There are a lot of things that we encounter every day that contribute to an imbalance of our hormones. Things like household cleaning supplies, cosmetic products, plastics, fragrances, and even your cell phone fall into a category called Endocrine Disruptors. Endocrine disruptors interfere with the balance of your hormones and cause things like lack of sleep, issues with your metabolism, reproductive problems, and can even cause cancers. 

Endocrine disruptors are present in nearly every product we use on a daily basis and avoiding them completely is nearly impossible. However, we can counteract their effects by managing our lifestyle and diet. By eating foods that help us balance our hormones, we can avoid some of the negative effects of the disruptors. Here are a couple of foods that can help maintain healthy levels of hormones in our bodies:

1. Cruciferous Vegetables: If you’re scratching your head wondering what a cruciferous vegetable is, you’re not alone. Essentially a cruciferous vegetable is any vegetable that is in the same family as broccoli. This could include kale, radish, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, and cabbage. When cooked, these veggies release a chemical that improves liver function, which is essential for removing bad toxins from your body. 
2. Healthy Fats: I’m sure this isn’t the first time you are encountering the words “healthy fats”.  Foods that belong to this category all naturally contain fat that is liquid at room temperature and occurs in seeds, nuts, veggies, and fish*. Specifically, consider eating more avocados, salmon, eggs, extra virgin olive oil, and cheese. Healthy fats are the building blocks of hormones, and you need enough of them in your diet to produce good hormones. 
3. High Fiber Foods: Fiber increases your metabolism and helps cleanse your body from an overabundance of hormones or toxins. Dietitians recommend having half of your plate be filled with high-fiber foods such as root veggies (carrots, sweet potatoes, and squash) or beans. 
4. Prebiotics and Probiotics: Your gut is one of the biggest hormone organs in the body, producing more than 20 hormones that contribute to your appetite and metabolism. Your gut is also home to more than 300 billion bacteria and is a whole biome in itself. Feeding the good bacteria in your gut can help regulate the hormones it is producing. Focus on fermented foods like kombucha*, Greek yogurt, and even pickles! 
5. Avoid fried food and processed sugars: Refined sugars are arguably one of the worst things to consume for our hormones. The sugar sits in our stomach, feeds the bad bacteria, and throws off the amount of hormones our gut produces. Sugar is hard to avoid because it is found in nearly everything, from salad dressings to pasta sauce to alcohol. Trying to make things like pasta sauce at home is a great way to ensure there is no added sugar in it. Additionally, fried food contains canola oil and it is often breaded, which are two things that throw off our hormones. If you have a craving for some fried food, try frying it in an air fryer at home, or broiling something in the oven to make it crispy. 

**Certain fish products and raw foods such as kombucha are unhealthy to consume if you are pregnant. Always consult with a medical professional before consuming.

The bottom line is that we can never fully rid our lives of endocrine disruptors, but we can try to minimize their effects on us. By trying hard to balance our hormones with our diet, we can offset a lot of the negative effects of bad chemicals on our lives. Eating healthy is good for us no matter what, so it never hurts to add a couple more veggies or more protein into our diets. 

PRC Grand Rapids wants you to live a healthy and balanced life. If you feel you need more support in healthy eating or have questions about your hormones, please reach out! We are here for you!