6 Foods for Better Hormonal Health
After working in the natural products industry for so long, I admit I am becoming a little bit jaded when it comes to supplements and redirecting as many people back to food as possible or steer them towards more whole-food based supplements that the body can recognize.
There seems to be quite the level of “fear” when it comes to real food and while I completely understand why, we also need to remember that many companies profit largely off this fear and supplements (while they have a time and a place) shouldn’t be taken so casually and should be treated like the medicines they are, not the primary way for us to get nutrients into our body.
Below are some foods that everyone should be eating for better thyroid and hormonal health
Sardines
These little fish pack a big punch when it comes to nutrients, but especially anti-inflammatory omega-3 fatty acids. These fatty acids are probably among the most studied nutrients in the world with thousands of studies confirming their abundant benefits for inflammation and overall health and wellness. This is especially important for autoimmune thyroid patients because autoimmunity and inflammation go hand in hand and omega-3 can help tame some of that. They are also essential for weight loss and helping reduce belly fat, support hair growth and thickness, nourishing and lubricating the joints, support hormonal balance (especially with those who have PMS and even PCOS symptoms), helps with brain function and memory, all of which thyroid patients struggle with.
Just one 3oz serving provides 1200mg-2000mg of omega-3’s in their true, natural and whole food forms, the way nature intended. These magic fish also provide 65% of your RDA of selenium which is crucial for proper thyroid function. Wild sardines also contain coq10, B12, iron, calcium, vitamin D, potassium, iron and protein. They make an excellent meal or low carb snack.
Look for wild caught with a sustainable seafood logo such as Wild Planet or Henry & Lisa’s.
Oysters
One of my favorite shellfish, oysters are loaded with zinc and copper which is essential to the proper recycling of iron, immune function, DNA synthesis, energy and mitochondria health, fertility and collagen production. Copper is so deficient in our soil and the food supply in a bioavailable form that getting enough takes intentional effort (just like retinol vitamin A) and oysters are one of the best ways to increase your levels of these two important nutrients. Also rich in vitamin B12, selenium and iodine, they truly are one of the best ways to nourish your thyroid and immune system and you only need 3 a day to get these benefits.
I love going to local seafood restaurants that offer oysters for cheap once a week to devour them or even just eating smoked oysters from a can if fresh ones aren’t as widely available. If this is not feasible for you, there are also dessicated (dried) oyster supplements in a capsule that you can buy that offer the same benefits as eating them fresh but they are significantly more expensive ($65/month) and the serving size is 4 capsules per day.
Irish Sea Moss
This went viral this year on social media and for a good reason. Irish sea moss is an iodine rich real food source of over 84 trace minerals. It has a jelly like consistency and is loaded with nutrition needed for optimal thyroid function, energy production, detoxing, immunity, blood sugar support, hormonal balance and so much more. Because of it’s trace mineral content, it can help nourish and hydrate the skin and can be used topically as a mask. Irish sea moss has an interesting ocean-like flavor that can be an acquired taste for some people so it can be mixed in smoothies or yogurt easily.
A good source is important because Sea Moss is ocean grown (if it’s not, it’s probably fake or not nearly as nutrient dense) and can absorb toxins from the ocean it’s in. One of my favorite brands is Organically Kismet who makes theirs with a blend of different herbs that make them fun colors and adds a few extra benefits. The premade ones are very perishable so try to find them locally if possible, or you can make your own with their moss powder. Organically Kismet does a good job of washing their moss thoroughly to get rid of the ocean flavor and gives the finished product a mild, neutral taste making them much more palatable than other brands.
Liver
This organ is often the most sought after in the animal kingdom and is the first part many animals go for when they begin eating their kill because it’s packed full of nutrients that nourish them. The liver is considered the “prized meat” and is rich in retinol (which I wrote about here), choline, zinc, copper, iron, fat soluble nutrients (A, D, E and K) and your B complex vitamins and other trace minerals. Because liver is where almost all vitamins are converted from their precursor form to their active form, all of the B complex vitamins stored there are in their true, balanced and active forms unlike synthetic vitamins that are synthetically made, synthetically activated and typically in large doses that aren’t balanced.
