Balance Your Hormones With Food

Have you been dieting for years? Has skipping meals become a regular habit? Do you eat a lot of FAT-FREE foods? Are you on the No-Carb Diet? Are you exercising regularly and still not able to lose a pound? You may have triggered some hormone imbalances by going on these crazy, strict diets.

Unfortunately, these unhealthy eating habits can shift your body into starvation mode which does a major number on your hormones. It has become epidemic in this country. Add toxins, chemicals, pollutants, plastics, pesticides, medications, antibiotics, and stress to the mix and no wonder it can be hard to lose weight. Your body does not know how to get back into balance.

Here are some foods to add to your day that can help bring you back into balance:

1. Walnuts - they contain selenium which can help your body manufacture the active thyroid hormone T3. Other sources of selenium include salmon, tuna, pork, whole grains and wheat germ.

2. Cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage - they contain Indole-3 carbinol which stimulate enzymes that help detoxify the body.

3. Olive oil - helps elevate HDL (good) cholesterol which is a building block for testosterone.

4. Citrus fruits and strawberries - they are full of Vitamin C which helps de-stress the body.

5. Spinach, Black Beans and Whole Grains - are full of magnesium which regulates insulin production in the blood.

6. Fish - Omega 3's (fish oil) reduce inflammation throughout the body helping to reduce pain in the joints and they are great for the heart.

What else can you do?

CHEAT! Have a high-calorie meal once a week because this will cause your body to increase LEPTIN levels in the body, increase your metabolism and prime your body for fat loss. My clients always lost a pound or two after a high-fat, high calorie meal the night before. Eating a decadent meal once a week helps ease your body down to lower, daily Leptin levels without feeling starved or deprived. As you lose weight, your body adjusts and realizes the lower Leptin levels are normal.

Do what you can to get enough sleep. When you go to sleep, Leptin levels rise naturally, after all, you want to go to sleep, not eat - right? Your body knows to naturally cut down on hunger while you rest. If you cut your rest or sleep time short, your body tries to adjust by making you hungry again, hence, hunger pains can wake you up and make you want to snack in the middle of the night. Who needs that?

Eat from the earth. Our bodies are build to understand and process WHOLE FOODS from the earth. When you eat whole foods, your body know what to do with them and you can help your body balance itself. Whole foods will help your metabolism work for you instead of against you. I wish you glowing good health - always!

Sherry L. Granader, ACE, AFAA, NETA, ACSM, BBU, is a Nutrition Consultant, National Speaker and Spokesperson, Author and Writer. She teaches Yoga, Pilates and Group Exercise classes. Download her FREE "Eat Right, Feel Good, Lose Weight, Have Fun" Cookbook at http:// www.sgtotalhealth.com