1. Sleep

The absolute number one thing you can do to balance your hormones is to sleep enough. I prefer 9 hours, but can function on 7. Anything less, and I’m a mess. You’ll know when you’ve slept the right amount, when you sleep for a certain number of hours, and wake up without the alarm and feel refreshed and ready to take on the day. Skimping on sleep creates an automatic imbalance that no healthy diet or amount of exercise can correct. Just don’t overdo it, or it can have the opposite effect and make you more tired, grumpy and lack motivation.

2. Watch Your Insulin

Insulin is a hormone and any time it’s out of balance, so are the other hormones in your body. When you eat high carbohydrate foods without enough protein, it causes insulin to spike. Too much fat and high carbohydrate foods can also cause this problem. To effectively manage your insulin the healthy way, eat all high carbohydrate foods with protein. No matter what though, you need to stay away from processed sugars, refined carbs and other unhealthy sources of carbs. Even when eaten with a lean protein, these naturally mess with your hormones, along with your metabolism.

3. Moderate Your Caffeine

Caffeine from good sources, like coffee, tea and chocolate, are actually beneficial in small amounts, but too much caffeine, or choosing poor sources of caffeine, can have the opposite effect and harm your hormones. Too much caffeine causes an estrogen imbalance that makes you moody, stressed and can lead to weight gain. Just the right amount will leave you happy, energized and refreshed.

4. Eat Aphrodisiac Foods

If you suffer low hormones, or low libido, one easy way to enhance your hormones is to eat more aphrodisiac foods that raise your libido. These include chocolate, red wine, vanilla, avocados, artichokes, figs, asparagus, salmon, sweet potatoes, hemp, maca root, flax, chia, almonds, cashews, olives and olive oil, bananas and berries. Eating more of these can naturally boost your hormones and perhaps put you in the mood a little more!

5. Consume Enough B Vitamins

B vitamins are important for your metabolism, and especially for your hormones. They help to give you energy, and calm you down, to regulate stress all in different ways. Foods high in B vitamins include fish, oats, chicken, turkey, asparagus, avocados, nutritional yeast, yogurt, nuts, seeds, spirulina, brown rice and quinoa. Choosing more of these foods can help boost levels the natural way, and they’re all amazing for you as well.

6. Try Maca

Maca is one of my personal favorite superfoods, and I never knew how important it was for my hormones until I went through menopause at a much too early age. Maca is one of the best libido- boosting foods, along with one of the best anti-stress foods, that a woman can consume. Maca’s adaptogenic properties can help a woman deal with physical and emotional stress, and it also helps provide energy that is often lost from low hormones. Some studies have also showed it is effective in helping a woman gain back her menstrual cycle, but I have never experienced that personally.

7. Regulate Your Stress

Lastly, you must regulate your stress and make it priority daily, and don’t do it through caffeine pills, cigarettes or alcohol. I’m talking about doing it the right way - through enough daily quiet time, moderate exercise, practicing deep breathing, trying yoga, and journaling or whatever your favorite hobby is. Regulating your stress naturally helps your hormones and will balance your entire body out in numerous ways.

Hormones are one of my least favorite things to deal with as a woman, but when they are in balance, they can be a real gift. When balanced, they help give us energy, a healthy body, and a healthy mood. Do you have a tip that you use to balance out your hormones?