10 Tips to Tasty Healthy Eating on a Budget

 

Click HERE to Discover these 80 Keto-Friendly and Healthy Slow Cooker Recipes

One of the things I hear all the time when I ask people about their greatest struggle in staying healthy is that it’s too expensive to eat healthy. 

As much as I understand this reasoning, it’s just not true. I’m not saying that money doesn’t get tight or that circumstances don’t fluctuate, but I know this: a powerful person doesn’t adapt to their environment, they make it adapt to them. What I mean is that when our intentions are clear (we know we want good health and why) opportunities show up and, overall, things go as planned.

Yes, you will have to get clear on your intentions and develop a plan, but if it’s important to you, it is worth it. You can nourish yourself and your family with the finest foods if you know where to look and what to buy.

Myths of Healthy Eating On a Budget

Perfection is the killer of inspired action. One of the fastest ways to demolish your health goals is to set unrealistic expectations. I do not mean to suggest that you settle for the bottom of the barrel here, but keep a broad view in terms of manifesting your healthy lifestyle. You don’t have to buy all organic produce to eat healthy.

One of the major myths about healthy eating is that you have to buy all organic produce all the time. This isn’t true, and I’ve seen many people throw the baby out with the bathwater on this one – buying processed junk because they can’t afford organic avocados. I’ll talk more about this later, but as a general rule, do not let the pursuit of perfection destroy the balance of a healthy lifestyle.

Similar to this myth is the idea that you can only shop at high-end grocery stores to make a difference in your lifestyle. I’ll explain how you too can spot wild foods sourced straight from Mother Nature to add to your diet.

Here are some easy tips for sustaining a wholesome diet, no matter what your budget is:

1. Buy in Bulk

You can buy produce and other staples in bulk at stores like Costco, as well as online. This can save you an astonishing amount of money. You can purchase raw nuts, seeds, grains, spices, and even coconut oil at great prices from these kinds of retailers. Costco has a pretty great produce section with big bags of organic spinach and carrots.

If you can set aside one day per week to prep (and in some cases, freeze) your meals, there won’t be a concern of fresh food going bad. You’ll also save time in the long run, considering all the time spent pondering what to eat every time you get hungry.

(Tip: Get your staples – coconut oil, apple cider vinegar, salt, and spices – and refill smaller containers throughout the week to ration them. A simple thing I like to do is buy Bragg’s Apple Cider Vinegar in a gallon, then refill a smaller bottle.)

You can also buy spring water in bulk. Companies like Absopure and Mountain Valley have great prices on bulk spring water and they also deliver, and you don’t have the hassle of driving to the store and wasting endless gallons of plastic jugs.

If you’re really up for it, get a couple 5-gallon glass containers and utilize Find A Spring – an online resource for finding FREE wild spring water – and stock up once a month or so.

2. Always Choose Fresh Over Pre-Packaged

Despite the convenience of pre-packaged foods, they always cost way more than their fresh counterparts. What you save in convenience you lose in money (and experience).

Whenever possible, go straight for the fresh, natural ingredients. Stores like Trader Joe’s and Kroger chains have great deals on basics like lemons, avocados, organic lettuce, and more. At Aldi stores, you can sometimes find produce at a fraction of the cost it would be in other grocery stores.

Just keep the Dirty Dozen and the Clean Fifteen in mind as you shop (you may want to make a list so you don’t forget what’s on each list!) so you can put more money toward buying organic for the “dirty” produce items, which have more pesticides.

3. The Dirty Dozen & The Clean Fifteen

Organic food is the best choice – it’s richer in nutrients, antioxidants, and phytonutrients, and it supports a healthier planet. But if you can’t go completely organic, be sure to keep the Dirty Dozen and the Clean Fifteen in mind.

The Clean Fifteen are the select fruits and veggies that stand up to the damage done by pesticides and industrial practices. Because conventional food is cheaper than organic, in order to get the most bang for your buck, you can purchase some conventional foods from the clean fifteen.

