Most people know that changes in the body such as puberty, menopause, and menstruation can affect hormone balance. However, many people do not know that hormonal imbalance can be a result of their lifestyle, diet, and stress levels regardless of age or gender. Because of this, hormonal imbalances are often overlooked or misdiagnosed. In this article you will learn 7 ways to detox the body and balance hormones.
Hormonal imbalance is an often invisible physical condition that causes our mental and physical health to decline. Our hormones deeply impact our emotions as well as our body. The tips in this article for how to detox the body and balance hormones can be powerful tools for raising your vibration, healing your body, and changing your life through positive self-transformation.
“Hormones get no respect. We think of them as the elusive chemicals that make us a bit moody, but these magical little molecules do so much more.”
– Susannah Cahalan
Ignoring the signs of hormonal imbalance can lead to individuals taking unnecessary medications for pain management that put a band aid on the symptoms, but do not treat the root cause of them. This can lead to more physical and emotional problems.
Warning signs that hormonal imbalance is lowering your vibration:
- Unexplained chronic pain
- Hair loss
- Sudden weight gain or loss
- Constant fatigue
- Acne
- Inability to gain muscle
- Changes in heart rate
- Water retention
- Mood swings
- Anxiety
- Frequent urination
- Constipation
- Loss of appetite or increased food cravings
- Sexual dysfunction
- Hot flashes
- Infertility
1. Get Tested for Hormonal Imbalance
For us to understand why we are feeling the way that we do, it may be beneficial to consult with a healthcare professional. Through blood tests, a doctor or dietitian can determine if there is a hormonal imbalance present in the body.
Doctors who specialize in hormone therapy are called endocrinologists. A healthcare professional may be able to recommend the exact supplements, diet changes, or hormone therapy necessary to detox the body and balance hormones.
2. Liver Detox
The liver is the organ in the body that is responsible for detoxing harmful substances out of the system. The liver works hard every day to keep your body and mind feeling healthy and balanced. It also plays an important role in balancing the hormones in our bodies.
Drinking alcohol, eating processed foods, or having a stressful lifestyle can all put excessive pressure on your liver that results in hormonal imbalances. Give your liver the support that it needs to do its job by doing a liver detox. Consuming organic fruits, vegetables, and herbal supplements can help detox the liver.
Include these foods in your diet to help detox your liver:
- Green tea or detox tea
- Citrus fruits
- Turmeric root
- Artichoke
- Broccoli, cauliflower, and brussels sprouts
- Avocado
- Carrots
- Garlic
- 100% fruit juice
3. Go Plant-Based
The gut is known as the “second brain” because of how our diet affects our overall health, including mental health. You are what you eat, as your body turns food into fuel that powers each cell. Changing your diet and improving your gut health can help to detox the body and balance hormones. Switching to a plant-based diet has many benefits for people struggling with hormone imbalance. Eating too many animal products can cause a hormonal imbalance because of the artificial growth hormones used in factory farming.
Dairy is particularly dysregulating because milk contains growth hormones designed by nature to make baby animals grow big and strong. There is also evidence that the stress hormones released during the moment of slaughter can be absorbed into the body by eating meat. If you are not ready to cut animal products out completely, try to only buy from organic and cage-free farms. Pay attention to food labels at the grocery store because companies are sometimes required to disclose their use of artificial hormones in the farming process.
Try to choose wild-caught fish and poultry over red meat and processed lunch meats. Reducing eggs, dairy, and meat in your diet can be very beneficial for getting your hormonal balance back on track.
4. Get Proper Hydration
Proper hydration for the body is essential for detoxing toxins. Without enough hydration, the body struggles to function properly. Dehydration can cause food cravings that exasperate hormonal imbalances. Experts recommend drinking a glass of water with lemon juice in the morning for a natural gut cleanse.
Drinking more water throughout the day can help to detox the body and balance hormones. When we urinate, we expel toxins from the body that could be causing a hormonal imbalance. Drinking more water ensures that the body has enough hydration to “flush out” harmful toxins.
5. Reduce Stress Levels
Stress hormones are one of the leading causes of physical illness. Increased stress levels can be a big contributor to hormonal imbalance. When the mind is under stress, the body releases hormones as a response. If you want to detox the body and balance hormones, it is beneficial to work on your mental health as well.
“The more you worry, the more you throw off the delicate balance of hormones required for health.”
– Andrew J. Bernstein
Whenever possible, reduce high-stress factors in your life. Cutting out toxic relationships or leaving a toxic workplace can help you to get your hormonal balance back on the right track.
Here are a few tips for how to reduce stress:
- Set boundaries
- Change careers or jobs
- Leave relationships that no longer benefit you
- Journal
- Meditate
- Mindfulness practice
- Read self-help books
- Listen to music
- Take baths
- Aromatherapy
- Massage
- Take mental health breaks
- Visualization
- Therapy
- Support groups
- Get enough sleep
6. Eat Less Processed Foods
Regularly consuming processed foods is a leading cause of hormonal imbalance. When you have junk food cravings, it is your body’s way of letting you know that it needs something that it is not getting. A lot of cravings for sugar, oil, and salt are caused by a hormonal imbalance.
“In the 21st century our tastes buds, our brain chemistry, our biochemistry, our hormones and our kitchens have been hijacked by the food industry.”
– Mark Hyman
Here are a few foods to avoid to detox the body and balance hormones:
- Fast food
- Lunch meat
- Wheat and gluten
- Corn
- Soy
- Refined oils
- Sugar
7. Get Outside and Sweat
Having a sedentary lifestyle can cause hormonal imbalance. Sweating is one way that our bodies are designed to naturally detox. Adding daily exercise to your schedule can go a long way in improving your physical and mental health.
The air in the forest is cleaner and has higher oxygen levels thanks to the photosynthesis process of trees and plants. Walking or hiking in the woods can help the body detox by raising oxygen levels. “Forest therapy” has many benefits.
“If you exercise, you call into action nearly every body system including your heart and lungs, and molecules and hormones dash madly around the body.”
– Steven Blair
Not only does sweating through exercise help to detox the body of toxins, but it also helps you to reduce stress levels. During exercise, the body releases endorphins that make you feel good and help you relax.
Join a gym and find some sort of outdoor activity that you enjoy. Getting sunlight is important for raising vitamin D levels in the body, an essential vitamin for mind/body balance. Having a workout partner or joining a fitness class can help you to make exercise a habit.
Detox the Body and Balance Hormones Today
Balanced hormone levels in the body are essential for feeling, looking, and performing your best. When your hormones are balanced you feel more vibrant and energetic, ready to take on the world.
Eating healthy, sleeping enough, exercising, and reducing stress are all essential for balanced hormones. Making long-term lifestyle changes is the most effective route for detoxing the body’s liver and balancing hormones. A healthy hormonal balance will improve your physical and mental well-being, helping you to raise your vibration for a more bountiful life.
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