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Hormone health: the best and worst foods to balance your hormones
Written byLaura Harcourt
Reviewed byDr Tania Adib
Nutrition can have a powerful impact on your hormones. Discover which foods to prioritise and avoid when trying to maintain a healthy hormone balance.
We all know the importance of eating a healthy, balanced diet. The benefits of doing so are countless – from improved sleep to increased energy to potential disease prevention. But did you know that what you eat can also have a profound impact on your hormones?
Hormones are chemical messengers that are responsible for controlling almost every system of our body. They regulate our metabolism, energy levels, emotions and moods, sexual function, reproduction, response to stress and injury, and so much more.1
Maintaining a healthy hormonal balance is vital for ensuring our overall health and well-being. So, in this article, we’ve compiled a list of some of the best and worst foods to help you achieve a natural hormone balance.
What are hormone imbalances in women?
A hormone imbalance can occur when there is too little or too much of a certain hormone in your bloodstream.1 This disruption can affect your body’s entire balance and cause a wide range of symptoms.
For women in particular, an imbalance of the hormones involved in reproduction can wreak havoc on your overall quality of life. This can lead to symptoms like:1
- absent or irregular periods
- difficulty conceiving
- weight gain
- hot flushes
- mood changes
- vaginal dryness
- changes in sex drive
- acne
Certain medical conditions, such as polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), severe premenstrual syndrome (PMS), and early menopause are also all linked to an imbalance of hormones.1
Which foods might help balance my hormones?
Knowing which hormone-balancing foods to prioritise can be key to reducing symptoms of PMS, perimenopause, menopause, and all four types of PCOS.
Read on to learn more about the types of foods to focus on when trying to naturally balance your hormones.
1. Whole grain foods
Examples: porridge oats, brown rice, whole wheat bread, and quinoa
Wholegrain foods are rich in dietary fibre, which has been reported to improve digestive health, help control weight gain and support a healthy gut microbiome.2-4
Therefore, choosing wholegrain foods like brown rice and whole wheat bread over simple carbs can help keep your blood sugar steady, level out premenstrual mood swings, and keep your food cravings at bay.5-7
A serving of wholegrain foods may also be a good source of magnesium – an essential mineral that can support hormone balance in women.8
2. Healthy fats
Examples: avocados, olive oil, chia seeds, and nuts
Healthy unsaturated fats are an essential part of building and maintaining a healthy hormone function. In addition to providing the building blocks for hormones, healthy fats also support the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins, which are crucial for hormone synthesis and balance.9,10
With their high levels of vitamins, dietary fibre and antioxidants, avocados are a great choice for women at all stages of life.11
Due to their good levels of monounsaturated fats, avocados can help you stay fuller for longer and help control spikes in blood sugar levels. Just one half of an avocado contains 6.7g of monounsaturated fat which may make them somewhat useful when experiencing PMS.12-14
For menopausal women, the heart-healthy benefits of avocados can make them an equally good choice. This is because going through the menopause can increase a woman’s risk of coronary heart disease.15
3. Foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids
Examples: oily fish, nuts, flaxseed, and algae
One specific type of healthy fat particularly beneficial to women is omega-3 fatty acids. These play an essential role in our overall health – from promoting brain and heart health to reducing inflammation.16
Several studies have shown that taking omega-3 fatty acids may be an effective treatment measure in reducing period pain.17,18
Furthermore, the anti-inflammatory properties of omega-3 fatty acids can make this healthy fat beneficial for many of the symptoms typically associated with menopause, including anxiety, mood swings, brain fog, and irregular periods.19-21
4. Soya foods
Examples: tofu, tempeh, soy milk, and edamame
Food sources made from soybeans are rich in isoflavones – a type of plant-based chemical that has oestrogen-like effects.22
These special chemicals attach to cells in the body in the same way as oestrogen does, meaning they may mimic oestrogen and, therefore, have a hormone-balancing effect on women experiencing perimenopause and menopause.22-24
In countries with high levels of soy consumption, the incidence of some menopause symptoms – specifically vasomotor symptoms (i.e., hot flushes and night sweats– are significantly lower than in Western countries. This connection has led to a few recent studies finding a positive link between the consumption of isoflavones and the incidence of menopausal symptoms.23,25
A recent study also reported that subjects who followed a plant-based diet rich in soy for 12 weeks experienced a 79% reduction in overall hot flushes and an 84% reduction in moderate-to-severe hot flushes.26
However, despite this positive correlation, scientists caution that more research is needed to understand the link between isoflavones and vasomotor symptoms in menopausal women.26
5. Cruciferous vegetables
Examples: broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, and cabbage
Cruciferous vegetables like broccoli contain a natural compound called glucobrassicin. When you chew or chop them, this compound turns into indole-3-carbinol (I3C), which helps stimulate special detoxifying enzymes in the gut and liver.27,28
Eating cruciferous vegetables is also thought to help your body break down oestrogen, making sure there is a healthy level of oestrogen in your body. The contrast of this can cause oestrogen dominance which can lead to weight gain, irregular periods, severe PMS and low moods.29-31
Which foods can cause hormone imbalance?
