Feeling moody? Tired? Got periods like some kind of Medieval torture? These vegan recipes for hormone health can help!
By Lora O’Brien
Hormones — including oestrogen, testosterone, adrenaline and insulin — are vital chemical messengers that affect many aspects of your overall health. They’re secreted by various glands and organs, including your thyroid, adrenals, pituitary, ovaries, and pancreas.
Your entire endocrine system works together to control the level of hormones circulating throughout your body. And if even just one is slightly imbalanced, it can lead to major health problems.
Many factors including stress, poor gut health, vitamin D deficiency and lack of sleep, can cause hormone levels to go a little crazy. And yes, even food can play heavily on how our hormones behave – for better or worse.
How your diet affects hormones
The food we consume provides the energy and nutrients that allow the body to produce hormones and energy. If your diet doesn’t supply enough fuel to help make all of the hormones you need, it will automatically prioritise the production of stress hormones first over others, such as reproductive hormones or those associated with metabolic functions.
And why is that? Well, stress hormones are essential for our survival. So, when you’re not properly sustaining your body in a healthy way, stress levels rise, and this then has an impact on our overall health and well-being.
Stress can also come from a variety of emotional or physical sources. It can stem from anything such as not eating a sufficient amount of calories, not getting a decent sleep every night or even having an illness.
So, whilst it’s hard to control all the hormones your body naturally produces, you can fuel your body with a high quality nutrient-dense diet that will help it to effectively reach a stable equilibrium when it comes to hormones.
Signs and symptoms of hormone disruption
Are your hormones off kilter? Here are a few key signs and symptoms you can look out for:
- changes in mood including symptoms of depression and anxiety
- severe fatigue
- hair loss or thinning
- low libido
- sensitivity to hot or cold temperatures
- disturbed sleep or insomnia
- unexplained changes in appetite
- irregular periods and/or infertility
- signs of fluctuating blood sugar levels, including nervousness and weakness.
Of course, always get a blood test from your doctor to be sure of what may be causing these issues.
Lifestyle changes to support hormone health
Before we delve into the foods that will help improve your hormone health, there are some crucial lifestyle changes you can make, too.
Since stress and your surrounding environment can play huge roles when it comes to your hormones, it makes sense that you would work to eliminate these as best as possible. Chronic stress can have the same detrimental effects on the body that poor diet and lack of sleep can have. Taking the time to relax and to reduce any tension will help to drastically improve your overall well-being and balance your hormones.
Other ways you can manage stress in a natural way are by:
- exercising regularly
- practicing yoga or meditation
- spending more time outdoors in nature
- being more social
- practicing aromatherapy with essential oils
Getting enough sleep is essential, as is taking care of your liver, which impacts hormone balance. You can maintain a healthy liver by consuming less alcohol, quit smoking, limit the use of over-the-counter drugs and by adopting a diet that is high in plant foods.
Vegan foods for hormone health
Each person is different, so it’s worth noting that whentransitioning to a healthier diet, individuals will see and feel results at a different pace. Depending on how drastically you’re changing your diet, you may even suffer from some side effects.
These can range from a change in digestion, such as bloating and gas, to brain fog and moodiness. You can expect this to last for several weeks, and will dissipate once your digestive system gets used to the new foods that you’re providing your body with.
After two to three weeks, you’ll notice huge improvements when it comes to your energy and focus. You may even find your taste buds have changed and you’re enjoying new flavours. Other changes you may notice are in your sleep quality, mood and even weight.
Be sure you’re eating high quality, non-GMO foods, and try to stick to these guidelines:
1. Vegetables (3 or more servings, cooked or raw, throughout the day)
Leafy greens like kale, chard or spinach, artichokes, arugula, asparagus, avocados, beets or beet greens, bell peppers, bok choy, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots, celery, green beans, eggplant, squash, pumpkin, mushrooms, onions, radish and tomatoes.
2. Fruit (2 or more servings per day)
Berries like strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries, mango, apples, pears, bananas, melons such as cantaloupe, honeydew and watermelon,cherries, coconut, oranges, grapefruit, grapes, lemons, limes, peaches, nectarines, papaya, pineapple, plums, pomegranates and rhubarb.
3. Healthy fats(3 or more servings, at least one with each main meal)
Coconut oil or milk, olive oil, olives, avocados, sesame oil, walnut oil, macadamia oil, grape seed oil.
4. Complex carbs(in moderation, about 2 to 3 times per day)
Whole or ancient grains including brown or wild rice, quinoa, buckwheat, amaranth, teff, and millet, beans and legumes like lentils or chickpeas, sweet potatoes, yams, butternut squash and other starchy veggies like yuca or taro.
