Our hormones control every physiological process in our bodies. From metabolism and your menstrual cycle to reproductive health, your immune response, and mental health. Precise hormone balance is vital to feeling good and being healthy.

Foods can help and hinder hormone balance, so eating a well-balanced diet is key. In this article, we will explore seven foods to avoid. You may be surprised by what makes the list. Let’s look at the offenders:

1. Sugar:

Sugar can wreck your health and hormone balance. It raises insulin, which puts stress on the pancreas and can lead to metabolic syndrome and diabetes if left untreated in the long term. According to Floliving.com, “insulin spike(s) disrupts ovulation – preventing your hormones from triggering ovulation and the creation of progesterone as a result of ovulation. Disrupted ovulation causes hormonal imbalance – without ovulation, you cannot produce progesterone, which leads to estrogen dominance. Your fat cells secrete estrogen. The more sugar you eat, the more fat cells you create, the more estrogen they secrete. This estrogen adds to the estrogen your endocrine system produces. Add in xenoestrogens in our environment and you’re set up for estrogen dominance, progesterone deficiency, and hormonal imbalance. This hormonal imbalance is a root cause of common issues like PMS, cramps, irregular cycles, acne, along with PCOS and infertility issues.

If you have insulin-resistant PCOS then having excess glucose in your bloodstream will cause inflammation, which leads to many chronic health issues.”[1]

2. Non-Organic Foods:

Organic foods come from non-genetically modified seeds and are grown without the use of chemical fertilizers or pesticides. They are typically more nutritious than their conventional, mass produced counterparts and don’t add to the toxic burden on the body. Pesticides and chemicals used in agriculture are known endocrine disruptors that mess up your hormones. Consuming non-organic food exposes you to these chemicals and increases your risk of hormone imbalance.

Check out The Environmental Working Group’s Dirty Dozen and Clean Fifteen lists--- they are updated yearly and can help you decide which produce items to buy as organics.[2]

3. Gluten:

Gluten is a known hormone disruptor. Grain seeds are sprayed with hormones to enhance growth which interfere with your hormones. In addition, the pesticide, fungicide, and herbicide chemicals used on grains are also hormone disruptors.”[3]

Gluten is known to increase intestinal permeability (leaky gut alert), inhibit thyroid function, stress the adrenal glands, and also affect immunity. This can lead to a massive decrease in the production of some seriously important hormones.

For those with Celiac disease, gluten is a life-long no-no[4]. However, even if you don’t have Celiac disease, your body may be sensitive to gluten. Removing it from your diet for 4-6 weeks is an easy way to see how your body responds. All the recipes included in the 21 Day Hormone Harmony Detox are naturally gluten free.

4. Mass-Produced/Factory Farmed Animal Protein:

Animals raised in factory farms are not ideal for human consumption. There are a host of potential problems with mass produced meat ranging from improper sanitation to the use of antibiotics (an attempt to prevent overcrowded animals from getting too sick) and the hormones given to the animals designed to make them bigger for more meat yield or to produce more milk for the dairy industry.[5]

If you feel better on a diet that includes animal protein, look for meat raised locally and for ensure that the animals have had access to pastures for free-range living as well as hormone and antibiotic-free feed and health protocols. Get to know your local farmer and your local butcher. If meat makes you feel good, ensure you are investing in quality cuts.

5. Dairy:

The jury is mixed when it comes to dairy and hormones, but it looks like we should err on the side of caution.[6]

Researchers that have studied the hormones in cows’ milk express concern over the amount of estrone, estrogen sulfate, and progesterone found in dairy milk and milk products. The hormone content of whole-fat milk, butter, and cheese seems particularly troubling, as estrogen and progesterone are fat-soluble and cholesterol-based, and these foods are higher in cholesterol than low-fat dairy products.

Preliminary studies found that the human body absorbs and is affected by these bovine hormones. After consuming 600 mL of cows’ milk, participants plasma E1 and P4 levels increased while FSH, LH, and testosterone levels dropped significantly. In other words, the body absorbed the sex hormones from the cows’ milk, and affected participants’ hormones balance. The decrease in testosterone suggests that milk could negatively impact male fertility.

Digging deeper, the researchers looked at the impact of cows’ milk on fertility and cited another cross-sectional study which analysed the impact that full-fat dairy had on sperm production and sperm shape. In the US, Iran, and Spain, participants’ sperm was found to be negatively impacted by the consumption of dairy and dairy seems to increase the risk of prostate and testicular cancer.[7]

6. Alcohol:

If you are trying to balance your hormones, you’ll need to ditch alcohol. Alcohol can impair the function of hormone-releasing glands and impair the way that various organs interact with your hormones and serious consequences can result. Blood sugar, estrogen metabolism and reproductive function are all impacted by alcohol consumption.

According to the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism[8], “Alcohol is directly toxic to the testes, causing reduced testosterone levels in men. In a study of normal healthy men who received alcohol for four weeks, testosterone levels declined after only five days and continued to fall throughout the study period. Prolonged testosterone deficiency may contribute to a "femininization" of male sexual characteristics, for example, breast enlargement.”

The NIAAA also notes, “drinking can contribute to a multitude of reproductive disorders (in women). These include cessation of menstruation, irregular menstrual cycles, menstrual cycles without ovulation, early menopause, and increased risk of spontaneous abortions (6,21,22). This may be caused by alcohol interfering directly with the hormonal regulation of the reproductive system or indirectly through other disorders associated with alcohol abuse, such as liver disease, pancreatic disease and malnutrition (6).”

So which one of these would be the easiest for you to cut out from your diet?

Post in the comments and let me know about your experience with dietary changes and how they’ve helped your health. Or, post your questions, and let’s dig a little deeper into the things that interest you!

Ready to say goodbye to hormone imbalance and period problems? Jump into the 21 Day Hormone Harmony Detox and start your journey to healthy hormones today.

[1] https://www.floliving.com/sugar-and-your-hormones/

[2] https://www.ewg.org/foodnews/summary.php

[3] https://www.glutenfreesociety.org/the-gluten-hydra-hormones-the-medical-trap/

[4] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3046043/

[5] https://www.farmsanctuary.org/learn/factory-farming/factory-farming-and-human-health/

[6] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4524299/

[7] https://www.fertstert.org/article/S0015-0282(16)62851-0/fulltext

[8] https://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/aa26.htm

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