It all started in 2016 when I got tired of having acne-prone skin and excruciating periods. I'd spend at least two days curled up in the fetal position only to despise the large breakouts on my face. It wasn't until I started keeping a food diary that I was able to boil down the culprits of horrible inflammation — excessive dairy and processed foods. It pains me to say this, but I used to melt shredded cheese on a plate and eat right after having a bowl of cereal.
At my wits end, I decided to adopt a vegetarian diet for a couple of years. Within a month, my acne started to slow down and I noticed I wasn't experiencing bad cramps. I eventually started introducing things to my diet again and ended up having a fibroid removed in 2019 because my painful cramps came back. Once I recovered from it, what my doctor said next still haunts me to this day: "If you don't change the way you eat, you're going to have G.I. surgery because both of your intestines are inflamed."
You may have a similar story, so I thought it would be cool for us to learn how to balance our hormones together. I know you hear it a lot, but you deserve all the happiness, success, love, and health you can get in this lifetime. Should you find yourself struggling to figure out how to balance your hormones, look no further than Tina Salicco Jackson, Functional Fitness and Healthcare Practioner, of Wellness Rootedand Jamie Koll, ingredient expert and health coach of Girls Who Eat! They're here to help you live a healthier life starting with your hormones. Be sure to bookmark this because we're going deep!
Which hormones impact a woman's mood, energy, libido, etc?
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Jackson said, “Progesterone, Estrogen, and Testosterone all impact a woman’s mood, energy, cycle, and fertility.” She also said hormones such as thyroid, cortisol, and DHEA can affect your health.
In terms of trying to pinpoint which hormone is causing you to experience issues, Jackson feels like you need to pay attention to the link between all of them. “The question is not which hormone it is, but is there a balance between,” she said.
What are the benefits of balancing my hormones?
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Your hormones play a huge role in the way your body functions daily. Jackson said, “Keeping your hormones balanced is key for almost every bodily function — think bowel movements, body temperature regulation, proper sleep functions, feeling spicy in the bedroom, etc.,” Additionally, hormones help regulate your mental and emotional health which is just as important.
“...hormone balance is important for the ability to handle stress, keep anxiety at bay, and avoid ruminating thoughts and depression,” said Jackson.
How can I tell if my hormones aren't balanced?
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Depending on what’s going on in life, you may feel like something’s a little off in your body. You could be experiencing more PMS symptoms than usual, constipation, or insomnia. Jackson said, “You could experience hair loss, facial hair, oily skin, cold sweats, hot flashes, and so much more. The best way to test would be through a Dutch and/or blood test depending on which hormones you are testing.”
If you’ve never heard of a Dutch test, that’s okay! Jackson said, “A Dutch test is a functional lab that uses dry urine and/or saliva to test stress hormones — cortisol and DHEA — along with sex hormones — testosterone, progesterone, and estrogen. It also tests some markers for detoxification.”
We recommend you reach out to your healthcare provider if you have questions and concerns about your hormones as everyone’s body is different.
How can I balance my hormones?
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Say you’ve discovered that your hormones aren’t balanced and you want to start being intentional about your health. Both Jackson and Koll agree that one way you can do so is by maintaining a healthy diet. Jackson said, “How we nourish our body is incredibly important when dealing with hormones that are not optimal. How we eat will depend on why our hormones are out of homeostasis to begin with. However, as a general rule, eliminating sugar and alcohol and focusing on a more anti-inflammatory Mediterranean diet with healthy fats is key.”
Koll explained in great detail why certain foods have a negative effect on your homes. She said, “If you consume a highly processed diet, especially with a lot of sugar, your hormones could be negatively affected. For example, highly processed foods can lead to higher levels of estrogen in the body. It’s so important to be in tune with your body and notice how foods make you feel. For example, are you feeling sluggish, fatigued, or less energized?”
Additionally, she explained that certain foods and drinks that contain caffeine can actually raise cortisol levels. “Be mindful of how much you’re consuming daily and how your body reacts to it. Too much sugar can cause insulin resistance, a hormone that helps to control your blood sugar.” Given this, she wants you to be careful because sugar is in everything with over 40 different names!
Is there a way to avoid harmful ingredients in the grocery store?
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Before you put something in your cart, Koll suggests taking a good look at the ingredients. She said, “The truth is always on the back. Oftentimes you will find the front of products have buzzwords like ‘clean’ or ‘all-natural’ that don’t hold much weight. Depending on the type of product (i.e., household products), there may not be regulations around these kinds of words…”
The ingredients she considers to be a red flag and recommends you watch out for are anything she considers to be natural flavors. “It’s the fourth most common ingredient used in food and beverage products and is not natural. It can be a mixture of up to 100 unknown ingredients, and almost always, brands won’t share what is in their natural flavors as it’s proprietary."
To help you make more informed choices, Koll suggests becoming clear about the ingredients you want to stay away from. “I believe that having a toolkit of 10-12 common ingredients in food (as well as beauty and household) that you know you want to stay away from can easily help you to scan an ingredient label and know if it’s a product you want to buy or not. I also created a free ingredient glossary on my website that is organized by ingredients to consume, avoid, or use in moderation with over 800+ (and growing!) ingredients to easily search while looking at ingredient labels.”
Which ingredients can cause inflammation or other adverse effects in my body?
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If you suspect you’ve been dealing with inflammation, it’s possible you’re trying to figure out what you should avoid eating altogether. Koll said, “There are so many ingredients that can cause harm to our body and it’s important to note that ingredients can be banned in other countries, but allowed in US products. That is why being an informed consumer is so important."
