Limit caffeine
Sorry to say, but your daily latte may well be tipping your hormones off balance. Caffeine is a stimulant – it triggers the release if the stress hormone cortisol from the adrenals and impacts thyroid function.
Even worse, if you use caffeine during times of the day when your are feeling naturally tired, your are forcing your body into overdrive which then impacts blood sugar, insulin and liver function.
Drink coffee as an occasional treat and not as a 'pick-me-up', and pair it with some good fats such a nuts and seeds to limit the adrenal impact.
Eat fat!
Fat has a bad rep, but did you know out hormones are made from the stuff. A low fat diet will create hormonal imbalance. Medicine is now recognising that the right saturated fats may in fact be required for good health.
Pick healthy saturated fats such as coconut oil, avocados, and organic butter, and avoid commercially processed oils with high omega 6 (vegetable oils, margarine, rapeseed oil).
No added hormones
You would be surprised at the number of hormones we absorb unwittingly every single day. Parabens in cosmetics, BPA in plastics and tinned foods, triclosan in antibacterial hand wash, sodium lauryl sulphate in shampoo and even fluoride in our drinking water are potent and dangerous hormone disruptors.
Choose clean, organic, natural beauty and household products, use a fluoride filter for drinking water, avoid plastic packaging and tinned foods, and don’t put anything on your skin that you wouldn’t eat!
Sleep
One of the most important processes related to hormonal balance is the circadian rhythm which manages sleep-wake cycles, influences hormone release, body temperature and other bodily functions. If we ignore our body's natural signals to sleep, we override the related hormonal signals and create an imbalance that upsets the entire day. Listen to your body, rest, sleep and eat when it tells you, and keep to a regular pattern.
Look after your liver
The liver is largely responsible for managing hormone levels. If your liver is struggling with excess toxicity in the body, high stress levels or poor nutrition, it will struggle to remove excessive oestrogen from the body.
Eat plenty of detoxifying plants, especially green leafy vegetables, beetroot, onions and garlic, drink plenty of clean water, reduce processed foods, sugar, caffeine and alcohol, and most importantly look after stress – a relaxed mind is a healthy body.
