5 Ways to Balance Your Hormones Naturally

5 Ways to Balance Your Hormones Naturally

Abdominal weight gain, bloating, cramps during your period, breast tenderness, fatigue, irritability, PMS, headaches, low libido, cold hands and feet…sound familiar?

These are all signs of estrogen dominance, which is a hormone imbalance that affects millions of women.

Even slight excesses in estrogen can cause hormonal imbalances with mild to severe symptoms.

In today’s world, we must make a concentrated effort to balance our hormones since there is so much estrogen dominance from feedlot meat and dairy products, pesticides, plastics, beauty products, carpeting, furniture, industrial waste products, cleaning products and the list goes on and on.

And estrogen dominance is a serious matter.

Excess estrogen is linked to:

• weight gain
• impaired thyroid function
• lowered metabolism
• increased risk of cancer (especially cervical, ovarian, and breast cancers)
• increased risk of insulin resistance
• increased risk of autoimmune disorders

While there are many things in our environment that we have little to no control over, the following are:

5 major ways that will have a powerful effect to help balance our hormones

1. Seek out pasture raised meats and dairy products.

   Meat from feedlot animals is often tainted with large amounts of estrogen and other hormones to fatten the animals. Those hormones get passed down to you when you consume the meat and dairy products. www.localharvest.org is a great resource to seek out local farms in your area so you can consume meat and dairy from healthy pasture raised animals.

2. Seek out organically grown produce.

   The majority of pesticides used in conventional produce are proven endocrine disruptors that mimic estrogen in your body. Look for organically grown produce, especially from the Dirty Dozen. Many small, local farmers don’t use pesticides, but can’t afford the organic labeling, so it’s best to always ask if pesticides are used. I like using this chart because it helps me prioritize which items I should buy organically (the dirty dozen side) and which ones I can get away with buying conventionally (the clean 15 side).

 *This chart only measured pesticides and does not take into consideration GMO produce.  Please be aware that conventional corn, pineapple and papayas may contain GMO’s.  If the produce code number starts with an 8, it’s GMO.

3. Avoid canned products and plastics containing BPA.

   Unless specifically labeled BPA-Free, most canned products contain BPA in their can lining. BPA is another endocrine distruptor that mimics estrogen in the body. BPA can also leech into your food so it’s especially important to store food and liquids in BPA-free alternatives. Glass and stainless steel are great alternatives to plastic (I love THESE containers).

4. Switch out your personal, beauty and cleaning products to more natural products.

   The majority of beauty, personal care and cleaning products contain hormone disrupting chemicals like synthetic fragrances , parabens and other harmful chemicals that are absorbed into your body. Also be aware of aluminum in products like anti-perspirants because the foil can bind and activate estrogen receptors. (I have an easy recipe for homemade deodorant that really works) This is also a wonderful resource for very easy homemade cleaning products that really work.

5. Invest in a whole house water filter for your tap water.

   Tap water contains a major source of pollutants and contaminants like chlorine, fluoride and run-off from estrogen mimicking pesticides. The Environmental Working Group recently conducted a study and found 316 contaminants in water that was supplied to 256 million Americans in 45 different states. Out of those 316 contaminants, 202 are not subject to government regulation or safety standards as set by the Environmental Protection Agency. Please protect yourself and your family and invest in a whole house water filter for your tap water. I recommend THIS one.

 (List adapted from the book “Quit PMS” by Lauren Geertsen)

I also can’t talk about hormones without talking about the tremendous difference consuming my raw liver “pills” have made in my life. I know this sounds super weird to some of you, but please be open-minded and read my story. It explains why in the world I would ever want to eat raw liver and the dramatic differences I’ve seen since consuming raw liver on a daily basis.

Liver, especially raw liver from healthy, pasture raised animals, is the best food you can consume for healthy hormone production, boosting libido and regaining energy. It’s also, gram for gram, the most nutrient dense food that exists.

Raw Liver has an abundance of B, A, and D Vitamins, all which serve to help detox our liver from excess estrogen and balance hormone production. These are vitamins that most Americans are severely lacking in their diet. It’s no wonder my raw liver pills have made such a difference in my hormones and eliminating my PMS.

If you would like to learn more about balancing your hormones naturally, Quit PMS, written by Lauren Geertsen of Empowered Sustenance, is a book I highly recommend. She gives you all the information you need to heal your hormones in a way that fits your lifestyle. She says, “when given the correct tools and building blocks, our hormones fall into equilibrium and PMS disappears.” In her book, she examines how diet, digestion, and blood sugar balance play major roles in our hormone balance. She also answers your questions on hormone therapy and the pill, tells you how to properly detox (which is key for getting balanced hormones!), gives supplement recommendations and much, much more.  This is a wonderful resource to have in your health arsenal.

 For more information or to purchase the book Quit PMS, CLICK HERE.