The Role of Nutrition in Achieving Hormone Harmony
How Everyday Food Choices Shape Energy, Mood, and Balance
Written By: Roxane Shymkiw
Hormones are your body’s messengers that travel through your bloodstream and influence everything from your energy and mood to sleep, metabolism, fertility, and long-term health. They’re involved in almost every process in the body, which is why keeping them balanced is so important. When your hormones are balanced, you feel energetic, focused, and resilient. But when they’re off, it can show up as fatigue, brain fog, mood swings, disrupted sleep, or even unexplained changes in weight or cycles.
Many things can throw your hormones out of balance, like stress, lack of sleep, or busy lifestyles, but what we eat plays a critical role. Food provides the necessary nutrients to make hormones, and it helps keep blood sugar steady and chronic inflammation low, both of which impact hormone production and function. By nourishing your body with the right foods and habits, you can support your hormones to feel your very best.
Here are some quick tips to help you support your hormone health and balance.
1. Balance blood sugar first.
Blood sugar is the foundation of hormone health. Every time you eat, your pancreas releases insulin that helps move glucose into your cells to use as energy. Eating quickly digested foods like sugary snacks and refined carbs, results in blood sugar spikes and crashes that disrupt cortisol, estrogen, progesterone and thyroid function. Several factors, such as the types of carbohydrates we eat, our physical activity and stress levels, quality of sleep, and hormone fluctuations, all impact our blood sugar balance.
TIP: Include protein, healthy fats, and fibre at every meal (and snacks!) to keep blood sugar stable. Crowd out sweets and refined carbs with whole grains, nuts and colourful veggies.
2. Eat healthy fats and protein.
Healthy fats and protein are the building blocks of hormones. Omega-3 fatty acids help to support brain and hormone function while also creating a healthier environment for your hormones to work by reducing chronic inflammation. The amino acids that make up proteins are used to make polypeptide hormones like insulin and glucagon, which regulate blood glucose levels.
TIP: Add avocado, extra virgin olive oil, walnuts, chia seeds, and fatty fish (salmon, mackerel, sardines) to your regular routine.
3. Support the liver with detoxifying foods.
The liver is responsible for metabolizing and clearing excess hormones (estrogen, cortisol, thyroid hormones, insulin), but when the liver is unable to remove the excess hormones, symptoms of hormone imbalance appear, such as irregular periods, fatigue, weight gain, and mood swings.
TIP: Increase your intake of cruciferous veggies (broccoli, cauliflower, kale, Brussels sprouts) and bitter greens.
4. Nourish with micronutrients.
Vitamins and minerals are necessary to keep hormone production and signalling running smoothly. In particular, magnesium supports stress and sleep hormones, zinc supports reproductive hormones, and B vitamins help to convert food into energy and promote hormone metabolism.
TIP: Leafy greens, pumpkin seeds, legumes, whole grains, nuts, and seeds are all excellent sources of magnesium, zinc, and B vitamins.
5. Feed your gut microbiome.
A healthy gut microbiome ensures proper hormone production and metabolism and reduces inflammation. Fibre feeds the beneficial bacteria and helps the body to maintain hormone balance by excreting excess hormones like estrogen. Fermented foods support the health of your microbiome with prebiotics (food for the good bacteria) and increase its diversity with probiotics (beneficial live bacteria).
TIP: Eat a diverse diet rich in fruits, veggies, whole grains, beans and legumes and consume fermented foods daily (sauerkraut, kimchi, kombucha, yoghurt, miso).
6. Reduce inflammatory foods.
Chronic inflammation disrupts hormone signalling and how well your cells can respond to hormones. It can exacerbate conditions like PCOS, thyroid issues or perimenopausal symptoms.
TIP: Swap out processed foods, trans fats, excessive sugar, and artificial additives that disrupt the gut microbiome and hormone function, with foods high in antioxidants like berries, citrus fruit, nuts, beans, leafy greens, dark chocolate and spices.
7. Focus on Lifestyle habits.
Staying hydrated, eating mindfully, not skipping meals, regular movement, good sleep hygiene, managing stress levels, and building community all help to keep hormones balanced.
Hormone balance doesn’t just happen by chance. It is built on the everyday choices you make. The way you eat, move, sleep, and manage stress all play a big role in how your hormones show up for you. When you fuel your body with nourishing foods and supportive habits, you can create the right environment for your hormones to do the work the way they should. In return, you’ll notice more energy, balanced moods, improved metabolism and better overall health.
If you’re struggling with a rollercoaster of fluctuating hormones or are interested in learning more about how to balance your hormones, reach out! At No Shoes Nutrition, we believe in personalized programs that support you with new ideas, accountability and habit building. Schedule an initial, complementary consultation with us today or pass this offer on to someone you care about! Visit www.noshoesnutrition.com and sign up for a FREE consultation. We work with people from all over the world, individually and in groups.
References
Calcaterra V., Verduci E., Stagi S., Zuccotti G. How the intricate relationship between nutrition and hormonal equilibrium significantly influences endocrine and reproductive health in adolescent girls. Front Nutr. 2024 Mar 14;11.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10973102/
Chandana S., Maurya N.K. Nutritional Influences on hormonal homeostasis: exploring mechanisms and implications. International Journal of Food Science and Nutrition. 2024. Jun 5;9(2):1-5.
Mazza E., Troiano E., Ferro Y., et al. Obesity, Dietary Patterns, and Hormonal Balance Modulation: Gender-Specific Impacts. Nutrients. 2024 May 26;16(11):1529.
https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/16/11/1629