The liver is the place where T4 (storage thyroid hormones) are activated into Free T3. When the liver is not working optimally, the conversion may not happen as optimally as it could. In Native American medicine, it was believed that eating the liver of a healthy animal would help keep our livers well and even restore our livers back to health if they were diseased.
A lot of people struggle with eating liver and are even worried about eating liver because it’s known as a “detox” organ so they assume it’s full of toxins. The liver does filter toxins but it doesn’t store toxins. Toxins are stored in fat cells so you can rest easy knowing that liver is safe to eat in moderate amounts.
When it comes to eating liver, I am not going to lie, it can be very overpowering. Popular ways to get it down:
Cut it into small pieces and eat it frozen (like tiny capsules)
Add 1-2 oz of ground up liver to ground beef
Make a pate and eat 1-2 oz per day
Find a delicious recipe you love online and eat 6oz per week (either at once or two 3oz servings.)
Add 1oz of frozen liver to a smoothie with dairy milk and other fruits
Eat 1 oz mostly frozen with a tiny bit of maple syrup and sea salt
If all else fails, there’s always beef liver capsules from Perfect Supplements, Ancestral Supplements or Heart & Soil.
Egg Yolks
While most "fitness influencers” will rave about the whites of the yolks because of the protein, the true magic of eggs are concentrated in the egg yolks. Egg yolks are like nature’s multivitamin and when the chickens that lay them are raised on their most natural diet (the chickens are pasture raised and forage for their food vs commercially raised chickens) the eggs are loaded with all the B vitamins, choline, potassium, omega-3 fatty acids and all your fat soluble vitamins (A, D, E and K), selenium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium and so much more. All of these nutrients lower inflammation and support weight loss efforts, healthy blood sugar levels, supports brain function and energy production and should not be overlooked. Most people can safely eat 3-4 eggs daily (or at least 3-4 yolks).
PSA: There is a lot of people within the health and wellness community that talk about eggs being “bad” for viral infections because when viruses in the labs are studied, they use eggs to feed and “grow” the viruses. However, it’s my opinion that this is because eggs are a cheap, easy to store protein source. I can’t imagine a lab using a ribeye or NY strip or other more expensive forms of proteins to feed viral infections so they can be studied. The point is, proteins from any form and any source will make anything grow. That is the purpose of protein — to build and repair. Eggs being demonized as a “toxin” makes little sense for how much nutrition they contain that have nourished us for thousands of years. If you’re worried about eggs, skip the whites (the protein part of the egg) but never skip the yolk — it’s the best part anyway.
Unrefined sea salt
Most people wouldn’t consider this a food, however it would be in its whole form and an important one at that. Sodium itself is an essential trace mineral which can only be found in salt in large enough amounts to keep us healthy. Those who eat a whole food diet (no processed foods) can get depleted quickly because vegetables and animal products don’t contain a lot of sodium whereas those who eat processed foods (which comes at a cost of its own) tend to get more sodium because salt is used widely in food processing as a preservative. Unrefined salt from a quality source is typically loaded with over 80 trace minerals (however not usually a significant source of iodine like irish sea moss) that nourish, clean and hydrate our cells. Salt is needed for proper hydration and detoxing and the trace minerals in salt are used by the body for enzyme functions, hormonal signaling and energy metabolism, transporting hemoglobin and oxygen and so much more.
All of these foods have nourished humans around the world for thousands of years and have only been taken out in the last few generations (your grandparents were probably eating liver at least once a week if you’re a millennial). These foods have been demonized by “science” in some way to make most people fear them by claiming they are “high in cholesterol”, “will raise your blood pressure” or “insert scary problem here”.
When we stop consuming whole, real food, we automatically consume more of the fake, convenience foods that make us sick, keep us stressed and contribute to the vicious cycle. This benefits our for-profit medical system who then can rake in the $$$ by keeping us sick, fat and in a constant “fog”. You can escape this cycle by eating the real food we were meant to eat. Your metabolism will thank you.