The Clean Fifteen include:

• Avocados
• Onions
• Cabbage
• Sweet peas
• Eggplant
• Domestic cantaloupe
• Kiwi
• Asparagus
• Mango
• Pineapple
• Sweet corn
• Watermelon
• Sweet potatoes
• Grapefruit
• Mushrooms

Keep your organic purchases for the Dirty Dozen list and animal products. It’s best to purchase these foods organic because of the amount of pesticides sprayed on them and their higher susceptibility to the chemicals.

Here are the Dirty Dozen foods you’ll want to buy organic:

• Spinach
• Lettuce
• Apples
• Celery
• Bell peppers
• Potatoes
• Peaches
• Nectarines
• Strawberries
• Pears
• Grapes
• Cherries

If you’re on a pretty serious budget and can’t get these organic, then soak your produce in a wash of 1 part water and 1 part raw apple cider vinegar.

Also, eating conventional foods together with fermented foods like sauerkraut is a good idea because the fermented food actually eats up toxins! The fermented food won’t be able to fix any hormonal impact caused by the conventional foods, but it’s a good insurance policy nonetheless.

Another tip for optimizing the dirty dozen foods is to remove the peel and skin from conventional foods. Though you’ll lose some nutritional content, you won’t be consuming hormone-disrupting pesticides.

4. Plan Ahead!

A little planning can save you a lot of money in the long run!

Start by making a grocery list. You’ve probably learned first-hand what the consequences are of walking into a store with a credit card and an empty stomach.

Plan when you’ll shop and where. Some stores have better deals on certain items than others. Once you know the best place to get cheap avocados and where you’ll find the best grass-fed meat, it’ll be quick and painless to stop at two different stores in one go. Eat in season to get fresh foods at their best price.

Eating in season is also a good bet. For instance, fresh berries are cheapest during the spring, when they’re ripest. Plus, seasonal foods provide the nutrients our bodies need during that time.

5. Store Your Food to Last

Produce and fresh food goes bad pretty quickly. Learning a to employ a few techniques to keep your food fresh as long as possible will help cut down on waste.

Here are a few techniques to keep your food fresh longer:

Store vegetables like yams, winter squash, sweet potatoes, garlic, and onions in a dark, cool place. A basement or garage is ideal!

Make your bananas last longer by wrapping the top of the bunch in plastic wrap.

Peel bananas when ripe and freeze them so that they keep longer. Freezing vegetables and fruits in general is a great way to preserve them.

Make broths and stocks in bulk then freeze into cubes for later use.

Keep delicate greens like kale, spinach, cilantro, lettuces and celery in a bag or container in the fridge until it’s time to wash and eat them. These go bad pretty quickly. If they start to get limp, you can actually bring some crispiness back to them by washing them with really cold water!

Save citrus peels and dry them out for herbal teas!

Save the bottoms of celery and lettuces, and soak them in water to regrow them in your own garden. There’s an article on 10 foods that you can eat and regrow forever just like that here.

6. Recipes for Pennies

The best way to make your food stretch further is knowing how to cook what you have on hand. Cooking is the first step toward self-reliance in a world of consumerism!

Here are a few cooking tricks and recipe ideas that cost little to nothing to make:

• Make your plate 80% vegetables and 20% animal products. Animal products cost way more, and by eating more plant foods and fewer animal foods, we not only improve our health, but we also save money.

• Add fermented vegetables to your meals. These foods cost pennies to make, and they work as nutritional powerhouses, digestive aids and probiotics, all in one. By consuming fermented vegetables with each meal, we improve our metabolic function and better digest the food we eat.

• Go Mexican style. A simple guacamole recipe of avocado, garlic, cilantro, cumin and sea salt is all you need for a delicious, filling and cost-effective side dish. Guacamole is a survival food and gourmet deliciousness all in one. It costs under $5 to make guacamole and it fills you up, nourishes you and actually cleanses the liver too!

7. Favor Plant-Based Foods Over Animal Products

I mentioned the 80/20 rule above, but I cannot emphasize this tip enough for helping you to save money and improve your health. By rationing expensive animal products like grass-fed meat and ghee, you’ll spend less overall.

