Complete Hormonal Health Nutrition Guide

Complete Hormonal Health Nutrition Guide
Using Food as Hormone Medicine
Tamara Fraser, Align & Awaken 
Nourish Your Body, Balance Your Life
A comprehensive guide to understanding and supporting your endocrine system through nutrition. Discover how macronutrients, specific food categories, and mindful eating practices can unlock your hormonal potential and promote overall well-being.
Introduction: The Foundation of Hormonal Health
Nutrition is fundamental to hormonal health, with the foods we eat playing a crucial role in how our hormones behave. The number one cause of hormonal imbalances, period problems, and fertility issues is a lack of the right nutrients in our diets.
The Addition Revolution: Feed Your Hormones, Don't Starve Them
Here's the truth that will change your approach forever: To fix your hormones, you need to ADD nutrient-dense foods, not subtract calories or entire food groups.
Most women have been conditioned to think in terms of restriction—cutting calories, eliminating food groups, eating less. But your hormones NEED raw materials to function. When you're constantly subtracting from your diet, you're literally starving your endocrine system of the building blocks it needs to create balanced hormones.
Think of it this way: Your body is doing the best it can with the raw materials you're giving it. The better-quality materials you provide, the better your body can produce the hormones you need. No matter what hormonal imbalance you're dealing with, you will benefit from adding high-quality nutrition.
Key Principle: There's no "one-size-fits-all" approach to nutrition. Your way of eating for hormonal health will be specific to you and may shift over time based on life circumstances, health conditions, and individual biochemical factors.
Part 1: Understanding Your Nutritional Foundation
Why Personalized Nutrition Matters
Modern nutrition advice has left many people confused with thousands of conflicting diet approaches. However, studies show that the same food impacts different people differently. Individual factors that influence your nutritional needs include:
Genetics and biochemical uniqueness
Current health conditions
Life stage (pregnancy, menopause, etc.)
Activity level and lifestyle
Cultural and food preferences
Digestive capacity
Moving Beyond Diet Culture: Addition vs. Subtraction
This guide focuses on "finding a way of eating" rather than "following a diet." Here's why this distinction is crucial for hormonal health:
The Subtraction Trap
Most women have been conditioned to think that improving their health means eating LESS—fewer calories, cutting entire food groups, restricting portions. But when you're constantly subtracting from your diet, you're literally depriving your endocrine system of the raw materials it needs to create balanced hormones.
The Addition Revolution
Your hormones are made FROM the foods you eat. Want better periods? ADD iron-rich foods. Want balanced mood? ADD magnesium-rich foods. Want clearer skin? ADD foods that support liver detoxification. Want stable energy? ADD healthy fats for sustained hormone production.
Why "Diets" Fail for Hormonal Health:
Temporary restriction doesn't teach your body how to create lasting hormonal balance
One-size-fits-all approaches ignore your unique biochemical needs
Focus on weight loss over health often worsens hormonal imbalances
Rigid rules create stress, which disrupts hormone production
The Nourishment Mindset: Instead of asking "What should I cut out?" start asking "What can I add in?" This single shift will transform your relationship with food and dramatically improve your hormonal health.
Part 2: The Macronutrients for Hormonal Health
Carbohydrates: Your Hormone's Best Friend
Carbohydrates are essential for hormonal health and make up the largest portion of most healthy diets. They provide quick energy and support thyroid function and hormone production.
Why Carbs Support Hormones:
Signal to your brain and adrenal glands that your body has adequate calories
Calm your stress response
Provide fiber for healthy gut bacteria
Support neurotransmitter production (like serotonin)
Quality Matters:
Best choices: Whole foods with minimal processing
Avoid: Refined carbs like white sugar, white flour, and heavily processed foods
Focus on: Vegetables (especially leafy greens), fruits, and whole grains
Recommended Carbohydrate Sources:
Leafy Greens: Your Hormone's Detox Army
Think of leafy greens as your body's cleanup crew for hormonal health. Just like the Amazon rainforest cleanses the air, the abundance of nutrients in leafy greens helps remove potentially harmful toxins from your blood, creates new red blood cells, improves circulation, strengthens your immune system, and reduces inflammation.
