11 Hormone Balancing Foods

Here are 11 hormone-balancing foods that you should be buying every week! Did you know that it is estimated that 6.7 million (78.8%) of people that have autoimmune issues (hormones) are women? It is also said that more than 70% or 23.5 million people in America have an autoimmune system disease (endocrine system disease).

One of the biggest factors in our hormones is FOOD. Food is medicine or food is poison. The foods we eat are either providing our bodies health, nourishment, nutrition…. or slowly killing the body. SAD. No really SAD the Standard American Diet is the first place to look when it comes to healing hormones and keeping our hormones balanced and happy!

Today I will share with you 11 hormone balancing foods that you should be buying and eating on a weekly basis. As well as 11 foods that will wreck your hormones FAST so that you can eliminate and avoid them like the plague.

Why Autoimmune Diseases Affect More Women Than Men

It is estimated that 6.7 million (78.8%) of people that have autoimmune issues (hormones) are women. And it is also estimated that another 80% or more women have an autoimmune imbalance or disease that is going untreated or undiagnosed.

That means close to 6 out of 10 women in the US are affected by some form of hormonal imbalance. 80% of those diagnosed with Endocrine disorders also known as autoimmune diseases are women.

The reason I am so passionate about using food as medicine paired with a clean nontoxic lifestyle is that after having our youngest son my thyroid was really struggling.

In hindsight, I can see the symptoms started when I was a teen (around the age of 14 when my “lady time” started), but of course, I had no idea that little things like SUPER dry skin and ridges in my fingernails were serving me as a “check engine light” that something “under the hood” needed help.

If you want to hear more on my story click here, and if you want to know what signs to look for to know if you might be having symptoms that could be tied to a bigger issue click here.

So the question why do autoimmune diseases and disorders seem to happen twice as much in women than men? I mean American men are eating the same “SAD diet” (standard American diet) as the American women are, what gives?

Scientists are still scratching their heads as to what is causing this and have hypothesized it to be:

• Genetics – unlikelyin my opinion due to the stats what are the odds of 6 out of 10 women having “bad gentics”
• Hormonal changes- this makes more sense as women go through many many more hormonal changes than men. It has also been proven that stress affects womens hormones deeper than men.

But after studying this topic for over eight years at the time of writing this (2022). And I mean reeeeeaally studying this topic! Like hundreds many even over 1,000 books, countless podcasts, and youtube interviews by functional medicine doctors and those who have healed their autoimmune system naturally.

Nothing lights a fire under someone like looking for healing when doctors say it is impossible.

Healing naturally. Clean non-toxic living. Clean foods quickly became my obsession, my hobby, the only thing I could think about. And for good reason. It took some trial and error, but as soon as I found it my blood work and body showed I really found it.

I am so happy to tell you I am free of all thyroid medication and of all autoimmune issues and I did it naturally! I will tell you that I believe with everything in me after all that I have learned friend that no matter what the disease is IT CAN BE HEALED with a clean organic real foods diet and eliminating toxins from your home and hygiene and beauty products.

I have so many free resources on the blog for you! Be sure to stay awhile look around. (I linked a couple below to check out next)

Cosmetics, Fragrances, Skincare and Hormones

Besides foods affecting hormones in either positive or negative ways. Remember food is either medicine or poison, it is either healing or killing you. As you will read if you hop over to the Skincare Workshop post next (don’t forget to grab your free eBook while you are there too) is a study that showed the average American woman puts 515+ chemicals on their bodies day.

A DAY!!

Besides women having children which have a major effect on our hormones that men do not experience. One other pretty major difference is that men are not using cosmetics and skincare, lotions, potions, perfumes, and so forth as women do.

Men do not shave their legs and underarms then directly put chemical-loaded deodorants, soaps, and lotions that will sink right into those open pores. Men are not typically putting toxic chemical-loaded makeup on and leaving it on the skin for 8+ hours every single day….

There are many things that men simply are not doing that women are.

Foods that helped my hormone imbalance

Hormone Balancing Foods

#1 Seaweed – Seaweed tops the superfoods list in general but is especially great for anyone who has a hormonal imbalance. Seaweed contains so many antioxidants in the form of vitamins such as A, C, and E and other protective pigments. It is a great source of iodine (great for people with forms of anemia), and other trace minerals vital for healthy thyroid function.

Important Note: Too much of a good thing is not always a good thing! The same goes with Seaweed, especially if you have any kind of autoimmune issue. Start slow. Eating a packet of seaweed one time a week will do it for most people, two to three times may even be fine. But it can be overdone and have adverse effects on some who are sensitive due to the high iodine content.