I was a bodybuilder for two years and ate meat and eggs almost 5 times a day. I spent so much money on food it was ridiculous. The funny thing is, I wasn’t nearly as healthy as I am now. What did I do differently? I did everything I am writing in this article! Cut back on animal products and fill up on veggies, fermented foods and good fats.

I don’t advise completely getting rid of high-quality animal foods for health reasons. However, I will say that by rotating them and making them a smaller portion of your diet with the focus on vegetables, fermented foods and good fats, instead, you will save huge!

See what works for you, but try limiting meat to one meal per day, making it your biggest meal of the day. Add some avocado and coconut oil to each meal to help to fulfill your caloric needs. Sweet potatoes, yams and other starchy carbs make ideal dinners, too. The benefits for eating these foods at night are twofold — they can actually improve sleep and brain function!

8. Grow Your Own Food

You might be surprised at how easy it is to grow some of your own food.

Start by trying your hand at growing herbs such as basil, cilantro, and rosemary. You can get organic starter plants at Whole Foods at affordable prices, and maintaining them is simple. Keep them by a window and water them accordingly.

As for more substantial foods like cucumbers, green beans, lettuces and peppers, you don’t need to have a yard – you can easily build a box garden on a small balcony or deck! You can even grow some veggies directly in good-sized pots.

There is no food as nutrient-dense as that which is grown and picked right from the soil. It does cost a bit upfront to purchase the growing materials, but as long as you plan ahead and plan on continuing to garden, it only takes one or two harvests to make your money back. If you continue to grow your own food longer, then you really step into the reality of free food!

9. Learn How to Make the Most of Your Produce

I often say there is no problem too great for a creative solution. Try inventing new ways to use the parts of the plants you might not normally use. For example, instead of throwing away lemon peels, use the zest to add nutrition and flavor to dishes you make.

You can also make herbal extracts with the parts of plants you’d throw away. I even use citrus peels to soak in hot bath water for a therapeutic, detox bath! If a lemon peel bath sounds too weird, then at least save them to make hot lemon tea.

If you juice, then save the pulp for making crackers by mixing it with leftover nuts and seeds. Did you know the leafy green tops of carrots contain more vitamin A than the orange roots? Add these to juices for a nutritional punch. Save those veggie odds and ends and add them to healthy broths instead!

Here’s another great tip: you know all of those vegetable odds and ends you cut off and throw away? Save them and add them to water with grass-fed bones or carcasses of chickens to make a gut-healing bone broth!

When you use your produce in new ways, you’re less likely to go buy store-bought versions of things you can make at home, such as crackers!

10. CSAs and Farmer’s Markets

One of the best ways to save money is to shop at your local farmer’s market.

If you’re new to community-supported farming, then you might feel better about signing up for a CSA. You make monthly payments and get boxes of fresh food delivered to you from farms during harvest time. This helps you build a relationship with local farmers around you.

Is the farmers market closed for the season, or are you looking for something more?

Find your own local and wild foods using EatWild.com and LocalHarvest.org. These sites point you to the better-known local farmers. Plus, you get email access to a lot of them so that you can ask questions!

Try these tips to save money – and, on a deeper level, live a more self-empowered life! You deserve it!

Watch this video – TIPS TO TASTY HEALTHY EATING ON A BUDGET | 10 grocery shopping tips to save money

Written Dr. Becky Campbell

Author Bio:

Nick Kowalski is a Transformational Coach, fitness model and unconditional lover. You can find more of his writing on his blog NicksFit. His mission is to inspire the transformation toward love consciousness. Follow him on Instagram for more living in love inspiration and transformational mindset motivation!

A lot of people have gotten results from the Keto diet, and enjoyed the foods that it has to offer. However, many of the people who are following this diet have a hard time finding the recipes that they need, especially ones that are quick and easy to complete.

Fortunately, Kelsey Ale, noticed this problem, and decided to do something about it. She’s found that making recipes in a slow cooker gives you meals which are not only delicious, but also take very little time to make. Mostly you just put a few simple ingredients in the slow cooker, and let it do the rest.