5. Probiotic foods(try to have every day)
Yogurt, kefir, fermented vegetables like sauerkraut or kimchi and kombucha.
6. Nuts and seeds (in moderation, about 1 to 2 times per day)
Flax seeds, chia seeds, hemp seeds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, almonds, walnuts, macadamia nuts, pistachios, hazelnuts and cashews.
7. Other superfoods
Sea vegetables like kelp or wakame, wheat or barley grass, apple cider vinegar, mustards, hot sauces, vinegars like balsamic, coconut palm sugar, blackstrap molasses, dark chocolate, tamari, coconut aminos and cocoa. Maca is also known for its powerful abilities to balance hormones.
What to avoid
A general rule to abide by is that the fewer ingredients used, the better – and of course, homemade food is always best.
- high fructose corn syrup & sugar in all forms
- sugar, agave syrup
- gluten
- all vegetable oils but coconut, avocado, hemp or olive
- caffeine
- processed foods
- any food additives and chemicals
- alcohol
So how can you ensure your meals are balancing your bod? Just check out our vegan recipes for hormone health, below.
25 RECIPE IDEAS FOR HORMONAL BALANCE
1. Banana Bread Oat Protein Smoothie
What better way to kick-start the day than with this delicious banana bread smoothie? The protein from this comes from the chia seeds and peanut butter, but you could add in some hemp oil for an added boost!
Get the recipe here.
2.Strawberry Milk
Looking for a hormone-balancing breakfast? Strawberries are super high in antioxidants and all coconut products contain lauric acid, which is great for encouraging hormonal production. Add a tablespoon of flaxseed to make this even healthier for your hormones.
Get the recipe here.
3. Homemade Kombucha
Gut health is essential for balanced hormones, and probiotic foods like kombucha help support that, big time. It’s easier to make than you think! You just need some kombucha scoby and you’re good to go! Kombucha is one of those vegan recipes for hormone health that I’m never without.
Get the recipe here.
4.Veggie-Stuffed Vegan Omelette
Wondering how to make an omelette without using eggs? The secret ingredient is…chickpeas! Yep, chickpea flour makes the egg-free omelette, and black salt gives the dish a surprisingly authentic eggy flavour. The biggest hormone boosters? All of those veggies, and the chickpeas, of course!
Get the recipe here.
5. Avocado Sprout Toast
This is one of the easiest vegan recipes for hormone health to make! Upgrade your avo on toast by throwing on lots of goodness, from broccoli sprouts to sunflower seeds. Avocado is not only delicious to eat, but provides a dose of healthy fats that will leave you looking and feeling fab. Me, I add a dash of olive oil, too, cos you know – those plant based fats are life!
Tip: Use GF bread, as gluten can irritate the gut.
Get the recipe here.
6. Curry Roasted Cabbage
Struggle to chow down on your veggies? This spicy cabbage is not only one of the best vegan recipes for hormone health, but it tastes awesome, too. It’s spicy, it’s salty, it’s soft in parts, and crunch in others. Add some coconut oil for added sweetness and a health boost.
Get the recipe here.
7.Raw Vegan “Goat” Cheese Dip
This is one of those vegan recipes for hormone health that even non-vegans will love! The clever goat’s ‘cheese’ is made from cashews, which makes it wonderfully rich and creamy, whilst the pesto and sun-dried tomatoes add a savoury element.
Get the recipe here.
8.Cashew Broccoli Kelp Noodles
Sea vegetables are great for hormone balance, and if you’re unsure how to include them into your diet, why not start with kelp noodles? They’re super easy to turn into a stir-fry like in this dish, and whilst they’re low in calories they’re high in minerals.
Get the recipe here.
9.One Pot Spinach Rice
Looking for a quick and delicious dish to serve as a side or main? This one pot spinach rice is healthy, and packed full of proteins, fibres and vitamins. Plus, since it’s all done in one pot, it’s one of the easiest vegan recipes for hormone health to make!
Get the recipe here.
10. Vegan Brown ‘Butter’ Gnocchi With Herbs
Sage is well known for its hormone-healing properties, and it tastes damn good, too – especially when paired up with some pillowy-soft gnocchi! In fact, this is hands down, one of my very favourite vegan recipes for hormone health!
Tip: To avoid gluten, look for a gluten free gnocchi, or make your own.
Get the recipe here.
11.Black Bean & Quinoa Stuffed Bell Peppers
Stuffed peppers make a great vegan meal! You can pretty much pack them full of goodness, like the black beans, quinoa and sweet potato in this dish. They’re all topped with dairy-free cheese and fresh cilantro. Quick, easy and totally yum!
Get the recipe here.
