Unfortunately, there is no food that increases estrogen itself, which is a female hormone. However, a correct diet can be expected to have the effect of adjusting and supporting female hormones. Introducing foods recommended for hormonal imbalance during menopause and NG foods you want to avoid!
Table of contents
- What are female hormones
- There are no foods that “increase” female hormones
- Checklist for dietary habits that disturb the balance of female hormones
- Foods, drinks, and dishes that balance female hormones
- Foods to avoid/be aware of during menopause
- Female hormones are adjusted with a well-balanced diet!
What are female hormones
Female hormones are important hormones that protect a woman’s body, and there are two types: estrogen (follicle hormone) and progesterone (luteinizing hormone).
“Estrogen” plays a role in maintaining a feminine rounded figure, moisturizing hair and skin, and maintaining the health of the entire female body.
The amount of estrogen begins to gradually decrease in the late 30s, and after that it only continues to decrease and never increases. After menopause, between the ages of 45 and 55, estrogen levels decrease significantly.
It is this drop in estrogen that affects menopause. A decrease in estrogen causes a variety of physical and mental disorders during menopause.
There are no foods that “increase” female hormones
Unfortunately, there are no “foods, ingredients, or recipes that increase the female hormone estrogen.” This is because it is just a food and the effect is completely different from the effect obtained with medicine.
Instead of increasing female hormones, you should think about “controlling” them, and in addition to eating a well-balanced diet, you should take foods and nutrients that help regulate female hormones.
Checklist for dietary habits that disturb the balance of female hormones
An unhealthy diet can throw off your hormonal balance. Check out the list below to see if your diet is hormonally imbalanced.
- I rarely eat breakfast
- Irregular meal times
- drink cold drinks
- eat sweets
- Eat instant food and fast food
- Drink 5 or more cups of coffee or tea a day
- Don’t drink too much water (less than 1L a day)
- I don’t eat much meat or fish
- Have lost more than 3 kg in one month
- often restrict food on a diet
- Repeated rebound on diet
If you have 3 or less, continue your regular diet and aim for 0.
If you have 4 to 8 items, if you continue your life as it is, you may have problems due to hormonal imbalance, so choose 2 or more items that you can improve.
If you have 9 or more, you need to review your eating habits immediately. Live your life with the intention of improving at least 3 items every day.
Foods, drinks, and dishes that balance female hormones
From here, we will introduce foods, drinks, and dishes that regulate female hormones.
soy food
Soy foods are rich in soy isoflavones, which have effects similar to the female hormone estrogen, which decreases during menopause. Soy isoflavones have the effect of supporting the action of estrogen.
However, it does not mean that the more soy isoflavones you take, the better.
According to the ” Q&A on Soybeans and Soy Isoflavones ” published by the Cabinet Office Food Safety Commission Secretariat , the upper limit of the safe daily intake of soy isoflavones is set at 70 to 75 mg per day. It is important not to overdose with supplements at once, but to take an appropriate amount every day.
Below are the amounts of soy isoflavones contained in typical soy foods.
- Soy milk 200mL……About 20-40mg
- 1 pack of natto (about 45g)……about 35mg
- 1 block of tofu (300g)……about 80mg
Soy isoflavones become equol
When daidzein contained in soy isoflavone is metabolized by intestinal bacteria, it becomes a substance called ” equol “, which acts like a female hormone. In order to convert soy isoflavones to equol, it is important to prepare the intestinal environment.
However, not everyone can produce equol in their intestines. It is said that about 50% of Japanese people can produce equol in their bodies, and one in two people cannot produce equol.
People who cannot produce equol themselves can take equol supplements.
Meat, fish, eggs, dairy products
Adequate amounts of animal protein, such as meat, fish, eggs, and dairy products, are also important. These can supplement cholesterol, which is the source of female hormones, and can also be the source of cells such as muscles, internal organs, and skin.
Ideally, you should eat both animal protein and plant protein, and eat half and half.
The hormone melatonin, which is related to sleep, is made from tryptophan (a type of amino acid that makes proteins).
Tryptophan is contained in dairy products and soy products, so it is recommended that people who have trouble falling asleep or wake up in the middle of the night have poor sleep quality. is.
Whey, which is the supernatant of yogurt, is a high-quality protein that is also recommended for women. Women are more susceptible to osteoporosis than men, and the risk of osteoporosis increases with menopause as estrogen levels drop sharply.
Let’s also take measures against bones, such as taking vitamin D and vitamin K together with the calcium necessary to make bones and actively taking calcium.