To find out more, click on – Keto Slow Cooker Cookbook

8 Signs of Hormonal Imbalance and How to Fix It

 

Click HERE to Discover these 80 Keto-Friendly and Healthy Slow Cooker Recipes

8 Signs You Have a Hormonal Imbalance (and How to Fix It)

Your hormones are tiny chemical messengers that travel throughout your body, delivering messages to your organs, tissues and cells to boost metabolism, build muscle, de-stress, lift mood, etc.

The food you eat, how much you move (and the type of movements you perform), and lifestyle factors like sleep and stress management play fundamental and crucial roles in setting and maintaining ideal hormone balance.

Make the wrong food choices, lack exercise in your daily life, or burn the candle at both ends and it will come at a cost. Some of us can get away with this for a long time without suffering too heavily. For others, it can quickly derail health and performance goals.

While it’s human nature to look for the exciting and sexy new fixes to hormone imbalance, the truth is, an ancestral approach of tackling the things that impact you the most – food, activity, environment – are the answer that addresses the root cause of why these imbalances occurred in the first place.

Here is a quick look at 8 common hormone imbalances and how to fix them.

You Struggle to Get Out of Bed in the Morning

If you struggle to get out of bed in the morning or hit snooze multiple times before starting your day, then it’s a clear sign your circadian hormone output is out of whack. Specific hormones are produced in a cyclical or circadian pattern every day, and if their rhythm gets altered you’ll start to feel sluggish, fatigued or fail to thrive.

For example, your stress hormone cortisol should be high in the morning; it wakes you up, supercharges your brain and gets you ready to start your day.

If you feel like it takes you a little time to get going in the morning or you need to pry yourself from the warmth of your bed, then your daily circadian cortisol high may be stuck in neutral. How does this rhythm get imbalanced?

Well, if you’re constantly on the go and drinking a lot of coffee or stimulants, it can impact your deep sleep and ultimately circadian pattern. Similarly, a busy social calendar and a few drinks every night can also hinder your deep sleep and circadian rhythm.

Ironically, if you’re busy and stressed, you normally reach for MORE coffee during the day to boost your brain and energy, and subsequently MORE alcohol in the evening to unwind and take the edge off. This is the perfect storm for circadian disruption.

(Not to mention research shows drinking more than 4 cups per day is associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease.)

The Fix: Cut out coffee and alcohol for one week. I know, I know… it sounds horrible. For 7 days, replace coffee in the morning with green tea (but nothing after 3:00 pm), and in the evening, cut out the alcohol completely.

In the first few days you’ll likely feel a bit irritable and sluggish in the morning, but by the end of the week you’ll be popping out of bed with natural energy on a daily basis.

You Crash After a High-Carb Meal

Stop me if this sounds familiar: you eat a tasty lunch, get back to the office and by the mid-afternoon, you can barely keep your eyes open? Or maybe it’s the high-carb cereal or oatmeal breakfast you knock back to start your day, only to be struggling to stay sharp by mid-morning?

If you notice a significant crash after a high-carb meal, then you likely have poor insulin function (your blood sugar hormone that shuttles the sugars from your breakfast or lunch from your bloodstream into your cells). Do you crash after high carb meals? Your insulin hormone could be to blame. 

If you’re overweight, out of shape, or in poor health and struggle with crashes after a high-carb meal, it’s because your insulin hormone is not working efficiently.

Your body needs to pump out greater and greater amounts of insulin to cope with your high-carb lunch (as compared to a fit or lean person). This leads to a massive blood sugar and insulin high after your meal, followed by a roller coaster-like fall a few hours later.

The Fix: Adopt a low-carb diet to improve your blood sugar and insulin control. High insulin levels can promote weight gain and a foggy brain, and shifting to a low-carb diet can help bring your levels back into balance.

A Paleo diet fits the mold perfectly! By reducing carbohydrates, your body can become more “flexible” and burn your own body fat for fuel more effectively.

When your insulin isn’t working efficiently, your body is metabolically “inflexible,” meaning it’s stuck relying on carbs you eat from food for energy (instead of your body’s own energy reserves). Reduce your carbs and you can kiss your afternoon crashes goodbye!

