Rebecca Rausch CNP, CCNP, MA
As a young woman it felt liberating to be on a hormonal birth control pill. I felt a sense of freedom along with symptomatic relief from embarrassing acne, painful cramping, and other premenstrual syndrome (PMS) symptoms that prevented me – in my mind – from fully participating and enjoying myself. Looking back at my own and at other women’s journeys, it’s clear that our medical doctors didn’t give us the full story. Maybe that’s because they didn’t know themselves. Now, as an adult and holistic nutritionist I understand that our period is an expression of our internal cellular health.
Hormonal birth control pills suppress our oil glands, reducing pimples, overriding hormone production, and erasing PMS symptoms. Instead of our period bleed coming from ovulation, the hormonal birth control pill shuts down our ovaries, resulting in a withdrawal which stimulates our uterine lining to false-bleed. Hormonal birth control is synthetic and pharmaceutical hormones have physiological responses in our body. These are not human hormones and have a different effect in our body. Hormonal birth control pills are a band-aid solution when they are taken for reasons other than contraceptive purposes and can be quite destructive to women’s hormonal health. We cannot change the past, however we can re-balance our body by using a holistic framework of whole quality foods, specific supplements, and lifestyle modifications.
How do we know if we are out of hormonal balance? Our sex hormones including estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone are used as communication signals in our body and are needed for mood regulation, bone health, thyroid function, muscle function, metabolism, and reproduction. Stress, poor nutrition, food sensitivities, medication, and natural shifts prior to menopause can cause hormonal imbalance by depleting building blocks needed by our sex hormones, inflammation, and other imbalances in our body. If we take care of our health in a holistic manner with nutrition and lifestyle changes, we can help regulate our period and lessen (if not eliminate) PMS symptoms such as acne, bloating, cramping, breast tenderness, irritability, fatigue, headaches, anxiety, changes in mood, etc.
As a young adult woman, I made the decision to stop taking hormonal birth control pills after over a decade of regular use. When I did stop, my hormones were obviously out of balance: I had acne around my jaw-line, fatigue, extreme changes in my PMS symptoms, and increased menstrual period flow. It takes time to re-balance hormones. You can support your body by eliminating food sensitivities (try getting a food sensitivity test or doing an elimination diet), reducing stress, and giving your body the nutrients and building blocks it needs to create hormones and reduce inflammation.
A combination of nutritious whole foods and lifestyle changes such as stress management techniques will support your body to re-balance your hormones and reduce PMS symptoms. As with any wellness journey, these suggestions should become a lifestyle centred around loving your body. I like to follow an 80/20 guideline where 80% of the foods I eat are quality whole foods. The other 20% (or less if possible) I choose not to stress about because stress suppresses our digestion and depletes essential building blocks required for our hormonal health.
Foods to Add Daily
1. Variety of Vegetables
· 3-6 cups of a variety of vegetables and colours
· “eat the rainbow!”
2. Quality Protein
· Building blocks for hormones and satiating
· How much? (Body weight in kilograms) X (1.1-1.5) = required daily protein in grams
· Choose quality proteins
o Free-range and organic chicken and eggs
o Grass-fed beef and pasture-raised porc
o Wild-caught small cold-water fish such as salmon, trout, anchovy
· Vegetarian protein: choose organic!
o Legumes (red split lentils, black beans, chickpeas, organic edamame)
o Raw nuts and seeds (almonds, walnuts, brazil nuts, pumpkin and sunflower seeds)
o Organic tempeh, organic tofu (phytoestrogens from these have a hormonal balancing effect)
o Complex carbohydrates (brown rice, quinoa, millet, steel cut oats) are higher in protein than processed carbohydrates
o Use protein combination (legumes + nuts/seeds OR grains) for a complete protein (amino acid) profile
3. Healthy Fats
· Building blocks for hormones and satiating
· Choose organic, non-GMO, and local when possible
· Chia seeds, hemp hearts, raw nuts, pumpkin/sunflower seeds, flax seeds (always grind fresh), avocado, coconut, avocado oil, olive oil (don’t use for cooking as healthy fats will turn into trans-fats with heat), organic virgin cold-pressed coconut oil, wild-caught small cold-water fish (salmon, trout, mackerel, sardine)
· Choose a quality fish oil omega-3 supplement to take daily (there are vegan options available)
Seed Cycling for Hormonal Balance: subscribe to desireemichelle.net to receive a FREE handout on Women’s Hormonal Balance with a 1-page summary of this article and more information about adding healthy fats for hormonal balance with seed cycling.
4. Drink More Water
· We need roughly 8 to 12 cups of filtered plain water daily for cellular health and function.
· Water + fibre = bowel movement. Bowel movements excrete toxins and excess hormones.
What to Avoid:
1. Sugar: inflammatory, disrupts blood sugar, feeds bad gut bacteria, puts stress on hormones
2. Alcohol: inflammatory toxin that puts stress on our liver
3. Inflammatory Fats: inflammatory in our body, these include trans-fats, vegetable oil, canola oil, fried foods
4. Hormone Disrupting Foods: genetically modified foods, conventional and processed soy, conventional dairy, corn, wheat and any grains containing gluten, processed carbohydrates, processed foods
When coming off hormonal birth control pills you can begin to support your body by ensuring you’re eating essential nutrients, avoiding inflammatory toxins, and utilising stress management techniques at least one month prior. Stress management is essential for our hormonal health as chronic stress will deplete building blocks on a cellular level that are required for sex hormone production. Chronic stress causes PMS and irregular periods as well as suppresses your immune and digestive systems.
How do we manage stress?
1. Self-care: give yourself time to do the things you love doing.
2. Breath work: deep breathing can instantly shift our nervous system from our stress response aka “fight or flight” towards our “rest and digest” nervous system.
o Box breathing: inhale for a count of 4-6 seconds, hold 4-6 seconds, exhale 4-6 second, hold 4-6 seconds. Repeat at least four times.
3. Exercise: moderate and enjoyable exercise is very beneficial for stress management. For example, walking, yoga, and qi gong. Intense exercise is actually stressful on our system so it’s important to take it easier during your period.
4. Express Yourself Creatively: journal, draw, dance, cook, basically anything where you are creating.
5. Spend Time in Nature: studies show that nature and even having a plant in the room reduces stress.
6. Adaptogenic Herbs: ashwagandha and holy basil (tulsi) support our body during stress and help with hormonal balance.
7. Use Essential Oils: add lavender essential oil to your diffuser, bath, or your body to promote emotional balance.
8. Listen to Healing Frequencies: changes our brainwave patterns and calms us down.
Remember, healing takes time. Support your body with stress management techniques and the building blocks it needs to function properly on a cellular level with proper nutrition. It will do the rest. After all, our body wants to be in a state of balance where it can thrive.
About the Author:
Rebecca Rausch is a Certified Nutritional Practitioner and founder of Equalibria Nutrition & Wellness Consultations & Education. Rebecca is passionate about empowering others to feel their best and achieve holistic balance in their health and wellbeing.
Instagram: @equalibria.nutrition
Website: equalibrianutrition.ca
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