Leafy Green Varieties:
Arugula, beet greens, broccoli rabe, collard greens
Dandelion greens, kale, mustard greens
Red/green leaf lettuce, romaine lettuce
Spinach, Swiss chard
How Leafy Greens Transform Your Hormonal Health:
Calcium: Not only supports bones but specifically reduces PMS symptoms like anxiety, depression, fatigue, and pain
Magnesium: Your period pain warrior—reduces bloating, breast tenderness, and works amazingly well for period pain and migraines
Iron: Creates healthy red blood cells for stable energy and proper menstrual flow
Additional Benefits:
Potassium: This powerhouse mineral allows your body to make energy from food, reduce bloat, and relieve menstrual cramps
Vitamin A: Maintains healthy skin and may reduce heavy periods. Also helps protect your eggs and cervical cells, reducing cancer risk
Vitamin C: The only vitamin shown to raise progesterone levels while increasing iron absorption. Essential for anyone with missing periods or anemia
Vitamin E: A powerful antioxidant that reduces chronic pelvic pain in women with endometriosis and may reduce menstrual pain
Vitamin K: Critical for proper blood clotting—may be used to slow or stop excessive bleeding
Folate (B9): Essential for fetal development and acts as a mild antidepressant by helping produce serotonin and dopamine. Also increases progesterone in premenopausal women
Fiber: Your estrogen detox superhero—when your liver breaks down estrogens, fiber ensures those metabolites are removed from your body instead of recirculating and wreaking hormonal havoc
Cruciferous Vegetables: Your Estrogen Metabolism Superheroes
These vegetables are like having a personal detox team for your hormones. Cruciferous vegetables contain a compound called Indole-3-carbinol (I3C) that literally transforms how your body processes estrogen.
Cruciferous Varieties
Bok choy, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, Chinese cabbage, radishes, turnips, watercress
The Estrogen Detox Magic
I3C breaks down into metabolites (DIM and SGS) that support your liver's detoxification phases. DIM supports phase one of liver detox (breaking down hormones and neutralizing toxins), while SGS supports phase two (further processing and removing toxins from your body).
Special Spotlight: Broccoli Sprouts
Broccoli sprouts contain an extremely high concentration of sulforaphane, which has super anti-inflammatory powers. This compound literally changes how your liver metabolizes estrogen, redirecting it to a healthier pathway.
Pro tip: If you experience pelvic pain, limit high-oxalate cruciferous vegetables (like raw spinach) as they can bind to calcium in the digestive process and worsen bladder symptoms.
Sweet Vegetables: Your Blood Sugar Stabilizers and Craving Crushers
Sweet vegetables are hormonal game-changers. They help you beat cravings and improve your mood, especially during the week before your period. Their natural starch content helps produce serotonin—the "happy neurotransmitter" that offsets anxiety and tension in the premenstrual time.
Sweet Vegetable Options:
Acorn squash, beets, butternut squash, carrots
Cassava, jicama, kabocha squash, plantains
Pumpkin, spaghetti squash, sweet potatoes
The Blood Sugar Magic: Sweet vegetables provide sustained energy without the blood sugar spikes and crashes that come from processed foods. When your blood sugar is stable, your stress hormones (like cortisol) stay balanced, which allows your sex hormones to function optimally.
Gluten-Free Whole Grains:
Amaranth, black rice, brown rice
Kasha (toasted buckwheat), millet, quinoa, white rice
Why gluten-free: About one-third of people have some level of gluten sensitivity, and gluten can create intestinal permeability (leaky gut), leading to autoimmune issues that affect hormones.
Fruits: Natural Energy with Benefits
Low-Fructose Fruits (Best choices):
Apricots, berries (raspberries, strawberries, blackberries)
Cantaloupe, grapefruit, nectarines, oranges
Peaches, watermelon
High-Fructose Fruits (Limit intake):
Apples, cherries, dried fruit, grapes, kiwi, pears
Important note: Limit high-fructose fruits if you have blood sugar issues, insulin resistance, diabetes, or PCOS. Too much fructose can stress the liver and lead to hormonal imbalances.
Fats: Essential for Hormone Production
Here's what the 1990s got wrong about fat: Fat is not the enemy—it's literally the building block of your hormones.
Your body NEEDS dietary fat to create progesterone, estrogen, and testosterone. When you cut fat from your diet, you're cutting off the supply chain for hormone production.
