Your hormones will stay balanced and you can live a healthier life if you exercise regularly, get enough sleep, and eat well. However, with so much going on around us, it is highly likely that our hormonal balance goes haywire.
There are a number of reasons for this, one of which is food consumption. That is what Dr. Mark Hyman, an international leader in the field of Functional Medicine, shares in his latest Instagram post on how “imbalances in your hormones are triggered by bad food.”
Sugar
When you eat more sugar, the body produces more insulin, estrogen, and testosterone. According to Dr. Hyman, “any type of flour and sugar can lead to these imbalances.”
Dairy and gluten
The doctor pointed out that they often cause inflammation and hormonal imbalances.
Environmental toxins
External toxins, mostly from the atmosphere, have disrupted our hormones for a long time, so this is a no-brainer. Pesticides used in agriculture, as well as increasing pollution levels, harm our bodies. “Xenobiotics or environmental chemicals like pesticides in our food can act like powerful hormone disruptors and trigger our hormones to go out of balance,” Dr. added.
Fast Food
Junk food can temporarily make us feel better, but the long-term consequences are disastrous. Dr. Hyman suggested that “eat a whole, real, unprocessed, organic, mostly plant-based diet with organic or sustainably raised animal products. When you focus on this type of diet, you minimize intake of xenoestrogens, hormones, and antibiotics.”
Simple things like eating organic food and drinking filtered water can have a big effect on hormone balance and improve other bodily functions like digestion.
Caffeine and alcohol
Remember the time at work when you consumed 3-4 cups of coffee every day for a week and ended up with breakouts all over your face? It is no surprise that caffeine in excessive amounts is harmful to our health.
“We know that sugar, caffeine, alcohol, stress, and lack of exercise all contribute to worse PMS and all hormonal imbalances, including menopause. After removing the bad stuff, you will want to replace it with good stuff,” Mr. Hyman added.
Stress
The first step toward controlling your hormones, in the long run, is to get a good night’s sleep and exercise regularly. Dr. Hyman suggested that not only that, make sure you get your dose of vitamins and minerals such as “omega-3, vitamin D3, B vitamins, magnesium, and probiotics.”
Related: Avoid these 5 things to get the most of your workouts
