Written by Beanie Robinson, Nutritionist
Beanie Robinson is one of London's best Nutritionists. She is the Founder of The Health Space, an online Nutrition Clinic that specializes in Weight Loss, Hormonal imbalances; PCOS, IBS, Gut health & Type 2 diabetes.
Hormonal imbalances are becoming more and more common, particularly for women. These imbalances can cause a host of frustrating symptoms like fatigue, mood swings, painful periods, acne, unexplained weight gain, and more. While many people turn to medications or supplements for relief, there’s a powerful, natural solution right in front of you: your everyday food habits.
Having worked with hundreds of women to help them overcome debilitating hormonal symptoms, I’ve learned that the food we eat plays a huge role in our hormone health. What’s great is that balancing your hormones doesn’t have to be an expensive or complicated regimen. Instead, it’s about mastering the basics of nutrition to nourish your body and heal your hormones from the inside out. A phrase I love is “Doing the basics brilliantly”.
10 simple and easy ways to use your daily diet to balance your hormones
1. Balance your blood sugar
The first step in balancing your hormones is managing your blood sugar levels. Why? Because blood sugar spikes and crashes can lead to insulin resistance, which is a key driver of conditions like polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and other hormone-related issues.
To keep blood sugar steady, minimise sugary snacks and highly refined carbohydrates (the white ones), which cause quick rises and crashes. Instead, focus on eating balanced meals with a mix of lean high quality protein, healthy fats, and high fibre vegetables. This helps slow down the release of glucose into your bloodstream, keeping your energy levels more stable and reducing hormone-related symptoms like fatigue, mood swings, and sugar cravings.
2. Prioritise high-quality, minimally processed protein
Protein is essential for hormone production and regulation. Without enough high-quality protein in your diet, your body struggles to produce key hormones like insulin, oestrogen, and thyroid hormones.
Incorporate minimally processed sources of protein such as organic eggs, well sourced fish, organic chicken, legumes, organic cottage cheese, organic greek yogurt, and organic soy; tofu & tempeh into every meal. These foods provide the building blocks your body needs to maintain muscle mass, regulate blood sugar, and support healthy hormone production. Aim for at least 25-35 grams of protein per meal to stay energised and hormonally balanced throughout the day.
3. Embrace an overnight fast
Giving your body a break from food for 12 hours or more each night can help regulate hormones like insulin. This simple practice, often referred to as time restricted eating, allows your body to reset and improve insulin sensitivity.
For example, if you finish dinner by 7pm, aim to eat breakfast no earlier than 7am the next day. This overnight fasting period gives your digestive system time to rest and helps balance insulin levels, which can improve overall hormone function.
4. Stay hydrated with hormone-balancing herbal teas
Hydration is key for overall health, and it’s particularly important when it comes to hormonal balance. But beyond just drinking water, certain herbal teas can be particularly helpful.
For example, spearmint tea has been shown to reduce levels of androgens (male hormones), which can be helpful for women with conditions like PCOS. Chamomile tea is great for lowering stress and promoting restful sleep, both of which are essential for balanced cortisol levels. Drinking herbal teas throughout the day is a simple way to hydrate and support your hormone balancing lifestyle.
5. Manage stress effectively
Chronic stress is one of the biggest disruptors of hormone balance. When you’re stressed, your body produces more cortisol (the stress hormone), which can interfere with other key hormones like oestrogen, progesterone, and thyroid hormones. This hormonal disruption can lead to irregular periods, mood swings, fatigue, and weight gain. To learn more about how stress impacts your cycle, check out this guide on how stress affects your period.
Managing stress is crucial for hormonal balance. Simple practices like mindfulness, singing, dancing, deep breathing, meditation, journaling and yoga can help reduce cortisol levels and promote overall well-being. Even small changes like stepping outside for a few minutes of fresh air or practising gratitude can have a profound effect on your stress levels and, ultimately, your hormone health.
