Part 4 From Hormone Hell to Feeling Well - Foods for Healthy Hormone Harmony

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April 13, 2021 - Episode #61 - Part 4 From Hormone Hell to Feeling Well - Foods for Healthy Hormone Harmony

Hormone imbalance and the symptoms that go with it can feel like a living hell! 🔥 We don’t want to live like that! Life is too short to be feeling miserable most of the time.  But you can do something about it. Certain foods can keep your body functioning properly and keep your hormones in glorious harmony!  
Today is Part 4 in our series From Hormone Hell to Feeling Well.  Last week we uncovered the foods that are wreaking havoc on your hormones and causing chaos.  This week is so much fun we are revealing those foods for healthy hormone harmony. 

When we think about what we eat, our hormones may not come to mind.  But hormones play such a vital role in the body.  They are part of the endocrine system and help with growth and development, metabolism and digestion, fertility, stress, mood and much, much more.

There are over 200 hormones in the body…..estrogen, testosterone, cortisol, insulin, leptin, ghrelin, thyroid hormones are the most well-known. What we eat affects not just the production of hormones but also the signaling pathways, the communication.  So, the saying you are what you eat, really holds true!  Bottom line is you want a diet that is full of healthy fats like those found in coconut, avocado, olive oils, nuts and seeds.  You need fiber and power antioxidants from fruits and vegetables and finally you need quality protein.  You NEED real food.  And in today's podcast you get insight on the specific foods for healthy hormone harmony.
 
Friend, before I go any further.  I want you to know.  I see you.  I understand your pain, your struggle.  You desperately want to take control of your health, to lose weight, to balance your hormones, to have the energy necessary for you to get through that never ending to do list.  You’ve lost your drive, you’ve lost your sparkle, your joy and you NEED it back!! You have been listening for a while and you know you need to take the next step and book a virtual Health Coaching session.  It’s time.  And I’m standing here, ready to link arms with you and help you.  Book your session by clicking here https://healthyharmony.thrivecart.com/wellness-warrior-power-hour/


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April 13, 2021 - Episode #61 - Part 4 From Hormone Hell to Feeling Well - Foods for Healthy Hormone Harmony

Hormone imbalance and the symptoms that go with it can feel like a living hell. We don't want to live like that. Life is too short to be feeling miserable most of the time, but you can do something about it. Certain foods can keep your body functioning properly and keep your hormones in glorious. Harmony. Yay. Today is part four in our series from hormone Hell to feeling well. Last week we uncovered the foods that are wrecking havoc on your hormones and causing chaos. This week is so much more fun. We are revealing those foods for healthy hormone harmony let's get started. Hey there. Welcome to the healthy harmony podcast. I'm Jennifer Pickett, your host, your health coach, your friend. If you're ready to tap into the healthiest version of you. So you can live life with confidence and intentional harmony. Then my friend you're in the right place. As a Dietitian turned Functional Medicine Health Coach. I'm here to walk beside you and show you how to take control of your complete health body, mind, and soul.

As I said, today is part four in this hormone series. This is a hot topic for us girls. If you happened to miss part one part two or part three, I'll link them in the show notes. So you can go back and listen. Remember part one was Dr. Villaneuva and she talked to us about the science of hormones and what it looks like when your hormones are out of balance. Part two also feature Dr. Villanueva discussing the very controversial topic of hormone replacement therapy. Part three last week, we discussed the foods that cause hormone chaos, and today are the foods for healthy hormone harmony.

Friend, before I go any further, I want you to know, I see you. I understand your pain, your struggle. You desperately want to take control of your health to lose weight, to balance your hormones, to have the energy necessary for you to get through that never ending to do list. You've lost your drive. You've lost your sparkle, your joy, and you need it back. You've been listening for a while and you know, you need to take the next step and book a virtual health coaching session. It's time and I'm standing here ready to link arms with you and help you. Book your session by clicking on the coaching tab on inspirehealthyharmony.com or click in the show notes. Wherever you listen to this podcast, I can't wait to help you. As you know,
I've been trained in both traditional medicine and functional medicine as a Dietitian, everything was a largely focused on disease state management and therapeutic diets, but there was very, very little talk on prevention or just how to get your body to function optimally. And frankly, I started recognizing that this quote, unquote diet approach, just wasn't working with people.

