Here’s the thing: living with a hormonal imbalance is inherently annoying. No one should have to guess when their next period will show up, spend unnecessary amounts of money on expensive hair removal treatments or 10-step skincare routines that don’t even work on hormonal acne, or deal with the guesswork of trying to get their hormones back in balance.

But as easy as it is to want to ignore it all and burrow into that pile of unfolded laundry on the bed, it’s important to talk about the potential consequences of leaving a hormonal imbalance untreated, and the risks it can lead to. 

Let’s take a minute to discuss what hormonal imbalance looks like, the potential consequential risks of prolonging that regulation, and the easiest way to build a lifestyle that avoids having tough-to-treat issues down the road.

Are your hormones unbalanced?

Before we discuss how to fix hormonal imbalance, let’s clarify whether or not your hormones are even in a state of disarray. While nearly half of women have reported being affected by some sort of hormonal irregularity, there are many of us lucky enough to have a pretty good system of natural self-regulation. 

Symptoms of hormonal imbalance include: 

• Mood swings
• Hot flashes
• Deep, sometimes cystic acne
• Irregular menstrual cycles
• Stubborn weight gain
• Sleep disturbances
• Anxiety and depression
• Excessive hair growth
• Vaginal dryness
• Brain fog

If any of these symptoms are wreaking havoc in your life, you could potentially be dealing with a hormonal imbalance, which may show up as uncomfortable PMS, or could indicate more serious issues like hyperthyroidism, hypothyroidism, polycystic ovary syndrome, or even an early onset of menopause.

 

Can a hormone imbalance cause serious health problems?

What’s important to note is that the more concerning thing about a hormonal imbalance is not necessarily the symptom, but the underlying condition it may represent. This can range from diabetes, thyroid issues, glandular issues, and beyond.

So what happens if hormone imbalance goes untreated? These masked issues can eventually evolve into more severe circumstances involving the ovaries. 

This isn’t an inescapable doom, as author of “The Hormone Fix” Dr. Anna Cabeca shares: “There is just no reason to suffer like this because of a hormone imbalance, when there are known diet and lifestyle choices we can make to alleviate our symptoms, and even calm our fears.”

A Hormone Healthy Lifestyle 

Instead of procrastinating treatment, curating a lifestyle that accounts for keeping hormones at their optimal function is the key to limiting the potential of disastrous consequences. Rome wasn’t built in one day, so trust that these small shifts will compound over time and alleviate your symptoms with consistency and patience. 

Foods to Limit 

Diet is one of the most important components to optimizing our body’s regulated function, so it’s key to limit foods that cause hormonal imbalance, especially in women. While life is meant to be lived and these foods could be incorporated in mindful moderation, they’ve each proven to be severe hormonal disrupters. Alcohol can exacerbate the infamous hormonal belly, making it more difficult to burn fat, and while processed foods make up over half of energy intake in the United States, its effects on our metabolism are detrimental to our hormonal health.

Some diet staples to consider limiting:

• Alcohol 
• Hormone-Infused Beef and Milk
• Processed Foods
• Caffeine
• Sugar

Food to incorporate 

It’s no fun being told your diet should change, especially if the suggested foods to remove are personal favorites. Luckily, there are delicious meal staples to choose from that can help to support your body instead.

Nourishing your gut with prebiotic and probiotic foods plays a massive role in regulating the gut microbiome and your endocrine system. Probiotics are often found in fermented foods like yogurt, miso, kefir, sauerkraut, kombucha, and kimchi, while prebiotics can be found in food sources like garlic, asparagus, bananas, leeks, tomatoes, and oats. 

Some delicious and hormonally optimized choices:

• Low-glycemic fruits  
• Whole-grain foods
• Dark leafy greens
• Lean protein 
• Nuts and seeds
• Dark chocolate

Avoid these lesser-known hormone disruptors  

Hormonal disruptors, from fragrances in cleaning products to antibacterial soaps, can insidiously slither into our lives and cause complete chaos. Choosing fragrance-free creams, cleaning products, and laundry detergents, and making sure your foods are encased in “brick” cartons, glass, or BPA-free packaging can make a world of difference.

Many who wonder how to fix hormonal imbalance don’t realize that plastic can play a major role in causing disharmony within their endocrine system. Its synthetic chemicals can mimic hormones, interfering with the delicate endocrine regulation happening inside your body. While it’s nearly impossible to eliminate coming in contact with plastic completely, you can limit its disruption in your life by swapping plastic food storage containers with glass or stainless steel, using reusable bags, and swapping plastic cling wrap with beeswax-coated cloth.

Incorporate Supplements Into Your Diet

Whether you’re absorbing nutrient naturally through foods like walnuts or salmon, or using capsules & gummies as a convenient shortcut, supplements are an easy way to support your body regulating optimally. Talk to your doctor about products like FLO PMS Relief, which not only work to support your hormones, but ultimately help ease nagging PMS symptoms that can get in the way of a good time.

A few supplements to consider:

• Vitamin D3
• Magnesium
• Omega 3
• Chromium
• B-Complex
• Zinc
• Ashwagandha

Being intentional about integrating even just a few of these easy adjustments into your lifestyle will support your hormonal balance and help evade things from snowballing into much bigger fish to fry.

Remember—you’re not alone! We should talk more openly about this, and support each other through it; if you’re dealing with even the most mild symptoms of unbalanced hormones, I’m sure you have your own helpful tricks & tips to share!

As always, please speak with your doctor about any health concerns you may be having. They can help guide the discussion, and offer a treatment plan tailored to you.