The hormonal balance of your body controls several aspects of your daily life. Hormones influence everything from emotions, feelings, and weight to even the aging process. So it is really important to know what some of your favorite foods can disrupt your hormonal balance. Let’s take a look at three of the most popular foods:
1. Chocolate
Not all chocolates are bad. Unfortunately, most of them are high in sugar, which is found to exaggerate hormonal problems in women. Research [2] was done to study the link between high sugar consumption, weight gain and risk of type 2 diabetes in women and the result is positive. As insulin is a kind of hormone, high sugar consumption exaggerates hormonal problems in women. This is because when the body digests refined sugars, the blood glucose level experiences a sharp increase and can result in insulin resistance. So, if you’re feeling stressed and really want something sweet, reach for a bar of dark chocolate.
3. Bacon
Who doesn’t love bacon? Crispy, crunchy, salty, and smoky. Bacon goes perfect with breakfast or even on top of your favorite lunch sandwich. But, it could be wreaking havoc on your hormonal balance. It is because bacon is high in fat and diets high in fat have also been found to increase the instances of hot flashes and night sweats in menopausal women, indicating its significant effect on hormones. So, you might want to replace that bacon, egg and cheese breakfast with a fruit salad and whole wheat toast instead.
2. Coffee
Coffee is one of the world’s most popular drinks. But what effect does it have on hormonal balance? Aside from containing caffeine, coffee also contains phytoestrogens. Both of these chemicals can have an impact on your health. The phytoestrogens in coffee, plant chemicals that act like estrogen in the human body, may be influencing the risk of developing disease later in life, particularly in women. Higher levels of estrogen have been linked to some reproductive cancers. To keep you energetic, try this to replace with coffee