Foods rich in zinc and iron
Foods rich in zinc and iron are important when you want to increase female hormones. Zinc is a nutrient that supports the ability to create and increase female hormones. And it is iron that supports the delivery of minerals such as zinc taken into the body throughout the body.
Women are more prone to iron deficiency due to regular blood loss during menstruation. Let’s be conscious and take it so that we don’t have iron deficiency.
Zinc is found in shellfish such as oysters, red fish, and beef. Iron is abundant in liver, red meat, red fish, hijiki and spinach.
Nuts are rich in nutrients such as vitamin E, iron and zinc, which are important for women. Almonds, walnuts, and goji berries are especially recommended.
Japanese meal
Japanese food is recommended as a meal to adjust female hormones. Japanese cuisine has a wide variety of menus that are easy to adjust the amount of fat and protein, and it goes well with ingredients that contain soy isoflavones, such as natto, tofu, and soy milk.
Fermented foods such as natto, rice bran pickles, and miso, as well as a good intake of dietary fiber, help to improve the intestinal environment.
nutritionally balanced diet
Even if you only eat foods, drinks, and dishes that regulate female hormones, if the nutritional balance is lost, the secretion of female hormones will be adversely affected.
Since hormonal balance cannot be achieved by eating only specific foods, it is important to be aware of nutritional balance and eat the appropriate amounts evenly.
Foods to avoid/be aware of during menopause
There are some foods that you should be careful about because they are thought to disrupt the balance of female hormones and worsen menopausal symptoms.
If the female hormone balance is disturbed, it will lead to the deterioration of various symptoms seen in menopause in the case of adult women, so be careful.
very low oil diet
Cholesterol is the building block for female hormones. Some people may go on a diet because their metabolism slows down and it becomes easier to gain weight during menopause, but you need to be careful about eating foods that are extremely low in oil.
Eat healthy fats such as olive oil and sesame oil in moderation.
stimulating food
Spicy foods such as chili peppers are thought to affect hot flashes (hot flashes, hot flashes, and sweating), which are typical symptoms of menopause.
Although it is not clear whether irritating foods directly cause hot flashes, it is a food that you want to be careful of because stimulation by foods can trigger symptoms of hot flashes such as hot flashes on the face.
alcohol caffeine
Alcohol is also thought to cause hot flashes.
If you drink alcohol, your face will feel hot and your body will become hot, so if you are experiencing symptoms of hot flashes, take measures such as refraining from drinking or reducing the amount of alcohol.
refined sugars and carbohydrates
Refined sugars and carbohydrates that rapidly raise blood sugar levels are foods that menopausal women should be careful about.
If you have a lot of visceral fat or fluctuate blood sugar levels, insulin, a hormone that regulates blood sugar levels, will not work as well. This makes menopausal symptoms such as hot flashes more likely to occur.
Metabolic syndrome, hyperglycemia, and insulin resistance are thought to exacerbate the symptoms of hot flashes in menopausal women. so be careful.
Processed foods such as juices, western confectionery, and Japanese confectionery contain a lot of sugar and sweeteners, which can lead to excessive sugar intake, so it is best to avoid them as much as possible or keep them to a minimum.
Instant Food
Instant food is a food that you want to avoid because it leads to female hormone imbalance. Some of the additives used in instant foods deprive the body of minerals and reduce growth hormone secretion.
cold drink
Avoid cold drinks that cool your body as much as possible. Drinking cold drinks cools the body from the inside, and the coldness causes disturbance of the autonomic nervous system. And when the autonomic nerve is disturbed, female hormones are also disturbed.
Women are more likely to get cold than men, and there are many women who are originally suffering from cold.
Coldness is one of the symptoms of menopause, and some people say that coldness has become even worse during menopause. Be careful with cold drinks to avoid chilling your body.
Female hormones are adjusted with a well-balanced diet!
There is no food, recipe, or dish that says, “If you eat this, the female hormone itself will increase.” It is important to maintain hormonal balance by eating a well-balanced diet. In addition to that, it’s a good idea to consume nutrients and foods that will help you balance your hormones.
Hormone balance is affected not only by diet, but also by sleep, exercise, and stress. It is important to keep a regular life in mind.
Supervisor Profile: Ms. Anzumi Hayashi
After graduating from university, joined JA Aichi Kouseiren and worked as a registered dietitian at a hospital for 37 years. Joined Taiya Internal Medicine Clinic in May 2022 . Utilizing qualifications such as registered dietitian specializing in pathological nutrition, Japanese diabetes educator, renal disease educator, registered dietitian specializing in cancer pathology nutrition, Japanese and Chinese herbal medicine, etc. We strive to deliver.