The Hormone-Fat Connection: Most of your important sex hormones are made from cholesterol, a building block that comes from eating fat. Without adequate healthy fats, your body cannot produce enough hormones, leading to irregular periods, mood swings, low energy, and fertility issues.
Fat should make up about 25-30% of your daily intake—and this is NOT negotiable for hormonal health.
Signs Your Body is Crying Out for More Healthy Fats:
Brain and Energy Issues
Headaches and brain fog (your brain is 60% fat and needs it to function)
Fatigue within 60 minutes of eating (fats provide sustained energy)
Hormonal Symptoms
Missing or irregular periods (your body needs fat to make sex hormones)
Constant hunger and never feeling satisfied (fat triggers satiety hormones)
Physical Signs
Intense sugar cravings (especially "It's 3 p.m. Pass the M&Ms!")
Cold hands and feet, frizzy hair, dry skin (signs of poor circulation and insufficient fat-soluble vitamins)
When you start eating enough healthy fats, something miraculous happens: your brain starts working better, you lose brain fog, your emotions stabilize, and you're able to make better decisions. Fats also stimulate the release of leptin—the hormone that tells your brain you're full—which prevents overeating.
The Omega Revolution: Why Balance Matters for Your Hormones
Omega-3 Fatty Acids: Your Anti-Inflammatory Hormone Helpers
Benefits: Omega-3s help reduce menstrual cramping and PMS symptoms, support brain health for better mood stability, and reduce the negative effects of chronic stress on your hormonal system.
Omega-6 Fatty Acids: The Double-Edged Sword
Here's the problem: modern diets contain a 10:1 to 20:1 ratio of omega-6 to omega-3, when our bodies evolved with closer to a 1:1 ratio. This massive imbalance puts your body in a chronically inflamed state.
What This Means for Your Hormones: When you have more omega-6 in your diet than omega-3, your body produces more pro-inflammatory PGE₂ and less anti-inflammatory PGE₁. This chronic inflammation directly contributes to painful periods, PMS symptoms, and hormonal imbalances. Women with dysmenorrhea (painful periods) have higher levels of inflammatory PGE₂ compared to women without menstrual cramps.
The Solution: Actively reduce omega-6 intake (processed oils, conventional meat) while increasing omega-3 intake (fish, chia seeds, walnuts) to bring your body back into balance.
Recommended Fat Sources:
Fats to Eat in Ample Amounts
Cod liver oil or fish oil
Cold-pressed, unrefined coconut oil
Extra virgin olive oil
Fats from grass-fed animals (lard, tallow, duck fat)
Grass-fed butter or ghee
Organic full-fat A2 cow dairy (less inflammatory than regular dairy)
Organic full-fat goat/sheep dairy
Organic grass-fed beef, pastured chicken, organic turkey, duck
Pastured eggs
Wild-caught fish (herring, mackerel, salmon, sardines, shellfish, trout)
Fats to Eat in Moderate Amounts
Almonds, avocados, Brazil nuts, cashews, chia seeds
Coconut milk and coconut butter
Ground flaxseed and flaxseed oil, hazelnuts, hemp seeds
Nut butters (almond, cashew), seed butters (sunflower, pumpkin)
Olives, pine nuts, pumpkin seeds
Sesame seeds (unhulled) and tahini, walnuts
Fats to Avoid:
Rancid/Oxidized fats: Exposed to heat, light, or oxygen
Trans fats: Found in commercial baked goods and fried foods
Special Spotlight: Nuts and Seeds - Nutrient Powerhouses for Hormonal Health
Brazil Nuts: Your Selenium Superstars
Just 1-2 Brazil nuts provide your entire daily selenium requirement. Selenium is essential for healthy egg follicles and plays a critical role in the later stages of follicle development. It's a superstar mineral for your menstrual cycle.
Walnuts: Plant-Based Omega-3 Champions
Walnuts provide more omega-3 fatty acids than any other nut, helping to reduce inflammation and support hormonal balance.
Pumpkin Seeds: Your Zinc and Magnesium Heroes
These small but mighty seeds contain significant amounts of copper, iron, manganese, magnesium, phosphorus, and zinc. Zinc is particularly crucial—it helps follicles in your ovaries mature each month, improves PCOS-related issues like insulin resistance and high testosterone, and supports thyroid hormone production.