While the foods listed above may help with keeping your hormones in balance, there are some foods you may want to limit.
For example, these foods and drinks may contribute to hormone imbalances in women.
Caffeine
Although many of us can’t live without our daily caffeine fix, caffeine consumption may exacerbate the symptoms of PMS. Too much caffeine can also cause water retention (worsening symptoms like bloating) and disrupt your sleeping pattern.32-34
Alcohol
Alcohol consumption can disrupt our hormonal balance, posing challenges for women at every stage of life.35
Alcohol is a diuretic, meaning it dehydrates us, which can lead to further PMS cramps and bloating. Some women also find that alcohol can worsen menopause symptoms, such as hot flushes.36
Foods high in refined sugars
Refined carbs and sugary foods can cause rapid spikes in blood sugar. There’s some research to show that you’re particularly sensitive to these rises and falls in blood glucose before your period, which can lead to upsetting mood swings and food cravings.37
To avoid this cycle, focus on eating complex and whole-grain carbs instead. These take longer to break down in your body and keep you feeling fuller for longer.
Ultra-processed foods
High in added sugars, sodium, and preservatives, the latest research shows ultra-processed foods can negatively affect your overall gut health. This can then contribute to increased inflammation in the body, putting you at a greater risk of a hormonal imbalance.38-40
Other tips for natural hormone balance
Achieving a natural hormone balance features more than just maintaining a healthy diet. You’ll also need to prioritise some additional healthy lifestyle choices to boost your hormone health, such as:
- taking good care of your gut: eat whole fruits and vegetables to feed the friendly bacteria in your gut microbiome. A simple guideline is to eat foods from all colours of the rainbow to ensure you get a wide variety of beneficial vitamins and minerals, like magnesium, omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin D41-43
- maintaining a healthy exercise regime: regular physical activity naturally controls insulin levels and reduces the stress hormone, cortisol, making it an essential part of any hormone-balancing regime44
- prioritising a good night’s sleep: sleep deprivation can impair our body’s ability to regulate stress, manage appetite and metabolise sugar45-48
- managing your stress levels: chronic stress can lead to elevated cortisol levels.49 Consider practices that can help lower your stress, including acupuncture, yoga, meditation and mindfulness, to boost your feel-good hormones like serotonin and dopamine50,51
Healthy eating for hormone balance
Our hormones are involved in every function of the body. That’s why, when they fall out of sync, it can lead to many unpleasant symptoms, such as painful periods, hot flushes and mood swings.
However, prioritising the right foods to eat can be an effective way of achieving hormone balance. By pairing a nutritious diet with a healthy lifestyle, you can naturally balance your hormones and help alleviate the severity of your symptoms.
For further advice on balancing your hormones, consult your GP. They’ll be able to work with you to identify the ideal treatments, supplements or lifestyle changes best suited to you.
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- Jefferson A, Adolphus K. The Effects of Intact Cereal Grain Fibers, Including Wheat Bran on the Gut Microbiota Composition of Healthy Adults: A Systematic Review. Frontiers in Nutrition. 2019; Mar 29;6. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6449473/
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- Roager HM, Vogt JK, Kristensen M, et al. Whole grain-rich diet reduces body weight and systemic low-grade inflammation without inducing major changes of the gut microbiome: a randomised cross-over trial. Gut. 2017 Nov 1;68(1):83–93. Available from: https://gut.bmj.com/content/68/1/83.long
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- Esmaeilpour M, Ghasemian S, Alizadeh M. Diets enriched with whole grains reduce premenstrual syndrome scores in nurses: an open-label parallel randomised controlled trial. British Journal of Nutrition. 2019 Feb 14;121(09):992–1001. Available from: https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/british-journal-of-nutrition/article/diets-enriched-with-whole-grains-reduce-premenstrual-syndrome-scores-in-nurses-an-openlabel-parallel-randomised-controlled-trial/36BF36D18C84C90F823EC3966C6BF8A1
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