You Get Serious Cravings Throughout the Day

There are a lot different reasons why you could get cravings during the day. One hormone in particular is responsible for keeping you full – leptin, your “satiety” hormone signal – and when life gets busy or you make the wrong food choices, your leptin signal gets scrambled and cravings ensue.

If you feel like you’re always grazing on fruit, craving sweets, or looking for that post-dinner sweet fix, then your leptin levels are likely low.

How do they get out of balance? Well, high insulin levels block the leptin signal, leading to more cravings (unfortunately not for lettuce wraps!). It’s a vicious cycle because the more sugars and simple carbs you eat (because of your cravings), the more insulin output and the more you suppress leptin.

Stress scrambles the satiety hormone leptin, making you reach for sweets when you’re feeling the crunch.

Stress also blocks leptin. It’s no wonder when you get stressed the first thing you reach for is a sweet treat or dessert (more often than not before you “feel” stressed). This three-headed monster of insulin and cortisol problems disrupting your leptin levels is the perfect storm for sugar cravings.

The Fix: In the short-term, aim for dark chocolate (70% or more) as your go-to treat when you get afternoon cravings. Take a handful of frozen grapes or berries in the evening to give you a little sweet rush without the usual big sugar hit. For long-term resolution, see solutions #1 and #2.

You’ve Got High Belly Fat

High belly fat reflects high levels of visceral fat, which is the fat that accumulates around your organs. It is very pro-inflammatory and dangerous for your overall health. The vast majority of your cortisol receptors are located around your mid-section.

If your belly fat is high, your cortisol stress levels will be out of balance and leading you down the path to weight gain, poor health and lack of vitality.

Cortisol is the “yang” to insulin’s “yin,” responsible for increasing blood sugar levels by breaking down your muscle mass. If you have a cortisol problem, it can create an insulin problem.

The Fix: If you’ve got high belly fat, stop drinking beer (and reduce other alcohol as well) until things start shifting back in the right direction. There is a reason they call it a beer belly!

Visceral fat is also strongly connected to poor insulin function and thus high insulin levels, so lowering your carb intake is also a great way to lower your systemic or total body inflammation.

(Note – you can run the CRP lab test to find out your levels of systemic inflammation.)

Your Libido Is Low

A classic sign of a hormone imbalance is low libido. If you’re training intensely and pushing yourself to the limits, one of the primary signs of overtraining is losing your mojo. Similarly, if you’re burning the midnight oil and working long hours, your libido can hit rock bottom as stress levels increase.

In men, as cortisol stress levels go up, testosterone goes down. In women, stress levels lower the female hormone progesterone, which is one of your primary libido hormones.

The Fix: Low T is the most common cause of low libido in men, while low progesterone is the cause in women, but the answer isn’t usually in a cream or gel from your doctor. The answer is to address the root cause… stress!

If you’re training hard at the moment, it’s time to revisit your training plan and see if you’ve gone from over-reaching (pushing yourself beyond your limits to adapt and grow stronger) to overtraining (tired, rundown and lost your mojo).

If you’re just really busy at work, make time for more sleep, less coffee and fewer alcoholic drinks while scheduling more relaxation at home or a vacation to disconnect, recharge and reinvigorate your life.

You’ve Gained Weight Around the Hips

If you’re naturally more of an hourglass- or pear-shaped woman, and feel like you’ve been gaining weight recently, it’s probably accumulated around your hips. This is where body fat is predominantly distributed in women, but even more so in pear-shaped or estrogen-dominant type women.

As estrogen levels climb too high, you’ll experience irritability, heavier menses, breast tenderness, weight gain and worsening of premenstrual symptoms. If you’ve gained weight, body fat also produces estrogen, adding to the severity of your symptoms.

The Fix: Your liver and digestive system play a key role in metabolizing excess estrogens. Make sure your bowels are regular every day by incorporating lots of veggies and fruit, and be sure to keep hydrated.

