats:
- Olive oil
- Coconut oil
- Avocado
- Seeds
- Nuts
- Grass fed butter, dairy and meat
- organic dairy products
- Salmon and other fatty fishes
However, if you are someone who has difficulty in digesting fats which also results in hike in the levels of triglycerides, then you may take a digestive enzyme with lipase as that will help in better metabolization of the fats.
Include fatty fishes
I would like to recommend the inclusion of fatty fishes in your diet as one of the most important nutrition guidelines to balance your hormones and get younger looking skin and there are enough reasons behind it.
The primary reason behind it is the rich content of omega 3 fatty acids in it that helps a lot in improving the hormonal health especially when it comes to reducing the levels of the stress hormones cortisol and adrenaline. In one study it was seen that men who consumed omega 3 fatty acids rich diet for 3 weeks had significantly less increase in stress hormones levels in comparison to the rise they had while they were on regular normal diet.
Secondly, omega 3 fatty acids are very effective against gestational diabetes. Gestational diabetes is mostly common with pregnant women. It results to increased blood sugar level and insulin resistance. In one study, the group of women who had omega 3 fatty acid rich diet showed impressive reduction in the levels of insulin, insulin resistance and the inflammatory marker C-reactive protein when compared with who received a placebo.
In addition to all of the above, having a diet rich in omega 3 fatty acids also lead to the reduction of insulin resistance related to obesity, and polycystic ovary syndrome.
Therefore, it is best if you have 2 or more servings of fatty fishes like salmon, mackerel, sardines, herring etc. weekly in your diet.
Drink lots of water
Drinking water is an important tip and definitely forms a part of the nutrition guidelines to balance your hormones and get younger looking skin naturally. Well, the health benefits of water are many but, in this respect, the most important point is it takes good care of your digestive system and helps in smooth bowel movements. In fact, drinking a glass of water early in the morning on an empty stomach is recommended by many doctors for this purpose.
Water is also considered to be a great detoxifier. It flushes out all the harmful substances from your system and cleanses your body completely. This also helps a lot in balancing hormones and in having that healthy glow on your skin.
However, you must not drink excessive water as that is also not good. The amount of water you need to drink daily depends on your lifestyle, your age and the stage of your life. Follow the below chart for the guidance:
- Men: 19 years or more- 104 total ounces or 13 cups of water
- Women: 19 years or more- 72 total ounces or 9 cups of water
- Pregnant women- 80 total ounces or 10 cups of water
- Breastfeeding women- 104 total ounces or 13 cups of water
Also, eat the water containing fruits and vegetables as it helps you remain hydrated. And, if you find water boring, you may also consider checking healthy detox water recipes that you can drink.
Reduce consumption of inflammatory foods
If your diet is too high in processed foods and allergens, then there is high probability that it may trigger inflammation in your system. Inflammation is nothing but an immune response that occurs the moment your body perceives any kind of threat. And, when it occurs, there is obviously a change in hormone levels and production. So, you need to avoid foods that may cause digestive trouble.
Here is a list of foods that you may avoid or eat in fewer amounts to keep your hormonal levels in balance:
- Refined grain products like white flour
- Gluten containing foods
- Hydrogenated oils
- Sources of added sugar
- Trans fat
- Dairy products
However, it is also a fact that the health condition or the functioning of system varies from person to person. So, the particular food item which someone else can easily digest may cause difficulty for you when you eat it. To be specific, some may have difficulty tolerating foods like gluttons, eggs, grains, nuts, dairy products etc. while others may not face any problem with them.
Avoid caffeine and alcohol
If you want to keep your hormonal levels in balance, then it is best to avoid excessive consumption of alcohol and caffeine.
The main reason why it is not recommended to drink too much of alcohol is because it often causes estrogen dominance and leads to several health concerns. Some of which are mentioned below:
- Abnormal pancreatic functioning
- Increases the risk of having liver related complications
- Higher risk for insulin resistance
- Lessens the sex drive
- Leads to excessive anxiety at times
- Causes malnutrition
- Lowered levels of testosterone
For women, drinking one alcoholic beverage per day and seven drinks in a week is OK and for men, it is OK to drink two alcoholic beverages per day and 14 drinks weekly. However, the less alcohol you drink the better it is for your health.
On the other hand, high caffeine consumption leads to high levels of cortisol and often leads to negative impacts on the adrenal glands. This may also interfere with your energy and appetite and lead to excessive anxiety, digestive troubles and sleep related disturbances. Therefore, it is advisable that you keep your intake of caffeine to about 1-2 servings.
