In the second of a series of articles on healthy hormone balance for women, Nutritionist Belinda Rennie looks at how food can moderate the effects of estrogen dominance.

Last month you took the Hormone Balance Test ( www.johnleemd.com ) – did the results show any imbalances? Many women find that symptoms of estrogen dominance - a relative imbalance between low progesterone and excess estrogen - can give rise to PMS, endometriosis, fibroids, headaches, breast tenderness, anxiety, mood swings and weight gain but more importantly this imbalance could increase your risk of breast cancer.

How can you eat to bring the complex hormonal interplay back into balance? There are seven major eating guidelines to focus on and, in combination with other natural approaches like yoga, homeopathy and herbs, can have a profound effect on your hormone levels. In this article I will focus on the first three:

1. Eat high fibre foods
2. Eat good fats
3. Avoid refined carbs
4. Eat organic, fresh, living foods
5. Eat foods containing phytoestrogensEat vegetables from the cabbage family group
6. Take nutritional supplements – Vit B6, C, E, zinc, magnesium

Fibre

Although this sounds like a guideline from a cereal box it is essential to healthy hormone balance. In the large instestine, oestrogens bind to fibre and are excreted in the stool thus reducing blood levels. A high fibre diet decreases the activity of an important enzyme that converts inactive estrogens to active estrogens which are able to reenter the blood stream and have growth promoting effects on breast and other tissue.

Eating a wholefood diet with a variety of sources of fibre, especially soluble fibre from fruit and vegetables daily, nuts and seeds, pulses and wholegrains like brown rice and oats is preferable to taking a fibre supplement.

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Fats

Your fat intake will correlate with the amount of oestrogens in your blood. High dietary fat intake especially from dairy products, fatty meats and processed foods equal a high blood estrogen. In addition, a higher body fat percentage means a higher blood oestrogen level. So it is desirable to keep an eye on your body composition by reducing fat weight and increasing lean muscle mass. Checking how your clothes fit rather than obsessing about the scales is the best way to maintain a healthy weight.

Cholesterol, though given a bad name for many decades is essential for healthy hormone production – it is the building block for the steroid sex hormones including progesterone, oestrogen and testosterone. Extremely low cholesterol (below 3.5mmol/litre) is not considered healthy and can affect brain function.

Eating good types of fats is important. Essential fatty acids from fish, linseeds, pumpkin and sunflower seeds, walnuts, dark green leafy vegetables and evening primrose oil, help produce hormone- like substances called prostaglandins. These are involved in regulating ovulation, menstruation and child birth and dictate the balance between oestrogen and progesterone. They play an important role in inflammation, blood clotting, muscle spasm and many other bodily functions for overall health.

Eating these fats on a daily basis like including ground nuts and seeds on porridge or muesli, green leafy vegetables as part of a salad and fish at least three times per week ensure high levels of these fats. Taking supplements of evening primrose oil or the other essential fatty acids can help your body deal with hormonal imbalances which create PMS, bleeding irregularities or endometriosis.

Refined carbs

The perils of a diet high in white and beige coloured foods – potatoes, white rice, white bread, pasta, and sugar is becoming more understood. Overeating these foods raises insulin levels creating hormone imbalances that can result in polycystic ovaries (POCS). POCS causes ovaries to become annovulatory (absence of ovulation) with lower levels of progesterone and higher testosterone levels. The end result is that a woman can become infertile, develop diabetes and increase her risk of breast cancer.

The foods high in soluble fibre discussed above are also those with a low glycemic index (GI), that is, they keep blood sugar levels in check and prevent rapid rises in insulin. Foods like lentils, peas and beans, oats, brown rice, barley, coarse rye bread and wholewheat pasta are better choices to keep blood sugar levels stable. For more information on foods with a low GI go to www.glycemic.com .

Keeping your hormones in balance by eating wholefoods with high soluble fibre and healthy fats is a great way to prevent ageing, have glowing skin and hair and reduce your risk of breast cancer. It will also ensure that the transition into menopause is a smooth one.

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