The old tired of calories in versus calories out equation was in effective. I was struggling and women around me or struggling that struggle led me to functional medicine, which is lifestyle medicine. Functional medicine is not a band-aid approach. It seeks to address the why, why is something happening for example, and it seeks to address the root of the issue.

I love the way that functional medicine looks at food. It looks at food in four different ways. First of all, food is fuel. Obviously just like your car needs gas to run. Your body needs fuel so it can keep going. But it also looks at food as information. It literally tells your body what to do. It sees food as medicine, foods that can heal your body and finally. It recognizes that food is connection. It is what bonds us together. So we have to look at food  from this very comprehensive approach today, we're diving in to that aspect.

Food is medicine, the glorious healing properties of food. Foods can make you look and feel great that balancing your hormones. When we think about what we eat, our hormones may not come to mind, but hormones play such a vital role in the body. They are part of the endocrine system and they help with growth and development, metabolism and digestion, fertility, stress, mood, and so much more we've reviewed in this series. What it looks like when our hormones get out of balance, what it feels like. Here's, what's really interesting. I never realized how many hormones there are. Did you know there's over 200 hormones in the body? Yep. 200 sister estrogen, testosterone, cortisol, insulin, leptin, ghrelin, thyroid hormones. Those are the most. Well-Known what we eat affects. Not just the production of hormones, but also the signaling pathways, the communication. So the saying you are what you ate.

Oh yes. That holds true here. The bottom line is you want a diet that is full of healthy fats. Like those found in coconut avocado, olive oils, nuts and seeds. You need fiber and powerful antioxidants from fruits and vegetables and family. You need quality, clean protein. You need real food justice. Last week I was speaking with my client Renee and she had sent me her food diary. She had been keeping track of everything she was eating because that was really beneficial to her. And she is working so hard at reclaiming her health. And let me tell you, she is making so much progress. I was gushing at this food diary and celebrating her because of the beautiful variety of vegetables and fruits that she was enjoying. It's absolutely astounding. What happens when we shift to real foods last week, you heard me talk about the disasters and I mean the disasters of processed foods today, let's take a look at the various specific foods that make you feel good, girl!

Here are the top eight foods for healthy hormone harmony

Number one, wild salmon and albacore tuna. Both of these contain vitamin D vitamin D is a powerhouse as a vitamin. So very important for us. It's a fat soluble vitamin. It really helps boost our immune system. It helps to build healthy, strong bones, and it really helps us boost our testosterone. Yes, ladies, you need testosterone too. It makes a big difference. Also it is high in Omega three fatty acids. We know that these Omega threes can help reduce the risk of breast cancer. Healthy fats are so, so important. We know that fat and cholesterol are the building blocks of hormones. You need enough cholesterol to make sex hormones like estrogen and testosterone, good fats. Like those found in fish help with hormonal communication. The endocrine system uses hormones to communicate with the brain, which in turn those affect our mood and gives us better cognitive skills. Now a quick tip here when you're shopping for salmon wild caught salmon is the best option versus a salmon that has been farmed. So keep that in mind, choose wild caught.

Number two, cruciferous vegetables. These are broccoli and Brussels sprouts and cauliflower and broccoli sprouts and kale and cabbage and bok choy. And we know that eating these vegetables may protect you from developing estrogen dominant cancers. So for people like me that had that very strong family medical history, this gets my attention fast. These cruciferous vegetables also contain fiber, which is Uber important because we need to be eliminating daily. You get what I mean? You need to use the happy poop emoji daily, if not more than once a day and girls, it's a problem with a vast majority of us, you know me, I'm going to go there and talk about poop. I'm not scared because I know people are struggling here.
So here's why this is important. We eliminate excess estrogen through our bowel movements. Now the powerhouse in this group of cruciferous is broccoli. Yes. So a quick tip is to roast it in the oven after drizzling it with avocado oil, sprinkle it with some pink Himalayan, sea salt and some cracked black pepper. And it is so, so good.

