Best Foods To Balance Your Hormones

Your hormones are your body's control system. But in an age when hormone-disrupting chemicals lurk in processed foods, shampoos, and even scented candles and air fresheners, it doesn't take much to throw off that delicate balance. And out-of-whack hormones could affect almost every facet of your health, making it really hard to lose weight, have babies, and even feel happy. Unhealthy hormone levels can even increase your risk of certain cancers and other chronic diseases.

Let see the list of these foods that helps to balance your hormones:

1. Broccoli

Broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables like cauliflower, brussels sprouts, kale, and cabbage contain high amounts of phytonutrients called isothiocyanates, including indole-3-carbinol, which helps break down a harmful and potent estrogen metabolite that promotes tumor growth, especially in estrogen-sensitive breast cells. In 2008, researchers at the University of California–Berkeley showed that indole-3-carbinol halts the growth of breast cancer cells and may also offer protection against the spread of cancer.

2. Organic Apples

Apples contain quercetin, a flavonoid antioxidant and natural antihistamine. Like many other flavonoids, quercetin also has phytoestrogenic properties. A large Finnish study following more than 10,000 people for more than 30 years found eating a daily apple reduced the risk of almost every chronic disease associated with aging, including osteoporosis, heart disease, cancer, stroke, and type 2 diabetes.

3. Avocados
Avocados are rich in beta-sitosterol, a natural substance shown to significantly lower blood cholesterol levels. That same compound also helps to balance the stress hormone cortisol, and it may help restore low DHEA (a hormone produced by the adrenal gland) and decrease the inflammation typically associated with the stress of intense exercise.

4. Green Tea

A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reported that green tea extract could significantly increase metabolism and fat burning. While caffeine does provide an energizing boost, the tea also offers calming effects because it contains theanine, a natural compound that blocks the release of cortisol—great for conquering belly fat.

5. Chia Seeds

Chia seed is a gluten-free ancient grain that can be added to just about any food. On a per-gram basis, chia seed is touted to contain the highest amount of omega-3s in nature and also the most fiber. Chia's hormonal benefits include stabilizing blood sugar, improving insulin sensitivity, and easing metabolic syndrome symptoms like blood pressure and blood sugar spikes.

6. Water

Dehydration increases the release of hormones, which stimulates our appetite. Sufficient water is crucial for preventing joint stiffness, weight gain, headaches, decreased athletic performance, and poor recovery after exercise.

7. Non-GMO, Organic Soy
Bone density, hormonal balance, and cholesterol levels change as we age, but a daily serving of soy can help lower cholesterol, keep bones strong, improve heart health, protect the prostate, and ease the symptoms of menopause. The therapeutic effects of soy products—when consumed in moderation—come from the phytoestrogens naturally present in soybeans. Research from the University of Illinois also suggests soy protein may help to increase metabolism, manage weight, and limit the growth of fat cells. (Don't go for soy, however, if you've noticed it has caused you gas, bloating, or digestive problems in the past, or if you've had breast cancer.)

8. Nuts
Like avocados, most nuts are an excellent source of the plant sterol beta-sitosterol. Almonds, in particular, contain protein, fiber, plant sterols, and several other heart-healthy nutrients. Almonds are also known to slow the absorption of carbohydrates in the body, which may help with diabetes management. Research from the University of Texas Health Science Center published in the journal Nutrition showed that walnuts are a source of melatonin, a hormone that promotes better sleep.

9. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

When we include them in our daily diet, monounsaturated fats such as those in olive oil encourage the release of our appetite-suppressing hormone leptin. Olive oil, in particular, has been shown to improve our sensitivity to insulin. In a 2003 study published in theBritish Journal of Nutrition, rats fed an olive oil–rich diet broke down more fat cells, compared with the group fed soybean oil.

10. Flaxseed

Flaxseed is full of lignans, phytoestrogenic compounds that have been proved to help protect us against certain kinds of cancers, especially breast, prostate, and colon.
 Adding 2 to 3 tablespoons of flaxseed to your smoothies, oatmeal, salads, or cereals daily can reduce your cancer risk and also provide a dose of fiber and essential fatty acids.