Best Health Benefits of Seaweed:

• It is highly nutritious – eating alga is a simple way to boost a persons intake of vitamins and minerals without taking supplements. Studies have found Seaweed is rich in protien, (clean) carbohydrates, fiber, minerials, polyunsaturated fatty acids. Seaweed contains high amounts of vitamin C, vitamin B, vitamin A, vitamin E, iron, and iodine. Seaweed is also high in antioxidants which are known to protect the body form oxidative stress (stress put in on on the body by free radicales and enviormental toxins), as well as reduce inflamation at a cellular level. Making Seaweed a POWERFUL SUPER FOOD indeed.
• Helps with thyroid function -the thyroid gland controls and releases vital hormones in our bodies (nicknamed the hormone factory). A few of the hormones produced by the thyroid include: energy production, growth, and cellular repair. The thyroid requires iodine to function and due to our food supply poorly farmed we are simply not getting it very often in our daily diet. Iodine deficincy is one to the leading causes of hypothyroidism.
• Helps with diabetes – Fiber rich foods have been proven to help with diabetes. This is because high amounts of fiber help to regulate blood sugar levels as well as insulin levels.
• Helps support gut health – bacteria in the gut (called microbiom) play a key role in breaking down foods and supporting digestion and the bodies over all health. Algae is known to be an ideal food for gut support because of the high fiber content.
• Helps with weight loss- Seaweed may benefit those who are trying to loose weight because the high fiber found in seaweed sends the “I am full” signal to our brains. This is a great way to break bad food or snacking habbits naturally while packing your body with vitamins and minerals it needs. WIN WIN.
• Helps the heart – again the fiber content in Seaweed has been studied to reduce cholesterol levels. The fibers bind to bile acids and salts in the body. Shown in some to reduce thier cholesterol up to 18%.

#2 Blueberries – known to be another superfood blueberries are packed with vitamins and nutrients that is hard to believe. In just one cup of blueberries, you get 4 gr of fiber, Vitamin C (24% of RDI), Vitamin K (36% of RDI), and Maganese (25% of RDI) along with small amounts of other nutrients.

Blueberries are also 85% water making them very hydrating. If you have never taken frozen blueberries with you to the lake or pool they are such a refreshing snack (though it can be messy lol).

Blueberries are nicknamed “The King of Antioxidants” due to their rich antioxidants levels. Why this is SO vital to our health is due to the extremely high amounts of free radicals we are exposed to daily.

Things like poor air quality in offices, and gyms, candles, cosmetics/skincare, perfumes, cologne, laundry detergents, and cleaning products are all loaded with VOCs (volatile organic compounds aka artificial fragrances), cigarette smoke, campfire smoke, car exhaust, and well the list goes on and on.

Some of these free radicals are totally avoidable by doing what I call “ditch and switch” (click here for more on this and my free printable to identify toxins in your everyday products and home).

Blueberries have been found to have one of the highest antioxidant contents of any other food on the planet. Because of this blueberries have been studied to help reduce DNA damage, be an anti-aging superfood, prevent cancer cells from forming, aid with healthy cholesterol levels, lower blood pressure, help prevent heart disease, improve memory function, reduce muscle damage, and even help with urinary tract infections.

#3 Wild Caught Salmon – NOTE READ THE LABELS you want to avoid farmed Salmon!! We all know wild-caught fish are a great source of Omega 3s, but not all wild-caught fish provide the health benefits of wild-caught salmon. The omega 3 fatty acids are great for healthy heart function, but salmon health benefits only start there.

Health Benefits of Wild Caught Salmon:

• Heart Health
• Great source of protien
• High in Vitamins such as – Vitamin B, B12, B6, niacin, riboflavin, panthothenic acid, thiamin, and folic acid
• Good source of potassium (which helps to manage blood pressure)
• Loaded with Selenium (a minerial found in the soil and in certain foods – studies have shown 80% of people are minerial deffenciant with can lead to all kinds of nasty deseases and the first place it shows up in most – you guessed it thyriod.)
• Contains astaxanthin (lowers risks of heart releated desease and prevents inflamation)
• Helps with weight loss (supports healthy weight management)
• Fights inflamation – inflamation is tied to EVERY cronic desease out there litreally every one! Wnat to reduce the risk of autoimmune desease, diabetes, cancer, heart attact or heart deseases… eat more salmon! Studies have shown it reduces the “makers” found in desease.
• Promotes brain health – not only memory function, but reduces anxiety, slows age-related memory loss, and lowers the risks for dementia

#4 Brazil Nuts – Native to the Amazon rainforest (not to be confused with Amazon-prime lol) in Brazil, Bolivia, and Peru. Brazil nuts are known for their energy-dense, highly nutritious, and are one of the highest sources of the mineral selenium. Not only are brazil nuts known to regulate thyroid glands, but also support your brain, heart, and immune system.