Stay away from sugary beverages
Excess sugar in any form is bad but the liquid sugar is worst of all. Studies have been performed and it was seen that sugar-sweetened beverages lead to insulin resistance especially in case of overweight or obese children.
In one of the studies, when overweight individuals consumed around 25% of their calories in the form of high fructose beverages, it resulted to an increase in blood insulin levels, a decrease in insulin sensitivity and an increase in belly fat storage, all of which is extremely bad for your health in general.
Moreover, research has shown that drinking sugary beverages leads to excessive intake of calories as it does not trigger the same fullness signal that consumption of solid foods does. Hence, it is highly recommended to avoid sugary beverages and this rightly forms a part of the nutrition guidelines to balance your hormones and get youthful looking skin.
Tips to get younger looking skin and keep hormonal balance
I have already given you the important nutrition guidelines to balance your hormones and get younger looking skin but if you want to get maximum benefits then you have to be a little more careful.
Listed below are a few of the important tips that will further benefit you in balancing your hormones and in getting younger looking skin. Take a look.
Exercise regularly
Physical activeness is very much needed if you want to enjoy a good hormone health. This is why it is beneficial if you can do regular exercises. The major advantage is that it will help you reduce the levels of insulin and increase insulin sensitivity.
High levels of insulin are not at all good for your health. In fact, it is linked to several heart diseases, inflammation, diabetes and cancer. Also, they are connection to insulin resistance where the cells do not respond properly to the signals of insulin. So, you need to keep your insulin levels in control and for that it is best to get involved in physical activities. Several activities help in achieving it starting from aerobic exercises to endurance exercises to strength training. You may get involved in any one of these as per your preference and convenience.
Physical activities also help in boosting the levels of muscle training hormones like testosterone, DHEA, IGF-1 and growth hormones
However, if you are not into too much of physical training, I would recommend you to at least go for regular walking as that will also help you a lot in balancing hormonal levels and improve your strength and quality of life.
De-stress yourself
Increase in the levels of stress hormones is not good for your health especially when it comes to your body weight as it is a prominent cause behind obesity, mostly belly fat. And, once you turn obese, you are bound to suffer from other health complications as well. In short, stress causes disruption in your lifestyle, both mentally and physically. So, besides eating right, you need to think of other ways to deal with stress.
You may get involved in stress reduction techniques like meditation, yoga, massage and listening to music and see whether they work for you or not.
Get enough sleep
No matter how many nutritious foods you eat, unless you are having good quality sleep, nothing is going to change. In fact, poor and inadequate sleep has been linked to several hormonal imbalances like cortisol, insulin, ghrelin, leptin, growth hormones etc.
Sleep helps you to get yourself recharged both mentally and physically, so naturally when you are not sleeping well, then are bound to be bad consequences especially when it comes to hormonal fluctuations. So, please try to get a minimum of 7-8 hours of sleep in order to stay healthy. And, if you have difficulty falling asleep, then you may consider easy ways to fall asleep even when you are stressed out.
Avoid overeating or under eating
Having your food in proper amount is very important as eating extra or less than needed, both can have a negative impact on your hormone health.
Overeating leads to increase in the levels of insulin and reduces the sensitivity of insulin and studies are a proof to that. On the other hand, if there is too less intake of calories, then that will lead to rise in the levels of stress hormone cortisol that in turn, is known to cause obesity. This has also been proven by science.
Therefore, it is best if you eat as much is required by your body and stay healthy and fit.
Over to you
Hormonal fluctuations are a quite common issue nowadays leading to several disturbances both mentally and physically and that automatically has a direct impact on your skin health. In other words, with hormonal imbalances, you start developing pimples, acnes, dull skin etc. Thankfully, with proper nutrition, you can stabilize the hormonal imbalances and this fact has been supported by studies in various cases.
I have already given few nutrition guidelines to balance your hormones and get younger looking skin. However, these are from a general point of view. If you find that things are not working even though you are following a healthy diet chart, then it is important that you immediately consult a doctor. Besides talking about the nutrition, I have also given few other tips as I feel these will help you get rid of your hormonal issues faster and I hope you will consider these tips as well.
I am very much hopeful that these nutrition guidelines along with additional tips will help you a lot. But, I would like you to share your feedbacks and suggestions on it. Also, if you have any quarries, please free to post it in comment.
Until then, stay healthy and follow the nutrition guidelines.