Our hormones hold the key to great energy, a balanced mood and greeting each and every day feeling refreshed and excited for the day. Given the vital role they play in the body, supporting your hormonal health should be at the top of your 2023 health goals! Today, we are sharing with you 5 healthy habits you can implement into your daily routine to support your hormones in 2023.
Eat enough protein for stable energy
If you are a Mungbean Health client, you know how much we talk about the importance of protein! This is because it is one of the easiest ways to provide FAST results when it comes to our mood, energy and food cravings. When we have protein rich meals, our blood sugar rises slowly and then falls more slowly, providing us with sustained energy throughout the day. When we have a simple carbohydrate-rich meal (i.e., muffin), our blood sugar levels rise and fall really quickly, leaving us with a quick spike of energy followed by a big drop in energy levels.
Making sure you have protein with breakfast everyday is a simple way to help you feel fuller for longer, whilst also keeping your blood sugar levels stable. Ideally, for every kilogram you weigh, you need to consume at least 1 gram of pure protein. Therefore, if you weigh 70kg you need 70gms in total of good quality protein per day. An additional 25gm/day is recommended in pregnancy and lactation, with children requiring differing quantities depending on their age and growth patterns.
Move your body (Carefully)
The more exercise you do may seem like the right thing to do. But when it comes to our hormones, excessive exercise may cause more harm than good. High intensity training or excess training can impair the delicate cascade of sex hormones in the body, and can trigger thyroid, immune and hormonal flares; so, it's not necessarily needed to increase exercise for management but to create a more sustainable routine. For best result incorporate some form of light to moderate movement each day these include swimming, yoga, Pilates, walking, stretching. Aim for 2 max weight sessions a week.
Manage your stress levels
Implementing daily stress techniques can be vital for supporting healthy hormonal balance. When we are stressed our Hypothalamic Pituitary Adrenal Axis (HPA axis) becomes activated triggering the classic “fight or flight” response. When the HPA axis is in overdrive, this can cause havoc on our reproductive hormones and lead to impairing ovulation. Practices like Meditation, deep breathing, stretches, Epsom salt baths, dancing, journaling, are great ways to help restore the adrenals and reduce the effects of stress.
No coffee before food
We see a lot of clients starting their day with coffee on an empty stomach. Absolutely no judgement as I personally know this can be a hard habit to break. We always recommend avoiding coffee early in the morning and before food as caffeine stimulates the release of our stress hormone, cortisol. Our natural peak of cortisol occurs around 8:30am. So, if we are reaching for a coffee before this peak can interfere and compromise our adrenal function. This is really not ideal for those who already have poor adrenal function.
So, how can you still enjoy coffee without it messing with your hormones? Ideally, it is best to have a protein filled snack or meal before drinking your coffee to help reduce the secretion of stress hormones. Also, aim to have your coffee after the peak of our natural rise of cortisol, so ideally after 8:30am.
Support your liver
Our liver oversees the process of filtering out toxins and our hormones from the body. Unfortunately, if our liver is compromised this leads to poor waste removal and our hormones being reabsorbed back into our blood supply. This means these non-metabolized hormones go on to have a secondary influence, which not only affects tissues but confuses our hormonal control centre. The best way to avoid things that can burden our liver function. This includes alcohol, caffeine, pesticides, chemicals from plastics and genetically modified foods. In doing so, you’ll give your liver a chance to do what it does best: metabolise, convert, and excrete excess hormones (like oestrogen) from your system.
Are you are looking to support and balance your hormones this year? Our Naturopaths are here to help and identify the root cause of your symptoms, so you can thrive in 2023.
Book now - https://mungbeanhealth.com/pages/mungbean-health-online-bookings