Eating just 1 oz of Brazil nuts gives:

• 4.1 gr of protien
• 19 gr of fat (healthy fat – the kind your brain needs)
• 3.3 gr (clean) carbs – the energy giving kind of carbohydrate
• 988% of the (reference daily intake) RDI slenium
• 55% copper RDI
• 33% magnesium RDI
• 30% phosphorus RDI
• 17% maganese RDI
• 10.5% zinc RDI
• 16% thiamine RDI
• 11% vitamin E RDI

Additionally brazil nuts are an excellent source of healthy fats. These superfood nuts have higher concentrations of magnesium, copper, and zinc than most other nuts out there.

#5 Avocados – If you are not seeing a pattern yet OUR HORMONES LOVE HEALTHY FATS! I know, I know the “F” word has become such a sinful world, especially among women. But the truth is our brains are made up of fat, and they also use up to 40% of the energy produced by our bodies daily.

Fat is not the bad guy here my friend. Polyunsaturated fats (aka fake foods cooked up in a lab loaded with preservatives our bodies cannot digest so they just stick around and make people fat – those fats are the bad guys).

Fats that come from foods like nuts, seeds, avocados, olive oil, fish, and meats are vital to our body’s overall health. I would like to note also that as stated by Dr. Mark Hyman the health crisis in America started after the “fat-free” “fat is the bad guy” movement in the late 80s early 90s.

When Americans removed healthy fats from their diets and replaced them with highly processed fats, carbs, seed oils (read labels friend and STAY AWAY from seed oils at all cost – they wreck the brain mitochondrial health and that quickly dominos to every other area of the body) and processed foods.

What was once called “Adult On Set Diabetes” had to be renamed to Type 2 diabetes because children as young as two years old were getting it. 100% a Food caused and related disease.

Dr. Hyman is one of our favorite functional medicine doctors – his books, youtube, and podcasts have been a huge part of my learning and healing journey and he himself healed his autoimmune disease naturally using food as medicine. (Here are some of my favorite books from Dr. Mark Hyman to get you started)

Avocados are loaded with beta-sitosterol (which helps balance blood cholesterol levels & balance cortisol). The plant sterols found in avocados also influence estrogen and progesterone, two of the top hormones responsible for regulating ovulation and menstrual cycles.

Avocados are also nutrient-dense with folate (or folic acid), healthy monounsaturated fats (the good guy fat), vitamins C, K, and B as well as loaded with minerals and fiber.

Think “one avocado a day keeps the doctors away” lol sorry apples you’re great too…but your no avocado. But in all seriousness aim to eat one whole avocado a day (or pop them in a smoothy)

#6 Sweet Potatoes – A great source of vitamin C. Did you know over 50% of sweet potato contains vitamin C. That is freakin awesome! Vitamin C is not a supplement recommended for daily intake but should be taken daily when you are feeling ill.

It is also a vitamin that in supplement form is very hard for our bodies to receive and absorb.

However, when we eat foods rich in vitamin C this crazy little thing happens – you see nature knows what she’s doing and packs the rest of the nutrients into the fruits and veggies so that our bodies can receive all the nutrients in perfect balance that we need.

We personally aim to eat our vitamins before “taking” our vitamins (in supplement form). Like sunlight absorbing into our skin is the BEST for of receiving vitamin D you can get because guess what?

To get it you must be outside and just being outside breathing clean air (unlike the poor recycled air quality found indoors – open your windows it’s free and will highly improve your indoor air – free bonus tip)

Sweet potatoes are also proven to stimulate progesterone hormones.

#7 Raw Carrots – (unpeeled is best) Carrots are packed with fiber, which as we said before will help keep blood sugar levels under control. They are also loaded with vitamin A and beta-carotene that have been researched for their impact on lowering the risks of diabetes. Carrots are also known for strengthening bones because of the high calcium and vitamin K carrots have. Carrots are also full of many other minerals (as they are a root veggie it is important to buy these guys organic), fiber, and vitamins.

