Balancing Women’s Hormones Naturally — Part 1, Estrogen

Welcome to our four part blog series, Balancing Women’s Hormones Naturally. In this series, we’ll be covering the four main hormones that affect a woman's health, and the roles they play in the body. Then, we’ll dive into ways to support optimal balance for each of these hormones through dietary, supplement, and lifestyle recommendations

In part 1 of the series, we’re talking all about estrogen. Be sure to tune back in for the following three parts of the series! 

Over the course of her life, a woman's hormones have a significant impact on her health. This is because hormones are intricately connected with many aspects of being a woman, from determining menstrual cycle wellness and fertility, to affecting physical, mental, and emotional well-being. 

Our diet, emotions, environment, and lifestyle all affect our hormones, which is why hormone imbalances are so common in today’s society.  When hormones do become out of balance, a whole host of symptoms occur — from challenging or irregular menstrual cycles, intense PMS, and fertility challenges, to low energy, skin issues, mood imbalances, weight gain, digestive disturbances, and more. 

There are over 50 different hormones in the human body, but the ones that play the largest role in a woman's health are estrogen, progesterone, cortisol, and thyroid hormones. Today, we’ll be focusing on estrogen.

WHAT IS ESTROGEN, & WHY DO WE NEED IT?

Estrogen is one of the two main female sex hormones, and plays a large role in the biggest transitions in a woman's life: menstruation, conception, pregnancy, and menopause. This hormone is first produced by the body at the onset of puberty, and remains in large concentrations until menopause. 

Estrogen plays many important roles in the body, from supporting ovulation and thickening the uterine lining for pregnancy, to promoting strong bones, brain, and heart health. When estrogen is in balance, we feel energized, confident, juicy, feminine, mentally clear, and productive.

SYMPTOMS OF ESTROGEN IMBALANCE

Unfortunately, estrogen can easily become out of balance due to environmental toxins, a poor diet, and emotional stressors. This typically results in high estrogen levels. Symptoms of estrogen imbalance include tender breasts, painful periods, heavy menstrual bleeding, bloating and water retention, brain fog, hormonal breakouts, hot flashes, night sweats, and weight gain. 

CAUSES OF ESTROGEN IMBALANCE

Below, we’ll discuss the main reasons estrogen becomes out of balance:

1.) Artificial Estrogen Exposure

Certain chemicals found in plastics, pesticides, conventional cleaning products, beauty products, and toiletries ‘mimic’ estrogen in the body, and overtime, exposure to this artificial estrogen accumulates to excessive amounts in the body.

2.) Poor Gut Health

An overproduction of ‘bad’ bacteria in the gut can increase the production of unwanted estrogens.

3.) Sluggish Detoxification

When our liver is overburdened by environmental toxins and poor dietary choices, detoxification becomes sluggish. When these processes aren’t working efficiently, excess estrogens can’t be eliminated properly and instead recirculate in the body. 

REBALANCING ESTROGEN, NATURALLY

So how can we bring estrogen back into balance? Here are our best estrogen balancing tips:

1.) Reduce Exposure to Artificial Estrogens

• Switch to non-toxic personal care and cleaning products. Come into Roberts Creek Wellbeing to shop our large selection of clean, chemical free toiletries and household cleaners. 
• Stay away from artificial fragrances. We love using amber resin and Bear Essential Oils as natural perfume, and choosing naturally scented Canvas Candle Company candles. 
• Drink out of glass or BPA free metal water bottles over plastic.
• Store food in glass containers, and never heat food inside plastic.
• Choose food products with glass or paper packing, and purchase vegetables that aren’t wrapped in plastic when possible (we have a good selection of organic produce here at Roberts Creek Well-being!) 

2.) Support Good Gut-Health

• Eat fermented foods for their prebiotics and probiotics. We love sauerkraut, kombucha, and miso, all available at Roberts Creek Well-being!
• Supplement with Garden of Life’s Once Daily probiotic to repopulate good bacteria. 
• Incorporate bone broth weekly to heal and seal the gut.

3.) Support Detoxification:

• Incorporate fiber to ensure you’re having at least one bowel movement per day. We recommend legumes, soaked or ground chia / flax seeds, cruciferous vegetables, dark leafy greens, and raw carrot salad.
• Support optimal hydration by adding Aussie Trace Minerals to your water every day.
• Take Harmonic Arts Digestive Bitters prior to meals to support digestion.
• Stimulate the liver by drinking lemon water with Bragg’s Apple Cider Vinegar in the morning, and incorporating bitter foods like arugula and Traditional Medicinals Dandelion Root Tea.
• Consider a liver supplement such as Harmonic Arts Liver TLC for extra detox support 

4.) Eat to Balance Your Hormones

• Purchase organic whenever possible to avoid chemicals and pesticides sprayed on non-organic produce.
• Purchase organic meat to avoid added hormones and antibiotics. We have a selection of Hills Organic Meat at Roberts Creek Well-being! 
• Filter your water with a Santevia water filter to remove the hormone disrupters found in conventional tap water.
• Incorporate estrogen balancing foods into the diet such as flax seeds, rolled oats, tempeh, cruciferous vegetables, bitter greens, and dandelion.

5.) Consider an Estrogen-Balancing Supplement 

We recommend AOR’s Estro Adapt — this fantastic supplement helps to balance estrogen levels by supporting estrogen metabolism with hormone modulating ingredients like DIM, choline, and broccoli extract.

Written by: Hannah Schmitt