3 gut-friendly foods to support your hormones!

If your gut is out of balance, it’s likely your hormones are too! Let me explain…

When it comes to hormonal balance, the gut plays a pivotal role. The gut microbiome is a complex community of trillions of living microbes. This inner ecosystem can help you digest foods, absorb nutrients, support immune function, produce beneficial postbiotics, and regulate hormones!

But what happens if you have gut dysbiosis? Gut dysbiosis means there is an imbalance within the gut microbiome. This imbalance can negatively impact various aspects of your health, including oestrogen metabolism, hormonal balance, and the HPA axis.¹²³ But don’t worry – nourishing your gut with the right foods can help bring your hormones back into harmony!

Here at Chuckling Goat, we love natural health solutions! Say goodbye to an overflowing supplement cupboard, these three natural foods will support your gut-hormone connection –

1. Fermented foods

Fermented foods are naturally rich in beneficial microbes, supporting a balanced gut microbiome. These foods include:

Kefir
Live yoghurt
Kimchi
Sauerkraut
Miso
Tempeh
Kombucha

These foods are probiotic-rich and delicious! Add these gut-friendly foods to your everyday diet to support your gut health. The diverse range of bacteria they contain will help repopulate your microbiome.

Remember, various factors like stress, certain medications, a diet rich in processed foods, and low fibre intake can all negatively affect the balance of the gut microbiome. So, it’s vital to consistently look after your gut microbes to support a thriving microbiome! A healthy gut microbiome is crucial as it helps metabolise and eliminate excess oestrogen through a group of microbes called the estrobolome.

We recommend adding our kefir to a daily gut-health smoothie, with our Complete Prebiotic and Pure Fish Collagen for optimal health. For extra hormonal support, consider adding our Ashwagandha tincture to your smoothie to lower the stress hormone cortisol. Ashwagandha is excellent for helping with stress, anxiety, and sleep.

If you are new to fermented foods, start slowly and gradually build up over time; this will help you avoid digestive discomfort.

2. Flaxseeds

Flaxseeds are a fantastic addition to your diet and benefit the gut-hormone connection in several ways.

Firstly, they are nutrient-dense and fibre-rich! Fibre is crucial to a healthy gut microbiome. Prebiotics come from the fibres you eat; good bacteria feed on these prebiotics to stimulate their growth and activity. Consuming various fibre-rich foods and aiming for 30g or more daily is essential for supporting your gut health.

By feeding your gut bacteria a variety of prebiotics, you will also support the production of beneficial by-products called postbiotics. These postbiotics are health-promoting; they have powerful anti-inflammatory benefits and can strengthen the gut lining.⁴ Research has found that postbiotics can regulate endocrine function and metabolism.⁵ Fibre is also crucial for bulking stools and promoting elimination, helping the body get rid of waste and hormones like oestrogen.

Alongside their high fibre content, flaxseeds are a rich source of lignans. Lignans are compounds with phytoestrogen properties. Phytoestrogens are similar to the hormone oestrogen,⁶ and research has found that these compounds can modulate oestrogen signalling.⁷ Further research shows phytoestrogens may reduce osteoporosis risk and menopausal symptoms due to their ability to modulate the endocrine system.⁸

Flaxseeds are also a rich source of plant-based omega-3 fatty acids, known as ALA. These healthy fats have anti-inflammatory benefits and can improve various chronic health conditions.⁹

3. Cruciferous vegetables

This group of vegetables is tasty and nutrient-packed! Cruciferous vegetables include:

Kale
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Cabbage
Brussels sprouts

These vegetables are fibre-rich, providing food for your gut bacteria and supporting the production of postbiotics.

A natural compound found in cruciferous vegetables, called indole-3-carbinol (I3C) has been found to regulate oestrogen activity and metabolism.¹⁰ Cruciferous vegetables also support liver detoxification, which is vital as the liver is responsible for metabolising and regulating various hormones, including oestrogen. To learn more about liver detoxification, this article is helpful – How to support phase 1, 2, and 3 liver cleanse through food.

Are you looking for recipes that include these gut-hormone-healthy foods? Check out these three articles:

Any questions? Contact one of our Nutritional Therapists via live chat, weekdays from 8 am to 8 pm.

3 gut-friendly foods to support your hormones!

1. Fermented foods

2. Flaxseeds

3. Cruciferous vegetables

References

Questions? Talk to a Nutritional Therapist on live chat!

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