There is no pill anybody can take to magically correct estrogen dominance. However, getting your hormones tested to evaluate your hormone balance is a good first step. Those labs help guide you toward optimal hormone balance across a broad spectrum. Reviewing those lab results with a practitioner knowledgeable in hormone balance can provide options for you.
If you haven’t read my first two posts on Estrogen Dominance, you can read them here:
https://medium.com/@bryantreacy/do-you-have-estrogen-dominance-55d7991fefe5
https://medium.com/@bryantreacy/8-reasons-you-may-have-estrogen-dominance-4636d7025e93
Our hormones respond to foods, movement, stress, and everyday habits. So let’s look at
5 lifestyle hacks to deal with estrogen dominance:
1. Try Seed Cycling
Seed cycling means eating seeds that support estrogen during days 1-14 of the menstrual cycle and seeds that support progesterone during days 15-28. For example, eating 2 tablespoons of ground flax seeds and pumpkin seeds during the first half of the cycle and switching to sesame seeds and sunflower seeds during the second half. Scientific evidence is somewhat lacking, but there are proponents for this approach. The thought is hormone balance occurs through the phytoestrogens, zinc, selenium, and Vitamin E contained in these compounds.
2. Boost Fiber
Fiber supports healthy bowel movements and elimination (including the elimination of estrogens). Plus, foods that are rich in fiber fuel the beneficial bacteria in the gut for microbiome balance. Natural fibers have been stripped from foods by the food industry so most Americans are woefully lacking in fiber intake. Fiber also keeps you fuller when you eat and coats any carbohydrates that you ingest as well. Here is a list of fiber rich foods to get you started:
3. Cut Alcohol
Alcohol can burden the liver and increase activity of the estrogen-producing aromatase enzyme. Cutting alcohol promises many benefits—including happier hormones. If you remember, alcoholic fatty liver disease can cause liver dysfunction which by itself leads to estrogen dominance.
4. Reduce Stress
We cannot control the stressful situations around us, but we can find ways to respond and release that stress. Better stress management translates to less cortisol production, freeing up your body’s resources to make healthy levels of progesterone. Progesterone is the balancing hormone for estrogen so if you make less progesterone, you have estrogen dominance.
5. Get Exercise
Exercise helps with several of the hidden causes of estrogen dominance—including body fat and insulin resistance. Getting into a routine of moving your body every day will help support hormone health. Fat cells contain the enzyme aromatase which converts testosterone into estrogen.
6. Reduce carbohydrate intake and time restrict your eating
Americans have gone from eating 3 times a day up to about 10-11 which has created an insulin resistant epidemic and significant weight gain. The fastest way to reduce body fat is by restricting your eating window and quitting snacking. Any time you eat, you are raising your insulin level and your body has to use that food or store it. And your liver stores excess blood sugar from carbohydrates in peripheral body fat. Restrict your window of time for eating, and you will mobilize and lose peripheral body fat. Reducing body fat will help reduce estrogen dominance.
These hacks may help you avoid having to consider hormone therapy if that is something you want to avoid. However we have practitioners that can help you with hormone replacement if these life hacks aren’t doing it for you.
I have one more post headed your way on the topic of estrogen dominance. I’ll be sharing my favorite supplements to support hormone balance.
If you need help with hormones, send me a message or go to our website here: https://healthwithoutrisk.com/
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