Hormone Hacks for Healthy Holidays, Part 1

The holiday season is a wonderful time of year, full of joy, festivities, and opportunities to connect with loved ones. However, amidst the celebrations, our focus often shifts away from self-care, leaving us vulnerable to stress and imbalanced hormones. By implementing some simple hormone hacks, you can maintain balanced hormones and enjoy the holidays to their fullest.

I’ve put together 12 hormone hacks that will help you sail through the holidays on healthy seas during this festive season. This post will focus on the first 6 of those hacks.

1. Fill Up with Healthy Fats

Healthy fats play a crucial role in hormone production and overall well-being. These fats serve as the building blocks for hormone synthesis and can help manage cravings. Use them to your advantage. Incorporate foods such as avocado, full-fat coconut milk, nitrate-free bacon, grass-fed ghee, and cold-pressed olive oil into your meals. These options not only support hormone health but also help stabilize your blood sugar, providing sustained energy throughout the day.

By focusing on nutrient-dense, fat-rich foods, you'll be better equipped to maintain hormonal balance and enjoy all the festivities without feeling depleted.

2. Deep Breathing = Instant Stress Relief

The holiday season is often packed with activities and obligations that can elevate stress levels, and stress impacts your hormonal health. Constant movement triggers our sympathetic nervous system and elicits the fight-or-flight response. In a stressed state, our body uses a lot of valuable hormonal resources - particularly cortisol - leaving fewer resources for the rest of the critical functions in our body to take place.

One effective way to combat this stress? Deep breathing exercises. Adopting the deep, rhythmic breathing patterns can get you out of the fight-or-flight-state, reducing cortisol levels and promoting relaxation.

Find a quiet space and try this simple technique 10 times:

• Inhale for a count of 5
• Hold the breath for a count of 5
• Exhale for a count of 7
• Repeat this cycle ten times
• This practice will help you stabilize your hormones.

3. Go Green to Combat Inflammation

Inflammation is a common issue during the holiday season, often triggered by indulgent foods, travel, and stress. To help counteract this, drink green tea, which is packed with anti-inflammatory compounds like EGCG (epigallocatechin gallate) that help modulate genes responsible for inflammation and reduce it.

Green tea is also beneficial for gut health. A healthy gut can better absorb nutrients and support detoxification processes, both of which are crucial for maintaining balanced hormones. Plus, drinking green tea helps with the next hack – hydration.

4. Stay Hydrated

Staying properly hydrated is crucial for keeping your hormones in balance and affects everything from your mood to your metabolism. Water helps flush out toxins, aids in digestion, and ensures that your cells are functioning at their best.

Aim to drink at least eight 8-ounce glasses of water each day. By prioritizing hydration, you’ll be better equipped to maintain hormonal balance and feel your best during the holidays.

If you’re not a big fan of plain water, herbal teas like peppermint, green, or chamomile are also excellent hydrating options. These provide additional benefits like calming your nervous system or aiding digestion. Avoid coffee and alcohol, as these can dehydrate you. If you’re indulging in these, make sure to drink extra water to compensate.

Also, start your day with some warm lemon-salted water to help with overall liver detoxification and hormone stabilization. The liver is where we convert hormones, such as thyroid T4 to T3, and helps to excrete excess hormones like estrogen, a build-up of which can lead to weight gain, sleep and mood issues.

Warm or room temperature water aids in the absorption of the lemon and salt nutrients into the body in addition to promoting digestive function and bowel movements, which is how we excrete toxins that can impact hormone balance or excess hormones themselves.

Adding a pinch of Himalayan or sea salt promotes better hydration and electrolyte balance, which is important for hormone and bodily functions. Plus, the magnesium, sodium and potassium in the salt nourishes the adrenal glands which largely produce cortisol and DHEA hormone and contribute to the production of adrenaline, estrogen, and other hormones as well.

5. Crush Some Cruciferous Veggies

Constantly elevated estrogen levels from alcohol consumption or toxin exposures can lead to estrogen dominance, which can trigger thyroid imbalances, sleep issues, and mood swings. But you can help combat this by adding some cruciferous veggies to your meals.

Cruciferous vegetables are a staple in an anti-estrogenic type of diet or lifestyle. They contain a compound called DIM (diindolylmethane) which helps your body remove estrogen through the liver.

DIM isn’t the only reason why cruciferous veggies are anti-estrogenic. Most of them also contain chlorophyll, which aids in reducing estrogen through improved liver health.

Next time you eat, see where you can incorporate some of these cruciferous veggies:

• Arugula
• Bok Choy
• Broccoli
• Brussels Sprouts
• Cabbage
• Cauliflower
• Collard Greens
• Kale
• Mustard greens
• Radish
• Turnip
• Watercress

6. Prioritize Sleep

Quality sleep is crucial for regulating hormones, but the holiday season often disrupts our usual sleep patterns. To support hormone health, make sleep a priority by establishing a consistent bedtime routine and creating a relaxing sleep environment.

Minimize exposure to screens before bed, as the blue light emitted can interfere with your body's natural sleep-wake cycle. Instead, wind down with calming activities like reading a book or taking a warm bath.

Additionally, pay attention to your sleep environment. Ensure your bedroom is dark, quiet, and cool and invest in a comfortable mattress and pillows.

Addressing these factors can help you achieve more restful and rejuvenating sleep, supporting overall hormone balance.

Stay tuned for the next 6 health hacks for the holidays. And while you’re waiting, why not schedule a call and get yourself started on the path to a healthier you?