6. Load up on cruciferous veggies, herbs, and spices
Cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, kale, cauliflower, and Brussels sprouts contain powerful compounds that help the body metabolise and eliminate excess oestrogen. This is particularly important for women dealing with conditions like oestrogen dominance, which can cause symptoms like painful periods, bloating, and breast tenderness.
Spices like turmeric and ginger also have anti-inflammatory properties that can help reduce hormonal imbalances caused by chronic inflammation. Incorporating these foods into your meals & teas is a simple and effective way to support hormone balance naturally.
7. Don’t skimp on healthy fats
It’s refreshing to see that healthy fats are finally getting the recognition they deserve, unlike a decade ago when they were often misunderstood. Healthy fats are essential for hormone production, as hormones are actually derived from fats. Omega-3 fatty acids, in particular, have powerful anti-inflammatory properties and play a key role in the production of sex hormones like oestrogen and progesterone.
Incorporate plenty of healthy fats into your diet from sources like avocados, nuts, seeds, extra virgin olive oil (unheated), and small fatty fish like anchovies. Not only will these fats help regulate your hormones, but they’ll also keep your skin glowing, support brain function, and reduce inflammation throughout your body.
8. Boost your fibre intake
Fibre is essential for gut health and plays a critical role in detoxifying excess hormones, especially oestrogen. Soluble fibre binds to these surplus hormones in the digestive tract, helping your body eliminate them through your stool. Foods like apples, chia seeds, avocado, broccoli, flaxseeds & psyllium are rich in soluble fibre and can aid in regulating your digestion while supporting hormone balance. To promote healthy digestion and effective hormone detoxification, aim for at least 30 grams of fibre per day. For more information on fibre-rich foods and their impact on hormone balance, check out my blog post here.
9. Support gut health and liver function
Your gut and liver play vital roles in hormone regulation. The liver is responsible for metabolising and detoxifying excess hormones (think of the liver as the washing machine for the whole body), while a healthy gut ensures proper digestion and nutrient absorption.
Incorporating prebiotics (foods that feed healthy gut bacteria) and probiotics (foods that contain beneficial bacteria) is key to supporting gut health. Foods like unflavoured organic live yoghurt, sauerkraut, kimchi, garlic, onions, and leeks can help maintain a balanced gut microbiome.
Supporting liver health with foods like dark leafy greens, beets, and lemon water will also help your body process and eliminate excess hormones effectively.
10. Prioritise quality sleep
Sleep is the master hormone regulator and therefore harmonising our circadian rhythm is KEY to a hormone balancing lifestyle. It’s essential to prioritise rest, so let go of all those ideas about sleeping when you are dead! Lack of sleep can elevate cortisol levels and throw other hormones like insulin, ghrelin, leptin and thyroid hormones out of balance.
Aim for 7-9 hours of sleep per night, and establish a calming bedtime routine to improve sleep quality. Reducing screen time & blue light before bed, using calming essential oils like lavender, and sticking to a consistent sleep schedule can all contribute to better sleep and more balanced hormones.
Balancing your hormones doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive. By focusing on simple dietary and lifestyle changes—such as getting adequate Rest, balancing your blood sugar levels, eating high-quality protein, managing stress, and supporting gut and liver health—you can naturally support your hormones and reduce the frustrating symptoms of hormonal imbalance.
The key is consistency. Incorporating these 10 hormone-balancing strategies into your daily routine will nourish your body, promote overall well-being, and help you regain control of your hormonal health. Whether you’re dealing with fatigue, irregular periods, mood swings, or weight fluctuations, these easy-to-follow tips will put you on the path to feeling better and thriving once again.
Beanie Robinson, Nutritionist
Beanie Robinson is a leader in sustainable healthy weight loss, hormonal imbalances; PCOS & IBS. Her personal journey with PCOS left her searching for a natural and holistic way of alleviating her symptoms. She has since dedicated her life to helping others optimise their health through Nutrition & Lifestyle medicine. Beanie passionately believes in our bodies capacity to heal & guides clients on their journey to full health & vitality.
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