Hormones influence everything in our bodies from metabolism to mood and everything in between. People with imbalanced hormones suffer from symptoms like PMS, weight gain, acne, mood swings, and hot flashes.

What Causes Hormonal Imbalance?

For women, the hormonal environment in the body changes week to week as the body goes through the phases of the menstrual cycle. Our external environment and lifestyle also play an important role in balancing hormones. High-stress lifestyles, inflammatory foods, nutrient-depleted diets, and endocrine-disrupting chemicals have the ability to throw our body off balance. Fortunately, there are adjustments you can make to your diet and lifestyle to give your body an extra boost! One of the things you should consider is adding high-quality ground flaxseed to your routine. Flaxseed meal is a long-standing staple in a healthy diet thanks to the fact that it contains a number of healthy nutrients and essential fatty acids. Flax meal is also extremely versatile and tastes great –which makes it easy to incorporate it in different foods.  Here is how flaxseed can help you attain hormonal balance;

Lignans

Lignans are antioxidant-rich plant compound that behaves as a phytoestrogen. A phytoestrogen is a compound that can behave similarly to estrogen and modulate its effects in the body. Flaxseed lignans actually seem to be able to increase or decrease the effects of estrogen in the body based on the particular need of the individual. Women who consume just one tablespoon of flax meal per day reduced the number of missed ovulation cycles.

Fiber

Fiber is important for proper digestion and maintaining healthy blood lipid levels – regular digestion is also important for balancing hormones. The liver has the ability to pack up excess estrogen and pass it off to our digestive tract for removal in a bowel movement. If we aren’t having regular bowel movements, this estrogen cannot be excreted from the body. When this happens, the estrogen may actually be reabsorbed through the intestinal tract, exacerbating hormone symptoms. You should have 25 grams of fiber each day.

Essential Fatty Acids

 Healthy fats are the building blocks for hormones! Eating flax is a great way to give your body the raw materials it requires for efficient hormone production. Flaxseed also helps in reducing inflammation by providing the anti-inflammatory omega 3 fatty acid alpha-linolenic acid (ALA). Reduced level of inflammation is great for our digestive tract, assimilation, nutrient absorption and reducing chronic stress on the body.