Fermented foods like sauerkraut, kimchee, and natto miso are fantastic additions. To support a healthy liver, add more cruciferous veggies rich in sulphoraphone, which help to support liver detoxification and clearance of excess “bad” estrogens.

You’re Cold, Tired and Your Hair Is Lifeless

Your thyroid gland is a bellwether for your overall health. If something in your body is off balance, the thyroid responds by ramping up or down its function.

Hallmark signs of low or sluggish thyroid function are cold hands and feet, constant fatigue, thinning or dull hair and skin, as well as sluggish bowels. (When your thyroid slows down, everything in the body seems to slow down!)

Like a lot of hormones on this list, stress plays a major role. Your cortisol stress hormone inhibits the production of the thyroid hormone, prevents the conversion to the “active” T3 form of the hormone, and can even make your cells resistant to thyroid hormone (a fancy medical term that means your body can make thyroid hormone just fine, but your body is not using it effectively).

In short, it’s like having a bad connection on your mobile phone – slow service that leaves you frustrated and unhappy.

The Fix: Supporting your thyroid gland – responsible for keeping your metabolism running smoothly, energy levels up and brain sharp – can come in many different forms. However, there is a strong connection between stress, inflammation and a sluggish thyroid.

As your stress levels increase, so does inflammation in the body, which keeps your thyroid stuck in the mud.

For anyone struggling with potential thyroid problems, start with the fundamentals: eliminate sugar, ditch the caffeine, limit your alcohol and get more sleep. (I know, I know… all the exciting stuff, but remember it’s all about the fundamentals.)

Next, getting a full thyroid panel run – TSH, free T4, free T3, anti-TPO antibodies and reverse T3 – is a great way to establish baseline levels for yourself and to investigate whether there is a potential thyroid problem brewing.

Your Mood Is Low

The consumption of simple sugars has skyrocketed over the past 50 years and the rates of type II diabetes are climbing right along with them. There is a strong connection between depression and poor blood sugar control. It’s no wonder the World Health Organization predicts depression will be the leading cause of disease burden globally.

A growing body of research is connecting the dots, indicating that high blood sugars lead to (and worsen) depression, while depressions leads to (and worsens) diabetes. It’s the ultimate “chicken and egg” scenario, and the downward spiral seems to be impacting everyone to some degree.

The Fix: The research shows that high blood sugar and insulin levels dramatically increase your risk of low mood and depression. While there are many causes of low mood, it’s important to address the fundamental hormones that impact so many areas of your health.

A simple HbA1c blood test, a three-month average of your blood sugars, will tell you exactly where you stand. Ideally, your levels should be between 4.8-5.2%. If you find yourself higher than 5.2%, then adopting a low carb Paleo diet is the perfect platform for bringing your levels back into range.

There are many more reasons why hormones can become unbalanced than I’ve presented on this list. However, in most cases, if you can do 20% of the fundamentals well, you’ll address 80% of your symptoms and health concerns.

Adopting a Paleo lifestyle is more than just what you eat; it’s also your lifestyle, sleep and activity habits. Use these Paleo principles and reset your hormones so you can thrive and achieve your health and performance goals.

Watch this video – How to Fix the HORMONE Imbalance in Male & Female | Tips by Guru Mann

Written Dr. Marc Bubbs

Author Bio:

Dr. Marc Bubbs, ND is a Naturopathic Doctor, Strength Coach, Author, Speaker, and Blogger practicing in Toronto, Canada. He believes that diet, exercise, and lifestyle factors have the most profound impact on your overall health and performance. Marc is the author of The Paleo Project – A 21st Guide to Looking Leaner, Getting Stronger, & Living Longer and currently serves as the Sports Nutrition Lead for Canadian Men’s Olympic Basketball Team.

A lot of people have gotten results from the Keto diet, and enjoyed the foods that it has to offer. However, many of the people who are following this diet have a hard time finding the recipes that they need, especially ones that are quick and easy to complete.

Fortunately, Kelsey Ale, noticed this problem, and decided to do something about it. She’s found that making recipes in a slow cooker gives you meals which are not only delicious, but also take very little time to make. Mostly you just put a few simple ingredients in the slow cooker, and let it do the rest.

