Level out your hormones with more PLANTS
May 09, 2021
Most people don’t really think about their hormones too often. I know this because in my practice where I see 1:1 clients I usually find at least one thing that’s off and causing symptoms. Most people really only think about them when they’re thinking about their PMS or their sex drive.
But your hormones do so much more than affect your sex drive or your mood before and during your period. If you’ve been following me for a while you probably know now that they affect your metabolism, your sleep, your fertility, energy levels, and control so many other bodily functions.
And you’ve probably never heard that plants can have an impact on your hormonal balance but that’s a big part of why I made the switch to being first more plant-focused and now plant-based for years.
This is because of the plant fiber connection. So we all know that plants have FIBER. And the thing about fiber is that it helps with better hormonal balance.
When you have adequate fiber in your diet by eating more whole grains, vegetables, and beans, you’re healing to regulate the amount of estrogens in your body. This includes the xenoestrogens (the bad estrogens) from chemicals, plastics, and pesticides that can have a really damaging effect on the body and potentially cause cancer. Additionally, the more fiber and plants you eat, the more you’re crowding out the processed junk foods that can spike blood sugar and cause further hormonal imbalance. When your estrogen is too high, you may experience symptoms like:
Bloating
Tender breasts
Decreased sex drive
Irregular periods
Mood swings
Headaches
Weight gain
Insomnia
Anxiety
Fatigue
So what happens if you have too much estrogen and not enough fiber?
Oftentimes dairy and animal proteins have estrogens in them from added hormones. For example, estrogen is given to cows to help them grow bigger faster. When you’re eating an animal byproduct like cheese or dairy milk, you’re also consuming excess estrogen that your liver has to work hard to process. It does this by filtering estrogens out of the blood and taking out the excess through a tube called the bile duct in your intestinal tract where it’s flushed out when you go to the bathroom.
When you have a diet with more fiber, the excess estrogens attach to the fiber and are carried out of your intestines in your waste. So let’s give an example. Say you had a Philly cheesesteak for dinner, the beef, the cheese, the bread - none of these are plants so there’s no fiber for the estrogens to attach to.
So here you have it, one more reason to start adding more plants to your diet! Think lots of fruit, veggies, beans, and whole grains!
What else can help when it comes to digestion and hormonal balance?
PROBIOTICS!!!
Your hormonal system produces more than 50 hormones which all have a major impact on how you feel day to day and your long-term health.
The hormones that regulate your period are actually heavily influenced by your gut health! Just one more thing we talk about in my free webinar! If you missed it you can catch it here!
Bad bacteria in your gut create an enzyme called beta-glucuronidase. This enzyme actually reactivates estrogens as they pass through your gut. When this estrogen becomes active again it can lead to estrogen dominance and your levels become high causing those symptoms we talked about above!
See how it’s all connected?!
So now that you’re eating more plants you can also add in a probiotic! The ones below are my favorites! I like to switch it up to keep my gut guessing.
Solluna "feel good sbo + probiotic"
Supporting a healthy microbiome by eating the right foods and supplementing with pre and probiotics can help decrease that enzyme the bad bacteria give off and repopulate your gut to bring back hormonal balance.
Like I said above, just one of the many symptoms of estrogen dominance and a variety of different hormonal imbalances is weight gain which I know is so frustrating for so many women. In my WBK health and hormones course, we will talk about all the ways you can add in more plants AND balance your blood sugar to support a balanced body and help you maintain your desired weight without another cleanse or diet.
If you’re interested in hormonal balance and a plant-based diet head to the wellnessbykelley.com website where you can get tons of my recipes right now for free.
