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Hormonal Balance is commonly defined as the relationship between the body's endocrine, nerves, and reproductive systems. Overall, hormones are responsible for directing metabolic processes in the body. They help control appetite, weight, and mood. Put simply, a healthy diet and lifestyle habits work best for hormonal health.
Poor health, sedentary lifestyle, and levels of certain hormones decline with age, so a nutritious diet can improve hormonal health and allow you to feel and perform at your best.
Six Ways to Naturally Restore Hormonal Balance
To keep your hormones balanced, you need to focus on the following six ways:
1) Consuming more protein
Consuming adequate amounts of protein is extremely important. Not only does protein provide essential amino acids that the body can't make on its own, but the body also needs it to produce hormone-derived proteins – also known as peptides and even hormones.
Hormones are made from amino acids by the endocrine glands. Peptides, especially those derived from proteins, play a key role in regulating many physiological processes, such as hormonal balance, energy metabolism, appetite, stress, and reproduction.
2) Doing regular exercise
Regular exercise may improve insulin resistance. It also increases hormone receptor sensitivity by enhancing the delivery of nutrients and hormone signals to cells.
An increase in hormone receptors sensitivity allows the body to effectively control the chemistry and output of hormones, which eventually promotes hormonal balance.
3) Maintaining gut health
Friendly bacteria help maintain hormonal balance in the body. In return, that helps regulate insulin resistance and feelings of fullness. The loss of friendly bacteria can cause a chain reaction with negative effects, including hormone imbalance.
When short-chain fatty acids are produced, such as acetate and butyrate, they help keep you feeling fuller for longer, which leads to weight management by increasing the number of calories burned.
4) Consuming less sugar
Many sources of sugar can worsen hormonal balance. Sugar is clearly present in honey, refined table sugar, high fructose corn syrup, and agave.
Sugar-sweetened beverages are the primary source of added sugars in the Western diet, and fructose is commonly used commercially in soft drinks, fruit juice and sport/energy drinks.
Maintaining a healthy hormonal balance can be key to healthy aging and weight loss. Studies have noted that long-term fructose intake has been linked to disruptions of the gut microbiome, which may lead to other hormonal imbalances.
5) Having good quality sleep
Sleep is important for hormonal balance. If you're busy, sleep might be the first thing you sacrifice. Short sleep helps balance the hormones. Parsley recommends getting at least eight hours of sleep per night so that the body is able to secrete growth hormones essential to cell reproduction and regeneration.
Poor sleep can mess with the body's ability to regulate appetite and send signals that you're full. Getting enough sleep is important for overall health, especially metabolism and growth.
6) Including healthy fats in diet
Eating foods rich in healthy fats, such as omega-3 and omega-6, may help reduce appetite and lower risk of obesity.
Fatty acids control leptin production, a hormone that suppresses appetite by reducing the size of the part of the brain that tells us we need to eat. If you don’t consume enough healthy fats, you might have low levels of leptin and experience overeating or an inability to feel satiated. Some women use seed cycling for hormonal balance.
Conclusion
Hormones play a massive part in body function, so it should come as no surprise that hormonal imbalance is widespread. Most people expect to feel tired, moody, and other symptoms linked to hormonal imbalance around the onset of menstruation (periods), but menopausal women can also be affected.
Instead of accepting hormonal imbalance as a symptom of getting older, there are ways to restore the balance using natural ingredients such as amino acids and vitamins.
