Are you feeling exhausted, yet find it hard to catch those much-needed Zs?

Have you been dealing with the same cycle of period pain and hormone imbalances month after month?

As women, we often feel that there's no way out of these hormonal issues—that this is just "part of having a uterus".

But this couldn’t be further from the truth. When your hormones are balanced you WON'T feel symptoms of fatigue, mood swings, cramps and brain fog that can impact your relationships, work & mental health.

Taking control of your well-being is possible when you take control of your daily dietary and lifestyle habits that have the greatest impact on your moods, energy, and periods. 

In today’s blog post, you're about to discover how you can use food to help balance your hormones & relieve period symptoms for good. 

PLUS, I'm going to share with you the #1 dietary mistake that is stopping women from balancing their hormones for the long-term. Make this mistake - and you're never going to get rid of your symptoms.

Our culture tells us that hormonal imbalances & period problems can only be “fixed” with hormonal birth control, painkillers or surgery.

I’m here to tell you - that true, lasting healing begins with what’s on the end of your fork. Yes - you can eat your way to balanced hormones & symptom-free periods without restrictive diets or giving up the foods you love. 

 

 

Why food is so powerful in helping to heal hormones is because your body requires certain nutrients for to actually MAKE and metabolise hormones.

So if you don't have the understanding of how certain foods impact your body, or what the essential nutrients are that your hormones NEED for balance, you're not going to have a solid foundation to build on and you'll be running around in circles wondering why nothing is working to fix your periods.

When you don't get enough of the right nutrients daily every system within the body breaks down and hello hormonal imbalances. 

So, no matter what your period problem, symptom or condition - you will benefit & experience great improvements from these tips I'm about to share.

1. Drop the diets - they keep you struggling with low moods, no energy & period problems

 

The first tip on what is the best diet to naturally balance your hormones, is to drop the word diet. That's right - we need to reprogram around "dieting" - the word diet is often connected to feelings of depravity and guilt with strict rules that are impossible to follow for a long period of time. Which leads me to 3 reasons why restrictive diets make hormonal imbalances worse.

Here's 3 reasons why restrictive diets make hormonal imbalances worse:

Firstly, diets by nature are restrictive and involve either cutting out, or cutting down dramatically on major food groups and calories - which over time can lead to nutrient deficiencies. Nutrient deficiencies are the main cause of hormonal imbalances and period problems therefore restrictive diets are NOT long term solutions to hormonal problems.

Another reason diets make hormonal imbalances worse is that diets are hard to stick to long-term. This is a problem when it comes to your hormones because they are with you for LIFE, right!? - they're not going anywhere - and they require daily, long-term, life-long nutritional support to function for you to thrive. So any short term diet is not going to meet the long-term nutritional needs of your hormones. For our hormones to thrive our body needs consistency and balance, not deprivation or extremes.

Lastly, diets promote a one size fits all way of eating BUT when it comes to food this approach just isn't possible due to our unique biological diversity - including our immune function, genetics, digestive function, lifestyle - we are all unique and respond to the same foods in different ways.

For example, you might thrive from eating a purely plant based diet, for others it may cause missing or irregular periods. Some people may thrive on a lower carbohydrate diet, others will not. Everyone is different!

So with all of this in mind, I want to encourage you to throw away specific dietary labels and restrictive eating habits and instead I invite you to discover your way of eating that makes you feel good, one that is enjoyable, and becomes a sustainable part of your lifestyle.

Cause not only will your hormones begin to rebalance, but your relationship with your body & food will transform for the better too.

Trust me, eating for hormonal health does not have to be difficult, plus we’re talking about food here and who doesn’t love food! 

 

2. Focus on reducing Inflammation  

Although there isn't the “one perfect” hormone-balancing way of eating for everyone, there are however fundamental macro & micronutrients found in certain foods that are absolutely vital for everyone's hormones.

AND there are also certain foods that cause hormonal imbalances and make period pain and PMS worse.

Want to know what these foods are? Stay with me.

I'm going to keep this simple: A hormone-healthy way of eating is anti-inflammatory VERSUS inflammatory.

Inflammation in the body throws off hormonal communication, causing less progesterone, more estrogen and is a major root cause of PMS, cramps, and all other period problems.