11. Red Wine
The antioxidant polyphenols found in the skins and seeds of grapes, especially catechins and resveratrol, aid heart health, inhibit inflammation, and help prevent the development of certain cancers. According to researchers from Northwestern University Medical School, many benefits of resveratrol in wine are in fact due to its estrogenic properties. When consumed with or after a meal, red wine is also a good digestive aid. Healthy individuals should limit wine intake to two to three glasses a week.

12. Berries

Blueberries may help lower blood sugar levels and insulin resistance, as researchers in Canada have found. In a small study, overweight men at risk of heart disease and diabetes drank 1 cup of wild blueberry juice every day for 3 weeks. Their blood sugar dropped by roughly 10%, and their insulin resistance also fell compared with that of control-group participants who drank a placebo. The benefits may come from the effects that the fruit's high levels of anthocyanins have on the pancreas, which regulates blood sugar by producing insulin.

13. Buckwheat

Buckwheat is a good alternative to wheat, one of the most highly allergenic foods and the grain we tend to most commonly overeat. Buckwheat is a gluten-free grain, making it an excellent choice for those with celiac disease, gluten sensitivities, or food allergies or anyone undertaking an anti-inflammatory detox. High in protein and low on the glycemic index, it can be used as an alternative to rice or served as porridge. Your body releases less insulin after eating buckwheat than it does with starches like rice, wheat, and corn.

14. Cinnamon

Cinnamon offers wonderful insulin-balancing effects. A study published in the journal Diabetes Care showed that Ceylon cinnamon could cause muscle and liver cells to respond more readily to insulin. Better response to insulin means better blood sugar balance and, therefore, less insulin in your body. Add cinnamon to your food and hot drinks (including coffee) as often as possible. Just ½ teaspoon a day for 30 days is enough to significantly improve your insulin response and trim your waistline.

15. Organic Yogurt

As a natural source of probiotics, yogurt promotes good digestion, restores healthy bacterial balance in the gut, aids the metabolism of estrogen, and supports healthy immunity. Yogurt may also help trim your waistline by encouraging weight loss; as you're eating it, plain yogurt sends a strong message to your brain that you're full. Studies have shown that just ½ cup a day can lessen the frequency and severity of colds and flu.

16. Oat Bran

Oats are a good source of many nutrients including vitamin E, zinc, selenium, copper, iron, manganese, and magnesium. They're packed with protein and fiber, which can help balance blood sugar and insulin while reducing cholesterol and heart disease risk.

17. Ginger

Ginger is another fabulous seasoning proven to prevent and treat nausea from motion sickness, pregnancy, and chemotherapy. It's a potent antioxidant that works by blocking the potentially nauseating effects of serotonin on the gut.

18. Pomegranates

Researchers at the University of Wisconsin have shown that pomegranate extract has anticancer, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant properties that are effective in suppressing cancers of the skin, breast, and colon. The most powerful estrogen in the body, estradiol, plays an important role in the origin and development of breast cancers, most of which are hormone-dependent in their early stages. Pomegranates possess natural compounds that inhibit the enzyme in women's bodies that converts the weak estrogen, estrone, into its most potent metabolite, estradiol.

19. Dark Chocolate

A Finnish study found that babies born to women who had eaten chocolate daily during pregnancy smiled and laughed more and were more active. Even the babies of stressed women who had regularly consumed chocolate during pregnancy showed less fear of new situations than babies of stressed moms-to-be who abstained. Dark chocolate boosts our endorphins and also contains tryptophan (a building block of serotonin) and the brain chemical phenylethylamine, known to promote feelings of attraction, excitement, and love. Eat one 1-inch block of dark chocolate a day. Look for organic versions that feature at least 70% cocoa.

20. Turmeric
Herbs and spices certainly add more than zesty flavor to our meals—many offer hormone-balancing effects, too. Garlic, rosemary, thyme, turmeric, ginger, cumin, curry, and cayenne pepper are particularly beneficial. Turmeric (also called curcumin) is a favorite because it naturally reduces inflammation, pain, and swelling.
Be sure to add black pepper with turmeric—it biosynthesizes to create an even more potent effect.