Harness the Power of Food & Good Habits for Hormone Balance Story by Kristen Coffield
Hormone changes are inevitable, and knowing how to use food as a tool to master and minimize the symptoms can help us feel our best. Ease the hormonal transition into perimenopause and beyond by adopting an antiinflammatory lifestyle that helps you thrive.
1. Start Each Day with Water
When we are asleep, our bodies are in a state of fast. The best way to end that fast is by drinking 8-10oz of room temperature water. This should be your first beverage choice in the morning—enjoy your coffee after a big, refreshing glass.
Add flavor with the juice of half a fresh-squeezed lemon. Lemon contributes Vitamin C and acidity, which turns into alkaline in the body. More alkalinity helps lower inflammation, which is beneficial for regulating hormones.
2. Dial Back Morning Sugar Breakfast is typically the sweetest meal of the day. Grainbased breakfast foods tend to have added sugar or refined ingredients, which are converted to glucose in the body — even plain toast can contain as much extra sugar as a small candy bar. Eating breakfast within one hour of waking will ensure stable blood sugar levels and start the day right. Try eating no-sugar, no-grain breakfasts and consuming high-protein, high-fiber, plant-based foods in the morning. Healthy options could include humanely raised eggs (scrambled, fried or boiled — or a frittata with vegetables) berries and nuts, chia pudding, organic, whole-fat or nut milk yogurt, apple slices with nut butter or a breakfast salad with avocado and hard-boiled eggs.
3. Eat More Foods Without Labels Rehydrating after sleep is essential to help balance hormones. Water is used by our bodies to carry out normal metabolic functions—things like removing waste from cells, regulating body temperature and digesting food.
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Don't be afraid of the natural sugars found in fruits, vegetables and dairy products. The body knows what to do with real, whole foods that have not been processed, refined and filled with added chemicals and sugar that disrupt hormone balance.
