Hormone Balancing Foods

Aug 16, 2012 by

Hormones

 

Hello My Lovies,

A little while ago, I wrote an article about ” Cellulite and How To Get Rid Of It “. From that article I made it a main point, to get rid of cellulite you have to balance your hormones.  When your hormones are out of balance, cellulite is actually the least of your problems, because unbalanced hormones can cause mood swings and depression, sleep problems, lack of energy and sluggish immune system. Since all of our systems are connected, if one goes out of balance so do the rest.

I’ve been researching into this info for a very long time now, because nutrition is always the cause of any health problems that might occur.  From all the foods that I’ve read about, I picked the top beneficial and nutrient dense.  Balancing our hormones naturally using only nutrition and exercise will make a huge difference in the quality of our life.

I already shared with you that Maca Powder is a great supplement to take that will help you to balance your hormones, as well as the Wild Yam cream, which helps to balance estrogen. Now I would like to share with you a list of foods that will help you to balance your hormones. Include these foods in your daily regimen as much as you can and you will balance your hormones, burn fat, build muscle and rid your body of toxins.

 

Protein – Fish, Lean Meat & Poultry

 

I believe that fish is one of the best sources of protein, because some fish is very high in omega-3 fatty acids and zinc, zinc helps with the increase of grouth hormone ( HGH ) in our body, which burns fat and regenerates our cells.

My personal choices of fish are:

  • Wild Salmon
  • Talapia
  • Tuna ( you can use the one that is canned, just make sure it’s low on sodium )
  • Shrimp
  • Red Snapper
  • Scallops
  • Trout
  • Cod
  • Lobster
  • Maskerel
  • Oysters
  • Halibut

 

Poultry

 

Poultry helps to increase testosterone production and in general is high in amino acids. Make sure you purchase the one without hormones or antibiotics, free range.

  • Skinless Chicken Breast ( I have to be honest, I never take the skin off my chicken because I love it so much. But I am aware that chicken skin is not very healthy, since I eat healthy most of the time, I think it’s OK to have a little chicken skin )
  • Skinless Turkey Breast

 

Lean Meats & Eggs

 

For me personally and I am only speaking of my self, lean red meat is number one choice for protein. I try to eat red meat at least 3 times a week. It’s the only source of protein that gives me insane amount of energy and makes me feel the best. Red meat is also considered best choice for muscle growth.  Even though in my Fitness Book it says that Whey protein is the best, then it’s eggs, I have to say that I personally disagree with that.  No protein powder can ever replace real food, but it is convenient. 

Red meat contains very important key components that speed up your metabolism such as Iron, Vitamin B, Creatine, Amino Acids, Zinc and chromium ( chromium is a mineral ). Chromium helps to regulate blood sugar, which makes you not crave sweets. I actually take chromium in capsules on and off, it’s quite amazing with helping me control my sugar cravings.

My personal preferences of red meat are:

  • Sirloin
  • Flank Steak
  • Lamb

Avoid Pork, it has way too much fat in it, you can have it occasionally but don’t overdo it.

  • Eggs – but only organic, never conventional. Eggs are considered to be a detox food and the protein from eggs is very high quality which get’s absorbed by our body very fast. I recommend eggs as your post workout protein.

 

Dairy

 

Dairy is promoted by the food industry as good for you product, but with my multiple research and experience with Cow’s dairy it doesn’t have such good effects on your body, especially your hormones. Cow’s dairy doesn’t get digested very well by our body, but Goat products get digested quite easily. I would also recommend getting these products without hormones or antibiotics added to them. Goat milk is actually very beneficial to our health, I wrote an article about goat milk and it’s benefits vs cow’s milk, you can take a looksie for more info.

  • Goat Products – are all beneficial ( milk, yogurt, cheese )

 

Beans and Legumes

 

I am not a big lover of beans and I don’t eat them as often as I should. But some beans are also knows as hormone balancing foods as well as good source of protein when combined with other foods. They are also very high in fiber which helps you to control your appetite. Beans is a great choice for vegetarians.

My personal Choice For Beans:

  • Black Beans
  • Red Beans
  • Garbanzos
  • Kidney Beans
  • Pinto Beans
  • Lentils

Avoid Soy Beans – unless you are over 40. For women over 40 soy is very beneficial because of the estrogen it contains. But if you are under 40 you definitely don’t need all that extra estrogen.

 

Vegetables

 

Organic vegetables is one of the best ways to naturally detox the body. They contain a lot of nutrients that help to balance out blood sugar levels. The more vegetable you eat, the better your system will function and burn fat.  I suggest eating at least 3-4 servings a day.

Here is the list of most beneficial veggies, that scored the highest on Andi Scores of the most nutrient dense. Next to each veggie, I will place their score, 1000 is the most nutrient dense:

  • Kale – 1000
  • Collard Greens – 1000
  • Bok Choy – 824
  • Spinach – 739
  • Brussel Sprouts – 672
  • Arugula – 559
  • Cabbage – 481
  • Romaine – 389
  • Broccoli – 375 ( I bet you are surprised that it’s not the highest nutrient density )
  • Cauliflower – 295
  • Green Pepper – 258
  • Artichoke – 244
  • Carrots – 240
  • Asparagus – 234

 

Of course all veggies are good for you, but I wanted you to know which ones have the most amount of nutrients. I always recommend to eat veggies raw, that way you will get all of the nutrients. Cooked veggies are dead and have no nutrients at all.

 

Fruits & Berries

 

Fruits are a great source of fiber, and they also help with detoxifying your system. I recommend you eating at least 2 whole fruits a day. Not the canned fruit, or fruit juice, but real whole fruit. I always recommend buying organic fruit, there isn’s really that much of a difference in price, but they are full of flavor and nutrients, where conventional fruit isn’t. Your best selections are:

  • Organic Apples
  • Cherries
  • Bananas
  • Blackberries
  • Blueberries
  • Dates
  • Figs
  • Grapefruit
  • Grapes
  • Honeydew
  • Lemon
  • Papaya
  • Mango
  • Oranges
  • Pineapple
  • Plums
  • Prunes
  • Raisins
  • Raspberries
  • Strawberries
  • Tomato ( yes it’s a fruit )
  • Watermelon

 

Grains

 

I think grains have developed a very bad reputation and carbs in general. I find more and more people these days that keep restricting their carbohydrates intake to almost non existent. Whole grains also help us to build muscle and help to stimulate the release of appetite suppressing hormones. From my own personal experience with cutting out the grains completely, I noticed not only a huge drop in energy, but a lot of muscle loss as well. It’s all about choosing the right grains closest to their natural form.

I personally don’t think Whole Grain Bread is that healthy, to me it’s pretty far from grain’s natural form. Below is a list of the most nutritious grain:

 

  • Buckwheat ( Raw )
  • Old Fashioned Oats
  • Quinoa
  • Amaranth
  • Spelt
  • Rye

 

Healthiest Hormone Balancing Fats

 

Another mistake that so many people make is cutting out all of the fat from their nutrition. Your fat intake should be at 20% daily, never less.

  • Almonds ( Raw )
  • Almond Butter ( Raw )
  • Avocado
  • Brazil Nuts
  • Flaxseeds
  • Flaxseed Oil
  • Hazelnuts
  • Olive Oil
  • Pecans
  • Pumpkin Seeds
  • Sesame Seds
  • Sunflower Seeds
  • Walnuts
  • Walnut Oil

 

Stay Healthy My Lovies!

Hugs,

Tati

 

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