The Diet To Help Beat Oestrogen Dominance
Getting oestrogen dominance under control starts with hormone balance, but could your diet be sabotaging your efforts?
Many women experience gaining extra weight around their belly when menopause symptoms start. This is usually the last place they want to see weight gain.
A condition called oestrogen dominance, when there is too much oestrogen not balanced by progesterone, can cause weight gain and bloating. It is also linked to issues like endometriosis, fibroids, heart disease, and some cancers.
Eating a diet that helps balance hormones can improve your health.
If you want to reduce that belly, particularly when it is related to oestrogen dominance, when starting a new diet it is helpful to remove unhealthy foods from your cupboards and cleanse your body.
Begin with a detox. This does not mean starving yourself, instead it means eating foods that help your body remove harmful toxins.
Before starting your detox stock up with helpful foods like broccoli, asparagus, beetroot, garlic, grapefruit, spinach, whole grains, organic eggs, salmon, mackerel, and beans.
Also, include naturally fermented foods like kimchi, kefir, and sauerkraut to support your gut health.
These foods help your body detox and prepare for a fresh start and after a week of eating these foods, add items that can help reduce the production of oestrogen hormones.
The best options are nuts, avocados, and olive oil, as healthy fats nourish your hormones and help keep them balanced.
You can then add some restricted foods in moderation, such as chicken or turkey (avoid red meat), wholemeal pasta, and breads like sourdough, wholemeal, or rye/pumpernickel.
These can make oestrogen dominance worse
1. Drinking enough fluids is important because bloating is a main sign of too much oestrogen. Water and herbal tea are good options, but if you want to reduce oestrogen, it’s best to limit drinks like tea, coffee, carbonated drinks, and energy drinks, as they can cause inflammation in your body.
2. Fat is not bad for you; you need some fat for important functions like nerve health and absorbing vitamins. However, too many fats from non-organic meats and certain spreads like margarine can increase the oestrogen in your body, so try to limit them as much as possible.
3. It’s a good idea to limit dairy products because they can cause inflammation and tighten blood vessels. Use milk, cheese, and yoghurt in smaller amounts.
4. White carbohydrates, which include refined flour in cakes and biscuits as well as white rice and pasta, are linked to higher oestrogen levels and provide little nutrition. Whole grain options are better, so choose brown rice, whole grain pasta, and breads like wholemeal, sourdough, or rye whenever you can.
5. Sugar is not beneficial because it can lead to weight gain, and excess oestrogen is stored in fat cells. Sugar comes in many forms, like honey, maple syrup and agave, so try to reduce it as much as possible and eliminate it when you can.
What is best to eat?
It’s not complicated, and you probably already know most of it. The challenge comes with daily habits! We all have favourite foods, and a varied diet is ideal.
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Learn MoreDon’t aim for perfection or change everything at once. Instead, gradually incorporate these healthier options into your meals, and you will notice the benefits over time.
Vegetables, especially carrots, beetroot, cabbage, alfalfa, broccoli, cauliflower, green peas, bok choy, asparagus, spinach, and artichokes are important to eat. You can enjoy them raw, cooked, in salads, or in soups; just make sure you include them in your diet.
Nuts and seeds are also beneficial. Some good options are Brazil nuts, cashews, almonds, pistachios, hazelnuts, walnuts, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, and flaxseeds.
Whole grains are another important part of a healthy diet. Choose wholemeal bread, wholemeal rice, buckwheat, oats, quinoa, and millet.
Beans are a great source of nutrition too. You can eat adzuki beans, black beans, soybeans, fava beans, mung beans, kidney beans, lima beans, and chickpeas.
Onions, garlic, and spring onions are packed with sulphur-containing amino acids and quercetin, which help the liver detoxify and lower oestrogen levels.
Extra help
To help your body get rid of excess oestrogen, focus on cruciferous vegetables. Eating more broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, and cabbage can support liver detoxification.
An anti-inflammatory diet can be useful for weight loss and managing oestrogen dominance. This includes eating foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids, like organic meat, chicken, dairy products, wild salmon, and wild game.
Healthy fats from plants are important too. Incorporate avocados, coconut oil, olive oil, and raw nuts and seeds such as almonds, pecans, walnuts, chia seeds, and hemp seeds.
Lemon juice and apple cider vinegar can improve gut health and assist your body in removing extra oestrogen. You can use these on salads, fish, and vegetables to enhance detoxification and help eliminate excess oestrogen.
Useful herbs
Adding these not only enhances flavour, but they also have their own important benefits. Herbs like oregano, thyme, rosemary, sage, and turmeric have oils that help detoxify the liver.
Turmeric, in particular, can kill oestrogen receptor-positive cancer cells, which are the most common type found in breast, uterine, ovarian, and prostate cancers.
If you need help with weight loss, there are many diets available. However, since heart health can be a greater concern during menopause, this specific diet can also help you lose weight.
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