How to balance your hormones
There are so many social media trends claiming to ‘hack’ your hormones, but there are everyday habits you can incorporate into your routine to help you through all the hormonal fluctuations we experience as women. We partnered with a registered dietician, Nishta Saxena, and Smart Solutions to share how to balance your hormones the right way.
Eat at Regular Times
Many women are still skipping meals or not eating enough daily. Restricting calories in an unbalanced way will not stimulate long-term benefits to the hormones or the body. Most women get hungry after four to five hours without a meal, and leaving long gaps between meals may increase the ‘wrong’ appetite regulatory hormones, the ones that tell our brains we are still hungry, even after eating, to stay higher than we want in our bloodstream. The most common side-effect of skipping meals is binging on food later on in the evening. This can be triggered partly due to a lack of protein, fiber, and total calories in your daytime eating. Aim for one and a half grams of protein per kilogram of body weight, 30 grams of fiber, and regularly timed meals every four hours. This will train your regulatory hormones to respond healthily.
Supplements
Our hormones fluctuate so much, which can cause a variety of symptoms for women of all ages. Starting in our menstruating years, we may have difficulties with irregular cycles, and this can wreak havoc on us. A supplement like Smart Solutions Cycle-Smart can help stabilize these irregularities, plus it helps to reduce cyclical breast pain. Another hormone-supporting supplement that could be beneficial is the Smart Solutions EstroSmart. It balances and maintains our ratios of estrogen and progesterone. It can also support our liver’s natural detoxification pathway. And finally, in the later stages of life, our hormonal health changes completely. Smart Solutions’ MenoSmart will help with menopause symptoms like hot flashes and night sweats. It can also ease feelings of nervous tension, which is a common menopause symptom.
Hydration
We hear it all the time, we’re not drinking enough water! Hydration can impact your mood and ability to function. Did you know just a two percent level of dehydration causes cognitive function changes? That means in environments like the office, or on warmer days, it’s important to fuel up on fluids. Aim to get 25 to 30 milliliters per kilogram body weight daily, which is around two to two and a half liters for most average-sized women. Adding electrolytes to your water can add interest, and flavour and can make you feel great. To make your electrolyte drink at home, all you need is a bit of sea salt, some lemon or orange juice, a dash of honey or maple syrup, and water.
