I recently started a blog series on balancing hormones naturally.
I have five simple solutions I recommend to women who have issues with hormone health.
I like to call these Hormone Helpers…
And I want to discuss the third one with you today.
Hormone Helper #3: EAT MORE VEGETABLES
The phrase “eat more vegetables” is thrown around a lot.
But I see such dramatic results with the women in my program when they start consuming more vegetables.
And it’s no wonder:
Vegetables are a powerful food group that provide the body with potent antioxidants…
Fiber…
And numerous micronutrients that are required for healthy hormone balance production and metabolism [1,2].
Though oftentimes vegetables seem like a punishment…
The right recipes transform ordinary vegetables into delicious meal enhancers.
They also carry a tremendous amount of vitamins and minerals [3].
I wanted to include a list of vegetables and the micronutrients in each.
You can find that below.
This list focuses primarily on the vegetables that help with hormone balance.
Remember though, the more variety, the better.
Vegetable Name Vitamins Minerals
Beets B9, C Iron, Manganese, Potassium
Broccoli A, B6, B9, C, K Calcium, Iron, Potassium
Brussel Sprouts A,B1, B6, B9, C,K Calcium, Iron, Potassium, Magnesium, Manganese
Cabbage A, C Calcium, Iron, Potassium
Carrots A, B9, E, K Calcium, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium
Cauliflower B9, C, K Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Potassium
Kale C, K Calcium, Iron
Spinach C, K Calcium, Iron, Potassium
Vegetables also contain powerful antioxidants.
What are antioxidants?
Antioxidants are helpful in reducing oxidative stress which plays a role in balanced hormones [4].
Here are some vegetables high in antioxidants:
- broccoli
- carrots
- cucumbers, and
- sweet potatoes
If you notice, some of those vegetables are on the previous list…
So consume those vegetables to check multiple health boxes at the same time.
Who knew, right?
I can’t undersell the importance of vegetables in your diet.
At minimum, you would want to aim for three cups of vegetables before lunch and dinner.
And though not common in Western societies…
Adding vegetables at breakfast would be an added bonus.
When possible, aim for organic vegetables.
If not affordable…
Try to buy organic of the vegetables listed in the Environmental Working Group’s Dirty Dozen list.
You can find that list here.
Now that we got the most challenging step out of the way…
We can move on to one much less controversial.
This one will take some planning to make sure you get the required amount in a given day though…
And I’ll give you that one next time.
P.S. If you want to know more about nutrition and hormone health, I go in much more detail in my program, Best of You. What you eat has such a profound effect on your body, and especially your hormones, that I spend much more time going over the solutions to better hormone health inside my program.
[1]Parazzini F, Viganò P, Candiani M, Fedele L. Diet and endometriosis risk: a literature review. Reprod Biomed Online. 2013 Apr;26(4):323-36. doi: 10.1016/j.rbmo.2012.12.011. Epub 2013 Jan 21. PMID: 23419794.[2] Slavin JL, Lloyd B. Health benefits of fruits and vegetables. Adv Nutr. 2012 Jul 1;3(4):506-16. doi: 10.3945/an.112.002154. PMID: 22797986; PMCID: PMC3649719.[3]Serafini M, Peluso I. Functional Foods for Health: The Interrelated Antioxidant and Anti-Inflammatory Role of Fruits, Vegetables, Herbs, Spices and Cocoa in Humans. Curr Pharm Des. 2016;22(44):6701-6715. doi: 10.2174/1381612823666161123094235. PMID: 27881064; PMCID: PMC5427773.[4]Ambrosone CB. Oxidants and antioxidants in breast cancer. Antioxid Redox Signal. 2000 Winter;2(4):903-17. doi: 10.1089/ars.2000.2.4-903. PMID: 11213491.
