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The Hormone Balance diet was conceptualized by Dr. Natasha Turner, a naturopathic doctor, in her book The Hormone Diet. This diet primarily aims to prevent and manage hormone fluctuations that might have detrimental effects on overall health.
Several chronic diseases are associated with hormone fluctuations, including obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus. Balancing your hormones can help you lose weight and prevent several lifestyle diseases. This article discusses the Hormone Balance Diet, along with a detailed plan that will help you stick to this diet.
How to Balance Hormones for Weight Loss?
According to Dr. Turner, these hormones are crucial for your overall well-being, including weight loss and metabolism:
- acetylcholine
- cortisol
- dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA)
- dopamine
- estrogen
- gamma amino-butyric acid (GABA)
- growth hormone
- insulin
- melatonin
- progesterone
- serotonin
- testosterone
- thyroid hormone
Controlling these hormones and preventing their fluctuations can help you with weight loss and prevent other chronic conditions, including type 2 diabetes. These hormones are largely affected by our lifestyle choices, including diet, exercise, and sleep quality. If you follow a balanced diet, exercise regularly, and get adequate sleep, you can balance your hormones easily. The Hormone Balance Diet aims to help you transform your overall lifestyle.
Hormone Balancing Foods
According to Dr. Turner, the following foods are considered to help with balancing hormones by reducing inflammation in the body:
- naturally gluten-free grains and starches
- most vegetables
- most fruits
- beans
- nuts and seeds (except peanuts)
- poultry
- fish
- soy
- eggs
- plant milk
- dairy from sheep or goats
- oils that do not contain inflammatory molecules
Nutritional supplements like probiotics, omega-3 fish oil, and antioxidants are also considered among foods that balance hormones in females. However, it has to be kept in mind that soy, soy products, and certain vegetables do cause hormone fluctuations, especially thyroid hormones. This fact is overlooked in the Hormone Balance Diet. In fact, several studies have concluded that soy might not be as healthy as claimed.
Hormone Balance Diet Plan
This diet involves three phases. Hormone-fluctuating foods are gradually eliminated from the diet in the first two phases. Meanwhile, the third phase introduces physical exercise and aims to improve both physical and mental health.
Phase 1
In the first phase, the following inflammatory foods should be eliminated from this diet, according to Dr. Turner:
- gluten-containing grains
- dairy products made from cow’s milk
- oils containing inflammatory molecules
- alcohol
- caffeine
- peanuts
- sugar
- artificial sweeteners
- red meat
- citrus fruits
Phase 2
In the second phase of the Hormone Balance Diet, you continue removing other foods that hinder the proper functioning of hormones. These foods include:
- high fructose corn syrup
- fish with high mercury levels
- non-organic meats
- non-organic coffee
- raisins
- dates
- peanuts
Peanuts are the only nuts that are considered inflammatory and harmful. Other nuts, including almonds and walnuts, can continue to be a part of this diet.
Phase 3
The third phase is all about physical and mental wellness through cardiovascular exercise and strength training. After eliminating foods that might cause hormone fluctuations, regular exercise must be included in this phase of the Hormone Balance Diet.
Does the Hormone Balance Diet Work?
The key goals of The Hormone Diet are to reduce inflammation and insulin resistance. This can be beneficial for weight loss and the reversal of type 2 diabetes mellitus. There is several scientific evidence proving that highly-processed foods are the contributing factor to inflammation, obesity, and hormone fluctuations.
The Hormone Balance diet completely eliminates processed foods and hence might be beneficial for the body. For instance, sugar is a major contributing factor to obesity. The elimination of sugar via this diet helps with the reversal of insulin resistance. Insulin is the main hormone that promotes fat gain in the body. Improved insulin sensitivity promotes fat loss and prevents weight gain.
Hormone Balance Diet for Better Health
This diet can reduce stress and the levels of cortisol in the body. Cortisol is a stress hormone that triggers fat gain in the abdominal areas. This can also promote better sleep, which is crucial to balance our hormones. This diet does not require you to count calories and emphasizes a permanent lifestyle change to balance your hormones, which can be beneficial for your long-term health.