Protein: The Building Blocks of Hormones
Your hormones are literally made from protein.
Protein helps you create hormones, neurotransmitters, immune molecules, blood cells, and even assists in making new proteins. It's an essential structural component of ALL hormones—which means you must consume sufficient protein to create balanced hormones.
The Protein-Hormone Connection: Your body needs twenty different amino acids to function, but you can only manufacture eleven of them. The remaining nine are called "essential amino acids" because you MUST get them from your diet. When you don't eat enough complete proteins, your body cannot produce adequate hormones.
How Protein Transforms Your Hormonal Health: Higher-quality proteins from sources like grass-fed meats, pastured eggs, wild-caught fish, and organic vegetables help your body function optimally. Not getting enough protein (under 50 grams per day) negatively affects growth hormone, thyroid hormones, and insulin function, driving your body toward fat storage and increasing both body fat and fatty liver.
The B12 Factor: The only natural source of vitamin B12 is animal protein. If you're plant-based or vegan, you should supplement with B12 because it plays critical roles in estrogen detoxification and thyroid hormone production. These mechanisms alone have far-reaching effects, including keeping your mood stable, normalizing estrogen levels, and reducing persistent fatigue.
Complete vs. Incomplete Proteins:
Complete Animal Proteins (contain all 9 essential amino acids):
Grass-fed red meat (buffalo, bison, lamb, beef) with liver/pâté
Pastured chicken, organic turkey, pork, duck
Pastured eggs
Wild-caught fish and seafood (sardines, shellfish)
Complete Plant Proteins:
Amaranth, chia seeds, fermented soy products (tempeh)
Hemp protein powder, hemp seeds, lentils
Quinoa, spirulina, soy
Incomplete Plant Proteins (can be combined for complete amino acid profile):
Beans, nut butters, pea protein powder
Spinach, walnuts
Special Considerations for Plant-Based Eaters:
May need B12 supplementation (only natural source is animal protein)
Combine different plant proteins throughout the day
Focus on complete plant proteins when possible
Monitor protein absorption (plant proteins are less easily digested than animal proteins)
Part 3: Special Considerations and Food Categories
Dairy: A Complex Topic
Many people experience improved hormonal symptoms when reducing or eliminating dairy. Consider these questions:
Do you experience ovulation pain or period pain?
Do you have acne?
Do you experience bloating, gas, upset stomach, or IBS-like symptoms regularly?
Do you often feel phlegmy or experience sinus congestion?
Did you experience frequent ear infections, need ear tubes, or have tonsils removed as a child?
If you answered yes to any of these, consider eliminating conventional dairy for 28 days and observe changes.
Issues with Conventional Dairy:
Factory farming practices: Cows fed unnatural diets (grain, corn, soy) creating inflammation
rBGH hormone injections: Bioengineered hormone forcing increased milk production
A1 casein: Protein that stimulates inflammatory cytokines in many people
Better Dairy Options (if you choose to include dairy):
Raw milk products: From reputable farms (easier to digest, contains beneficial bacteria)
Grass-fed, organic, rBGH-free options
A2 casein products: From Jersey cows, goats, or sheep
Fermented dairy: Like kefir, which has beneficial bacteria
Dairy Alternatives:
Rice, oat, hemp, coconut milks
Nut milks (without additives)
Yogurt and cheese made from these alternatives
Beans and Legumes: Nutritional Powerhouses
Beans are excellent sources of B vitamins, fiber, protein, and minerals. They're particularly rich in:
B vitamins (especially B6, B9/folate): Essential for menstrual cycle support
Fiber: Supports healthy estrogen metabolism
Plant-based protein: When combined with whole grains, creates complete proteins
Preparing Beans for Better Digestion:
Soak beans overnight before cooking
Cook thoroughly (especially pressure cooking) to reduce lectins
Start with small amounts (1/2 to 1 cup per serving) 2-3 times per week
Combine with digestive spices like ginger, cumin, or fennel
Special Note on Soy:
Choose organic, fermented soy products only (tempeh, miso, natto)
Avoid highly processed soy (soy protein isolate, textured vegetable protein)
Be cautious if you have estrogen dominance issues
About 94% of US soy is genetically modified
Part 4: The Weekly Protocol - "Feed Your Hormones"
