Hormones are your body’s powerhouse.  They are running the show and dictate how you feel, how well you sleep, your metabolism, your sex drive, and on and on.  When they are balanced, you are going to feel your best, because your hormones are working in harmony together. On the flip side, when you have imbalances, you may feel like you are going mad, feeling overwhelmed by simple things, have hot flashes, feel sleep deprived, even gain unexplained weight.

Hormones are chemical messengers throughout the body that control bodily functions.  They are constantly communicating and orchestrating within the endocrine system, creating, and releasing hormones throughout the bloodstream.  The endocrine system is a host of glands, like your ovaries, the thyroid, adrenal glands, and more.  Even our organs are involved, like our liver, the kidneys and our stomachs.  Hormones are racing through us!

Your adrenal glands produce a hormone you have likely heard of, cortisol, commonly known as the stress hormone.  It is responsible for helping you cope with a stressor (those induced by an external stress like a tense work meeting or an internal stressor like going for a run) and also helps reduce inflammation, regulate your blood sugar and blood pressure, and sync your circadian rhythm.

Your hypothalamus, a part of the brain, is responsible for making dopamine, which you might associate with happiness.  But it is a neurotransmitter that oversees your memory, mood, motivation, learning and more.  Dopamine also helps to keep you safe; it controls your flight or fight response to situations.  When your dopamine levels are on point, you will be happy, motivated, alert and find that focus comes naturally.  When your dopamine levels are low, you will feel tired, have brain fog, feel moody and maybe a little unhappy when you aren’t so sure why.

We can eat foods that will help our bodies regulate many of our hormones (there are an endless amount), but I picked these two specifically because who doesn’t want to respond well to stress? In life, stress is unavoidable no matter where you are on your journey.  And we all want to feel happy, motivated and be able to have sharp focus when we need it.

Dark chocolate helps both your dopamine and cortisol levels.  It contains lots of goodness, like magnesium, which most of us struggle to meet our daily needs.  Magnesium helps with sleep, muscle function and recovery and can help fight off a headache or migraine.  Dark chocolate has iron, fiber, zinc, and copper.  What is better than a sweet treat packed with such important hormone building blocks?

Avocados are full of magnesium, potassium, several B vitamins, vitamin K (this is essential for vitamin and mineral absorption), fiber and contain prominent levels of monounsaturated fat which your heart loves.  The next time you dine at your favorite Mexican place, order the guacamole, and top your burrito, tacos, or quesadilla with fresh slices of avocado, and feed your cortisol and dopamine to healthy levels.

Seeds in whole form (not oils) like pumpkin, sesame, flax, and chia seeds are a reliable source for your omega-3 fatty acids.  These are helpful in controlling blood sugar and support reduced cortisol levels.   Does the term “seed cycling” sound familiar?  People will rotate seeds during their fertility cycle to help balance hormones like estrogen and progesterone.  

Nuts including walnuts and almonds are great options to increase dopamine and lower cortisol levels.  Fermented foods with probiotics like yogurt are also a bonus for gut health and boosting your immune system.  Whole fruits and veggies, particularly spinach, broccoli, apples, and watermelon are all great hormone loving options.

Staying away from certain foods will also help you balance out your hormonal imbalances.  Sugar, especially refined sugars that you find in sodas and candy, increases your glucose which can raise your cortisol levels.  Opt for a low glycemic sweetener when you need to sweeten something.  Even maple syrup is a better option for your coffee or oatmeal than sugar.  Coconut sugar or monk fruit are also great low glycemic options.

When you’re having an unexpected mood shift or feeling like no matter what you do, you just can’t seem to focus or constantly can’t recall something you know like the back of your hand, take a moment to check your diet – you might have thrown your hormones completely out of whack.  Head to the grocery store and pick up some hormone-loving foods to get your body back on track, because we are what we eat after all and so are our hormones!