Raw Carrots (unpeeled) are a great way to detoxify excess estrogen, balance and maintain healthy gut bacteria, and get rid of stubborn belly fat. There are many causes in today’s culture of estrogen dominance such as chronic stress, xenoestrogens, and birth control.

Xenoestrogens – in short, these are industrial chemicals found in products and plastics that mimic our own bodies’ estrogen (talk about really confusing the body!) most often found in:

• beauty products and skincare that contain parabens
• personal hygiene products that have phthalates
• plastics that contain bisphoenol A – Note: bpa’s and it is not just one type so “No BPA” doesnt mean its safe, the best way to avoid these hidden toxins is to avoid plastic all together which is better for our plante anyhow.
• toxic persticides sprayed on our food supply (another reason to stick with organic foods)

There are so many more but these are the most commonly found xenoestrogens.

Raw carrots can absorb excess estrogen and help sweep it right out of the body. I do not recommend juicing carrots as you lose all the power in the fiber. I honestly do not recommend juicing anything as the fruits and veggies’ power come in the whole form of them – not in the juices alone.

#8 Pasture Raised Eggs – research has found that pasture-raised eggs contain twice as much omega-3 fatty acid, three times more vitamin D, four times more vitamin E, and seven times more beta-carotene than eggs from hens that are raised on traditional feed.

Pasture-raised eggs are also a great source of choline. Choline helps improve liver function (our bodies waste management factory), healthy brain development, and muscle development. Choline also has been proven to improve our nervous system and boost the body’s metabolism all in one go.

#9 Ground Flax Seeds – have been linked to improved hormone metabolism, have been known to reduce hot flashes, reduce vaginal dryness, and better overall quality of life, especially for women in menopausal times.

Flax Seeds are nutrient and fiber-rich seeds with a little compound called “lignans”.

#10 Beets – a rich source of vitamin C that helps regulate imbalances of stress. Beets can lower cortisol levels and restore healthy balance to our body’s hormones. Beetroot can remove built-up hormones in your bowel and liver by helping the body to metabolize estrogen. It has also been proven to lower stress and boost libido.

Next date night be sure to try my beet smoothy! Maybe I should call it my XXX Beet You Smooth smoothy (lol) sorry bad joke.

#11 Daily Healthy Fats – as I mentioned above “fat” is not the bad guy. We actually need fat, it is essential for hormone production. So not getting enough healthy fats in your diet in fear “fat will make you fat” has been a key factor in the hormonal issues we see in today’s women all around the world.

Adding healthy fats such as:

• Olive oil
• Avocodos (or not as good as a raw avocado – avocado oil is also a good source of clean fat)
• flaxseeds (or flaxseed oil – agin the whole seed is better than the oil)
• raw unsalted nuts and seeds
• fish
• grass-fed grass finished beef
• coconut or MCT oils

These are all amazing clean healthy fats to balance and improve the hormones that you could easily eat on a weekly bases.

Most people, especially women simply are not getting enough protein in their diets and if and when they eat protein they are looking for the “low fat” protein (aka yes I am talking to you chicken breast).

Not only can organic not stand a chance to grass-fed grass-finished beef in terms of vitamins and other antioxidants but the organ meats found in grass-fed grass-finished beef (don’t worry you can buy the supplements form. It took me a while but I came around. I buy my organ meat from local farmers I know so I just swallow it raw).

Here is a great article by the father of bio-hacking himself (and someone who self-healed his autoimmune disease along with several other diseases he had) Dave Aspery – How to Eat Organ Meats: Beginner to Advanced https://daveasprey.com/how-to-eat-organ-meats/

Conclusion

One of the biggest factors in our hormones is FOOD. Food is medicine or food is poison. Dr. Hyman often says you cannot exercise your way out of a bad diet. Nor can you expect your body to heal without eliminating the foods that caused it to be sick, and replacing them with the superfoods you just learned about.

The foods we eat are either providing our bodies health, nourishment, nutrition…. or slowly killing the body. SAD.

No really SAD the Standard American Diet is the first place to look when it comes to healing hormones and keeping our hormones balanced and happy!

Which superfood will you add today to start healing and boosting your hormone’s health? Tell me below in the comments I would love to connect with you. You will never know how much you mean to me! I have found passion and purpose in my healing journey and sharing it with others, just like you.

Also, I would love to know what brought you to this post today? Are you looking to heal your hormones, or just interested in up-leveling your health?