What does that mean? Eating for healing your hormones?
Why is it so important to heal your hormones?
The Key
Hormones are the messengers working behind the scenes to regulate everything in your body. You need to have enough of these messengers to get the message delivered. On top of that, you need a balance of hormones.
Hormones can get imbalanced from a stressful lifestyle, insufficient nutrition, toxins in food and the environment, and inability to adapt to your phase in life.
There are three steps for hormonal sufficiency and balance.
- One is you have to make the hormone.
- Two is you have to reformulate the hormone into the form that your cells can use.
- Three is you have to detox the hormone, break it down and eliminate the breakdown products from your body.
You can accomplish this in one meal when you know how to eat.
Diversity in eating
The key to making a hormone is diversity in what you eat. Each different food gives you a different set of amino acids, different sets of minerals, different fibers, different vitamins and phytochemicals and so on.
Start by asking yourself, am I eating the same foods? And how can I get more diversity of foods?
Step Two
The key to making the hormone into the form your cells can use is your microbiome, because that is where it is done.
You can do that with three P’s: polyphenol, probiotic and prebiotic foods. That’s the diet of your microbes.
The more you feed these microbes, the more they’re able to break down your hormones so that they’re in the right format for the cells.
Polyphenol foods include:
- Artichoke hearts
- Basil
- Broccoli sprouts
- Brussels sprouts
- Cinnamon
- Cloves
- Cumin
- Curry
- Dark chocolate (>70% cacao, minimal sugar)
- Olives
- Oregano
- Parsley
- Red wine (quality: biodynamic, organic, sustainable)
- Rosemary
- Saffron
- Shallots
- Thyme
Probiotic-rich foods:
- Sauerkraut (fermented, not with vinegar)
- Kimchi
- Pickles (fermented, not with vinegar)
- Yoghurt
- Kefir, dairy or water
- Kombucha
Prebiotic-rich foods
- Asparagus
- Burdock root
- Cashews
- Chickpeas
- Chicory root
- Dandelion root
- Garlic
- Hummus
- Jerusalem artichoke
- Konjac root
- Leeks
- Onions
- Pistachios
- Red kidney beans
Those gut microbes want fiber. To help you reformat your hormones, we need to bring fiber into every single meal: lettuces, fruits and vegetables.
Step Three
Detoxing hormones is all about your liver and gut.
Bitter foods that support the liver include:
- Arugula
- Dill
- Dandelion greens
- Jerusalem artichoke
- Brussels sprouts
- Eggplant
- Salmon
- Kale
- Sesame seeds
- Turmeric
- Ginger
- Lemons
- Limes
- Grapefruit
- Peppermint
- Green Tea
Putting it together
All of this in one meal!
Let’s ask ourselves if it’s diverse enough, if it has enough fiber, and if it’s supporting the liver and the gut for detox.
One of Dr. Mindy’s favorite meals that fits this guideline is a half avocado, hemp seeds, sauerkraut, and then sometimes chopped-up chicken.
What meal will you put together first?
