How to Balance Hormones Naturally

What are hormones?

Hormones are chemical messengers. They travel through your bloodstream carrying “messages” to tissues and organs, signalling what action they should take next. Hormones affect many different systems such as metabolism, sexual function, development, and mood (1). They can influence the function of your immune system and even influence behavior. 

Appetite hormones

Appetite hormones work together and impact one another, creating an intricate balancing act that controls how you eat, your weight, and predisposition to some diseases. The main hormones associated with metabolism, appetite, and satiety levels are ghrelin and leptin. Even small shifts in these can drastically affect your body’s ability to regulate calorie intake and expenditure (2). Insulin and cortisol impact how your body uses and stores energy. 

Ghrelin

Ghrelin is known as the “hunger hormone” because it signals to the brain when it's time to eat. It also influences taste sensations. When it's higher, you may think high-calorie foods are tastier, which therefore makes them more difficult to resist (2). When you eat a balanced meal full of whole foods, ghrelin levels go down for a few hours. 

Leptin

Leptin, also known as the “satiety hormone”, decreases hunger levels. Leptin signals to your brain, when you’ve had enough to eat. Since leptin is made by fat cells, the more body fat percentage you have, the more leptin is produced (2). Meaning when your body has excess weight, it should signal to your brain that there’s enough energy stored. 

The problem is that when too much leptin is available, overtime, you may be prone to developing leptin resistance (3). This is when your brain no longer responds to the hormone and continues to signal to eat more and reduce calorie expenditure. This also happens with insulin. 

Insulin 

Insulin regulates appetite and blood glucose, or blood sugar. Insulin allows cells to absorb glucose and use it for normal daily functions and exercise. Elevated amounts of insulin overtime can cause weight gain because too much glucose will get converted into fat. Eating more calories than your body needs will also lead to excess glucose levels (4)

Cortisol 

Cortisol is a steroid hormone often referred to as the “stress hormone. Cortisol helps balance blood sugar levels and regulates metabolism. Cortisol helps you prepare for stressful fight-or flight situations by bringing energy to muscles and increasing blood pressure. 

Overtime, high stress can lead to chronically elevated levels of cortisol. This can cause increased appetite and weight gain, particularly visceral fat, which impacts weight related disease (5).

How to balance hormones naturally  

It's normal for hormones to fluctuate throughout the day but the key is to find overall balance and prevent or correct hormone resistance. Hormone levels can be improved by focusing on lifestyle habits such as getting good sleep, reducing stress, and eating healthy foods. 

Sleep 

Sleep is one of the most important factors when it comes to hormone balancing. The circadian rhythm is a biological clock that controls your sleep-wake cycle and metabolism. The regulation of cortisol, leptin, and ghrelin are highly correlated with this sleep rhythm (6). 

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Manage stress 

Stress can lead to increased levels of cortisol and insulin. To help balance stress-related hormones, try to practice these on a daily basis:

• Exercise: even getting out for some fresh air and a walk can help break the mental stress cycle. 
• Take time to relax: balance between responsibility to others and to yourself. Tell yourself it's ok to prioritize self care. 
• Be mindful: mindfulness involves paying attention to thoughts and feelings in a way that increases our ability to manage situations. Deep breathing, listening to music, or meditation can help increase mindfulness (7). 

Nutrition

What you eat has both an immediate and long-term impact on your hormones. Certain foods can potentially have an impact on restoring or putting hormones in imbalance. Create a better balance with these nutrition tips:

• Avoid excess sugar: sugar plays a role in insulin resistance. Limiting or taking a break from sugar can help keep hormone levels in check. Download a nutrition app to help guide you through a sugar detox. 
• Eat healthy fats: healthy fats can help balance hormones since they’re involved in appetite, metabolism and satiety (8). Aim to include some of these healthy fat sources on a regular basis: avocados, oily fish, olive oil, nuts, seeds. 
• Focus on fiber and protein: fiber helps slow absorption of glucose which can regulate hormones. Fiber also helps detoxify the body, which can rid excess levels of certain hormones (9). Good fiber sources include whole grains, nuts, seeds, fruits, vegetables, and legumes. 
• Eat enough protein: eating protein can help decrease ghrelin and stimulate hormones that help you feel full. Aim to have a lean protein source with every meal (10). Lean protein sources include beans, lentils, tofu, eggs, poultry, fish, and low-fat dairy. 

Beyond the lifestyle balance

Keep in mind that some hormonal imbalances may not be able to be corrected by diet and lifestyle alone. If you think you may be experiencing symptoms related to hormone imbalance, contact your physician. 

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