A Non Diet-Only Approach To Hormonal Health
A mind-body approach to hormonal health
A few years ago I was speaking at a mind-body convention in Dublin amongst other health and wellness practitioners. I had a stand where people would come along and chat to me about their menstrual cycle, hormones, and I would tell them about my work.
One lady asked, “And what do you do exactly?”
“What do you mean?” I replied.
“Well, do you prescribe something like homeopathy? Or do you give a diet? Or is it hands-on body work like reiki?”
“None of the above.” I responded. “Rather, I take you through a coaching process.”
My personal experience
When I first came across the idea that your menstrual cycle didn’t have to be a problem there were only just a couple of books about it.
Today, there is a plethora of books, courses, and resources all about hormonal health.
The problem is, the majority of the solutions in the industry are diet-focused. Or, you have to take something like supplements or homeopathy, or go somewhere regularly like acupuncture.
This model is that something has to change or be done to you in order to get the results you are looking for.
I personally have been down that road many times.
Coming from years and years of chronic pain. Worrying about pain, fear of pain, and planning my life around pain. I too looked for the perfect hormone balancing diet, the right acupuncturist, the homeopath and herbalist. Even a shamanic healer!
It was a lot of money and a lot of searching in the wrong places.
The problems with heavy diet-only approaches to hormonal health:
Diets can be triggering: for people who have a history with eating disorders or a challenging relationship with food, this approach can be very triggering.
Hormone diets can be very strict: some things I have read and tried are actually very restrictive and strict. This therefore isn’t realistic or sustainable.
Self-blame: If the approach is too strict then it’s very easy to blame ourselves if we haven’t fully followed the plan and we still get pain
Cost: Following a diet can actually be very expensive, especially if it includes a lot of supplements. It also costs a lot of time and energy
Socially isolating: If the diet is restrictive, this can then be difficult when going out with friends, going home for Christmas or events, etc.
Hard work: Planning, implementing, sticking to, and living with a new diet is a lot of hard work and we can become worried and fixated by it
Judgments and opinions: Going on a diet for hormones can raise all sorts of reactions and opinions from others, good and bad. It can be a lot to manage and lead to confusion which is not helpful.
Fear, worry, stress: With all of the above in mind, this can trigger the fight/flight response in the nervous system, which is the root of a lot of the issue in the first place and causes more stress hormones to run through the body
You miss out on the gold: Hand on heart, if you only focus on a diet approach to hormonal health, it is just one small piece of the puzzle and you might be missing out on a big missing piece. There is another, and much easier way!
The benefits of diet for hormones
To balance things out, let’s chat about some of the benefits and why a diet approach is helpful:
Control: Having a ‘thing’ to do and implement can give us a sense of clarity and control which is really important when it comes to taking action with our health
Accountability: It is a good thing to change habits for the better and to have something to follow. Then helps us with accountability and self worth
Health benefits: Eating healthier is absolutely a great thing to do and many people will experience the health benefits of this. But it is often not the only answer.
A diet-light approach as one piece of the puzzle
When I work with clients, I keep a very light approach when it comes to diet. And it’s only one very small piece of the puzzle. These are the areas I believe are the most important when it comes to diet for hormonal health:
Our relationship with food: finding a place where you feel more at pease in your relationship with food.
Balance of blood sugar levels: the importance of having balance and getting enough proteins, healthy fats, and carbs. There are a few really quick and easy hacks to achieve this that don’t require a whole new diet.
Elimination: a big part of hormone health is our gut health and so having things to support our digestion is very important. Again, there are some really quick and easy ways to implement this
The other pieces of the puzzle
Here are a few other pieces of the puzzle to consider for our hormonal health that are separate to diet or supplements:
Menstrual cycle awareness: understanding our cyclical nature and being in a more aligned relationship with our natural rhythm
Regulating the nervous system: finding other ways to bring balance and ease into the nervous system helps to balance hormones
Processing emotions and trauma: finding ways to understand, acknowlege and process our emotions so that they are no longer stuck energy in the body e.g. anger, fear, shame
Healthy relationships: a lot of stress can come from relationships that are challenging and stressful. Finding ways to bring more balance into those relationships and experiences will also be good for our nervous system and hormones
Unconscious beliefs: working with our unconscious and bring things that may be blocking us from our unconscious into our consciousness helps to free us up and is therefore good for our vitality
Fear and worry: it’s very normal to have many fear based thoughts if you have a history with chronic pain or something like PMDD. A big piece of the puzzle is rewiring our thoughts and our brain for safety
Cultivating serenity and joy: cultivating more serenity and joy in our mind, body, relationships and with life itself
Relationship with self: many of us walk around with a strong inner critic and a lot of shame. Working on a more compassionate relationship with ourselves can be life’s work and will do wonders for our mind-body connection and therefore hormone health
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