Hormones are chemical substances in the human body that act like messenger molecules. After being made in one part of the body they move to other parts where they help to control how cells and organs function. For example, insulin is a hormone made in the pancreas but regulates how cells use up food sugar.
Over the years it has been proved that there are substances in our daily food that have a magical property of behaving exactly like hormones. These are actually plant hormones called Phytoestrogens. These substances came to light during the phase of modern nutrition and its renewed interest in micro-nutrients, enzymes and plant hormones.
How do Phytoestrogens work?
Here's an interesting fact about Phytoestrogens. Even after digestion and absorption, a component of the plant hormones stays active. The good thing is that being natural; these plant hormones are completely safe and have only a mild effect on the body. Though there are over 300 plant based compounds which have such hormone-like effects such as soy, there are many foods which have an indirect effect on the hormones such as cabbage, fat content in the diet, peanuts and wheat bran.
- Cabbage and Cruciferous Vegetables
These are known to influence levels of hormones, like estrogens, in the body by affecting intake and breakdown of the compound by the liver. This total effect is especially beneficial for women with a genetic predisposition to tumours or women with a family history of breast cancer.
- Fat Content
The fat content in one's diet plays a major role in the production of hormones. It has been observed that children on a high fat diet of cheese, chips, butter and the like, common in most urban settings, produce excess hormones leading to early puberty. And so it isn't advisable for children to be fed foods with an unbalanced proportion of fat. Besides direct fat, there is the trend in Western nations to consume meat and poultry which has been fattened by the use of growth hormones. These growth hormones eventually find their way into the human body which exerts extra hormonal effects.
- Protein-rich foods
Peanuts are a rich source of protein and boron. Boron is an important component in the production of several hormones. Thus eating boron-rich foods can boost estrogen levels in post-menopausal women.
- Wheat Bran
This is known to help control excess estrogen levels in the blood stream. This in turn is known to help reduce the risk of breast cancer (Women with high estrogen levels are more prone to breast cancer than others).
- Non-vegetarian food
A very high consumption of non-vegetarian food such as red meat and poultry can also influence hormonal levels in the bodies of those who eat it. The reason is that there is ample proof of large residual levels of growth hormones in meat and poultry. There is a new trend of organically fed livestock and poultry which is going to be a great boon to people around the world who are dependent on a non-vegetarian diet.
Now with better food choices to pick from, you can eat healthy as well as regulate your body's hormones and reactions without having to go on medication. This is great news for people who've been struggling with hormone related problems. Don't wait anymore; get on the right track with the right foods!
