Balancing your hormones through Nutrition

Feeling irritable? Acne? Adrenal fatigue? Suffering from insomnia? Experiencing bloating, headaches or hot flashes?PCOS? Fatigue/tired? Craving salt or sugar? Waking up tired? Brain fog? Experiencing Hypoglycemia (low blood sugar)? Have high blood sugar( type 2 Diabetes? If you answered yes to any of these symptoms, there’s a good chance your hormones are out of balance.

Hormone imbalances are becoming more and more common these days. Hormones are the body’s chemical messengers. They control practically every physiological process in the body—from regulation of metabolism to activation of the immune system, sexual function, reproduction and mood. Endocrine glands, which are special groups of cells, make hormones. The major endocrine glands are the pituitary, pineal, thymus, thyroid, adrenal glands and pancreas. A hormonal balance is vital to proper body functioning. An Imbalance in one hormone can cause imbalances in other hormones as well. Hormone imbalance is also the root cause of various diseases and disorders.

What causes are hormones to get off balance?

• Exposure to toxins in the environment and food
• Intake of food that contains preservatives or harmful additives
• Poor gut health ( Leaky Gut)
• Lack of sleep
• Nutrient deficiencies
• Over consumption of processed food/sugar
• Medications
• Extremely low-fat diets
• Sedentary lifestyle
• Smoking and alcohol
• Stress
• Water pollution

Thus, maintaining hormone balance is crucial for good physical and mental health. Regular exercises and good eating and sleeping habits help enhance the production of hormones in the body. A healthy diet which provides all the essential nutrients in proper proportions is essential for the release of hormones by endocrine glands.

Other factors that can affect your hormones are

1. Blood sugar – in women, blood sugar imbalances cause increases in testosterone, which will wreak havoc on the hormonal system and also affects the hormone insulin.
2. Adrenal glands– adrenal dysfunction can suppress pituitary function and rob the sex hormones of the necessary precursors for hormone production. Dysfunctional adrenal glands are paramount in hormonal balance. As the adrenal, or stress hormones continue to slowly lose proper function, this negatively affects the digestive system.
3. Poor GI Function – Gastrointestinal dysfunction can raise cortisol, cause hormone detoxification issues, and produce damaging hormone metabolites, to name a few. If your guts aren’t working properly, neither will your hormones. Unstable blood sugar, over-consumption of carbohydrates and sweets, poor digestive function and food sensitivities all contribute to hormone problems

You will not have optimal hormone balance if any of these systems are not working properly. All these systems can be affected by food, toxins and lifestyle factors.

At MyNutrition MyLife™ we look at all these symptoms and recommend a plan that is individualized to your needs and nutrition status. To learn more about making important improvements to your nutrition please call 702-900-5609 to set your initial nutrition assessment.