A functional nutritionist’s guide to eating for healthy hormones

Some principles of healthy eating apply to almost all people who drink enough water and consume plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables, for example.

But when it comes to hormones, many dietary recommendations fail to mention the vast difference between women’s and men’s health.

“Women are very underrepresented in research, mainly because we have periods,” says functional nutritionist and author Pauline Cox.

“My passion and mission is to provide women with the information and knowledge that can dramatically change their immediate health and their long-term health.”

Cox, 43, who began her career as a physical therapist before becoming a nutritionist, now works primarily with online women’s groups and just released her second book, Hungry Woman: Eating for Good Health, Happiness, and Hormones.

“I felt there was a lot of information that could be shared with women to help them understand their hormones and understand that we don’t have to get frustrated with ourselves and fight our female physiology.”

At the heart of the problem is the balance (or lack thereof) between estrogen and progesterone levels.

“When our progesterone levels are low, our estrogen can become dominant, and that’s when we start seeing things like PMS, heavy periods, painful periods, flooding at the beginning of our periods,” says Cox, who lives in the Somerset.

“Many women take it as part of their monthly cycle, but when we bring our progesterone levels back, it helps balance out the effect of estrogen.”

Here, she explains five ways women can tailor their diet to keep their hormones in check

1. Take care of your liver

“Estrogen is a growth hormone,” explains Cox, using the analogy of grass growing on a lawn to explain how the two hormones interact.

“Progesterone is like the lawnmower. It comes in and keeps the weed in check. When we lose progesterone, estrogen gets out of control.”

That’s why it’s important for our bodies to be able to eliminate estrogen efficiently through the liver, gut, and intestines.

“The amount of estrogen we eliminate can be influenced by what we eat and how we live,” says Cox.

“There’s a lot of cruciferous vegetables in the book. Cauliflower, broccoli, these are really great veggies to support liver detoxification.”

2. Add fermented foods

To provide beneficial bacteria to your gut, try including fermented foods like pickled vegetables, kefir, kombucha, or plain yogurt as part of your daily diet.

“Our gut diversity declines as we age, and microbiome diversity has been linked to longevity and good health,” says Cox, who suggests that just a tablespoon of sauerkraut a day can make a difference.

“These are easy wins for maximizing our longevity and optimizing our gut-brain axis, which is incredibly important.”

3. Avoid ultra-processed foods

There has been a lot of talk lately about how harmful ultra-processed foods are, and that includes the effect on hormone levels.

“When we eat high-sugar, processed foods, our inflammatory levels go up and our cortisol level goes up, which deprives us of progesterone,” says Cox.

Plus, filling up on these empty calories as delicious as they often are means we have less room for nutritious foods.

“They can often be depleted of nutrients, so you’re not getting the nutrients you need to build hormones and support hormonal health like magnesium, zinc, B vitamins, and omega three fatty acids.”

4. Create a window to eat

It’s not just what you eat, it’s when. Cox recommends having a daytime eating window that ends around 6 p.m., so that there is a gap of a few hours before bed.

“When your blood sugars rise at night, your kidneys have to kick in to try and remove this excess blood sugar, which means you’re up during the night urinating,” she says.

“Many women associate it with drinking a lot before bed, but actually eating late at night can be because of that too.”

Choosing nutritious and satisfying meals is the next step.

“Within that window, start becoming a little more aware of your carbs and increasing your protein,” she continues.

“So you’re feeling full, your body is getting all the amino acids it needs, and maybe you’re not eating as much takeout like sandwiches, pasta, chips.”

5. Monitor your magnesium

“Most women have a subclinical magnesium deficiency,” explains Cox, which can cause insomnia and the risk increases with age.

“As we get into our 40s, we absorb less magnesium than we would have in our 20s.”

Diet also plays a role: “If we have high blood sugar and inflammation levels when we’re stressed, we lose magnesium.”

She recommends taking a magnesium glycinate or bisglycinate supplement before bed to increase your chances of getting a good night’s sleep.

“The glycine part helps lower core body temperature, which is what the body craves when it goes to bed,” she says.

“That compound also helps you enter what’s called REM sleep, which is sleep where you consolidate memories and learn.”

Hungry woman by Pauline Cox is published by Ebury Press. Photograph by Luca Alberto. Available now.