She said this will vary based on food and beverage products versus household and beauty. Concerning your diet, she outlined 11 of the worst ingredients you can find in food and beverage products:
- Artificial Food Colorings
- Synthetic dyes like “Yellow 5” or “Blue 1” often are found in candy, cereal, and colored beverages. Most are made from coal tar or petroleum and contain neurotoxins and carcinogens.
- BHA/BHT
- These man-made preservatives are endocrine (hormone) disruptors and possible carcinogens. Look for this ingredient on cereal and gum labels.
- Caramel Color
- This ingredient is used to turn food and beverages, like jams or sodas, brown. It’s made in a lab from various sugars and can be processed with harmful carcinogenic chemicals.
- Cultured Celery Powder
- Dehydrated celery is mixed with cultured bacteria to create more nitrites in cultured celery powder. This ingredient acts the same way as sodium nitrite, which can convert to nitrosamine in the body, which is a carcinogen. It is commonly found in packaged deli meats.
- High-Fructose Corn Syrup
- High-fructose corn syrup is a highly-refined sugar usually derived from GMO corn. This sweetener can increase your risk of heart disease, inflammation, and fatty liver disease. You can find this ingredient in packaged desserts, syrups, and condiments.
- Natural Smoke Flavor
- This ingredient is added to products as a preservative or to create a smoky flavor. It is made by capturing the smoke of burning wood but then can be mixed with other additives and ingredients that are not transparent. Smoke contains PAHs (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons), which can be carcinogenic and left over in the final product. It is commonly found in sauces and dips.
- Polysorbate 60+80
- This is an emulsifier that is carcinogenic and linked to other health problems such as developmental and reproductive toxicity, immunotoxicity, and allergies. This ingredient can often be found in ice cream and baked goods.
- Sodium Benzoate
- Sodium benzoate is a synthetic preservative that can increase inflammation and hyperactivity in children. You will often see this ingredient in jarred foods like pickles.
- Sodium Nitrate
- Nitrates are chemicals used to preserve foods, specifically processed meats like deli meat. A high presence of nitrates has been linked to an increased risk of cancer. Sodium nitrate is a suspected carcinogen and it is used to prevent bacteria growth and add a salty flavor.
- TBHQ
- TBHQ is an additive and preservative that may increase the risk for tumors and may be a neurotoxin and can be found in packaged chocolate bars.
- Titanium Dioxide
- This is an ingredient used to brighten products to be a white color. It may be a carcinogen and can disrupt the gut. It is commonly found in candy, ice cream, and frosting.
This list may seem like a lot, but it’s important to narrow down what’s causing your hormones to be unbalanced. Personally, I used to keep a food diary and was able to start narrowing down the foods that were causing painful cycles along with cystic acne breakouts.
Which ingredients can aid in one's health?
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Just because there are harmful ingredients you should steer clear of doesn’t mean you can’t have an enjoyable diet. Koll said it’s very simple — you need real and whole foods! “This should be a focus and can be thought of as eating the perimeter of the grocery store. [This includes] vegetables, fruits, nuts, high-quality oils, and protein — conventional or organic. Whichever your budget allows should be prioritized,” she explained.
Another helpful way, she says, is to think about eating the rainbow when go grocery shopping again. It’s actually something that’s been helping me prioritize my shopping list and with spring being here, certain fruits and vegetables are back in season! Think apples, kiwifruit, lemons, pineapples, and strawberries! Yum!
Koll said, “Gut health is so extremely important (it’s our second brain and over 70% of our immune system lives in our gut) so probiotic-rich foods like Apple Cider Vinegar, Kefir, Kimchi, Kombucha, Sauerkraut, Yogurt, and prebiotic-rich foods like Artichokes, Asparagus, Bananas, Garlic, Onions, Quinoa are important.”
For more advice, check out our guide to an anti-inflammatory diet.
Can supplements help balance my hormones?
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This is a tricky territory to navigate because supplements aren’t a ‘one size fits all’ type of thing. Koll said, “Supplements can be a black hole with how many different options there are. It’s important to remember that no two people are the same and the supplements your body needs may differ from someone else. That is why I encourage getting yearly blood work and working with a functional practitioner (if possible) to determine your supplement needs.”
As she mentioned above, most of us benefit greatly from a probiotic since there’s so much in our foods and environments that affect our gut microbiome daily. “I personally use a spore-based probiotic, which essentially has a shell over the bacteria until it reaches your digestive tract. The issue with most probiotics is that they are lactic acid-based (bifidobacterium and lactobacillus) and are not able to survive your stomach acid,” said Koll.
"For magnesium, it's important to understand that there are different types of magnesium that help support our body in different ways. While selecting the best magnesium for you (because everyone is different), it’s best to understand the types and their benefits and then select one that is most bioavailable, meaning our bodies can absorb it best. Magnesium glycinate and magnesium threonate are two of the most bioavailable forms," she continued.
How can I start implementing small, sustainable changes that help me balance my hormones?
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I’d be dishonest if I said changing the way you eat is as easy as snapping your fingers. Some people are able to quickly make a transition while it takes others a little longer. Taking care of your health shouldn’t feel like a competition though. Kolls said, “Understand that small changes have a big impact and that you don’t have to do everything at once. Start with one swap and continue from there. The best part is you will start to notice changes quickly.” As a result, her Girls Who Eat community has shared that they have more energy, reduced gut issues, clearer skin, and overall feel better from the inside out with her.
“The first swap I would start with is removing fragrance from the products you use as this is a major hormone disruptor and getting a high-quality water filter — there are so many toxins in our drinking water. For food, I would start by swapping out inflammatory oils with high-quality oils like extra virgin olive oil and avocado oil. Just starting somewhere is a huge win and a step towards feeling like your best self,” she said.
Whenever you need a reminder that you’re on the right track or feel overwhelmed, revisit this article to help you make the best decision you can for your health. We’re rooting for you — pun intended.
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