Hormonal imbalances can have a major impact on your health. A lot of things can alter the delicate balance of your hormones and diet is definitely one of the factors that can do this.

Unexplained weight gain, tiredness, bad skin, sleep problems can all be subtle signs that your hormones aren’t as balanced as they could be.

Looking at your diet can be one of the simplest ways to start to balance your hormones and improve hormone health.

Quality Protein

Protein is a really underrated way to balance your hormones, especially insulin.

Quality grass-fed meats, wild-caught fish and pasture-raised chicken & eggs  are all great examples of ways to ensure quality protein intake.

Fatty wild-caught fish such as salmon and mackerel are super smart protein choices as they contain anti-inflammatory omega 3 fatty acids.

Grass-fed meats that are hormone free and from nourished animals result in less inflammation in your body than if you eat non-grass fed or hormone supplemented meats. So in order to reduce the risk of hormone imbalances that are linked to inflammation, choose quality grass-fed, grass-finished meats. 

Eat Healthy Carbs and Healthy Fats

Alongside protein, you’ll also want to include some healthy carbs and healthy fats. These three macronutrients, proteins, carbs & fats are super important for balancing your hormones.

Ideally, try to include protein, carbs and healthy fats every mealtime.

For fats, choose olive oil, avocado oil and coconut oil vs. vegetable oils such as canola oil, vegetable oil, is super important as the vegetable oils are highly processed and linked to many healthy issues. Vegetables oils and margarine are also full of inflammatory omega 6 fatty acids. 

Enjoying tons of fibre rich veggies is also super important, try broccoli, green beans, cauliflower, zucchini & tons of dark leafy greens are super for balancing hormones, spinach, kale & romaine are my favourites.

Support your gut with probiotics

If you’re not already eating probiotics, you’re missing out on a super easy way to support hormone health. Probiotics help to reduce inflammation and balance hormone production.

The probiotics we use most, also known as fermented vegetables, are sauerkraut and kimchi.

Eat plenty of fibre

Eating lots of fibre isn’t just great for your digestive health, it helps to balance blood sugars, which helps to balance hormones like insulin, fibre-rich foods also help reduce inflammation.

If you are following a healthy approach that is designed specifically for women over 50, after a rollercoaster of navigating peri menopause and menopause, like The Menopause Fat Loss Approach you will be getting tons of fibre from the dark leafy greens, vegetables and nuts & seeds!

High glycemic foods raise insulin levels

Foods that rank highly on the Glycemic Index increase insulin levels which results in stubborn weight accumulation. They’re also inflammatory and can raise your levels of the stress hormone, cortisol.

Refined carbs such as white flours are a big culprit for hormone imbalances, partly due to their inflammatory nature. Eating more low GI foods helps to balance hormones.

Luckily when following a healthy approach designed specifically for women over 50 to promote menopause fat loss it includes foods with low glycemic index, which is one of the reasons it considered low-inflammatory and does not raise stress hormone, cortisol. Another good reason to follow a healthy approach for women over 50. 

Soy can be a problem

Soy contains isoflavones, which can increase the effects of hormones such as estrogen. The end result? You can end up with much higher estrogen levels than you realize, and this can present itself in problems such as heavy periods, bloating, acne, chronic headaches and mood swings.

There’s another problem, 99% of all soy products are Genetically Modified. But even if you consume non-organic, GMO soy products, they can often contain a chemical called glyphosate. And guess what? This is another known hormone disruptor.

Fermented soy products like tempeh avoid this, as do non GMO, organic options.

You might find soy to be an issue if you’re a vegan, as many vegan friendly foods are packed with soy and you can easily find yourself eating a lot of it.

If you suspect that your levels are already high, soy may be something you decide to stay clear of completely. 

Aa healthy diet designed to promote menopause fat loss does not include any soy products, well, occasionally we have Braggs which has a wee bit of soy, and we do have tempeh every few months, so these quantities are acceptable for healthy fat loss approach which is why your hormone levels are not impacted by this way of eating.

Processed foods can raise insulin levels

Processed foods are another one to avoid as they can significantly impact hormone levels. Experts suggest, when eating a diet rich in processed foods this can lead to insulin levels that are as much as double the “normal”, healthy levels. If you’re worried that inflammation is on the high side or becoming chronic, eliminating processed and sugary foods is critical, along with “bad” fats and alcohol.

Eating more fibre, especially from dark leafy greens and healthy fibre rich vegetables, and following a low GI diet like The Menopause Fat Loss approach can also help to bring balance back to your hormones.

Ditch caffeine and alcohol

Caffeine and alcohol can both affect hormone production. Drinking a lot of caffeine can raise cortisol hormone, which also increases insulin levels and can also have an impact on the adrenal glands. This can have a knock on effect for lots of areas of your health, from sleep to digestion. Alcohol is very inflammatory which impacts your cortisol & insulin hormones and can potentially increase insulin resistance. 

Timing of Meals

It’s not just what you eat that affects your hormones; but when you eat can be super important too, especially for insulin levels which trigger fat storage.

Following in moderate intermittent fasting approach is super helpful in keeping hormone levels and insulin levels in check. I use this with some of my clients to accelerate their results and we also personalize the approach.

Losing weight for women over 50 is not about calories, it's not about exercise - neither of these will move your body to lasting weight loss results. Why? They aren't fixing the underlying reason of whey the weight is so stubborn - there are 3 reasons the weight is stubborn - Imbalanced Hormones, Broken Metabolism & Excess Inflammation - addressing the underlying causes is what brings lasting results.

If you want to learn more about how I can help you fast track your results, feel free to book a free call with me and we'll have an informal chat and discuss your specific situation and how I can help you.

Ok, that's it for now!

A Healthy Happy You Awaits!