Some principles of healthy eating apply to almost everyone ? drinking enough water and consuming plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables, for example.
But when it comes to hormones, a lot of dietary advice ignores the huge difference between women’s and men’s health.
“Women are very underrepresented in research, especially because we have a menstrual cycle,” says functional nutritionist and author Pauline Cox.
“My passion and mission is to provide women with the information and knowledge that can revolutionize their immediate and long-term health.”
Cox, 43, who began her career as a physical therapist before becoming a nutritionist, now works primarily online with women’s groups and has just released her second book, Hungry Woman: Eating for Good Health, Happiness and Hormones.
Some principles of healthy eating apply to almost everyone ? drinking enough water and consuming plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables, for example. But when it comes to hormones, a lot of dietary advice ignores the huge difference between women’s and men’s health
“I felt like there was a lot of information that could be shared with women to help them understand their hormones and understand that we don’t have to get frustrated with ourselves and fight our female physiology.”
At the heart of the problem is the balance (or lack thereof) between estrogen and progesterone levels.
“When our progesterone levels are low, our estrogen can become dominant, and then we start seeing things like PMS, heavy periods, painful periods, flooding at the start of our period,” says Cox, who lives in Somerset.
“Many women accept that as part of their monthly cycle, but when we bring our progesterone levels back up, it helps balance out the effect of estrogen.”
Here, she explains five ways women can change their diet to keep their hormones in check.
1. Take care of your liver
“Estrogen is a stimulatory growth hormone,” Cox explains, using the analogy of grass growing on a lawn to explain how the two hormones interact.
?Progesterone is like the lawnmower. It comes along and it keeps the grass in check. When we lose progesterone, estrogen goes out of control.?
Therefore, it is important that our body can efficiently remove estrogen through the liver, intestines and intestines.
“How much estrogen we clear can be affected by what we eat and how we live,” says Cox.
“There’s a lot of cruciferous in the book ? cauliflower, broccoli, these are really great veggies to support liver detox.”
2. Add fermented foods
Try including fermented foods like pickled vegetables, kefir, kombucha, or natural yogurt as part of your daily diet to help bring beneficial bacteria to your gut.
“Our gut diversity decreases as we age, and microbiome diversity is associated with longevity and good health,” says Cox, suggesting that just a tablespoon of sauerkraut a day can make a difference.
“These are easy wins… to maximize our lifespan and optimize our gut-brain axis, which is incredibly important.”
3. Avoid ultra-processed foods
There has been a lot of talk lately about how harmful ultra-processed foods are, including their effect on hormone levels.
“When we eat a lot of sugary, processed foods, our inflammation levels go up and our cortisol levels go up, which robs us of progesterone,” says Cox.
Plus, filling up on these empty calories?tasty as they often are?means we have less room for nutritious foods.
“They can often be devoid of nutrients, so you’re not getting the nutrients you need to build hormones and support hormonal health, such as magnesium, zinc, B vitamins, and omega-3 fatty acids.”
4. Create a dining window
It’s not just what you eat, it’s when. Cox recommends having an “eating window” during the day that ends around 6 p.m., so there’s a gap of a few hours before going to bed.
“When your blood sugar goes up at night, your kidneys have to kick in to try to clear this excess blood sugar, which means waking up at night to urinate,” she says.
“Many women associate this with drinking a lot before bed, but eating late at night can also be the case.”
Choosing meals that are nutritious and satisfying is the next step.
“Within that window, start being a little more mindful of your carbs and increasing your protein,” she continues.
“So you feel full, your body is getting all the amino acids it needs, and you may not have as much of the takeout food as the sandwiches, the pasta, the chips.”
5. Keep an eye on your magnesium
“Most women are subclinically deficient in magnesium,” explains Cox, which can cause insomnia and the risk increases with age.
“When we get to about age 40, we absorb less magnesium than if we were in our 20s.”
Diet also plays a role: “If we have high blood sugars and inflammation levels when we’re stressed, we lose magnesium.”
She recommends taking a magnesium glycinate or bisglycinate supplement before bed to increase your chances of getting a good night’s sleep.
“The glycine part of that helps lower your body temperature, which is what the body wants when it goes to bed,” she says.
“That connection also helps you get into so-called REM sleep, the sleep in which you consolidate memories and learn.”
Hungry Woman by Pauline Cox is published by Ebury Press and costs ?27. Photography by Luke Albert. Now available.