How to Reach Hormonal Balance using 4 Simple Steps

Anyone else experience those fun PMS symptoms like bloating, breast tenderness, serious cramping, and intense mood swings? I know I used to! We’ve been told all of our lives that these symptoms that accompany our monthly period are just “part of being a woman” and that “we shouldn’t have eaten the apple” because somehow our girl Eve has “cursed” us for all eternity. What if I told you that these engrained beliefs are flat out WRONG!? What if I told you that your period is sacred and does not have to be associated with impending doom every month? What if I told you, you are not meant to suffer every month and that you do NOT have to accept these symptoms as “normal,” even though we are told they are “common.” It’s time to rewrite our narrative ladies and discover how absolu-FREAKIN-lutely incredible our bodies are!

Let’s start at the beginning, our body practices the art of a delicate dance between all of its hormones. For this discussion we focus primarily on estrogen and progesterone when it comes to hormone health. The PMS symptoms described above indicate there is some sort of imbalance occurring in these hormones themselves and can be solved through nurturing your body through holistic measures. In order to level them out it’s important to consider working with your body in a cyclical pattern instead of against it. Our current model for society is based on a 24-hour hustle and grind cycle, which mimics the male hormone cycle, and consequently leads to us ladies riding on the struggle bus until we fizzle out. It’s imperative that we take a look at the fabulous female hormonal cycle to end the story of total burnout and empower a generation of young women to step into their intuitive, empathetic, and intelligent nature.

Ladies, we operate on much more sophisticated clocks. Yes, you read that correctly we have more than one clock that determines our hormonal cycle. We have our 24-hour circadian rhythm that regulates metabolism, sleep, elimination, and production of specific hormones; but also what’s called the infradian clock! The infradian clock is linked to your menstrual cycle and starts at puberty then ends at about fifty years old; it encompasses the four phases of a woman’s cycle: menstrual, follicular, ovulatory, and luteal. The two clocks work closely together to optimize your overall health, when one is out of balance the other will soon tip the scales one way or the other. If there is an imbalance in your 24-hour clock you might experience mood disorders, gut dysregulation, and reduced ability to think! If your circadian rhythm is off you could experience issues with irregular periods and longer menstrual cycles (your infradian rhythm). Now on the contrary, if your infradian rhythm is out of whack (hormonal irregularities) it can cause issues with your circadian rhythm like sleep issues, inability to regulate body temperature, and an irregular heart rate. This is why it’s so important to be attuned to your body and understand your fifth vital sign, your period.?

Now, how do we navigate the benefits of this new found clock and what do we need to do to nurture it? Don’t worry, I’m here to be your guide! We are going to chat about my favorite topic to balance that beautiful bod to get out of hormonal chaos and into hormonal harmony; that’s nutrition! Think about each phase of your cycle as a way to begin eating seasonally and cyclically. By doing so you are going to level-up your hormonal advantage and begin to see a dramatic improvement in PMS symptoms. Check it out below:

• Follicular; hormone levels should be on the rise, but still need some TLC! Add foods that will bring you energy (think light and bright foods); gluten-free rolled oats, fermented foods (kimchi and sauerkraut) barley, carrots, parsley, broccoli, avocado, lemon, orange, lentils, ground flaxseeds, pumpkin seeds, cage-free chicken, organic free-range eggs, crab, almond butter, olives, apple cider vinegar.
• Ovulatory; estrogen is in full swing, your energy should be high, and your moods should be balanced. Because your body is running full speed ahead, think about adding foods that cool you down internally. Raw foods are your best choice in this arena; quinoa, red bell peppers, tomatoes, leafy greens, scallions, coconut, raspberry, strawberry, lentils, ground flaxseeds, pistachios, wild-caught salmon, tuna, shrimp, dark chocolate, coffee, and turmeric.
• Luteal; are you hungrier than usual a few days before your period? There’s a reason for that and that’s because during this phase you are gearing up for menstruation or pregnancy. Your body actually NEEDS more food to support this metabolic process. Sugar cravings actually come from lack of stabilized blood sugar levels so eat those complex carbs throughout the day; sweet potatoes, jasmine rice, pumpkin, squash, cucumber, ginger, green apple, dates, chickpeas, sesame seeds, walnuts, grass-fed beef, cod, and peppermint.
• Menstrual; your hormones are at the lowest point during this phase, but there are ways to optimize this slump. Protein and healthy fats are essential to do so! Healthy fats maintain progesterone levels and aid in ovulation for your next cycle and protein contains amino acids that are required to create hormones entirely. Foods like wild rice, beets, kale, mushrooms, blueberry, watermelon, kidney beans, ground flaxseeds, pumpkin seeds, duck, grass-fed beef, venison, sushi nori, crab, lobster, and miso.

Start tracking your hormonal phase today and begin to implement these nutrient sources right away! An easy way to start is by going with your menstrual phase or your most troublesome phase (usually those with serious PMS symptoms start with luteal). Girlfriend, you’ve totally got this!?

Want to find out which of your hormones are out of balance? Check out my fun personality quiz: Are Your Hormones Happy?

#health #womenshealth #hormones