My Hormones Are Out of Balance. Can Nutrition Help?
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Lately I’ve had a number of conversations with people who are looking for help with their nutrition because “my hormones are out of balance”. When I ask them how they’ve come to the conclusion that their hormones are out of balance, they have very vague answers. With this beginning to be a trend, I knew that I wanted to share it with you. To separate the facts from fiction.
In this post I share what hormones are. Their function in the body. And, how I’ll be writing a series of blog posts that dive into how nutrition interacts with hormones.
Why Are People Thinking That Their Hormones Are Out of Balance?
Hormones are the latest hot topic in the health world. I see it in my social media feed too. Very confident, fit people exclaiming that it’s not your fault that you’re tired and overweight. It’s your hormones. They’ve found the secret answer to balance your hormones and solve all your problems. Now I know I’m being obtuse in this description. These marketers are very convincing, playing on our emotions and insecurities. I can’t speak for these social media health influencers. Whether they’re knowingly preying on people. Or, if they honestly don’t understand human physiology and how to read scientific research.
What I do know from being in nutrition for almost 30 years is that hormones are just the latest in a long list of valid human physiology and nutrition concepts that get so co-opted and taken so far out of context that they take on a new, fiction-based meaning. Past examples include toxins and fat, as in “eating fat makes you fat” and “it’s fatty” meaning that a food is bad – you shouldn’t eat it. I also know that a popular marketing technique in the diet industry is to tell you that it’s not your fault that you’re overweight. That there’s a secret that’s been kept from you. Recently it was metabolism. Now hormones seems to be on the rise.
Fighting Back Against Manipulative Marketing
Recognizing that hormones are just the latest in the long line of misinformation and manipulative marketing, let’s fight back. How do we do that? Through knowledge. Knowledge is power. The nutrition and health misinformation is only powerful because most people aren’t taught how the human body works. When we’re lacking knowledge, anyone can come along and use our naiveite against us.
Let me share an example from my life. When I was doing my Masters degree, I lived with a house full of roommates who are engineers and very into cars. Before I lived with them, I didn’t know how a car worked. Before I lived with them, if you’d have asked me how a car works, I would have responded something like “you turn the key in the ignition and press the gas peddle”. Living with them I learned how engines actually work, what the pistons are doing, how that makes the wheels turn, etc. With this basic knowledge, I now understand why maintenance is required. Don’t get me wrong, I still take it to a mechanic to do the maintenance. I’m not doing my own oil changes or anything. But I’m less likely to be taken advantage of by a mechanic because I have this knowledge.
What is a Hormone? What is Their Function?
The way that I’m now empowered by my car knowledge, I want you to have an understanding of hormones.
So, what is a hormone anyways? The human body has two main ways to communicate messages between different parts of the body, namely nerves and hormones. You likely know your nervous system – the nerves connecting to the spinal cord and the brain. When you touch a hot stove with your finger, your nerves send a message to your brain of hot, pain. With this message communicated, you know to move your finger off of the hot stove.
The other communication system are hormones, a.k.a. the endocrine system. Hormones are chemicals in the body that communicate a message from one part of the body to another part of the body. Often when people talk about “hormones” they’re referring to the hormones related to reproductive/ sexual function. As in “you can’t blame teenagers, it’s their hormones”. It’s true that testosterone and estrogen are hormones. But hormones aren’t just sending messages related to sexual activity/ reproduction. You’ve likely heard of many other hormones and not realized that they’re hormones. Examples include:
Insulin: which has a role in managing blood sugar.
Melatonin: which has a role in sleep.
Adrenalin: which has a role in the fight-flight-freeze stress response.
With hormones being one of the major communication mechanisms in the body, they are intricately involved in being healthy, and conversely, in many health conditions. And, nutrition interacts with them in many, many ways. A few examples include:
Diabetes
The impacts of cortisol on body composition (fat and muscle).
PCOS (Polycystic Ovary Syndrome)
PMS/PMDD
The symptoms associated with perimenopause.
The increased risks for heart disease and osteoporosis post-menopause.
Stay Tuned
There are so many health conditions that involve hormones. And, so many ways that nutrition can have an impact. It’s impossible for me to cover everything in a single blog post. So, my commitment to you is that through this year I’ll publish a series of blog posts diving deeper into the role of some of these hormones in our bodies. And, how nutrition can impact them.
Our Dietitian Team’s Knowledge of Nutrition and Hormones
Here’s a taste of the team’s knowledge when it comes to hormones, health, and nutrition.
· All of the dietitians on our team are well-versed in blood sugar management (insulin).
· I’ve long worked to support people with PCOS, PMS/PMDD, and during the perimenopause transition.
· Jessica, Mamta, and Morgan are currently undertaking professional development in reproductive hormone-related areas to take their knowledge from fair to excellent – for both men and women.
· Lorrie also is well-versed in cortisol’s role for sports nutrition (i.e. maximizing muscle/leaning out). And, I’ve worked for many years with the impact of cortisol for weight gain and sports nutrition.
Use this link to book an information call with me to find out which dietitian on our team is the best fit for what you’re experiencing with your hormones and health: https://calendly.com/kristenyarker
Photo by Piret Ilver on Unsplash
