If you’re approaching perimenopause or menopause, you may be all too familiar with the havoc estrogen imbalance can wreak on your physical and emotional health. Hot flashes interrupting your day, trouble sleeping, weight gain, tanking energy levels and even low mood or brain fog.
When estrogen levels rise or fall, it impacts so many aspects of a woman’s health beyond just her hormones. But you don’t have to feel powerless! In fact, there are many effective natural ways to balance those estrogen levels for restored energy and vitality.
In this article, join me as we explore three holistic tips to get your estrogen back into balance, naturally. From healing foods to supplements to lifestyle tweaks, you’ll be armed with knowledge to start reclaiming your health.
Understanding How To Balance Estrogen Levels
Before we dive into solutions, let’s quickly review what estrogen does in a woman’s body to appreciate why balanced levels matter so much. Estrogen is considered a “sex hormone”, but don’t let the name fool you – it impacts mood, memory, heart health, bone density, insulin sensitivity and more.
Estrogen promotes healthy cholesterol levels and wider blood vessels to optimize circulation and protect cardiac health. It also influences neurotransmitters like serotonin boosting mood and helps build bone density preventing breaks or fractures down the road.
When levels drop around perimenopause, women often gain weight while paradoxically feeling less motivated to exercise. A vicious cycle promoting heart disease risk. It’s no wonder rebalancing estrogen alleviates many frustrating menopausal symptoms. Now let’s explore lifestyle medicine techniques to right the ship!
Tip #1: Food that Balance Estrogen Levels
Diet is one of the most powerful yet overlooked ways we balance our own hormones. For estrogen specifically, focus on foods containing phytoestrogenic compounds and minerals that promote estrogen metabolism.
Top foods to eat regularly include:
- Cruciferous veggies: Broccoli, cabbage, Brussels sprouts and kale contain special compounds activating estrogen metabolism.
- Flax seeds: Flax is rich in lignans converted to estrogen supporters once ingested. Grind fresh for max benefit!
- Bean family: Lentils, chickpeas and beans contain soluble fiber evoking estrogen receptors.
- Fruits like papaya, plums and peaches are also rich in phytoestrogens.
- Herbs and spices like sage, thyme, parsley and cinnamon promote healthy estrogen levels.
- High quality protein from wild caught fish, grass-fed meat, eggs, bone broth and fermented soy products aids cell receptor estrogen activity.
- Whole soy foods like tempeh, miso and organic tofu contain phytoestrogens– but stay clear of soy protein isolates often found in processed fare!
See how nature provides support when strategically tapped via the diet? Now let’s tackle another pillar.