To find out more, click on – Keto Slow Cooker Cookbook

10 Best Hormone Balancing Foods for Treating Hormonal Imbalance

 

Click HERE to Discover these 80 Keto-Friendly and Healthy Slow Cooker Recipes

When your hormones are out of whack, your body follows suit. Here are the 10 best foods you can eat to balance yourself out.

Have you been feeling especially stressed lately, with odd symptoms like acne, fatigue, and unexplained weight gain? Chances are, your hormones are out of balance. Hormones are the chemical messengers of our endocrine system. And too much or too little of a certain hormone can cause your body to act out.

Read on to see if you might be suffering from a hormonal imbalance, and discover the healing foods that can get you back on track.

What is a Hormonal Imbalance?

A hormone imbalance happens when there is either too much or not enough of a certain hormone in our bloodstream.

Considering that hormones communicate with all of the organs in our bodies, too much of any hormone can send the wrong messages and cause all kinds of problems.

6 Signs of a Hormonal Imbalance

Fatigue

Ever find yourself feeling unusually tired or run down during the day, even though you’re getting enough rest? Your hormones – specifically your thyroid hormones – may be to blame.

Studies show a link between chronic fatigue and lower levels of thyroid hormones, which regulate metabolism and energy production.

Acne

Skin changes are common when hormones are unbalanced. This is why teenagers often experience intense breakouts during puberty, when hormones are developing.

Studies show that androgen hormones like dihydrotestosterone (DHT) and DHEA play a huge role in production of sebum in the skin, which can cause acne and breakouts.

On the flip side, estrogen has the ability to suppress sebum production. When these two hormones are in balance, sebum production is steady and breakouts are less common.

Unexplained Weight Changes

If you find yourself gaining or losing weight suddenly without changing your diet, you may have either high or low levels of thyroid hormones.

Thyroid hormones play a huge role in body weight regulation, most likely due to their influence on metabolism.

Mood Changes

If you’re experiencing symptoms like increased anxiety and irritability, an estrogen imbalance may be to blame.

Studies show that estrogen interacts with certain neurotransmitters in your brain that affect cognition and mood. Levels that are too high or too low can impair cognition and result in mood swings, while even levels can support healthy mood regulation.

Difficulty Sleeping

It turns out hormone imbalances can also keep you awake at night.

Women in particular are likely to experience insomnia and loss of sleep during their menstrual cycles and pregnancy – times when hormone levels are prone to frequent changes.

Menstrual Changes

The regularity of your menstrual cycle is a huge indicator of your hormonal balance.

This is because the hormones estrogen and progesterone directly influence the start and completion of your cycle. If your cycle is irregular or the duration of your period is different than usual, you probably have an imbalance.

7 Causes of Hormonal Imbalance

If you’re experiencing any of these symptoms, you might be wondering what caused your hormones to fall out of balance. Read on to discover the common reasons for a hormonal imbalance.

Poor Diet

A sugary diet can easily cause your hormones to fluctuate like a seesaw.

In fact, consuming a lot of pre-packaged or fried foods can cause a change in reproductive hormones, resulting in reproductive dysfunction and ovarian cysts.

Chronic stress

Too much stress can do a number on several of your hormones. High levels of stress can directly influence hormones that are released as part of the “fight or flight” response your body goes into when you’re stressed out. When stress levels stay high, your body will go overboard releasing these hormones, leading to an imbalance.

Taking Birth Control

Birth control pills are hormones themselves – mostly a combination of estrogen and progestin. According to studies, birth control hormones can alter secretion of hypothalamic, ovarian, and other hormones and can affect all kinds of bodily processes.

Since birth control is made of synthetic hormones, they can easily cause your own hormones to fluctuate.

Diabetes

Diabetes could play a role in affecting your estrogen or testosterone levels.

Studies show that diabetes and other blood sugar issues are associated with hormonal imbalance, particularly estradiol, a version of estrogen.

Thyroid Problems

Your thyroid is responsible for producing hormones that regulate metabolism and other essential functions of your body. When your thyroid is producing too little or too much of these hormones, it can easily cause an imbalance, leading to problems like infertility and metabolic syndrome.