Plate Composition for Hormonal Health
At every meal (breakfast, lunch, and dinner), aim for this plate composition:
50%
Carbohydrates
Primarily vegetables, with some whole grains/fruits
25%
Fat
Healthy fats from the recommended list
25%
Protein
Complete proteins when possible
Specific Guidelines:
Carbohydrates:
Leafy greens: Should be your main carbohydrate at every meal
Other nutrient-dense vegetables: Cruciferous and sweet vegetables
Whole grains: 1-2 servings per day (if tolerated)
Fruits: Focus on low-fructose options
Fats:
1-2 golf ball-sized portions per meal
Include a variety: some saturated, some monounsaturated, some omega-3s
Add avocado to salads, grass-fed butter to vegetables, nuts/seeds to meals
Protein:
75-100 grams total per day
Include a serving at each meal and snack
Vary your sources throughout the week
Special Considerations:
For Hypothalamic Amenorrhea or Missing Periods
Increase overall caloric intake
Minimum 2,500 calories per day
Increase carbohydrate, protein, and fat intake
Animal protein may be particularly important
For Blood Sugar Issues, Insulin Resistance, Diabetes, or PCOS
Include animal protein at each meal
Consider reducing carbohydrate intake initially
Focus on non-starchy vegetables
Monitor blood sugar response to foods
The Importance of Chewing
Goal: Chew each bite 20-30 times before swallowing.
Benefits of proper chewing:
Initiates digestive enzyme release
Reduces bacterial overgrowth in intestines
Prevents gas, bloating, constipation, and abdominal pain
Improves nutrient absorption
Supports hormonal health
Part 5: Implementation Strategy
Week One Focus Areas: The Addition Approach
01
ADD hormone-supportive foods
From the recommended lists to every meal
02
ESTABLISH proper plate ratios
(50% carbs, 25% fat, 25% protein) to ensure hormonal building blocks
03
EXPERIMENT with reducing dairy
For 28 days (observe your body's response)
04
PRACTICE mindful chewing
Count chews per bite to improve nutrient absorption
05
OBSERVE and track
How your body responds with curiosity, not judgment
The "Addition First" Mindset for Success:
Start by ADDING nutrient-dense foods rather than restricting anything
Think "What can I include?" instead of "What should I avoid?"
Focus on nourishing your hormones rather than depriving your body
Build the foundation with consistent, hormone-supportive meals
Remember: The better raw materials you give your body, the better hormones it can produce
Why This Approach Works:
When you focus on adding nutrient-dense foods first, several things happen automatically:
You naturally crowd out less nutritious options
Your cravings for processed foods decrease
Your energy stabilizes throughout the day
Your body starts producing more balanced hormones
You feel satisfied and nourished rather than deprived
The key insight: You cannot restrict your way to hormonal health. You must nourish your way there.
Tracking Your Progress:
Pay attention to changes in:
Energy levels throughout the day
Sleep quality
Mood stability
Digestive symptoms
Skin clarity
Menstrual cycle regularity and symptoms
Cravings and appetite regulation
Conclusion: Nourish Your Way to Hormonal Balance
This nutritional approach provides a solid foundation for hormonal health by focusing on what your body NEEDS rather than what it should avoid. Every single food recommendation in this guide gives your body specific tools to create, balance, and optimize your hormones.
The Revolutionary Truth: You cannot starve your way to better hormones. You cannot restrict your way to a healthy period. You cannot cut calories your way to balanced mood and energy. Your hormones need abundant, high-quality nutrition to function optimally.
Remember: Your body is doing the best it can with the raw materials you're providing. When you consistently add nutrient-dense, hormone-supportive foods to your meals, you're giving your endocrine system everything it needs to create the balanced hormones you deserve.
The goal is not perfection but rather consistent nourishment that supports your unique biochemical needs. As you implement these changes through addition rather than subtraction, your body will guide you toward the specific foods and ratios that work best for your individual hormonal health journey.
Start today by asking: "What hormone-supportive food can I ADD to my next meal?"
Your future self will thank you.
Note: This guide is for educational purposes. For personalized medical advice, consult with a healthcare provider familiar with functional and integrative approaches to hormonal health.