There are foods that can cause inflammation, and there are foods that help to reduce inflammation in the body.

 

Let's start with the top 3 foods that can cause inflammation & unfortunately make heavy periods, hormonal acne, PMS and cramps worse:

 

• Sugar

• Alcohol

• Processed vegetable & seed oils

• BONUS number 4 because this applies for many people (but NOT all people: gluten and dairy products)

Before you go & run a mile, this isn't about cutting out all these things forever, remember Im not about deprivation!

I love a choccie ice cream, and a cheeky margarita from time to time. BUT I am aware that excess consumption of these foods make my period pain & PMS worse, so I'm conscious about HOW much and how frequently I consume them.

My intention is to expand your awareness around these foods that DO commonly contribute to period problems and then invite you to experiment and discover how they particularly impact YOU as an individual.

Perhaps you trial an elimination of dairy for two months and you discover your period pain & acne subsides, but for your best friend Sally - she’s fine with dairy but has a gluten sensitivity so Sally finds avoiding gluten improves her PMS.

 

 

This is about discovering a way of eating that works for you BUT.. if you do suffer from symptoms like period pain, mood swings, fatigue & PMS and you’re consuming these particular foods regularly- your healing will only begin when you stop fuelling inflammation in the body.

Now you know which foods contribute to worsening PMS & cramps. It's time for me to share with you some of the foods help to heal your hormones for pain-free periods!

As Hippocrates once said, "let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food".

 

 

3. How to create a hormone-healthy meal

 

When it comes to your hormones, food really is hormone medicine.

A hormone-healthy way of eating helps to reduce inflammation in the body, support adequate nutrient intake & regulate blood sugar balance.

This way of eating includes lots of whole-foods, favoring fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains, protein, healthy fats and spices.

Each meal (breakfast, lunch and dinner) should aim to include each group of nutrients and look something like this:

A plate filled with half carbohydrates, one quarter healthy fat and one quarter protein.

Let’s break it down..

 

Each meal (breakfast, lunch and dinner) should aim to include each group of nutrients and look something like this:

 

Starting with carbohydrates... 

Carbs should take up ½ of your plate - Now I love carbs. We all love carbs but when I say the word carb what comes to mind? Bread, pasta, french fries and cake? These carbs are unfortunately not the whole food anti-inflammatory carbs I'm talking about when it comes to making up a hormone-healthy plate.

The anti-inflammatory carbs you want to focus more on are whole foods including leafy greens, cruciferous veggies, pulses, whole grains, starchy & sweet vegetables like sweet potato, potatoes, beetroot, pumpkin, carrots; These whole foods carbohydrates are low in sugar, high in fiber and contain essential nutrients for hormone balance. 

Let’s move onto fat...

Your plate should include ¼ of healthy fat - I like to aim for 2 tablespoons of healthy fat per meal to make it easier.

You want to focus on a diet high in anti-inflammatory omega-3 fatty acids. So consuming fats like nuts & seeds, coconut oil, olive oil, olives, avocado, eggs, oily fish like wild caught salmon, sardines, mackerel are all amazing.

An easy way to boost healthy fat, protein and fibre with every meal is to sprinkle 2 tbsp of Earth Seeds. 

Moving on to protein...

Protein should fill up ¼ of your plate. Protein sources can include grass-fed animal meat like lamb, beef or liver; free range chicken, turkey, eggs, fish. Or plant proteins such as beans, lentils, chia seeds, hemp seeds, nut butters, tempeh, spinach, walnuts, quinoa etc.

Aiming for at least 25-30 grams of protein at every meal is essential for regulating blood sugar balance and beating PMS, cravings and energy crashes.  

So there you have it - a hormone healthy meal includes adequate amounts of whole food carbohydrates & fibre, healthy fats and quality protein.

 

 

What I cannot stress enough is that consistency with consuming a hormone-healthy way of eating is key.

Your period may only last a few days, but your hormones are always functioning in the background, so what you eat every day of the month matters and impacts how you experience your periods.

If you’re looking for further help & step by step guidance on taking charge of your hormonal health naturally for better moods, energy & symptom-free periods join the next intake of the 28 Day Hormone Reset here.