Iodine Deficiency

The mineral iodine is needed in order to produce thyroid hormones. When you don’t get enough iodine, the resulting hormonal imbalance puts you at risk for developing metabolic and cognitive problems.

Endocrine Disorders

While you shouldn’t panic until you‘ve seen your doctor, a hormone imbalance can also be caused by certain tumors.

Studies show that neuroendocrine tumors secrete many different hormones, and an excess of a single hormone is one of the most common signs in neuroendocrine tumor patients. 

Be sure to rule out other reasons for an imbalance before assuming the worst, however.

10 Hormone Balancing Foods

Regardless of which of the issues above you suffer from, the following foods can help ease symptoms related to hormonal imbalance. Make sure your kitchen is stocked with these!

Flaxseeds

Flaxseeds contain lignans, a compound that can help reduce excess estrogen. Add a tablespoon to your smoothies, salads, or coconut yogurt.

Cruciferous Vegetables

Cruciferous veggies contain a sulfur compound called diindolylmethane, or DIM, which helps support normal and healthy levels of estrogen in your body. Add a cup of broccoli, cauliflower, or Brussels sprouts to your diet every day.

Bitter Greens

Bitter greens contain many nutrients that help support normal hormonal balance. Dandelions in particular are studied for their ability to ease hormone-related reproductive problems.

Try serving a handful of sautéed kale or dandelions as a side dish for every meal.

Broccoli Sprouts

Broccoli sprouts contain a compound called sulforaphane, which can help reduce the risk of tumors and hormone-related cancers.

Add a cup of broccoli sprouts to your Paleo-friendly sandwiches or salads.

Seaweed

Seaweed is rich in iodine, one of the most important minerals needed to help synthesize hormones in your thyroid gland.Add a dash of kelp flakes to your soups, or snack on seaweed salad dressed in a light vinaigrette.

Sauerkraut

Sauerkraut contains probiotics, or “good” bacteria, that help improve gut health. Research shows that probiotics can also affect hormones and even lower the stress hormone cortisol. Top your meals with ¼ cup of sauerkraut every day to reap those benefits.

Eggs

If you’re a savory breakfast kind of person, we have some good news: studies show that eating a high-protein meal in the morning reduces the hunger hormone ghrelin, and can help keep you feeling fuller for longer.

If you find you’re constantly craving carbs, your hormones could be to blame, so try eating eggs for breakfast instead of starchy carbs.

Coconut Oil

Dietary fat plays a large role in hormonal balance, and if your testosterone levels are low, eating more fat can give your levels a boost. Coconut oil is one of the best sources of fats you can eat due to its high medium-chain fatty acid content, which can improve brain health and aid in fat loss.

Eat a little coconut oil every day by stirring some into your coffee, or using it to sauté your veggies.

Turmeric

Chronic inflammation can switch on multiple hormones in our bodies that can lead to a damaging imbalance. Turmeric is highly anti-inflammatory and can help tame this problem.

Season your meals liberally with turmeric, add some to a smoothie, or reach for a supplement to get an extra dose of anti-inflammatory action. Just be sure to pair turmeric recipes with black pepper for maximum absorption!

Salmon

Research shows that omega-3 fatty acids, like those found in fish, can help prevent disease and can help women, in particular, keep their hormones balanced.

Aim to eat fatty fish like salmon at least three times per week.

Watch these 2 videos-

The Top 5 High Estrogen Foods to Avoid | Dr. Josh Axe

How to Balance Your Hormones for Women

The Bottom Line

Your hormones are largely influenced by your diet. Making simple changes in the foods you consume every day could radically alter your hormones for the positive, so try and incorporate most of the foods on this list into your weekly regime.

Written by Megan Patiry

Author Bio:

Megan is an inquisitive nutrition and wellness writer harboring an editorial love affair with the decadent and the nutritious. She is a dedicated researcher in all areas of ancestral health, a certified specialist in fitness nutrition, personal trainer, and professional almond milk latte addict.

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