Number three, avocados. You knew this was going to be on the list, right? Anytime we're talking healthy fats, you know, avocados are going to be on the list. Avocados are loaded with fiber and yes, healthy fat gone are the fat phobic days. So if you're still stuck in that mindset, call me up and we will have a talk. Okay. And I will give you some fantastic information cause we need that and we need healthy fats. So it has a very positive effect on your blood cholesterol levels. And it can help balance cortisol, which is also known as the stress hormone. We also know that plant sterols in avocados influence both estrogen and progesterone. These hormones that regulate ovulation and menstrual cycles. Another benefit here is that it's a healthy fat. So it helps with satiety, meaning it helps you stay full and satisfied. One of my favorites is avocado toast and I'll put some broccoli sprouts on there on sprouted, whole grain bread with some salt and pepper and just a little bit of lemon. And it is absolutely delicious. You can put avocado in a salad or Hey, even in a smoothie, I bet you won't even taste it.

Number four, sweet potatoes. These tasty treats are high in antioxidants like beta carotene and have a lot of helpful fabric to keep you regular. Yep. I'm going there again. But it also contains vitamin B6, which helps with liver detoxification. So anything that helps with liver detox is helping you get rid of excess hormones. We do not want a lot of excess hormones re-circulating in the body. So detoxification is so very important.

Number five, black seeds, flax seeds are high in Omega three fatty acids. They also contain phyto estrogens, which are plant-based compounds that mimic estrogen. They bound to the receptors and they help us extreme excrete, excess estrogens from the body. Hey, it can also help with menopausal symptoms. Do I have your attention? Now? I happened to put flaxseeds in a smoothie. I also add it to a snack. If I'll, if I'll put almond butter on a banana or an Apple, and then I'll sprinkle some flax seeds on there, you can even sprinkle some flaxseeds on your salad, an easy way to boost that nutritional content.

Number six, spinach. Spinach contains iron, which really helps to enhance the thyroid function and aid in the production of thyroid hormones. Just a side note here, we can't talk hormone balance without talking about the thyroid and the adrenal glands. So spinach really helps in the production of thyroid hormones. And by the way, it gives you an energy boost because of the range of B vitamins and energy boost. Oh yeah. All the mamas said, yes, please. We need the energy.

Number seven quinoa. Quinoa is a superfood. It's has a wide array of minerals and protein and fiber. The fiber can get you going again. You know what I mean? And it's a great source of zinc. Zinc is a mineral that is so very much needed for immune function and assists with thyroid hormone production.

Number eight lentils. I know you're like, what's that? Like, what are lentils? Lentils are a legume. Yes. You're probably still confused. It's okay. We all are. These are not things that are typically at the top of our list. I want you to think of lentils as a cousin to beans and chickpeas and soybeans and peanuts. Okay. These little gems are a great source of protein and fiber and can help reduce your estrogen levels. So many women are estrogen dominant and we need to help control that. Lentils also contain zinc that helps to raise testosterone and they're high in iron. There are green lentils and red and yellow lentils and black and Brown lentils. And if you are looking for a cheap, nutrient dense option, this is it.

So I want to encourage you be willing to experiment and try something new. These are some of the top foods for hormone health notice it's all real foods. Like I said, at the top of the podcast, if we can stick to quality protein, healthy fats and fruits and vegetables, we will be amazed at how good we feel and the foods we just discussed. Well, clearly very specific benefits for you. So your hormones will be healthy and happy and be in a harmony. Oh, doesn't that sound good? You know, my client Paula realized the need to include more plant foods in her diet. And she has been so intentional about trying a new fruit or a new vegetable every single week. I love that. Be intentional, be willing to experiment, try something different. Get out of that rut!  Right now I want you to set an intention to include at least two of the healthy hormone foods into your meal plan for this week. And when you do, I want to hear from you a quick text, a picture, you send it to me, private message. You email me. I want to celebrate you. We're in this together. And we're taking it one day at a time. I want you to feel your absolute best because you deserve it. Don't forget. We have an amazing Facebook page full of women, just like you, who are looking for encouragement and solid health information that they can fit realistically into their life. Women who are looking for support and accountability. This is where they find it. You can find a Facebook page, functional medicine for weight loss, body, mind, soul wellness for women to make it real easy. I have a Bitly link. It's Bitly B I T dot L Y forward slash F M women's wellness. Again, that's bit.ly/fmwomenswellness. You will love this amazing group. I'll meet you right back here next week where we're talking detoxification. Oh, yes. We're going to detox like it's hot! Until then, have a healthy and happy day. Bye y'all.