This week, we catch up with Eliza from the Holistic Sister. Eliza talks us through the importance of maintinaing hormonal balance and the role that hormones play within our everyday lives. Have a read through Eliza's tips below:
I feel like as women we grow up not really understanding our hormones and the incredible benefits they have, as well as reasons why they can become unbalanced and cause us to feel not ourselves. Below are the main hormones present in our body:
- Oestrogen; acts as a natural anti-depressant, is an anti-anxiety, supports memory and cognition, libido, bone health, collagen production, sleep, skin health, and energy levels.
- Progesterone; the yin to oestrogen’s yang, is also essential for brain and mood health, balancing oestrogen, balancing androgens, supports energy, sleep, and fertility.
- Androgens such as Testosterone and DHEA support lean muscle, body composition, libido, confidence, and clarity.
When our hormones are imbalanced, whether it’s driven by stress, post-pill / removing an IUD, poor diet high in inflammatory foods, sugar and processed foods, medications, underlying metabolic dysfunction such as insulin resistance or obesity, low thyroid function - we see signs:
- Common signs of high oestrogen - heavy, painful periods, overly emotional, tender breasts, clots in period, inability to shift excess body fat, and is connected with endometriosis.
- Common signs of low progesterone - irregular periods, mid-cycle spotting, high oestrogen symptoms.
- Coming signs of elevated androgens - irregular periods, excessive hair growth, PCOS, cysts on ovaries, and anovulation.
Top ways to support healthy hormone levels:
- Sleep - Women need more sleep than men with the goal of minimum 8 per night.
- Adaptogens - A class of herbs which support cortisol levels and the stress response, Ashwagandha, Cordyceps, Lion’s Mane, Rehmannia, and Rhodiola are key examples.
- Adequate protein - Aiming for 30g protein per meals and eating high quality proteins from a variety of sources e.g grass-fed beef, lamb, chicken, wild caught salmon, sardines, fish, eggs.
- Cruciferous vegetables - Broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, etc.
- Regular movement with a focus on resistance training.
- Healthy fats - Avocado, eggs, olive oil, pumpkin seeds, almonds, macadamias, kefir, and walnuts.
- Supplements - Vitex can help increase progesterone levels, Reishi and Berberine can help lower androgen levels, DIM, NAC and a methylated B Complex support balancing estrogen levels and zinc, vitamin D, and magnesium are essential for healthy hormone creation.
We hope this guide helps in understanding and nurturing your hormonal system, helping you to feel balanced and energized every day.
You can find Eliza at @theholisticsister_