12. Rainbow Cauliflower Pizza
Yes, it’s true. You can still take care of your hormones whilst eating pizza! But let go of the pizza slathered in cheese and pepperoni. This one is made using cauliflower as its base, and is topped with a rainbow of delicious veggies and tangy tomato sauce.
Get the recipe here.
13. Black Truffle Pasta
This is one of the best vegan recipes for hormone health, for good reason! Did you know that truffles have such a hormone stimulating effect that even the scent of them works to help the brain boost sex hormones? So you can just imagine what eating them can do! No wonder truffles are known as an aphrodisiac…
Tip: Again, use a gluten free pasta. Gluten tends to harm the gut. Not good!
Get the recipe here.
14. VeganMiso Ramen
As you know by now, fermented foods help gut health, and gut health helps hormone health. So this tasty miso ramen bowl is healthy as heck. It calls for some fancy ingredients, like dulse andtamarind paste, but frankly, you can add whatever you like.
Get the recipe here.
15.Seaweed Soup
This hearty soup is super easy to make, and is loaded with key minerals and nutrients that not only boost your health in general, but strongly support a balanced thyroid, too.
Get the recipe here.
16. Stuffed Sweet Potatoes with Chickpeas
Sure, baked sweet potatoes are one thing. But STUFFED potatoes? Next level! These babies are stuffed with marinated chickpeas and then topped off with an avocado tahini sauce that’s packed with healthy fats. This is one of my favourite vegan recipes for hormone health to take to work. Easy to pack!
Get the recipe here.
17.Creamy Vegan Sauerkraut Soup
Not sure how to use sauerkraut? Turn it into this creamy, comforting vegan soup. It’s bursting with immune boosting goodness, such as celery, onions, carrots, potatoes and white beans, all of which are packing some serious fibre content, too.
Get the recipe here.
18.Roasted Turmeric Cauliflower Buddha Bowls
Buddha bowls are a great way to boost your body with goodness, and you can pretty much throw whatever you have on hand into them. This vegan bowl has roasted turmeric cauliflower, brown rice and lots and lots of hormone boosting veggies!
Get the recipe here.
19. White Beans & Roasted Fennel
The fennel in this makes this dish yet another of the best vegan recipes for hormone health. Fennel is really Gaia’s gift to womankind. It helps with menstrual cramps, balances hormones, and of course, tastes amazing – especially when braised and served with white beans, Italian style!
Get the recipe here.
20. Hormone Balancing Nut Butter Bark
We all need a treat from time to time, and this nut butter bark is studded with hormone balancing foods. Yep, a sweet treat that will leave us feeling good. What a time to be alive!
Get the recipe here.
21.Coconut Berry Bliss Bars
If you’ve never tried the combination of strawberries and coconut, you need to rectify that ASAP! These bliss bars are made from lots of hormone balancing ingredients, and are naturally sweetened with dates and coconut. One of the prettiest vegan recipes for hormone health for sure!
Get the recipe here.
22.No-Bake Chaga Maca Cookie Bites
A potent antioxidant, ground chaga is paired here with maca root powder for a natural hormone and health boost – in raw cookie form. These two ingredients may not be the most common things in your kitchen, but once you buy them (here and here), you can sprinkle them in smoothies, on yogurt, cereal or even in tea. Naturally sweetened using lots of plant-based ingredients, these are sure to become a staple in any household.
Get the recipe here.
23. Energizing Raw Coconut Maca Fudge
Fudge that will leave you feeling both energised AND good? Sign me up! It’s packed with hormone balancing maca, but best part about this raw fudge is that it literally melts in the mouth, thanks to that healthy coconut oil.
Get the recipe here.
24.Iced Golden Milk Turmeric Latte
This is a great iced coffee alternative! It’s loaded with spicy, anti-inflammatory turmeric and other ancient, healing spices, and will leave you feeling well and truly flooded with goodness. One of the easiest vegan recipes for hormone health to make, too!
Get the recipe here.
25.Happy Hormones Hot Chocolate
Who knew that chocolate recipes could actually be so healthy? The star here is that hormone balancing miracle ingredient: maca! Maca helps your body to produce whatever it is lacking, and whilst it doesn’t contain hormones, it can help to generate any that you’re deficient in.And of course, it’s caramel-like flavour blends so, so well with chocolate!
Get the recipe here.
Main image: from holistic hormone help
- Author
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Lora O'Brien
Food Editor at Eluxe Magazine
After graduating in Journalism from the University of Greenwich, Lora worked for Sugar and Healing Lifestyles magazines in London before being hired to write about food for Eluxe. She’s recently become a new mom to baby Lulla, and is writing a blog about the experience of being a new mom. See more about Lora here.
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