My Top
Top9 9Hormone
Hormone Balancing Foods
Balancing “Go-To” Foods!
#1. Marvelous Maca!
Maca is known as a hormonal adaptogen, which essentially means it contains nutrients
that help balance hormones. How does it help? First it helps balance adrenal cortisol
levels that may be out of balance due to stress. It can help to prevent the effects of high
cortisol and improve the function of the adrenals despite low cortisol. It also helps
with low thyroid function, stabilizes blood sugar levels and improves energy levels.
Maca also help with sexual function. For women, it can help with menstrual cycles,
fertility, menopausal symptoms, improve bone health and muscle mass, and help
libido. For men, it helps with libido and energy levels, improves testosterone levels,
improves bone and muscles mass, helps with prostate function, fertility and erectile
dysfunction.
How To Use It: Maca is a root vegetable that is available as a powder in a package or as
capsule or an extract. To use it in recipes, the powder goes well with ingredients like
chocolate in smoothies or in dips like guacamole or legume dishes. Strong flavours like
garlic, onions, cumin and cayenne also work great with maca.
#2. Schizandra Berries
Schizandra is a berry but it is not known for its tastiness, which is a shame as it has
many benefits. It is an adrenal adaptogen, meaning it can help balance cortisol levels
whether they are high or low. It also supports the health of the liver, the kidneys and
the nervous system, stabilizes blood sugar and improves thyroid function. Schizandra
can also boost libido in both men and women.
How To Use Them: Schizandra can be found as dried berries, ground up as a powder
and concentrated, or in capsule or tincture form. To add it to recipes, it goes best with
other berries and citrus juice. It is easily added to a smoothie.
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#3. Sea Vegetables
ori, dulse, kelp, arame are all examples of sea vegetables. They are good sources
N
iodine, selenium and zinc which are key nutrients the thyroid needs to function
optimally. While there are many reasons for thyroid malfunction, helping the thyroid
requires providing it with the nutrients it needs.
How To Use Them: Sea vegetables can be found as the dried vegetable or as a powder.
Sea vegetables can have a strong fishy taste so they work best in recipes with other
strong flavours such as garlic, onions, cayenne or cumin. Arame is virtually tasteless so
it may be the one that is the easiest to work with. Nori which is used in making sushi is
also pretty mild tasting and of course, sushi is a great way to consume it.
#4. Chia Seeds and Hemp Seeds
Both chia and hemp seeds are a great source of essential fatty acids, Omega 3 and
Omega 6, two fats we need to get in our diet. Chia has more Omega 3 and hemp has
more Omega 6. Essential fatty acids (EFAs) are need to support the liver, the adrenals,
the thyroid, the nervous and help with intestinal health. They also can provide
reproductive support for both men and women.
How To Use Them: Both comes as seeds. Hemp can be sprinkle on salads, added to
smoothies or ground into a flour and used for a percentage of the flour in recipes. Chia
can be mixed with water and turned into a gel which can be added to any recipe. It is a
great binding agent when it is ground as it contains a high percentage of soluble fibre,
which also acts as a prebiotic to feed our good gut bacteria. It also works well ins
smoothies, salad dressing and baked goods such as
cookies and muffins.
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#5. Broccoli & Kale
As members of the cruciferous vegetable family, broccoli and kale contain two
different phytochemicals, indole -3-carbinols and sulforaphanes. Both help detox out
excess estrogen and support overall liver detoxification. They also both contain
prebiotic fibre that helps feed our good gut bacteria.
Ideas For Using Them: Kale and broccoli can be added to salads, vegetable dishes and
smoothies. They are suitable both cooked and raw. If consuming kale raw, be sure to
either grind it well in a smoothie or let it sit for a while in salad dressing, in order to
soften it as it contains a lot of insoluble fibre.
#6. Grapefruit & Organic Apples
These are two key foods that contain calcium
d-glucarate, another phytochemical that helps detox out
excess estrogen. They both also support the overall
ability of the liver to detoxify and are both prebiotic foods
that can feed good gut bacteria.
Ideas For Using Them: As fruits, apples and grapefruits
are ready to eat and this may be the simplest way to
consume them. However, they work well in muffins,
smoothies and salads and can be added easily to any
other recipes where fruits are used.
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#7. Jerusalem Artichokes
This is a superfood by all definitions. It supports all phases of liver detoxification,
stabilizes blood sugar and is one of the highest foods with prebiotic fibre to feed the
gut. They are not always easy to find but look for them in the fall and winter and if not
available in the grocery store, then look in health food and specialty stores. It is
becoming more common to find them year round.
How To Use Them: They have the taste and texture of a cross between a potato and a
radish. They work well in any recipe that uses potatoes. Substitute all or just a portion
of the potato content in any recipe. Also, they work well in dip recipes, as an addition
to a smoothie or raw, sliced on a veggie platter. You can also remove a portion of the
flour in a bread or muffin recipe and replace it with Jerusalem artichokes.
#8. Garlic & Onions
Both garlic and onions are sulfur-rich foods, which supports detoxification activities
of the liver. They are also both excellent prebiotic foods and have antimicrobial
properties. They deliver flavour and nutrients to any dish where they are added but it
is choice of personal taste which one you use or if you use both.
Ideas For Using Them: Onions and garlic are great in most savory dips, soups, entrées
or vegetable dishes. Sweet red onions can be easily be added to a salad or a sandwich
and garlic is awesome in homemade salad dressings.
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#9. Healthy Fats - Avocado, Olive Oil, Coconut Oil or Ghee
Hormone health needs good quality fats. First, hormones are made from fat so we
need eat enough fat to make the hormones we need. Specific fatty acids have various
roles.
Coconut oil contains antifungal caprylic acid and antibacterial lauric acid. Avocado and
its oil contain phytoestrogens which can help balance hormones and they can help
stimulate metabolism. Olive oil helps create healthy cell membranes which allow
hormones to better adhere to them and work more effectively. Organic butter or it’s
clarified version known as ghee, contains butyrate, a short chain fatty acid that helps
gut health and inhibits inflammation. It also contains cholesterol which is a building
block for steroid hormones such as cortisol, estrogen, testosterone and progesterone.
Ideas For Using Them: These fats are great for sautéing, roasting and baking. Avocado
oil and olive oil are wonderful in salad dressings. Coconut oil is delicious in muffins,
cookies and other baking.
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Honourable Mentions!
Culinary Herbs, not only do they add flavour to recipes, culinary herbs add nutrients
and help with hormone health. Cinnamon helps menstrual periods, fertility and
stabilizes blood sugar which can help lower and prevent insulin resistance and
support the adrenal glands. Cayenne, ginger, cumin, parsley, dill and turmeric are
known as hormone balancers and are also good for gut health.
How To Use Them: This is the fun part! Pick the ones you like and flavour your soups,
salads, smoothies and all your savoury dishes.
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